[Marc Wielage]

I have done that before: just highlight X number of clips in a row, change the Camera Raw settings, then select “Ripple Node Changes to Selected Clips.” It should in theory work.

[Marc Wielage]

The key to me is to get the best possible VHS deck to ensure the playback looks as good as possible. One of the JVCs or Panasonics with a built in TBC — the JVC BR-S822 is my pick — is highly recommended. Check the material on a scope, and avoid using any noise reduction or enhancement in playback. Make sure the levels are good and that the tape is carefully tracked.

I would recommend ProRes 422 720×480. Anything more than that is total overkill (to me).

There are archival services out there that specialize in converting old tape formats to digital, and you may want to rely on them for best results. DC Video in Burbank would be high on that list: https://www.dcvideo.com/

[Marc Wielage]

It will depend on how many takes are there, but I would think transcoding 6TB of material to ProRes need not take more than real time. If it’s Red Epic 4K material at 5:1, that’s about 30 hours of material, and I would bet it need not take more than a couple of days. Less, if you have a couple of computers to work with simultaneously. It would take more if you also had to sync up audio to go with the picture.

If you just want a ballpark temporary Rec709 look, go for RedColor 4 (or DragonColor) and RedGamma 4:

https://www.red.com/learn/red-101/redlogfilm-redgamma

[Marc Wielage]

Sample rate should be 48kHz, bit-depth should be 16-bit or 24-bit. A 2008 computer will be slow, no doubt about it.

[Marc Wielage]

[Bill Ravens] “In today’s environment, there’s no reason a workspace that can span multiple monitors isn’t implemented. Needing to buy a 4k monitor just to be able to edit is, IMHO, totally unreasonable.”
Well, you can just buy a second display and split the interface in two. Does that not work for you? I can’t work without 3 monitors myself, and that’s how I work every day.

Moving around the interface would be nice, but I would actually rather they return to the daVinci 2K interface with the multiple desktops. Once you get used to that, it’s an extremely efficient way to work.

[Marc Wielage]

[Glenn Sakatch] “I switched over to 12 a couple of weeks ago, and ever since I have been cursing (more so than before) the restrictions on window sizing. I’m finding it harder and harder to work with a larger node tree when i can’t expand out the size of my area.”
As far as I know, the GUI is hard coded in some cases and can’t easily be programmed to allow moving it. My suggestion would be to get a higher-res monitor. I switched to a 27″ 2560×1440 monitor some time ago, and I’ve got the room to see 20-25 nodes with no problem.

[Marc Wielage]

[Simon Billington] “Of course I can set the same up on Insight, but I’d have to go digging around for the specifics first, since iZotope don’t really factor Australia in as among their customers.”
Have you tried emailing iZotope for support? I’ve found they’re pretty responsive.

[Marc Wielage]

I think you mean XDCam source files to ProRes renders, right? What’s your hardware? How do the drives rate in the Blackmagic Speed Test?

I’ve seen zero changes in render speed between 11, 12, and 12.1 on the Trashcan Macs.

[Marc Wielage]

Even the jog/shuttle knob on the full-size daVinci panels is a little buggy. It’s a known problem I wish they would eventually address.

[Marc Wielage]

[Bill Ravens] “I struggled thru the same exercise you are now asking about. Ultimately, I ended up buying, over time, both the Avid Artist Color and the Tangent Wave. In short, the Avid Artist color was a total waste of my money. Without going into all the problems I had with it, it’s enough to say that it only partially works within Media Composer Symphony. “
I disagree strongly. I know of a dozen colorists in various cities who are using it just fine with Resolve 12. What I will agree with you on is that Avid’s support for the MC Color panel is lousy and their user guide is inadequate. It can be done, but you need to know what you’re doing and understand how to set up permissions (at least under Mac OSX) and ethernet.

I’ve worked on hundreds and hundreds of feature films and TV episodes with the full-size daVinci panels, the Tangent Wave panels, the MC Color panels, and have some experience with the Tangent Elements panels (which are excellent), but I’d say the MC Color panels are the best alternative to the full-size panels out there. They’re a good value for the money. In truth, I use an X-Keys 80 panel off to the side to get to all the functions the MC Color panel can’t reach, but the combination of the two is very productive for me.

I readily admit that this is a personal decision, like buying a car or shoes or a hat. There’s no one “best choice” that will work for everybody.