don't know
 

LaCie used to use Quantum drives exclusively. And that was before Quantum bought them. I don't know anymore. It hasn't seemed important. I haven't yet pulled a case apart to look...
I use Maxtor, LaCie, WD, IBM, whatever. The only problem I've had in recent history were with an early Maxtor 80GB, which Maxtor promptly replaced (the problem was in the powersupply, not the drive).
You'll like the 5000DV.

Awesome. thanks, man. I figured that was the case, but I didn't see too much mention of FCP on the laird site, so I wanted to make sure before lugging my G4 to work.

Will this monitor work for mirroring?
 

Does anybody know if an Apple Multiple Scan 1705 Display would work for mirroring with my eMac?

Thank you.

Thanks Michael. I'm looking forward to getting my Maxtor (should arrive any day now.)

Peter

Four cannel audo and Final Cut Express
 

Does anyone know how to capture the 3rd and 4th audio channels into FCE? Using the iLink DV cord I can only capture channels 1 and 2.

Capture them in two separate passes and sync them on the timeline.

FCE Upgrade to FCP4
 

I would like to hear comments on upgrading from Final Cut Express to Final Cut Pro 4 or comments on why I should buy the full version of FCP4. I'm quite unsure of myself using the computer operating system and fear the upgrade will put me in a spin from which I won't recover! Or is it as painless as installing FCE?

Tim

As far installing FCP4 goes, it's just as easy as installing FCE. It's as simple as having your serial number from FCE and following the on-screen directions. As far as content goes, there are many extra features in FCP4 that aren't in FCE (Such as the program Soundtrack, which costs $299 by itself). I wouldn't feel comfortable telling you that you should definately upgrade to FCP4, because it really all depends on what your editing needs are. The upgrade to FCP from Express is pretty expensive ($699 I think). So it really all depends on what the extra features of FCP4 are worth to you. If you plan to edit short or feature films, music videos, or other professional work, then the upgrade may be something you want to get. Although, if you only plan on editing things such as home videos, then the extra features of FCP4 may not be worth the $699 to you. You can look at a full list of the features of FCP4 here: http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro
I got the upgrade and I love it (of course I plan to use it to edit music videos and short films. Otherwise I probably would have just stuck with FCE). But beware it does take lots of time and focus to learn how to properly use FCP4, I am still learning. I hope this was helpful. Just go with whichever software you think would best fit your editing needs.

Thanks Darrell,

There are features in FCP4 that I want to use, so I have made up my mind to proceed. While you left this message, I was talking to an Apple Media Tech, who explained the process of installation to me. As you said, it is the same process as installing Express. Without saying the upgrade and the full version were the same, the Tech stated that the Express serial number would release the same version as the full price; for three hundred dollars less! OK. I get it!

As you are aware there are many people who edit for themselves, using professional technique, just because they want to. A hobby. OK, I'll accept that. In January I'll be making my fifth trip to Inner Mongolia since 2000, to get more footage for a series of videos I'm making and they are just for myself and a few colleagues. That's just the tip of it; there's more. Anyway, I thought I would share that with you as I would give the same advice you did! I can't wait to get FCP4. I just needed a push. Thanks again.

Tim Lab
RailCine Cinematography

Glad I could help. I think you'll be very happy with FCP4. I am loving it.

Audio levels for VHS
 

For outputting to VHS, what should I let the levels peak at in Final Cut? Can I go to 0?

You can go to zero, but try to make sure it is only for peaks. If you don't hear any distortion, it should be fine for VHS, as long as you are recording in "Hi-Fi". The linear track will add noise and the levels will be somewhat decreased but shouldn't distort at these same volume levels.

Thanks. Appreciate it.

wedding video capture
 

hey,

i am editing a wedding video with FCP 4, and i was curious as to what to do about capture. The ceremony is 45 minutes long, and i was wondering if it is better if i just capture the WHOLE thing as one clip or would it be better to capture it in segments, sync up the segments and then export it for DVD? Does the Mac have a file size limit or anything that would hinder me from just capturing the entire thing as one clip? (this is my first time with a mac...hehe....just made the big switch)

You shouldn't have any trouble with capturing your wedding as one long clip. OS 9, had troubles capturing scenes over 2gb.

thanks for the info, i will just capture it as one clip then.

Thank you for your reply. How do I get Final Cut Express to capture from the 3rd and 4th channel (ST -2 on my Canon XL-1s). If I attempt to capture the second time the original two audio tracks (channel 1 and 2) once again get recaptured. I am trying to use a wirless microphone on the 3rd and 4th tracks. It plays back just fine using the MIX feature on the audio outputs but does not transfer to FCE using the firewire cable

I use FCP, but in checking the FCE specs I don't see a limitation of capturing only 2 channels. You will need to change your capture preferences to reflect the 32kHz, 12 bit audio of 4 channel. You should see an option in the capture window to capture channels 1 & 2 and 3 & 4 once all the preferences are set correctly. You might want to use the FCE help feature also. Search audio capture and see what it displays.

final Cut Pro - Device Control
 

Hi everybody!

I have a little problem that hopefully someone can shed some light on. I use the XL1 to capture video from and to export it back. No problem when I use the Log and Capture window and the Print to Video command. I also found that I can control the camera by simply playing what is on the timeline, which I like a lot since I can run the video through my camera to a broadcast moniter. Unfortunately it only seems to work half the time and I don't understand why. Has anyone else had this problem and come up with a solution?

Thanks!

