[T. Payton]

Just to clarify on my findings, compound clips are great even for long form, the problem is when a bunch of them reside IN AN EVENT, which itself has alot of clips. Compound clips IN A PROJECT don’t seem to be a problem.

To illustration, check out the sizes of my project:

PROJECT: CurrentVersion.fcpproject : 87MB. That just stores the edits.

EVENT: CurrentVersion.fcpevent: 138 MB. That is a DB storing the edits and all the clips.

Therefore if I store the edits in the Event it will balloon into a 230MB file. And at this point of FCP X an event db file that big is a problem.

I’ve got a big project, with a good 2000 edits. So that is a little excessive to have an event. But if I was doing some :30 spots, or even a few 5-10 minute videos the event size really won’t be a problem. It is a combination of my large number of clips and large number of edits in compound clips stored in an event that seems to be an issue.

I’m sure Apple never envisioned those many edits living in an event and therefore needing to be constantly saved (that is why the slowdown with every keypress). I’m confident they will get alot of the plumbing fixed soon.

——
T. Payton
OneCreative, Albuquerque

[T. Payton]

Oh your asked for my machine specs:

MacPro 2.66 quadcore (from 2006 no less)
13GB Ram
Radeon 5770 1GB Card
OWC Raid 5 (about 120 MB/sec)

An older computer, but still working very well.

——
T. Payton
OneCreative, Albuquerque

[T. Payton]

Just to report back. Copying things to a new project did take a long time, but now FCP X is moving along just fine, a pleasure to use. My “currentversion” file is 86 megs and is of course in it’s own project. It looks like, at least for long format, sticking with what Apple designed is the best course of action. Keep project files and events separate. In fact, I would think that it would be best to keep events and projects on different drives because the project file is being written to constantly and will slow down the HD seeking as it plays back video or renders.

BTW. I did group all the scenes into compound clips, so I have about 20 compound clips and those are edited individually and then of course assembled into my my edit.

I wouldn’t say at all that this kind of project is not suited for FCP X. Actually I think it excels at it in a number of areas:

– Compound Clips – although nesting in FCP 7 works, it is and odd beast. In FCP X it is solid.

– Adjustment layers for applying color looks – unbelievable time saver when applying looks an entire scene

– Secondary Color Correction Vignettes right in the app. This project would have been a nightmare to round trip with Color.

– High quality audio filters with presets – another great time saver.

– Visual feedback when placing foley and sfx – a good feature brought from Soundtrack

– To do markers – Edits from the director are incredibly easy to keep track of

– Copying media to the event folder – this is a huge time savings. I was downloading stock footage, SFX and photos at a frantic pace. No need to take several steps to organize, just drag right from the dock download folder into FCP X, and all the files are copied to the event folder.

– Never having to wait for a render to playback an edit

– Magnetic Timeline – once you realize what is happening, this is unbelievable fantastic for long format.

So although it is clear that FCP X is not a tool that I can rely on yet (some times I want to chuck it out the window!), it seems to have many of the pieces in place. Of course if I was the project manager of FCP X I would be completely overwhelmed with bug fixes, not to mention the need of new features (perhaps this is why the updated promised “in a few weeks” back in June has not yet arrived. ) An editor like FCP X is a huge undertaking. It is unfortunately that Apple let it loose much to early in it’s development.

——
T. Payton
OneCreative, Albuquerque

[T. Payton]

It shouldn’t effect the audio at all. Humm. Double check that in preferences under Edit that it says Apply Transitions using “Available Media” opposed to “full overlap”.

The later is used for…. well i don’t know when but it is the default.

– T.

——
T. Payton
OneCreative, Albuquerque

[T. Payton]

Ditto over here too. The top and tail trim features are shockingly good. Ripple edits are effortless. L & J cuts have never been so efficient.

However the software is not yet a joy to use. I’m not really as much concerned with missing features as I am with the buggy, unoptimized state of FCP X. On my Mac it takes a good 5 minutes for FCP X to launch and load all the projects. Once editing it doesn’t respond like a well fashioned tool in the way that FCP 7 does on the same machine. Dropping in a simple music cue seems to bring the editor to a halt for a few seconds.

An edit system should feel like you are playing a responsive instrument. This is what I felt like doing tape to tape editing and where FCP was in the last few years. It just felt good. With FCP X however, I feel like I am playing the piano and loving the sound, but sometimes it doesn’t play some notes and there is a half a second delay from when I strike the key to I hear the note.

——
T. Payton
OneCreative, Albuquerque

[T. Payton]

Tony,

FCP X is telling you exactly what it is having to do to conform your 30p frames to 25p frames. In this case slowing it down by 83%. No interpretation or frame blending is needed. It is just playing 1 frame at a time at 25p instead of playing 1 frame at a time at 30p.

Or put it this way. For one second of footage at 25p, FCP X plays 25 frames. Therefore if your original clip had 30 frames in that first 1 second, now if it plays 25 frames to get that first second, there are 5 frames left over. So the next second would take 5 frames from the first second and then play another 20 from the next which would now have 10 seconds left for that 2nd second. Ad so on. Therefore the footage appears to be playing slower because all these leftover frames that carryover to subsequent seconds.

I’m sure there are better explanations. But know that nothing is happening to the frames in your footage, they are only being played at a different rate. However, your audio will be slowed down 83%, which is what FCP X is telling you. And frankly that is very clever (bordering on brilliant) and in my mind a better solution than Cinema Tools.

– T.

——
T. Payton
OneCreative, Albuquerque

[T. Payton]

Once you get a proper cable, no you shouldn’t have to do any additional steps because FCP X will be able to determine the audio channels. However, FCP X isn’t always correct and you need to double check your audio assignments.

I just got a bunch of footage (coincidently filmed in Mexico) where the fellow running the audio was not familiar with the equipment and I had stereo mixes, dual mono, single mono in every combination. I still have to double check it all.

FCP X does a great job of guessing, but sometimes it is wrong. However, regarding the phase problem, in all reality you would never know unless you know what out of phase audio sounds like. I’ve never actually heard of it happening when recording audio and have never encountered the problem. Usually it is only comes up when you are setting up a studio or sound system and you hear it. Once you get an ear for it, it sticks out like a sore thumb.

——
T. Payton
OneCreative, Albuquerque

[T. Payton]

I actually have a mono XLR to stereo mono 1/8 phono but I’ve never had those problems. It looks like the wiring is crossed inside the cable. Which is really hard to do.

I would return it if you can.

——
T. Payton
OneCreative, Albuquerque

[T. Payton]

BTW. Take a trip to Guitar Center and buy a XLR to 1/8 in mono cable for $5. Your Lav mic is mono so your input should be too.

——
T. Payton
OneCreative, Albuquerque

[T. Payton]

Here is what you do in the inspector. Deselect one of the audio channels, that is what is causing the canceling.

Also here is an example is what I would do with the EQ on the music. I personally prefer the Channel EQ filter:

The guys voice is concentrated in the Mids, so therefore instead of lowering all the music so you can barely hear it, you lower the music in the mids, raise it in the highs and then raise the overall level of the music a bit. It should help with your noise problem and yet the fellow will be completely understandable.

——
T. Payton
OneCreative, Albuquerque