As noted here at PremiumBeat.com (and nearly everywhere else) the original version of FCP X had some glaring omissions. But with the new v. 10.0.3, Apple has come out with a new release to address a few major concerns.

You can get the official release specs, but given the major objections during the first release, I think it’s worth pointing out this upgrade’s improvements:

• Multi-cam editing (up to 64 tracks): Apple is calling their new multicam technology “groundbreaking.” This much coveted missing feature comes with a variety of sync options—including something they’re calling “automatic sync,” where the software automatically analyzes and syncs the footage based on a variety of common characteristics, like audio waveforms. (Or, you can custom-sync your footage based on time code, creation time, markers, audio waveforms, etc.) You can also use different formats in your multicam clips without having to convert.Other plusses: there’s support to include photos in the multicam setup (FCP X arranges the photos chronologically based on when they were shot) so timelapse creations should be a breeze. The actual editing tool—”the angle editor”—looks interesting, and it seems like modifying and adding synced angles should be pretty seamless. I’m looking forward to trying it out and reporting back here.

• Broadcast monitoring: This feature, listed as still in Beta, is slated to allow Macs to output video via PCIe card or Thunderbolt to calibrated broadcast monitors and waveform displays (as well as large HD monitors/projectors). Apple’s disclaimer is that they’re still working with third-parties to keep improving this feature. So if you’re using this in beta, we’d love to hear how it’s working.

• Advanced Chroma keying: FCP X initially came with the one-step “keyer” effect, but with v. 10.0.3, they’re releasing an advanced keyer with color sampling, edge adjustment, and light wrap. Again, I’ll be playing with this soon to let you know how well it handles some trickier keys.

• Media Relink Improvements: Until now, FCP X’s media reconnection abilities have been sorrily lacking, sending users straight to the forums. With v. 10.0.3 comes an improved relink interface, supposedly allowing you to find media that has been moved or modified, or transcoded, trimmed, or affected in a third-party program. Please report back on how it’s working for you!

• Importing layered Adobe Photoshop files: You can now import a PSD file into a single compound clip in FCP X, which allows you to step in to animate and add effects and color correction to individual layers within the application.

• FCP Project Translation made easier: Another huge drawback of the original release—the inability to transfer projects between versions—has some support now. The only reason this isn’t first on the list is that Apple isn’t the one offering the improvement. But at least someone is.

• With the new v. 10.0.3 upgrade, Intelligent Assistance (by Phillip Hodgetts and Gregory Clarke) has released an app to move FCP 7 projects to FCP X, appropriately titled, “7toX” and available in the Mac App Store for $9.99.  (We previously wrote about the same company making Xto7, which translates FCP X projects to FCP 7. So, needless to say, it seems the Hodgetts/Clark enterprise has a major hold in the FCP translation business.) While these apps definitely help the conversion process, they aren’t absolutely flawless (some things don’t translate, so read the fine print), so most users will likely have to maintain both FCP 7 and FCP X on their computers for the time being.

All of these upgrades will likely be welcomed by FCP X users, though it still leaves open the question of further upgrades and Apple’s ultimate plans for FCP X.  Do significant upgrades (to what many would consider basic requirements) show that Apple is serious about making FCP X a professional level piece of software? Or, as this piece from Apple Insider suggests, is FCP just on the path of the average ‘pro-sumer’?

What would movies be without background music?  In a word, dull.  Whether it’s the dramatic orchestra pieces from Gone with the Wind or the inspiring fight theme from Rocky, music turns a film from a simple record of events to a riveting, unforgettable experience that stirs the audience’s emotions and draws them into the story.  Stock music, royalty-free or in some other form, makes it come alive.

The same is true of music’s contribution to fact-based productions.  A film about the fall of the Roman Empire communicates historical events all the more clearly when a background score appropriate to the theme is played.  A documentary covering the plight of the homeless becomes compelling when a haunting, downbeat piece marks the film’s critical moments.

Modern video games need music as well.  Roaming through a post-apocalyptic world filled with flesh-eating monsters seems more real when ominous notes punctuate the background, and fighting virtual super-villains is somehow incomplete without an adventure theme.  Ever catch yourself humming a jingle from a commercial? Radio and TV ads would also be far less persuasive without the aid of a catchy tune.

