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Please Forgive My Ignorance
I am a long time AVID editor looking to build a system from scratch for Premiere and After Effects. I have been on a PC most of my career but am looking to build a Mac.
I have worked in numerous different editing applications over the years, so I’m not afraid of having to adjust to the quirks of a new system. But, I have never been a “computer guy,” and am having a hard time boiling down just what it is I’m going to need to buy. While I have been an editor for 20 years, I’ve never had to build the systems. Just work them.
Currently, I’m thinking that I will need one of the new Mac trash cans (I mean that lovingly), but I don’t know how many cores I’ll need. I understand it’s all relative – but I am accustomed to being on fast, professional editing systems so I am assuming that I’ll need an 8 core at minimum, along with a GPU card. But, what kind of card? I have no idea about these things except that I am currently on a Quadro 4000 that is considered dated.
What other additional peripherals will I need other than a good external monitor? How much dedicated memory? Is editing directly through Thunderbolt reliable? Even for 4K? I don’t currently have a need for a video I/O as the vast majority of the work I do is file based.
I realize that this is rudimentary stuff for some of you, so I hope my questions don’t seem too simplistic.
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7 Replies
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We are looking to upgrade our 3 edit suites soon, after a lot of research and recommendations this is what we are looking to get;
Mac Pro
8 core
32GB RAM
D700s graphics cards
500GB SSDLG 34UM95 monitor
Living the SuiteLife!
Stuff for editors http://www.cafepress.com/suitelife -
Outstanding – thank you for the response. I was leaning toward an 8 core, but didn’t know if 12 was overkill. Are you getting 2 monitors?
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We’ve been working with single monitors for a few years now, so we are going to continue with just using one. A 21:9 should have enough space, but if not, there is plenty of room on the MacPros to add more.
Living the SuiteLife!
Stuff for editors http://www.cafepress.com/suitelife -
Where are you going to store your media?
How long are you going to store that media?
Who will manage your storage?Since you are not a “computer guy,” I assume you are also not a “networking guy.” The best value you can put into a modern, bright and shiny editing suite is a proper storage backbone type of network. The amount you spend will depend on what your client deliverable is and what kind of media and throughput will be required.
This is an interesting thread to read: https://forums.creativecow.net/readpost/17/880322
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Thanks for responding – sorry for delay I was out shooting.
My needs will vary. I am going freelance, so I’ll need to be flexible, but nothing like what’s described in that thread you gave. I won’t be storing footage long term, and if I do, I’ll charge for it.
What do you suggest?
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It depends on your codec. If you are using h.264, a very common codec, then PP will not need to transcode to Apple Pro Res. That can save you a lot of time and money, because of the compression. If that’s the case, then turn your existing mac into a media server in a few quick steps, using simple apple protocol. (That’s what I do.)
If you need more throughput because you’re using Red, Arri, or Canon Raw via Apple Pro res or DnxHD from Avid, then you will need something much more expensive. Google: Pegasus Promise, for example — and there are many competing vendors.
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Thanks. I will probably need to go for more throughput as I will be receiving footage in all the codecs you listed and more.
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