Forums » Apple

1. MikeFlowline
   Member

   

    So, I have a new MacBook Pro that I got blown out to 4gb of RAM. I know my system is powerful enough and I have followed all the tips found here: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1165

    Yet, I still have the same problem and I want to rule out any other issues before I run out and get a new FireWire800 drive. Heres the scenario:

    I shot a concert for a client in HD. Imported the footage into FCP using the HDV 1080i60 codec. When editing in the timeline all titles play just fine, but as soon as the playhead gets to any of the concert footage it stalls....I get the pinwheel....the playhead jumps ahead 3 or 4 seconds....stalls again....pinwheel....repeat. I have never had this problem before with other footage on this system. My scratch disk is an external 500gb Maxtor OneTouch 4 USB 2.0. I have heard from quite a few people that I need a drive that is FireWire800 to solve what appears to be a frame drop issue. Is this true?

    I got paid very little since the client band is friends of mine, so buying a new drive will mean losing money rather than making any since I have already spent so many hours trying to fix this issue, but if I need a new drive for future projects then I might as well get it now.

    Thanks,

   Mike

   Posted 4 weeks ago # Login to Send PM

2. jerronsmith
   Moderator

   

   Mike,

   If you want to test whether or not the hdd is your issue you could try copying some of the footage to your local hard drive and importing it into a new FCP project. If the problem persists it is an issue with the external hard drive. I don't know if it is causing your problem, but in general I don't know any professionals who recommend editing from a usb hard drive. While they are fine for storage, they aren't really fast enough (at sustained speeds) for the editing process.

   Jerron Smith
   Editor-Animator-Educator

   Posted 4 weeks ago # Login to Send PM

3. MikeFlowline
   Member

   

    Thanks Jerron. I just decided to use my internal drive for scratch. It takes up alot of space, but once my client is happy with the finished product I can just delete everything.

   Posted 4 weeks ago # Login to Send PM

4. robgrauert
   Member

   

    I've been told that ideally you want a hard drive that rotates at 7200rpm. So if you've got a 5400rpm hard drive, that may be the issue.

    If it is 7200rpm, then try changing the settings in FCP that allow you to edit in lower quality. The footage won't change quality, it's just letting you edit in a lower resolution so that your computer can handle the video. 

    Transferring the video to your main hard drive is the last resort and I don't recommend it at all. If your hard drive crashes and you lose your footage and project files, you're out of luck.  

   Posted 4 weeks ago # Login to Send PM

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