Stock music, also known as production music, is unique in that the rights to it belong wholly to a particular company, also known as a library.  The library either selects pieces for purchase from independent artists or employs musicians, composers, etc. whom it assigns projects to.  The library or its employees often receive royalties whenever a piece they performed or created is used.  Essentially this keeps the customer on the hook, forcing them to pay additional fees whenever they use the tracks they purchased.

Royalty-free stock music is different.  The purchaser pays a one-time fee for it, and can use it from then on with no further financial obligation to the library. We want you to feel free to create new art with your music; that’s why PremiumBeat offers royalty-free stock music.

Here are some of the advantages of using our royalty free music library:

1. A huge variety of all major forms of music, as well as many scores representative of smaller or more obscure genres and sub-genres, played with a vast array or instruments, evocative of any mood you may wish to create.
2. Your choice of licensing agreements – Our general license is perfect for those who need stock music for a website, business-related video, or artistic film to be shown at a festival.  We also offer specialty licenses for those needing scores for commercial theatrical productions, advertising, or CDs or DVDs that are to be distributed en masse.  Details on these are available on our FAQ page.
3. Ease of access – Once you have purchased a track, you will receive an email with a link to a site where you can download it immediately.  No days spent waiting for a CD to arrive in the mail while your project remains at a standstill, and no frustration with weird files or quirky sites.
4. Great customer support – we want you to be happy with your investment and to be able to use it within your contractual guidelines with no technical issues or other hassles.  Our FAQ page explains the nuts and bolts of using our tracks. Plus, our blog is filled with helpful tips and articles on the more technical aspects of using stock music, and you can always contact us with any specific questions or concerns.
5. A simple, clearly stated price, with no hidden charges, additional fees or royalties of any kind—the price you see on our site is the price you pay, period.  No gimmicks, no financial sleight of hand, no unwelcome surprises down the road.  Honestly.

We don’t expect you to just take our word for it, though.  Explore our site, listen to sample tracks, and see for yourself why PremiumBeat is your best choice for quality royalty-free stock music.  We’re committed to helping your project be the best that it can possibly be, and that’s not just a song-and-dance.

No doubt by now you’ve heard a bit about the new Thunderbolt technology by, a collaboration effort between Apple and Intel in 2011 for Apple’s new line of MacBook Pro laptops (as well as MacBook Air, Mac mini and iMac)—and though the hype and performance boost have editors drooling, a year later, adoption could still be a ways off for many users.

A quick summary of Thunderbolt from Intel:

• It’s ridiculously fast, simultaneous bi-directional, 10 Gbps transfers over a single cable
• Supports both data and display on a single cable, enabling greater simplicity, flexibility and new and exciting ways to use a PC
• Daisy Chaining devices without performance loss

Let’s just go back to the first point—a transfer speed of 10 Gbps is obviously a huge improvement over the 800 Mbps transfer rate of Firewire.  To get a true sense of how fast this can be, you can view the video of Intel’s demo on transferring a full-length HD Video in 30 seconds.  This speed transfer, with compatible RAID devices, holds immense promise for improved portability, efficiency and real-time updating.

It’s clear that Intel had video editors in mind while developing this new hardware.  From Intel’s press release, “Working with HD media is one of the most demanding things people do with their PCs,” said Mooly Eden, general manager, PC Client Group, Intel. “With Thunderbolt technology, Intel has delivered innovative technology to help professionals and consumers work faster and more easily with their growing collection of media content, from music to HD movies. We’ve taken the vision of simple, fast transfer of content between PCs and devices, and made it a reality.”

Why so slow to adopt something so fast?

However, adopting a new technology does have some drawbacks as well.  Thunderbolt’s technology currently relies on additional processing chips that must be on an Intel motherboard, and building in these additional hardware designs (instead of just a software upgrade) will take time for manufacturers to totally redesign and retool their products. And that sort of hump could certainly prevent both manufacturers and users from making the jump right away.

In addition to hardware design issues, there also may be a little politics at play. FCP Trainer and Blogger Larry Jordan talked to some hard drive retailers off-the-record, and discovered that several vendors were given market exclusivity for a year after Apple’s announcement of Thunderbolt, which happens to expire next month—just in time for NAB this year. Therefore, we could be seeing quite a few new Thunderbolt-ready devices this April.

