Performance/Beach Balling question

[Simon Ubsdell]

Your graphics card might be the issue – though it really should be good enough.

Read Apple’s notes on troubleshooting, though they’re not a huge help:

https://support.apple.com/kb/TS3893

Make sure you turn off background rendering which is worse than useless in almost every case – it is a severe drain on performance and generally a pointless waste of time as a feature.

Make sure you have the absolute minimum of projects visible to FCPX at any one time. FCPX simply is unable to handle seeing multiple projects adequately.

I’m sure there are lots of other tips but those are the ones that spring to mind.

Oh and, don’t upgrade to 10.0.3 which has serious performance issues – unless it’s already too late for you!

Simon Ubsdell
http://www.tokyo-uk.com

[Tom Wolsky]

I think he’s already there if he’s doing multicam. I wonder what OS Michael is using. Getting very different reports about application performance depending on the OS.

All the best,

Tom

“Final Cut Pro X for iMovie and Final Cut Express Users” from Focal Press
Class on Demand DVDs “Complete Training for FCP7,” “Basic Training for FCS” and “Final Cut Express Made Easy”
Coming in 2012 “Complete Training for FCPX” from Class on Demand

[Simon Ubsdell]

[Tom Wolsky] “I think he’s already there if he’s doing multicam.”

Oops – I guess it pays to read the OP properly!

Simon Ubsdell
http://www.tokyo-uk.com

[Michael Hadley]

Well, yes. Rather too late–running 10.0.3.

As far as OS goes, am running 10.7.3–up to date Lion.

I’m also using Event Manager X (great app) so only two events/projects readable by X.

I might switch from dual monitor to single monitor mode and see if things improve. I had a different problem typing simple titles in dual monitor mode and once I switched to a single monitor, things improved quite a bit.

I guess my question is: if I beefed up my card, would the increased performance be worth it? Really, I don’t think this project is too nutty in terms of pushing the system so I wonder if it’s just that X is kinda slow.

Which would be a bummer.

Thanks as always.

[Simon Ubsdell]

One other thing that is perhaps a bit hard to pin down, but one corrupt or otherwise problematic bit of media (often an imported graphic file, but it could also be a render) will cause slowdowns and worse. Much, much worse!

In fact, it’s just like working on AVID in that respect 😉

Isolating such problems can be tricky though …

Simon Ubsdell
http://www.tokyo-uk.com

[Michael Hadley]

I was experiencing the spinning beach ball/poor performance problem and it was getting worse as I continued to edit.

I actually called apple. Here was their solution.

Sometimes, project files get corrupt. The fix is simple: in your current project, select everything (command A) copy everything (command C)

Next, go to the project library. Create a new project. Open it, and paste everything into it (yep, command V). This may resolve your problem. It seems to have worked for me. For now.

Apple also recommends making a duplicate of your current project once every few hours in case it gets so corrupt you can’t open it. That seems to be an issue for some poor souls. And then even the backup won’t open.

My guess this “corrupt project file” issue is big and something they are working on given how quickly the service tech offered it as the potential solution. And it is working so far.

Guess that’s why some folks never work with a .0 app. Hopefully they solve this (or reduce it) in the next update.

I think this is important so am going to repost as a new thread…hopefully not too boring for the audience here but I was about ready to weep until I found the solution.

Good luck!

[Jim Giberti]

[Michael Hadley] “Apple also recommends making a duplicate of your current project once every few hours in case it gets so corrupt you can’t open it. That seems to be an issue for some poor souls. And then even the backup won’t open.

My guess this “corrupt project file” issue is big and something they are working on given how quickly the service tech offered it as the potential solution. And it is working so far.

Guess that’s why some folks never work with a .0 app. Hopefully they solve this (or reduce it) in the next update.”

They’ve certainly heard a lot about it from us – two hopelessly corrupted projects and media..and drives.

They now know how badly the memory issues are with X…very immature code and concept

I didn’t need them to recommend copy and pasting contents into a new project, it’s the first thing I tried, but after a certain point the corruption travels with it like a ghost in the machine…bad, bad dogs, Apple.

Anyway – Make sure you regularly use “Delete Project Render Files” to keep any project as healthy as possible, especially if you do lot’s graphics and color correcting, and audio work for that matter. You know, what we call editing.

Get any and all versions of a project that’s problematic out of your Project Folder.

Keep your project folder clean – Apple is absolutely crazy making this a “see everything program”. It’s like some senior member had the idea and no one had the balls to tell him that no Mac could actually run the program under the concept.

The RAM and project memory issues are unprofessional and absurd.
The corruption issues are beyond absurd.

[Steve Connor]

[Jim Giberti] “They’ve certainly heard a lot about it from us – two hopelessly corrupted projects and media..and drives.
“

How on earth did it corrupt a drive? I haven’t heard of that happening at all

Steve Connor
“FCPX Professional”
Adrenalin Television

[Michael Hadley]

Your troubles sound just awful. I can sympathize.

Two things: Were you actually recommending regularly deleting render files to improve performance?

And what do you mean by getting corrupt versions out of your project folder? Are you suggest creating another project folder, on another volume, and then copying/pasting the new project into that location?

Thanks.

[Jim Giberti]

[Steve Connor] “How on earth did it corrupt a drive? I haven’t heard of that happening at all
“

Ask Apple.
They didn’t seem surprised when we were talking about it, they just discussed all the new things we should be doing to backup and protect our work from what they obviously know is an unstable environment.

Honestly, I haven’t had corrupt media let alone a drive in modern times.
But apparently the media was so corrupt and the projects so corrupt that on one of the countless crashes that day Mr Mac felt compelled to advise me that my boot drive was corrupted and that I had to try and save it (which fortunately I was able to.)

The mistake I obviously made Steve, was operating my system and this program as I would FCP7 or anything else I create with. I was flying through design elements (basic simple stuff) audio edits and sweetening and constant image enhancements without constantly monitoring the bloat of the project.

When I did, this one 2:06 film was 56 GBs and apparently because there were 4 TV spot projects in progress, also associated with the same master event, it just collapsed under it’s own weight.

When I deleted the unused render files that day that one project shrunk back to 2GB.
People used to get fired for designing stuff this badly.