The exponential greatness of the magnetic timeline in FCPX

[Jeff Markgraf]

Shawn –

How does that work in Vegas? (Never even seen a Vegas!)
I assume it has conventional tracks. Or does it layer the overlaps like a Fairlight? And does it overlap like X for video as well as audio?

[Oliver Peters]

[Jeff Markgraf] “But overlapping clips in Avid results in overwriting”

Agreed. To clarify my example:

I just wanted to point out that there are older and other versions of the magnetic timeline. Not that they are necessarily equal to X’s approach.

– Oliver

Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com

[Shawn Miller]

Hi Jeff,

Vegas has conventional tracks, and yes it does overlap video as well as audio when in auto cross fade mode.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=0CSYCqk3ZPk#t=210

When I came back to Premiere from Vegas years ago, I really missed auto fade and auto ripple. It’s nice not having to think about clip collisions. 🙂

Shawn

[Jeff Markgraf]

Shawn –

So as I understand the tutorial, the colliding clips create crossfades, which I think is very much like Pro Tools. But the clips don’t actually move away and overlap like X.

As far as AutoRipple, it’s really just selective ripple editing, which is handy.

Unless I’m misunderstanding something, it still seems that X’s behavior is unique and inextricably tied to its lack of tracks.

[Jeff Markgraf]

Oliver –

Right. Understood. It’s the standard Avid ripple function when using the yellow segment tool instead of the red segment tool. Been doing it without the picture view for years.

This is why I think the “magnetic” name is, I think, a bit of a distraction. Ripple editing certainly isn’t new, and that’s what magnetic is really referring to.

The more important function of the “magnetic” timeline is the way the clips move out of the way and overlap when dragged over each other. To me, that’s the real “paradigm shift” (sorry – I hate that phrase). Not overwriting (ala Avid) and not just going “thunk” and not moving (ala FCP7) is completely new for an NLE. (Pretty sure some DAWs do this by default.)

I know “non-destructive” is a fraught choice of words, but I think it comes closer to describing what’s actually important here.

[Herb Sevush]

[Jeff Markgraf] “The more important function of the “magnetic” timeline is the way the clips move out of the way and overlap when dragged over each other. To me, that’s the real “paradigm shift” (sorry – I hate that phrase). Not overwriting (ala Avid) and not just going “thunk” and not moving (ala FCP7) is completely new for an NLE.”

Under the heading of “there’s nothing really new under the sun” 15 years ago EMC used tracks but still allowed non-destructive overwriting. It only had one video track and if you over overwrote a clip, the original clip was still there, underneath the new one. If you trimmed the top clip you would reveal the bottom layer, also you could send the top layer to the back. While X accomplishes this in a completely new way, by eliminating tracks, functionally it was the same. It worked this way with both audio and video. I no longer remember if there was a limit to how many layers could co-exist at the same location.

Herb Sevush
Zebra Productions
—————————
nothin’ attached to nothin’
“Deciding the spine is the process of editing” F. Bieberkopf

[Tony West]

For me it’s more about the connected clips.

You can grab a huge group of elements by grabbing one clip and they all travel together.

Drag them all down the timeline and drop them in a spot in seconds.

Other NLE’s can be in a ripple mode but they don’t have connected clips

[James Ewart]

[Scott Witthaus] “Three months? You should know much faster than that.”

It takes me at least three months too especially when I have to learn it in between stuff (I guess that’s the same for everyone).

A 30 day trial really is of no benefit to me. I need to cut a project with something (albeit a simple one) to feel like I have got to grips with it.

[Scott Witthaus]

My apologies to the OP and Herb. My comments and posts were taking this thread off course and I have removed them. “Play on”, folks.

[Trevor Asquerthian]

No need to ‘select all forward’, no overwriting of clips in timeline, no need to ‘add new tracks’ before moving and the fact that connected clips move together are all features I would love to see in the other NLEs….