And, there is the small matter of cost to keep Thunderbolt adoption at bay. Right now, a Thunderbolt workflow is expensive—a cable alone will run you $50. And if people are going to need to completely overhaul their hardware collection—that won’t come cheap, either. Of course, new technology is always expensive until alternatives drive cost down, so as more viable options enter the market (and more users discover they “need” this technology), we should see the cost of Thunderbolt go down.

Finally, as another blogger wonders, are we seeing a chicken and egg scenario where PC makers won’t adopt Thunderbolt ports until there are more products or are product makers waiting for PCs to add Thunderbolt ports?

Making the switch?

The number of currently available Thunderbolt products is limited, though more are projected to be available at the end of this year, so perhaps that will start to help improve the adoption and availability. It also looks like Apple certainly isn’t stopping at its computer lineup; they’ve recently submitted several patent requests (yes—it looks like Thunderbolt is headed for iOS devices).

Have you started using Thunderbolt already?  Do you plan on upgrading soon?  Leave your comments below and let us know if you are, or want to be, an early adopter and how this technology is affecting your work.

While the Internet shines in terms of the free exchange of ideas and information, there’s an ever-widening grey area when it comes to downloading digital music or sharing copyrighted intellectual property like books and art. However, there’s an increasingly complex array of international laws designed to turn that gray area into clear black and white.

You don’t have to look very hard to find file-sharing sites, many offering a cornucopia of all your favorite music, books and more, all free for the downloading. But look before you click; unless you are downloading a clearly labeled free promotional book or track from an artist’s site, that ebook or music file you just scored on a torrent site is probably copyrighted.

There seems to be a prevailing attitude that once a musician or author has “made it,” they don’t need your money—that sharing a few files won’t hurt anyone. And hey, you bought the CD, so you can do what you want with what’s on it, right? Wrong. You purchased the physical CD, not the blood, sweat and tears it took to produce what’s on it. With few exceptions, the vast majority of artists are “blue collar;” they work hard for their money and need every penny—just like you.

Think about it. Would you continue to show up for work every day if you weren’t paid? Probably not. Here are a few tips to help you make sense out of what’s considered fair and unfair use of copyrighted digital material.

The white:

• Under US copyright law, you are allowed to transfer legally purchased CDs or individual tracks to another device or CD for personal use. (Laws vary from country to country, but this generally holds true everywhere.)

The black:

• The moment you send a music track to a friend over the Internet, or upload it to share with others on a torrent site, you’re breaking the law. Even if you did it “just this once.”

  In short, never distribute legally purchased tracks to someone else. Digital music sharing of any kind, in whole or in part, for profit or not, without the express written permission of all parties involved in the production of the copyrighted content is illegal.

  This includes using your favorite pop song to underscore your latest YouTube vacation video, or emailing a sample or two to a friend to help them decide if they want to purchase the album.

When in doubt, refer to the two points above. If what you’re about to do falls somewhere between black and white, it’s safe to assume it isn’t legal. And when you learn via the web that your favorite new artist wasn’t resigned by their record company, it’s probably because of millions of people just like you who shared a file “just this once.”

The above also applies to royalty free music like that produced by Premium Beat. When you purchase a license from us for your production, that doesn’t mean you can do a friend a favor by passing the music on for their production.

Remember what it was like to be freshly graduated from college, navigating the murky sea of the production and post-post industry?  Now, imagine that you’re trying to break into it in today’s economic climate.

I was curious, so I asked several of my former students what it was like getting a job after graduation.  (These are students that graduated from Columbia College Chicago within the last two years.  About half of them moved to LA to find jobs; the rest stayed in Chicago.)

How easy was it to find a job in the industry?

The market seems to just want freelance workers, but nothing salary or full time. Persistence has always landed me the job in the end however. -Rob

Depends on what you want and how little you’d be willing to pay. Out in LA there are bunches of PA listings for short shoots that are $50-200 for a day or two. I’ve found it incredibly hard to find anything semi-permanent or worth my time. It’s highly competitive out here.  -Caitlin

I don’t have a job in production. I did freelance work for some time, but went into retail to pay my bills and haven’t re-emerged since.  I go out of my way to accommodate the freelance work over my day job, but I can’t do that in every case, however.  -Ivan

It seemed fairly easy only because I was hired by the company I was interning for at the time. I would probably be in a very different place right now had it not been for my internship. The timing really helped. -Megan

It was easy for me straight out of college to get a job—I began working at a post house for $400 dollars a week non-taxed. So you can imagine I was working almost 60 hours a week for crap pay.  -Mallory

What were the greatest challenges in finding work?

