Final Cut Pro certainly has it’s place… Actually I’m using it right now to do a corporate job! We have several MacPro’s and MacBook Pro’s running Final Cut so that we can quickly cut together several little videos and get them edited, mixed, graded, compressed and uploaded within a very short amount of time (I’m currently waiting for things to render – hence the reason I’m checking my e-mails!). If we were using Avid, it would have been a pain in the butt, simply due to the workflows required to get things into and out of the program without any strange gamma/colour issues.

Have you checked how many real time audio tracks you have specified in the “Real Time Audio Mixing” section of the “User Preferences”? Also maybe set the audio playback quality to “Low”. Also what kind of audio files are you using? Final Cut Pro generally hates anything but AIFFs (despite what others will tell you). Never try editing with MP3s. I’ve also had lots of problems with 24-bit Broadcast Waves. 48kHz 16-bit AIFFs seem to be the best option.

Feel free to post any more questions here, or you can also use the “Contact Us” form on the latenite films website. Alternatively you can find us on twitter (twitter.com/latenitefilms).

Happy editing!

Best Regards, Chris!

Jeff, to be perfectly honest, I’ve haven’t even looked into ScriptSync yet. I know a lot of people really love it, but I’ve had no experience with it yet, and can’t see the need to use it any time soon, so I can’t really comment on it.

For those that are interested, here’s a interesting blog entry about it:
http://tr.im/mNTP

Mark, I completely hear what you’re saying, and I know of many amazing companies and people who are using Final Cut Pro for MASSIVE productions with many editors. Obviously you can make it work and develop a workflow that’s not only stable, but also fast, efficient and painless. I’m certainly NOT saying that Final Cut Pro is not suitable for big projects. Lots of people are doing it, and they’re doing it well… However! As explained throughout the blog entry – for various reasons, I personally think that Avid is much better suited for bigger projects than Final Cut Pro. They both work. They both can work great. I just think Avid does it better. That’s just my opinion as of today. I’ll let you all know if that opinion changes the more jobs I do on both tools, and the bigger the shows get.

Ron, I hear what you’re saying, and yes, I completely agree, they’re both just TOOLS! However, getting the right tool for the job is important. To be honest, I’m sure many a builder has had lengthy discussions over which drill is better for the job. I know for a fact that truck drivers are constantly arguing over which “brand” is better. Obviously they all work – but each variety has their own pros, cons and issues. Personally, I think it’s important to discuss these things. For an EDITOR maybe not so much – they just need a tool they’re comfortable with. HOWEVER, for Editing Assistants, Post Production Supervisors, Producers, etc. this kind of discussion is vital. Keeping up to date with the latest information on the tools is also really important.

Avid vs FCP – this discussion is never going to go away. They’re will always be people on each side of the fence, and a few people balancing on the middle. But as Avid becomes a more “friendly” company, and Apple starts to become more “professionally focussed”, the tools will change, and we need to keep discussing these things and getting the discussions out there in the public domain so that these big companies listen and improve.

Again, thanks so much for your comments and feedback!

Happy editing!

I have one small bone to pick: You say, “If you’re working with lots of different editors, or if it’s a big project, then Avid is the winner…”

Not in my opinion. We’ve got almost 100 editors working on six different reality shows for multiple networks (MTV, E!, Oxygen & Lifetime). We’re in a shared storage environment (X-SAN & FCP) using multiple editors on the same 1 hour episode. We’ve been doing this successfully for almost five years now.

I feel compelled to comment because this notion that FCP is “not good for big projects” has become as much of a cliche as “media management sucks”. There are workflows available that allow easy collaboration between editors in a shared storage environment. Most people are either unable or unwilling to take the time to figure it out. It’s much easier to just dismiss it.

Mark

Yes – I have to say, the more time I spend with the EDL Manger, the more I hate it. I don’t know if it’s just me – but it tends to crash an awful lot! That said, overall, I’m really loving Avid the more time I spend with it. Ever time I boot up Final Cut Pro now, I miss my beloved V and B keys!

Nice blog of your own by the way! I’ll certainly keep an eye on it!

I really hope so! I am mainly an Avid guy but I am also looking forward for FCS3, competition is good for all of us.
Great post with a lot of interesting links! Keep it going.