Switched to FCP from Vegas and annoyed at DVinfo.net

Chris Sweet · April 23rd, 2008, 04:21 PM

Reduced my inventory jungle of mainly pc desktops and laptops, to one Macbook Pro. I am very proficient with Vegas Video, now I am using Final Cut and everything seems relatively easy and almost the same workflow..

My only gripes are...

1. Vegas Video I can playback my output sequence in real-time (since vegas2 in 2001, 7 years ago) FCP, I have to wait to render before previewing my sequence everytime?!! pls tell me it isnt so. please.

2. Is there a way I can view audio waveforms right in the sequencer arrangement window?

3. In my viewer window, is there a way I can tweak effects.. such as filtering an audio waveform for example, and have the clip still running when I change tabs and parameters? (instead of tweaking, then playing, tweaking, then playing?)

Any help would be much appreciated!! number 2,3 not so important.. number 1 is ..Also.. seems like alot of the new features they brag about in FCP are features the other NLE's always had... wondering why all the hype about FCP. Is this all Apple based advertising/ 'Industry-standard' branding/ Partnership with film-schools etc.. or is it really 'that good'

THANKS

Chuck Spaulding · April 23rd, 2008, 05:00 PM

It was nice knowing you Chris...

I too switched from another NLE and am constantly frustrated with FCP. However, once I got beyond the initial shock and confusion I came to understand the method to Apples madness and get along with Final Crap fairly well. [that was a joke...]

So the best advice I can give is to let go of what you know, the longer you continue to compare what you liked to what you have now the more miserable you'll be. Close your eyes, hold you nose and drink the Koolaide.

Regarding your first question, whether your sequence settings match your source clip has a direct effect on real time performance. Also depending on what your source is, uncompressed HD for example is going to require significantly faster hardware to get RT performance.

Yes you can view your audio waveforms, there's a small disclosure triangle in the lower left of the timeline with the option to show or hide waveforms. You can also drag the audio channel to resize the waveforms.

You can directly manipulate some image effects in the canvas which is nice, however its pretty much all tweak and play.

Good luck with the transition to FCP.

Edward Carlson · April 23rd, 2008, 05:02 PM

1. Unless your capture and sequence settings differ from each other, or if you have applied certain effects, you should not need to render unaltered video in the timeline.
2. (I assume sequencer arrangement window means timeline) Open the sequence settings panel (Command 0) and click the Timeline options tab. Then check the Show Audio Waveforms box.
3. I think you can only do that with audio filters.

William Hohauser · April 23rd, 2008, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Sweet

Reduced my inventory jungle of mainly pc desktops and laptops, to one Macbook Pro. I am very proficient with Vegas Video, now I am using Final Cut and everything seems relatively easy and almost the same workflow..

My only gripes are...

1. Vegas Video I can playback my output sequence in real-time (since vegas2 in 2001, 7 years ago) FCP, I have to wait to render before previewing my sequence everytime?!! pls tell me it isnt so. please.

2. Is there a way I can view audio waveforms right in the sequencer arrangement window?

3. In my viewer window, is there a way I can tweak effects.. such as filtering an audio waveform for example, and have the clip still running when I change tabs and parameters? (instead of tweaking, then playing, tweaking, then playing?)

Any help would be much appreciated!! number 2,3 not so important.. number 1 is ..Also.. seems like alot of the new features they brag about in FCP are features the other NLE's always had... wondering why all the hype about FCP. Is this all Apple based advertising/ 'Industry-standard' branding/ Partnership with film-schools etc.. or is it really 'that good'

THANKS

1) Make sure that your sequence is set to the same codec you captured. There are a number of easy presets that should do this for you. HDV will not playback on a monitor thru an HDV deck, it needs special rendering. High-end codecs might need special hardware to play back in real time. However DV will playback over FireWire without rendering as well as ProRes and DVCPro codecs. This has worked since Final Cut version 1.

2) You can also set waveforms to show in the Sequence settings pull down menu. This may slow down desktop screen refresh on very long sequences.

3) Depends on your computer. There are a number of filters that can be adjusted while the audio track is running. High-Pass, Low-Pass I know will do this on my older tower.

"That Good?" Well, it's very good and you'll probably agree after these issues are settled. Vegas still is better in a few places (minor places for me) but Final Cut is much easier to live with over the long haul.