Morale! It’s so hard to continually send out resumes into that abyss everyday. Sending your resume out here is like that LOST station where they send in the composition notebooks of research and they end up in that pile out in the jungle. -Caitlin

The greatest challenge in finding work is that every place seems to promote within. I have had 4 internships, but now I am beyond interning and finding an assistant editor position is almost impossible. My only hope is that I eventually become promoted to assistant editor and to full time. -Mallory

Money. Not having a steady gig in production has made me resort to working a regular job, and I can’t always fit in a freelancing opportunity. -Ivan

Knowing people. It’s hard when you move somewhere new and have to re-make all your contacts. -Vinnie

I find people are intimidated by the younger crowds. I was told many times that I was too qualified for the position, which I thought was silly, but after being hired in a few of them I found I actually was. Columbia trains their students extremely well! -Chelsea

The biggest challenge in finding work was finding a job with not much “real world” experience and marketing myself as a qualified professional against people with more experience.  Many of the jobs I applied for were looking for candidates that had two years or more of professional experience.  -Brittnee

Making good connections… making sure to have the right dose of ‘being in their face’ while ‘staying out of their face’. -Matt

My biggest challenge with finding work is putting the time into applications and hunting the “right” job for me. Also getting in contact with some employers can be frustrating while working part time. -Rob

When I was looking for a job I used the only resource that was available besides personal connections: the internet. And so was/is EVERYONE else. It was challenging because entry level jobs, like the ones I was applying to, had hundreds of resumes/cover letters sent to them. You have to see the job posting asap or else your resume/cover letter will get lost in a see of applicants. -Anne

What aspect of college prepared you the best?

The honest talk about the industry. Everything I’ve encountered so far, I expected. Also, knowing a little of everything about the business surprises people. Like how I’m a writer, but I can edit. It blows people’s minds sometimes. -Caitlin

Great teaching. Collaborative projects. Classes that focused on post-production fundamentals. Also, any encouragement/help provided for internships. -Megan

Deadlines in college as well as competing with my fellow classmates prepared me most for the real world. Also working with the newest gear and software gave me a leg up. -Rob

The hands-on work, or the availability of resources were always invaluable to me. The instruction taught me a great deal, but the ability to mess around with stuff on my free time gave me an understanding that I otherwise wouldn’t have had—of production equipment, of the facilities, etc. -Ivan

I think I was really prepared for the working world because I took advantage of the instructors around me and networked like crazy! I also feel the opportunity to intern and freelance was huge at Columbia. -Chelsea

Learning how to interact with all different kinds of people. Trust me, if people don’t want to be around you then you won’t last long! -Vinnie

One aspect of college that prepared me greatly was the variety of classes I was required to take. Even as a production major, I was required to take writing, post production and a variety of other classes. This made me well versed on a variety of subjects. I felt confidence in having a strong foundation in multiple facets of production. -Brittnee

Frequency TV [college TV station]; I can’t imagine doing college without doing Frequency. It taught me how to deal with producers that didn’t know what they were doing. I hope to translate that into how to deal with clients someday. -Mallory

I would say just the social evolution that occurred within myself during [college]. And, of course I found that my Film specific classes prepared me the best by giving me on set experience, as well as professional knowledge of the equipment that is used currently in the industry. -Matt

What aspect of college prepared you the least?

