[Mathieu Ghekiere]

I would definately look for more RAM. FCP X likes RAM.

And I find that although FCP X can be a bit slow in the beginning, with rendering all the thumbnails, generating all the audio waveforms, analyzing, … the media on import, once it has done that, it’s very fast. I don’t know how it is on a Mac Pro, but on a retina macbook pro with thunderbolt storage, it’s a joy to use.

[Mathieu Ghekiere]

When FCP X was released, it was one of the first things that I put off.

But I learned how to use it after a while, and you have to ‘get’ how to use it for your own use. I think everyone will have their own combination of skimming, JKL, clicking, … but once you approach it as another tool, it really can be VERY fast to go trough footage, search for points, work with 2 reference points (your playhead and the skimmer). It’s by design pretty clever (turned off when the playhead is running, for instance, coming in when you are paused, …)
And in very rare cases where it works against you, it’s just a shortcut away from being turned off.

To be honest, I couldn’t live without it anymore.

In fact, we are using X for the first time on a big job now at work after I dabbled in it for about 10 projects, and adviced to switch (I’m the main editor of the company)
My collegue, which is pretty new to the thing, already said after a first day ‘teaching’ I gave him: “I opened FCP 7 last night again, and it immediately felt sooo old.”

This is after years of working on 7. It’s a great program. Sure, it still has to mature, I have my wish list and I know many others too. But it’s a bit like the first iPhone: yes it was limited in a lot of ways, but it was also an utter joy to work with and the things it did, it did better then anyone else.
With FCP X it’s often the same (not always). I keep looking out for every next update how fast the developers move.

[Mathieu Ghekiere]

DVD Studio Pro still is a great choice. And I think your comment about not wanting to use software that is not being developed is strange in the context that DVD itself is a format that isn’t being developed anymore as well. I mean, all the limitations of DVD’s are being hit with (for instance) DVD Studio Pro or Encore, so what do you think Toast 11 will give you extra?

But considering you sold FCS 3, it’s no choice I guess?

Maybe a creative cloud subscription in combination with Adobe Encore? You only use it then when you need to?

[Mathieu Ghekiere]

be sure to send feedback to Apple!

[Mathieu Ghekiere]

I used the tutorial mentioned above last february just fine for making videos with a resolution on 11.000 on 4000 pixels.

So don’t worry. It works, just follow the tutorial! Yes, you will get to EXPORT a file with the same size, unless newer 10.0.6 and 10.0.7 updates have changed the behaviour. (I only worked with the method last february, when it was 10.0.3, and it worked perfectly).

That being said, just having custom resolutions in FCPX is on my wish list just to avoid having to do the workaround.

[Mathieu Ghekiere]

You’re definately right.

We also just started using FCP X at work, and it’s a bit searching. I will only know in a couple of weeks in how far it’s a succes, but after working with FCP X for a while, you just start missing so much new functionality that isn’t in FCP 7.
I hope Apple listens to my wish list too, so let’s see what the future brings.

[Mathieu Ghekiere]

Would that be by design or a bug? Seems terrible. Maybe post feedback to Apple to be sure, as a bug report, maybe? Just to make sure…

[Mathieu Ghekiere]

This behaviour is the same as FCP7 though, I would suppose.
when something is dual mono FCP X (and I think 7 as well) interprets it as both coming from the Center Speaker, which is ‘normal’ – but I’m not an audio guy so I could be wrong.

And I think it’s possible to do this, I just tried:
– Put the clip in the timeline.
– Change in the inspector the Channel Configuration to Dual Mono
– in the Timeline choose Expand Audio Components.
– Only choose track A for instance. In the Inspector, Choose Pan Mode STEREO LEFT/RIGHT and choose LEFT for track A for instance.
– Choose Right for Track B.

Now you have a Dual Mono clip that has a LEFT/RIGHT seperation. If you toggle V for one of them, one channel drops.

[Mathieu Ghekiere]

Hi Mark,

yes, I bought it (not the second edition that was upgraded for 10.0.6 though, so I suppose there is some extra information in there now)

I was a bit dissapointed by the level of information in the tutorial, I expected it to be a bit more troughout.
I’m a big fan of Ripple Training, and I think they have some awesome tutorials and awesome deals (their Motion 5 training, DaVinci Training, their Macbreak Studio, some of the FCPX training)

[Mathieu Ghekiere]

Check out Ripple Trainings Sound Editing in FCPX.

Although it also covers more of audio enchancements (EQ, Noise Gate, …)

I think Audio Editing is one of the areas where FCP X will have some work to do. Still don’t have an audio-only transition (except for a self-made one by Alex4D)