DVD capture in FCP
 

Hi,

do you know if it's possible to capture a clip from a retail DVD movie playing in my G4's internal DVD drive and import it directly into FCP 3?

Cheers,

Simon.

Features on DVD are protected by international copyright laws and are also generally protected from direct duplication. While there may be ways to circumvent a dvd's copy protections we will not host such discussions at DVInfo.net.

It will depend on whether or not your camera was turned on/off when FCP starts. If FCP does not detect your camera then it will not output video down through firewire. Also, it will not do this if your external video settings are turned off (under preferences somewhere).

I have a stand alone DV converter box for this (Sony DVMC-DA1, though the DA2 is the current model). It works 100% of the time for playback, but does not capture well when you input analog via FCP4.

I've never seen the XL1 not work doing this same thing, though. What version of Final Cut Pro are you using and what does it do when it doesn't work?

motherboards and Premiere compatibility issues
 

Greetings,
are there any motherboard brands that would have compatibility issues with Premiere 6.5?
I'm assembling a new PC, and I have the choice between: ASUS, MSI and Gygabite motherboards (I had to exclude Intel because of RAM issues). do you have any preference?

Any motherboard that has issues with Premiere will also have issues with Windows. Motherboards for personal computers are not designed with applications in mind because the designer does not know what applications you will run. Only the OS is taken into consideration.

Any of those motherboards should work with Premiere.

Blackmagic Decklink SD
 

Is anyone using the Blackmagic Decklink SD card on a Mac with FCP 4 ? I am considering buying it soon, but am looking for some reviews... Have you got experience with the "Jpeg Online" codec and color correction filters (better in 4:2:2 than with a standard DV codec ?).
Cheers,

JDB

Capture as one whole thing and use scene detection to split it into subclips.

counting edits
 

is there a way to have final cut 3 count the edits in a timeline?

If you draw all your timeline contents into a bin you can see how many clips you have. Not sure if this will help you. What exactly are you trying to do?

just curious as to how many edits i have in my current project and im to lazy to count them.

FCP4 bringing 30 into a program set for 24
 

Hey DV thundercats:

I am in the middle of editing a feature shot with the Panasonic DVX-100 in 24p advanced mode. I have some old 16mm film footage on VHS that I am trying to incorporate into my story. Does anyone know how to mix footage shot in 30 into a program set to edit in 24? I tried and it looks terrible and gives me massive split screens.

I would appreciate if anyone had any insight. Thank you.

-JOSH MITCHELL
http://wickidpissaboston.iuma.com

Or you could just change the in and out points on the master clip each time before you drop it on the time line.

Premiere Pro (7) for Mac?
 

Near as I can tell there is no Premiere Pro (version 7) for the Mac. We are using Premiere 6 right now. If there are not going to be further updates to Premiere for the Macintosh, would it be best to migrate to Final Cut Pro 4?

Strangely enough, it might be easier for us to get a new editing system with FCP4 then to ask for updates of system software. Particularly if our editing software is no longer supported.

We have a G4 (700someMHz model) w/20gig media drives OS 9.2
Thanks.

-Marcus

Apple had a promotion going where you send in your Premiere disc and get FCExpress for free or discounted Final Cut Pro.

Final Cut is a great program- much better than Premiere in my opinion. A lot of pros are using FCP. A single processor 700mhz G4 might be a bit slow, but it really depends on how much speed you need. You are not going to get much RT effects (1 layer maybe?) and the program will be sluggish on large projects.

There are some great NLEs on the PC side too. A PC can be very cheap and powerful if you build it yourself. If you're coming from the Mac side then that's probably not for you.

Maybe you can use cinema tools to remove 3:2 pulldown.

I sorta recall reading somewhere that Adobe has discontinued developement on Premier for Mac because of the impact FCP has made on Premier/Mac version sales.......


....but continues development on other Adobe products (I recall reading more licensed Photoshop/Mac licenses than other platform/sales)...so Adobe is still in the Mac software realm but has bitten the bullet when it comes to Premier...


...correct me if other information proves this wrong.

Everything is correct, Steve and Glenn. However, after scouring the Apple Store for the dates of the Premiere Promotion, it appears that it may have expired. I could find no information on the offer.

I don't have Cinema Tools right in front of me right now, so I'll try this from memory:

On your 16mm video, after it is transfered over to DV, make sure it has 3:2 pulldown. In other words, it should go:
frame-frame-frame-jitter-jitter (repeat)... you may need to select "High Quality" under the video attributes of the Quicktime file itself to see the jitter frames... otherwise DV QT's only show you a single field at a time and that's why they look fuzzy.

If the two jitter frames are the first two frames on the DV video (make it so they are), open it with Cinema Tools and see select "Reverse Telecine". Now you have a bunch of drop menus and radio buttons. See the set of buttons toward the bottom (there should be 5 in a row) that say something like (this is what I can't remember) AB BC BB CC or some jive like that? Well select the middle button. Don't change anything else. Press change or save or whatever button it is and Cinema Tools will create a version of your DV Quicktime with a REV suffix. You can import that into the 24 timeline and it'll work fine.

Go FCP - I left premiere with FCP version 1, and have enjoyed every minute of it. It also helps that I left premiere with the version 5 fiasco!

Partitioning drive
 

Hi all Need some advice on partitioning my little 60GIG drive for FCP and DVD studio Pro. Such as should I bother or can I set my little 60 gig drive up to work with these applications, or is it possible for it to run on a single drive with the OS and FCP AND media files all on the same drive
Thanks Dave LeBlanc