The Magnetic Timeline – Time, Space and One Clock To Rule Them All

[Misha Aranyshev]

[Craig Seeman] “Maybe you’ve always been perfect at that but I don’t want editing to be hampered by my hand eye coordination or lack thereof.”

Never tried to perfect this type of the skills. Too dangerous for your wrist. There is a keyboard. It is fast and precise.

[Craig Seeman]

[Herb Sevush] “But wait, how do you select the clips to be connected and compounded? No mouse use there?”

Edit the clip and it’s connected. Moving the connection is just command option click on top generally over the area I want unless I need a specific frame.

If the stack is big enough selecting for compound can be a bother but that’s no different than selecting to nest was in FCP7.

With FCPX, in most cases the clips are already connected so the move doesn’t involve selecting anything. Selecting is the exception not the norm and that makes my editing life easier.

[Craig Seeman]

[Michael Hancock] “If you don’t link the right elements together, they won’t move together will they?”

They link by default. It’s only if you have to move a connection that one has to be concerned and no more concerned than before.

[Craig Seeman]

Selecting clips in a stack usually involves the mouse at some point in most cases. Even Command click involves “click.” Lassoing involves mouse.

[Misha Aranyshev]

Set IN. Set OUT. Select In to OUT.

[David Lawrence]

[Craig Seeman] “The rigidity of the harpsichord eventually led to the much more flexible piano but that eventually was part of the development of the keyboard synthesizer which creates timbres that don’t really exist in “nature” when various physical objects are percussively hit or bowed. Yet this variety of “unnatural” sound is now pervasive. Some musicians were even afraid (and many rightfully so depending on one’s values and goals) of such development. FCPX may yet become the new keyboard synth”

Very interesting analogy and line of thought. There are ton’s of examples of interesting new UI approaches that allow for whole new kinds of music to be made. For example, Reactable which Bjork used on tour a couple years ago. I love this stuff!

But keep in mind that most exotic new keyboard synths all still use a keyboard as their primary UI. In the case of FCP, I think the timeline is the keyboard. It’s a UI optimized for a very specific task. To take your analogy a bit further, it seems like some people are confusing the synthesizer (the sound engine) for the keyboard (the UI that drives it).

_______________________
David Lawrence
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[David Lawrence]

[Craig Shields] “Are you using FCPX now? If so, how much time are you spending with it? Do you have or can you create examples of the potential problems of which you speak?”

Like many, I’m currently unable to use it for client work, but I have a softer project that I’m using as a test case. Mostly I’m testing its various assumptions and behaviors and trying to understand how it wants me to work. Then I’m comparing that against things I typically do in 7 and noting which is more efficient. My next post will touch on some of this.

For a real-world stress test, I think we should all be paying close attention to what these guys find out:

https://fcpxmegatest.blogspot.com/

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David Lawrence
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[Craig Seeman]

[David Lawrence] “But keep in mind that most exotic new keyboard synths all still use a keyboard as their primary UI. In the case of FCP, I think the timeline is the keyboard.”

I used to play a Buchla and built a Serge kit. No keyboards on the models I used. I admit I’m adventurous when it comes to interfaces.

And when I used the DX7 I immediately began to play with just intonation and microtonal tuning.

FCPX timeline, while a timeline, is certainly using a new tuning.

Keyboards over the years when through tuning changes as well. Just ask a deep “classical” and “pre-classical” music expert and some will argue that the modern versions are not using the original tunings in many chamber pieces for example.

[David Lawrence]

[Craig Seeman] “FCPX timeline, while a timeline, is certainly using a new tuning.”

I think a better analogy is that the magnetic timeline is to the open time timeline as a GarageBand smart keyboard is to regular keyboard. They’re both keyboards, you play them both in similar ways, but GarageBand’s smart keyboard has all kinds of automated features to help make good sounding music easily and with less skill. The regular keyboard is completely open. You’re on your own. It only sounds as good as you’re able to make it sound with your abilities and style.

_______________________
David Lawrence
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[David Lawrence]

[Walter Soyka] “I think AV Foundation here is a red herring. “

It may be that we’re seeing it modeled in the UI but I absolutely agree that if that’s the case, it’s a choice on the part of the designers.

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David Lawrence
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