Why working FROM Finder is faster?

[David Roth weiss]

Welcome to the Cow Matias. It sounds as if you don’t have enough RAM in your machine, and it’s possible your media drives are not providing enough throughput. Why don’t you tell us the precise details of your system so we don’t have to guess.

David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles

POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™

A forum host of Creative COW’s Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums.

[Matías Ónega]

Hi David! Here is the data of my computer.

MacPro2,1 (Quad-Core Intel Xeon)
Processor speed: 3 GHz
Number of processors: 2
Number of cores: 8
Caché level 2 (per processor): 8 MB
Memory: 8 GB
Bus speed: 1.33 GHz
Boot ROM: MP21.007F.B08
SMC: 1.15f3

I think RAM is not the problem. Specially given that this happens whit any tipe of media, being it small or large, low or high quality, and no matter what format you are using. It’s just always like that.
The thing with Final Cut having to load every time I switch back from Finder or other application (but working spectacularly well when in backgrpund) has been happening since day 1, working in local and with server, and the same using Final Cut in a iMacs 5.1 we’ve tested it with. It’s like it needs to verify all the media you’re working with in case you have made some changes before letting you work with it again (and indeed, when you do some changes in a connected clip, it willbe changed right before letting you go on).

Is there a way to just make the program run as it was on the background –while it’s not? The frustrating thing is that when it works in the background, it proves it can really work fast and without beachball times. So why does that happen anyway?
I can only compare this with Adobe Premiere, which does have not this issue.

Thanks!

[John Fishback]

Have you trashed FCP prefs, repaired permissions and run Disk Warrior? These are the first steps I take when FCP acts abnormally.

John

MacPro 8-core 2.8GHz 8 GB RAM OS 10.5.5 QT7.5.5 Kona 3 Dual Cinema 23 ATI Radeon HD 3870
ATTO ExpressSAS R380 RAID Adapter, PDE Enclosure with 8-drive 6TB RAID 5
24″ TV-Logic Monitor
Final Cut Studio 2 (up to date)

Pro Tools HD w SYNC IO, Yamaha DM1000, Millennia Media HV-3C, Neumann U87, Schoeps Mk41 mics, Genelec Monitors, PrimaLT ISDN

[Chris Borjis]

This is definitely NOT normal behavior especially on a system of that speed.

something is definitely very wrong.

what kind of disk array do you have? is it with any project?

maybe try removing your video card then putting it back in. (just an idea)

[Dave Mehrman]

What exactly do you mean by running faster in the background?
You also mentioned something about working off of a server?

If you are accessing your media via Ethernet on a server that will cause significant problems with your file performance if you are not set up properly.

Also… i would recommend trashing your cache files, i have found sometimes that will clear up application funkiness.

Make sure your programs are quit first then go to:

homefolder > Library > cache: trash the files in that folder.

[Matías Ónega]

Wow, thanks. I will try your ideas and check the data you’ve asked for ASAP.

By running in the background I mean the same thing as when you are running Safari and, without clicking on a Word document you happen to have opened at the same time next to your Safari tab, you scroll down the document. You’re not switching application (meaning that, next to the Apple logo you still see SAFARI instead of WORD, that is the application you’re scrolling down in that very moment). In my case, Final cut can do lots of things that would usually require and loading times and Preparing Video For Dispalys if it is running inn the background (that being, while you dont’see FINAL CUT next to the apple logo).

[David Roche]

Funny you should post this. I’ve been going through this same garbage for about 3 months. My machine, with specs identical to yours, has continued to run slower and slower. Just accessing folders in Finder can take up to a minute while I get to watch the fun little beach ball twirling. I’ve had many explicable crashes with FCP and Motion. To top it off, the computer decided on its own that I added a third monitor between the two that I really have. Of course all new windows opened in the phantom monitor which was a real treat.

So today, after many calls and hours on the phone to Apple, a trip to the Apple store which resulted in an overwrite reinstall of OSX and based on the recommendations of the Apple techs, I’ve taken a drastic measure familiar to all PC users. I’ve erased the Mac hard drive and reinstalled OSX. I am now enduring the painfully slow process of reinstalling Final Cut Studio.

Think this will fix the problems? I’m skeptical.

I think Mr. “I’m a Mac” and Mr.”I’m a PC” are interchangeable.

[Matías Ónega]

Well, if it works, tell me! I’ll be trying today what I’ve been suggested to do here and see how it goes!

[Nick Price]

HI David and Matias,
It sounds like a clean reinstall is the best option. Make sure you repair permissions and run all updates, and then repair permissions again. FCP6 works for me on 6 machines, even on G4s and Macminis as well as MacPros, without the problems you have mentioned, so there is hope. Keep plugging away and all will come good!
Cheers
n