Avid vs Final Cut. plz help!!!

R

redterepro

Member
I've been saving for a mac + final cut(young and poor). I've used final cut in my local TV studio. I like it, but I hate macs. I'm a pro w/ pc's(hardware and software), plus if I get a pc, I might be able to get a good discount from my company. Can anyone whose used both tell me the pros and cons.

One of my biggest concerns is the amount of manipulation possible in final cut. In final cut you can rotate the matte, or add a garbage matte to superimpose 2 pieces of footage, plus final cut has good audio editing tool. Can you do things like garbage mattes w/ avid. And how is the audio editing w/ avid. Thanks so much for the help.
 
Avid v FCP

Avid v FCP

[BiLGaMi Productions] :thumbsup:

When I first started editing on a computer it was a mac fcp the first version and i loved it. but later i used avid at my old tv station and i loved now i bought my own axp with mojo and i love it. pc is great cuz its easy to work on the computer itself to upgrade. as far as matte i know the axp 5.0 has a mrquee tool that has great stuff in it and the audio tools are great also cuz i had to fix bad audio but now i have a lil makie that i bought for 100 bucks and does the trick for me in the audio dept.

bilgami@hotmail.com

http://www.bilgamivideo.com


 
Well... you can go with FCP and know a nice $3000-4000 setup is going to work with the software.

Avid... you can't go cheap with Avid. If you think you can edit with Avid Express... good luck. It caused more problems for more people than I can think of. Avid's are nice... but you need to look into to $8000 special setups with specified raid systems installed. You can probably find an older Media Composers out there.

I've used both. But I prefer FCP in the end for pound for pound pricing.
 
There are no specified RAIDs needed for any of the Avid products. It's all based on bandwidth and througput and expectations of real time perfromance based on those drives. The same rules apply to every editing system - uncompressed video is uncompressed video, DV25 is DV25, etc. I edited an entire feature film on a single FireWire drive (50 hours dailies) using Avid 14:1 resolution with up to 3 streams of real time. This drive when from Xpress Pro to Adrnenlaine and back again as I travelled across the country.

If you want real time streams of uncompressed, then a basic striped SCSI set is needed. Depending on the number of streams you want, the more striped drives you need. That's just the basic facts. I have gotten 11 streams of real time on a 12 way stripe with uncompressed NTSC video.

If you are talking about feature set, then that is a different story and based on editor's preference and needs for the project at hand. I deal with feature film work and nothing touches the feature set of film support found in Avid products, from AutoSync, AutoSequence, 1/4 frame resync (for true sync pictures), integrated KeyKode, Ink Numbers, 24, 25, 30 frame TC tracking, DPX tracking, VFX tracking, cutlsists available as HTML see http://www.24p.com/cutlists2/Assemble.htm for an example) for shared workgroup workflows, TAB delimited outputs for scans, in context color correction (three window), etc.

Users need to understand the full feature set of a product, look at their own needs and make that decision.

Michael
 
Hi Guys
Own and operate both Avid XpressDV/HD and FCP4HD.
Agree with Michael above.
Use Avid Media Composer at work, have all three on Macs and PCs, side by side, in the same room at work.
You have to watch for allowable/supported resolutions in all programs. Make sure that whichever one you end up by getting actually supports the resolution you want.
I think Avid's user set is simpler to use, you can cut more stuff better and faster with the Avid interface. Groups and subclips are easier. Audio is rudimentary but acceptable (I run Pro Tools and WaveFrame as well). If you have access to a larger Avid (Media Composer, DS Nitris, etc) you can make up a user set that, when imported into Xpress, will work fine and add stuff that Xpress normally doesn't have.
FCP is excellent for shorter projects or ones where you spend more time on less footage (i.e. shorts, features, commercials etc). Avid has better batch management for bulk digitize, moving media, etc., and is therefore better for cutting a lot of footage per week (i.e. TV shows, especially multiple camera shows). Avid allows you to use a previously cut sequence as a source without nesting the edit. FCP allows you to nest (i.e. go into a clip and get its effects, etc., data, without influencing the clip's position in the edit).
If you get used to using both then you'll use each for its own merits.
I'd say that Avid was marginally better for dramatic work if you're on your own (i.e. no assists or media managers). FCP is a little less structured in that respect, and so you can make mistakes/misplace media a little easier in FCP than in Xpress or MC, which basically force you to keep media and projects in structured locations on your drive.
These are, of course, my own opinions and preferences, but they are based on rock solid, 16hr/7day/week experience on an ongoing basis.
BTW, Xpress HD on a 2GB PC with XP Pro SP1 really rocks (i.e. minium system crashes, zero kernel panic-style crashes, etc). I built the system myself ($500 including a dual monitor card, 1GB RAM, Avid approved firewire card, Avid USB keyboard with the colored keys, $400 for the Xpress software (from a student friend), $100 for two old Viewsonic 20" monitors, a pair of old Roland powered speakers and a $100 M Audio Firewire Solo (which you need for good audio out - Avid only outputs audio to firewire). I'd get a Canopus ADVC 100 AD/DA for analog video/audio into and out of firewire, it's good because it preserves sync, but I don't need one yet, since I just use the firewire in/out of my camera. Add another $400 for a La Cie half terra firewire drive and that's a wrap.
There is also some software called Cross Stripe (around $250) that is Avid rated and will allow a PC to read Avid media from a Mac drive or RAID (we use Avid Unity and Apple XRaid here) and get past the file naming issues etc. Very neat, and the cornerstorne of my own operations here. Oh, and a Linksys G type wireless/wired router that helps all my computers get along and get online, ethernet- and internet-wise.
Cheers
Chris
 
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