What is better Avid or Final Cut Pro, I am thinking of getting an Avid but have questions?

[Todd Beabout]

Heh, I see you’ve posted this in both forums too. You’ll probably get very different stories in both. My answer is it depends on what you are doing. Both apps are very good at what they do. You can create the same product (basically) with either system. Good work comes from talented people, no matter what they cut on. What you should do is go and see a demo of each, then put your hands on each one. So much is relative man…

If you want to see people arguing about it (including me), just do a search of “FCP vs. Avid” in this forum and/or FCP’s forum. You’ll find all the points I or anyone else would probably make by searching.

Good luck!

-Todd Beabout
Vazda Studios

[Tom John]

I find FCP on OSX to be INFINITELY preferable to ANY Avid installations in terms of user-friendliness (and Avid has barely improved on their interfaces of 10 years ago). Can’t speak to how the various systems compare in render time.

Avid tech support is non-existent unless perhaps you’ve purchased their highest-end machinery.

Avid Express Pro on PC’s is amazingly unstable, even on premium systems.

At this point I only work on Avid at all because it is essential to know it in the free-lance world. My hope is that Avid’s complacency will ultimately come back and sink them, leaving the field more open to better-designed and supported programs.

Best,

Tom

DesertVideo@earthlink.net

[Vegasfan]

Actually, Avid is much more rigorous and stable than FCP – hands down. I have both since I use DVDSP on my G5. Avid Xpress Pro with Mojo is about the best you will get in realtime (there is Edius).

If you need your project done and ready, go with Avid.

Go to a dealer and try out both. In fact, rent an hour on each bay and bring in a project. Have the tech help you set eveything up and see for yourself. You will see for yourself.

[Stevejr]

Hi,
Thanks for the info, but I have been told the opposite about AVID. I have been told that final cut is more stable because the computer system and software are all built by apple. It scares me a little to go with mojo. I have seen mojo work compared to liquid edition pro, and it is slower. Liquid takes advantage of using the CUP more.
Anyway, at NAB I was more impressed with final cut pro software then avid, but I tend to like PCs better then MAC. From research it seems that PC’s are faster at processing and rendering.

[Greg Ekborg]

Well, my two cents is this:

It is apple and oranges, but if you are a freelancer you should learn both and all NLE systems, from the software to the hardware.

As maybe a small post production facility, you need to pick one and stick with it and grow with it. Learn the nuances of its workflow.

I have edited on all of them, from a $500k AVID system at a premier Emmy Award winning post house, to the grunt work on a Adobe Premiere workstation.

I have noticed one thing though. For the money, FCP and Premiere Pro are more cost effective. AVID is more of the high end finishing suite. When I worked with a premiere post house, they used FCP for all of the grunt work with After Effects and Photoshop on MAC’s. But the Finishing was done on PC’s with MAYA and AVID.

Thus, its to each his own right now, with technology growing this fast, no one will be left out from the top dogs. Adobe won’t stand idley by as FCP surpasses them, and neither will AVID. Its just going to be a matter of what your more confortable with as workflow and Operating Systems go.

I personally love AVIDS interface and speediness. But I would like to use more FCP or Premiere as of late due to AVID’s complicated nature of OMFI Media Files and importing compressions on the Xpress versions. Comparably, I would say that FCP is better for the software side of things, but maybe for a large scale high end finishing suite, you might want the robust AVID systems to push them out. I personally can’t afford to change everything over to a MAC at this point, so I am stuck with Premiere or AVID Xpress. Til FCP goes cross platform.

Greg
Creative Director
https://www.deCONSTRUCTstudios.com
e. cd@deCONSTRUCTstudios.com

[Vegasfan]

You should go to the 2pop forums and cruise on how many problems people are having with FCP. The version is only on 5, so Apple doesn’t have alot of experience or history behind them – but, it is a matter of time.

Like I said, go rent a bay for an hour and see for yourself. Personally, I find FCP too buggy, slow, and little or no realtime. But, to each their own.

[Greg Ekborg]

Wow, didn’t know that FCP had that many problems from what I have heard…Does the new AVID Pro with Mojo have the same issues about Media Files and moving them?

Maybe I should go back to Premiere with their new Pro edition and have an extremely smooth workflow to from PS to AE to Premiere and back to AE???

My only concern, because I do have them as does the orginal poster, about moving up to a new system, is that which application will be the best at the new IMX or HD acquisition, editing, workflow, and output? But, not being at that point yet, I don’t want to have to buy everything twice once I reach that level of HD.

Greg
Creative Director
https://www.deCONSTRUCTstudios.com
e. cd@deCONSTRUCTstudios.com

[Vegasfan]

Cineform has 2k realtime for PPro. So, I don’t see a problem with PPro HD.

I like Adobe but I think the integration between the apps has to be tighter. Audio clips should easily be exported right into Audition, there should be flawless integration between PPro and AE, and etc., It is only a matter of time.

With the new dual core chips coming out, speed won’t be that much of an issue. Running PPro with a good raid should be good enough.

[Chris Magid]

WHY I AM SICK OF THESE TYPES OF QUESTIONS?

If you are any sort of professional and are in the least bit successful you know how to evaluate options and make decisions. You need to consider the source before taking any suggestions via internet forums seriously. WHY? Because everyone’s situation may be different as they relate to customers, experience, skill, workflow, business structure, etc. Also, opinions will be biased.

Each product has benefits and drawbacks. Their strengths are in very different areas. Neither can be called better or worse. Same goes for Mac vs PC.

Do your homework. Go get demos. Read product literature. Search for reviews from publications. Etc

And if you think you are going to build any sort of professional editing environment for $1200 you are misktaken.

Chris Magid
RTVF

[Vegasfan]

Chris:

You were once a beginner yourself. The guy is just asking questions.