Chris Sweet · April 23rd, 2008, 06:26 PM

thanks for the replies, I will try out this RT thing. cheers

Simon Wyndham · April 24th, 2008, 02:44 AM

I recently bought a FCP system after having used Vegas for a long time.

FCP does take some getting used to. But after a while you will find it hard to use anything else, especially if you use the keyboard shortcuts a lot.

As for playing back footage in realtime, I haven't noticed any difference between FCP and Vegas in that regard. Except that in FCP you have to make sure that you have ticked all the right options for realtime playback in the drop down menu at the top left hand side of the timeline.

Which graphics card you have installed also has a bearing on things. Unlike Vegas FCP uses the GPU power of the graphics card.

I have two articles on my website about my transition to this system.

April 23rd, 2008, 04:21 PM	#1
Chris Sweet Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Vancouver Canada Posts: 89	Switched to FCP from Vegas and annoyed Reduced my inventory jungle of mainly pc desktops and laptops, to one Macbook Pro. I am very proficient with Vegas Video, now I am using Final Cut and everything seems relatively easy and almost the same workflow.. My only gripes are... 1. Vegas Video I can playback my output sequence in real-time (since vegas2 in 2001, 7 years ago) FCP, I have to wait to render before previewing my sequence everytime?!! pls tell me it isnt so. please. 2. Is there a way I can view audio waveforms right in the sequencer arrangement window? 3. In my viewer window, is there a way I can tweak effects.. such as filtering an audio waveform for example, and have the clip still running when I change tabs and parameters? (instead of tweaking, then playing, tweaking, then playing?) Any help would be much appreciated!! number 2,3 not so important.. number 1 is ..Also.. seems like alot of the new features they brag about in FCP are features the other NLE's always had... wondering why all the hype about FCP. Is this all Apple based advertising/ 'Industry-standard' branding/ Partnership with film-schools etc.. or is it really 'that good' THANKS

April 23rd, 2008, 06:26 PM	#5
Chris Sweet Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Vancouver Canada Posts: 89	cool thanks for the replies, I will try out this RT thing. cheers

April 23rd, 2008, 05:00 PM	#2
Chuck Spaulding Trustee Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Thousand Oaks Posts: 1,099	It was nice knowing you Chris... I too switched from another NLE and am constantly frustrated with FCP. However, once I got beyond the initial shock and confusion I came to understand the method to Apples madness and get along with Final Crap fairly well. [that was a joke...] So the best advice I can give is to let go of what you know, the longer you continue to compare what you liked to what you have now the more miserable you'll be. Close your eyes, hold you nose and drink the Koolaide. Regarding your first question, whether your sequence settings match your source clip has a direct effect on real time performance. Also depending on what your source is, uncompressed HD for example is going to require significantly faster hardware to get RT performance. Yes you can view your audio waveforms, there's a small disclosure triangle in the lower left of the timeline with the option to show or hide waveforms. You can also drag the audio channel to resize the waveforms. You can directly manipulate some image effects in the canvas which is nice, however its pretty much all tweak and play. Good luck with the transition to FCP.

April 23rd, 2008, 05:02 PM	#3
Edward Carlson Major Player Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: North Hollywood, CA, United States Posts: 807	1. Unless your capture and sequence settings differ from each other, or if you have applied certain effects, you should not need to render unaltered video in the timeline. 2. (I assume sequencer arrangement window means timeline) Open the sequence settings panel (Command 0) and click the Timeline options tab. Then check the Show Audio Waveforms box. 3. I think you can only do that with audio filters.

April 24th, 2008, 02:44 AM	#6
Simon Wyndham Trustee Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Malvern UK Posts: 1,931	I recently bought a FCP system after having used Vegas for a long time. FCP does take some getting used to. But after a while you will find it hard to use anything else, especially if you use the keyboard shortcuts a lot. As for playing back footage in realtime, I haven't noticed any difference between FCP and Vegas in that regard. Except that in FCP you have to make sure that you have ticked all the right options for realtime playback in the drop down menu at the top left hand side of the timeline. Which graphics card you have installed also has a bearing on things. Unlike Vegas FCP uses the GPU power of the graphics card. I have two articles on my website about my transition to this system.