[Jeff Mueller]

I’m not really an expert, but having the same issue I’ve read extensively about this, and what I’ve read says that this idea of spreading equal memory is an urban myth. If there is any advantage it is minimal. The MacPro 1.1 does require matched pairs, but beyond that it is far more important to spend your money wisely getting to 8Gb of ram and speeding up your drives by striping several fast internal drives together. A good video card can also make a difference (particularly if you are using Color). Hope this helps.

Jeff Mueller
http://www.ApertureVideos.com
Santa Barbara, CA

[Jeff Mueller]

Michael:

God I hope you’re right. I still have sync problems with Color 1.5.2 but maybe there were other weird things in the mix. I have a huge (for me) project I’m finishing now. 20 hours raw edited to 2 hours, shot HDV 24P, some complex graphics but mostly done in AE so they’re already ProRes composites, transferred (FW) directly to ProRes 4:22 (but 1440×1080 ’cause that’s how FCP does it) and edited in a matching timeline. I can not afford for this to come back out of sync. Any tips? Delivery is SD DVD.

Jeff Mueller
http://www.ApertureVideos.com
Santa Barbara, CA

[Jeff Mueller]

Let us know how it goes. I think it’s a great computer.

Jeff Mueller
http://www.ApertureVideos.com
Santa Barbara, CA

[Jeff Mueller]

That’s good information. Just to be clear, you are recommending editing in HDV but not doing complete renders until after taking it to Color as HDV? I have had problems with HDV in Color (either some shots not recognized or coming back out of sync) but I know there are many variables and am willing to try again if I am on the right path.

Thanks,

Jeff Mueller
http://www.ApertureVideos.com
Santa Barbara, CA

[Jeff Mueller]

My situation is a bit different so I’d like to hear more thoughts. I shoot exclusively in HDV (sometimes 60i, others 24P) imported over FW and I do not print to tape, most of my output is either SD DVD or H.264. I do color correct everything in Color and it hates HDV but it also doesn’t seem to like 1440 (rectangular pixel) Pro Res, which is what you get when you import directly as ProRes. Storage is an issue for me, so I prefer to work in an HDV timeline with renders to ProRes, but this doesn’t seem to solve the issues with Color. What is the best work-flow for this? When and how should I be rendering?

I use a MacPro 1.1 2.66 Quad with the latest FCS and all updates installed. And BTW I really don’t have problems editing in HDV, it’s just with Color.

Thanks.

Jeff Mueller
http://www.ApertureVideos.com
Santa Barbara, CA

[Jeff Mueller]

When I first wrote that post the eSata connector was a very new (and to me exciting) thing and I hadn’t thought through the warranty implications. I’m sure Walter is right that you could have a problem with Apple. I think that’s nonsense unless the eSata connector really was at fault, and legally I don’t think Apple would have a leg to stand on if the optical drive or even motherboard went out and they couldn’t establish the connector as the problem (it’s not inherently a problem to have two drives on that machine, Apple sells them that way). But, who wants to get into a fight with Apple? Me, I’d probably still buy the best (used) MacPro you can afford. Unless you’re confident 1 FW800 connector will support your needs.

Jeff Mueller
http://www.ApertureVideos.com
Santa Barbara, CA

[Jeff Mueller]

I’m running basically the same system, but have gone from 3 up to 6 GB of Ram and have an ATI 4870 that I just need to flash.

More than 3 GB of Ram is definitely helpful, most here say 8 GB minimum, 12-16 GB ideal, but it does depend on what programs you’re using as to how much beyond 4 (always need more than 4) you really need. My understanding is that AE loves Ram, Color is mostly dependent on the GPU except when rendering, FCP mostly wants really fast connection to the media. And yes you can (and should) keep your current Ram. With your Mac you MUST use matched pairs, that is, always have 2 exact modules, meaning not only same size but same manufacturer and production run. However, the idea that you need 4 of a kind is bunk. In certain circumstances there is a very slight performance bump to having 4 of a kind, but it is nowhere near equal to having more Ram, So 8 GB would be great but really you should do 4 x 2 GB and still add your 3 GB to the mix for 11 GB, or if you can’t afford that now, do 2 x 2GB to get to 7 and plan on adding another 2 x 2 later.

I’m not a Computer expert, but I have researched this extensively for myself. Good luck.

Jeff Mueller
http://www.ApertureVideos.com
Santa Barbara, CA

[Jeff Mueller]

I have the same system, but have updated to FCP 7 and OSX 10.6. If you can possibly afford to upgrade I highly recommend it (do a fresh install). In the states you can get OSX10.6 for $25 and deals on the FCS upgrade on eBay. I’m very pleased with my system (for now).

Jeff Mueller
http://www.ApertureVideos.com
Santa Barbara, CA

[Jeff Mueller]

I frequently shoot “poor man’s” slo mo with my Canon XLH1. I’m in NTSC land so I shoot my “normal” stuff 24p and my slow mo stuff 1080 60i. I get great results.

HOWEVER, it MUST be recorded on a separate tape from the 24p stuff in order to transfer correctly over Firewire, AND I convert the slow mo footage from 60i to 24p in After Effects, then bring it into my 24p timeline. AE does a great job interpolating the missing frames and no layman could tell the difference. The process is a bit of a pain, but the results are stellar.

Jeff Mueller
http://www.ApertureVideos.com
Santa Barbara, CA

[Jeff Mueller]

One more question: Although the two instances I mentioned above were projects that I imported as Pro Res, I’ve concluded that my preferred editing method is to use an HDV timeline with renders to Pro Res (I also generally bring in any AE material as Pro Res). Do you find that this method works for going to Color?

Jeff Mueller
http://www.ApertureVideos.com
Santa Barbara, CA