Need help with transition to final cut X

A

Andrea189

Well-known member
I have been using Final Cut 7 until today and I am now in the process of updating my gear and getting a new iMac with Final Cut X and I have two issues I am seeking advice on:

1) I am thinking of getting the top of the line 2017 27' iMac (Intel Core i7 quad‑core, SSD 512GB) with 32 GB RAM. Is this good enough to edit HD footage and 4K proxies?

2) With Final Cut 7 I normally have a RAID with all the media connected and an external drive as a scratch disk, the internal HD is used only for running the software and the OS. What is the best configuration with Final Cut X? I believe that the external RAID is still the best option for hosting the media but what about the scratch disk? Do I still need it?

Thank you for your feedback!
 
Yes, that top of the line iMac runs FCPX very well. If the project is really complex HD with a lot of effects, etc. it will handle that fine also. It will also run 4K well - you may not even need proxies unless there are a lot of effects, multicam clips, etc. In FCPX a RAID is still useful for exactly the same reasons as with FCP7.

The scratch disk doesn't exist with FCPX - the general approach is fast external drive(s) for your media and/or the Library you are working with, with the software itself on your internal drive. It can even be your boot drive.

I also recommend some training videos, since the approach is so different. Most people find they need some guidance rather than just muddling through. There are several good ones, depending on the style of the presenter - Ripple Training, MacProVideo, Larry Jordan, etc.

Good luck - it's a fantastic program!
 
ddixon said:
Yes, that top of the line iMac runs FCPX very well. If the project is really complex HD with a lot of effects, etc. it will handle that fine also. It will also run 4K well - you may not even need proxies unless there are a lot of effects, multicam clips, etc. In FCPX a RAID is still useful for exactly the same reasons as with FCP7.

The scratch disk doesn't exist with FCPX - the general approach is fast external drive(s) for your media and/or the Library you are working with, with the software itself on your internal drive. It can even be your boot drive.

I also recommend some training videos, since the approach is so different. Most people find they need some guidance rather than just muddling through. There are several good ones, depending on the style of the presenter - Ripple Training, MacProVideo, Larry Jordan, etc.

Good luck - it's a fantastic program!
Click to expand...

Great! Thank you for your help!

If I understand correctly, the Library and the Media are best placed on an external drive. For the software, should I make a partition on the internal drive or just have it together with the OS?
 
Libraries and media should indeed be placed on an external drive. Keep in mind there is sometimes a difference as you're able to upload/transcode files into the library upon importing your footage or you can leave your files (i.e. ProRes) in whichever destination/folder they may be. So in certain circumstances depending on the format you're working with, you might have the files in both places based on your decision(s).

Partitioning drives was definitely popular in the past, but not sure how much it is now.

I have had FCPX on the same SSD as my OS on various computers over the years, and it has always been flawless. Fast boot-up, no issues.

I personally think partitioning is not necessary anymore.
 
Thank you for your explanation.

Yesterday I came across an article that says the last version of Resolve is much closer to the old final cut 7 and I was wondering if I should also give it a try. Has anybody any feedback on how easy it is to switch from FC7 to Resolve 14?
 
Each NLE has tools to do the same job (or most) in different ways. There are different names, looks, interfaces, processes, etc. but they all do similar things. Some specialize in one area more than others. Some offer capabilities the others do not.

If you have a general idea of how software works and are good with computers meaning you can 'make your way around' programs and figure things out, you can slowly learn Resolve, but there are different levels of learning curves based on your own goals.

The transition from FC7 to Resolve can be simple if you just want to dump clips into a timeline and do some minor color grading, or it can be extremely complicated and take a lifetime to learn if you'd like to master the software and learn how to do everything it offers.

There's no simple answer and I recommend downloading the free version of Resolve and checking it out.
 
I was planning to get into Resolve, but I am not sure even the latest version is totally stable. There are apparently some FB and other groups where people talk about being 20 hours into an edit and having a project get corrupted, etc.
 
Josh Bass said:
I was planning to get into Resolve, but I am not sure even the latest version is totally stable. There are apparently some FB and other groups where people talk about being 20 hours into an edit and having a project get corrupted, etc.
Click to expand...

I did read that resolve had some stability problems and had the impression the new release had somehow solved those problems but it might be too early to say it. On the other hand, I guess that final cut X is rather stable on an iMac.
 
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