Mac configuration for FCP

I'm finally going to upgrade to an Intel and hope
there is a recommendation around on how to configure it
for high-end FCP work.

Thanks!

Define "high end."

My system is an 8-proc with 16 GB of RAM. I've got a G-Tech G-SPEED ES 2 TB RAID for my Framestore. Two 23" Cinema Displays, Kona LHe board, Panasonic BT-LH1760 broadcast monitor (a not-great budget choice), cheap-ass Samsung CRT NTSC monitor fed by composite SD downconvert for confidence. Tascam FW-1082 control surface.

All my work is HD, with ProRes. If I worked in uncompressed or on 2K, I'd want more disk bandwidth. Probably just add a second G-SPEED.

Jeff kinda summed up the main point of configuring an edit system a few threads ago when the AJA Kona 3 was brought up- purpose. That's the way I see it too. What do you need, what is your budget, and from that range of gear, which set up best suits your purpose. You do not want to shell out a lot of bucks for gear you don't need. The usual projects I work on would require a very different set up for efficiency than Grafixjoe, for instance. He'll need more RAM, more horsepower as he does compositing work, and not very long pieces from what I gather from his posts, but I'll need more hard disk space if I'm working on a series, and depending on what kind of format I'm working on..

If you're setting up for your facility, you should get a guy who is well versed with various set ups to access what you need, rather than rely on a varied bunch of voices from far away. And when you finally have your gear in mind, you can drop word here, and the guys who work with those set ups can talk about the pros and cons before you finally decide on what to get.



www.strypesinpost.com

I work cross forum and nobody ever gives enough information to answer the question.

I'm finally going to upgrade to an Intel [MacBook Pro] and hope
there is a recommendation around on how to [cheaply] configure it
for high-end FCP [NTSC] work [without adding any hardware].

Any one of us can write pages about that.

Koz

Just add ram and you are good to go. 4 gigs is max and Ram is cheap. You cant avoid adding hardware such as external Raids.

Michael Horton
-------------------

Thanks for getting back. So it doesn't look like an expensive graphics card is mandatory.
I've always good luck with Decklink. The place I worked at had a Kona
and there were always problems. Kona tech support was superb though.

I think you mean video I/O board. A Kona is an I/O board, not a graphics card. The graphics card is what you plug your graphics monitors into.

I can't recommend the Kona LHe strongly enough. It's been pretty close to perfect for me.

Sorry I wasn't clear! I know that Kona isn't a graphics card.
Good to know that it's working well.

We have a Kona2 and we discovered problems with the interconnecting cable. Once we made sure the cable was secure and unstressed, the board straightened up and has been working forever.

Are you doing this with a MacBook Pro? I'm guessing and we all are. There are at least three pointed questions about your system in the postings.

What is it--or will it be?

Koz

Quote

Kona tech support was superb though.

In my experience they need to be!

Blackmagic have really bolstered their tech support... if you actually ever need it.



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

I'm about to buy a set up like below.
I mainly work in after effects, but miss editing, and want to try and
do more FCP:

Mac Pro 8-core Two 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon/ 2GB/ 320GB/16x
Superdrive/ ATI Radeon HD 2600XT/ Bluetooth
MA970LL/A 2,775.00 2,775.00
6 1024FB6400 1GB 1024MB DDR2800MHz PC2-6400 ECC for Mac Pro January 2008 100.00 600.00
1 2043BWX Samsung 2043BWX 20" Widescreen LCD Monitor With USB Hub - VGA & DVI 299.00 299.00
1 Hard Drive Optins
0 500SATA3.5 500GB 3.5? SATA Internal Hard Drive 7200RPM 200.00 0.00
0 1000SATA3.5 1TB 3.5? SATA Internal Hard Drive 7200RPM 350.00 0.00
1 INTENSITY-PRO BlackMagic Design Intensity Pro HDMI Capture Card 330.00 330.00
*1673305* Quote Only 1-673-305

those hard drives are way overpriced...

Argh, thanks.

One thing the sales guy pointed out that amazed me was the Decklink Capture
card for $330. I don't really need deck control, so the component capture will
be fine, and it plays back from AE or FCP to monitor.

Definitely need to beef up the RAM a lot. I'd go on 4 gigs for editing, you may want up to 8 or 16 for compositing. Don't need to buy them from Apple, as they're pricier.

For the capture card, do you have a deck that requires a capture card? If you're using it for monitoring only, you can also check out the Matrox MXO. Not sure about the price comparison on both of them. And I haven't worked off the MXO yet, admittedly, but I've seen them at demos, and Shane Ross and Ken Stone both reviewed it.



www.strypesinpost.com

Quote

those hard drives are way overpriced...

Buy 3x 1TB Samsung SpinPoint F1 and stick them inside your Mac in a RAID configuration.

They are about $130 each...

Quote

Definitely need to beef up the RAM a lot

Get an extra 4GB or 8GB from somewhere like Crucial. [www.crucial.com]



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]