When I was hired… it was as a tape-op. This involves a lot of capturing/dubbing/exporting etc. Things of that nature. It also involves a lot of troubleshooting when it comes to decks, software issues, and file conversions. This is an entry-level position, yet based on my college experience in terms of curriculum, nothing actually prepared me for that role.  -Megan

The worst preparation I had were talking too many classes that had pretty much nothing to do with post. I think producing, directing, and writing are important to know, but when you’re a post major, you shouldn’t have to take a million classes that don’t concentrate on post. -Anne

TAPE types, VTRs, the post production world is still tape. Turning in every assignment on a DVD never happens in the industry. -Mallory

Some of my non major classes prepared me the least in college. I wish I could have spent that time focusing only on my desired career path, or something similar. I understand they want you to be a well rounded character when graduating, but I didn’t pay all that money to squander my time. -Rob

I never got a sense of what something was worth monetarily. From work, equipment, and other aspects, I never developed a sense for the business part of the business. -Ivan

I don’t know if I can think of any aspects of my college career that I can look back on and say weren’t beneficial in some way. For example, dealing with classes or people I wasn’t interested in just prepared me for dealing with projects and clients I have no choice but to deal with these days. Every day was a learning experience whether I knew it or not. -Brittnee

Nothing. You can learn something new every day in college. Embrace it. -Vinnie

What else can you share about your job-seeking experience?

I think your work speaks for itself. Finding a job is a lot easier if your good at what you do, and passionate. Those who are working towards their career every day in college will find the transition easy. Good work gets noticed. Also, don’t take unpaid internships that have you doing nothing but office work and running coffee. I think you need to fight for good internships that are willing to teach you the ropes and give you real experience.  -Rob

I think a big part of job seeking for fresh graduates is patience. Another big part of job seeking for a young graduate is being a good communicator. Even with no professional experience, if you can communicate to an employer that you have a set of skills that can benefit their company, you’ve got a shot. -Brittnee

I’ve worked regular jobs since leaving college, and they don’t leave a whole lot of time to pursue too many interests. I’d advise anyone in my situation to gun for production work hard, and not depend too much on a steady paycheck if they can help it. -Ivan

The main topic of conversation was the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). The tenets of the bill have already set off a fury of controversy, even before its congressional due date in 2012.

In a nutshell, SOPA would put more power in the hands of individual copyright holders, allowing them to, in effect, shut down any website found to contain intellectual property. On the surface, it seems like this would finally choke off the torrent of copyrighted material pouring into and out of file sharing sites.

But big internet players such as Microsoft, Apple, Google and Yahoo, and heavyweight social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, are raising objections. Theoretically, SOPA could be used against law-abiding websites–an entire domain name could even be blacklisted based on the content of a few user posts or emails. The domino effect could have unforeseen legal and financial consequences.

Sites could be forced to monitor users in a way that runs afoul of privacy rights. Not to mention the financial cost for the technology required to assure compliance. Tumblr zeroed in on industry concerns in one sentence: “As written, [Congress] would betray more than a decade of U.S. policy and advocacy of Internet freedom by establishing a censorship system using the same domain blacklisting technologies pioneered by China and Iran.”

SOPA could be a major step backward from a 2011 Supreme Court decision involving the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). In the case of Universal Music Group (UMG) vs. the video sharing site Veoh, the court upheld DMCA’s “safe harbor” provision, in which file sharing sites cannot be held liable for infringing content posted by users as long as reasonable effort is made to remove the offending material.

No matter which side of the digital opinion poll you lean toward, 2012 should be a fulfillment of the ancient Chinese proverb, “May you live in interesting times.” Contact us today to learn how to lawfully download and use our royalty-free music without violating music copyright laws.

You need a creaky door, but your door is heavy wood on iron hinges, and what you found sounds like a metal stairwell door hung in a steel frame. Or the sound of a gunshot – but which gun? A semi-automatic Glock pistol or a 19^th century musket? What about a cocktail party background? Are you having trouble putting together the right combination of crystal clinking, silverware clattering, and guests chattering?

We have a huge collection of individual, royalty-free sound effects that are easy to browse. (Be careful, it’s so much fun you might find it addicting!) You can make it even easier on yourself by purchasing one of our sound effects packages geared for specific genres. You’ll get much more for your money than by purchasing each effect individually.

Game SFX

Whether you’re developing the next great video game or the next Oscar-winning animated film, we have a wide variety of sound effects collections that will fit your needs. Here are just a few examples:
Games Essentials Vol. 1
Magic & Weapons Vol. 1
Monsters & Creatures Vol. 1
Click here to see all Game SFX packages.

Production Elements

Construct just the right aural atmosphere for almost any production with packages like these:
Asian Elements Vol. 1
Horror/Scary Vol. 1
Trailer Construction Kit
Click here to see what else we have to offer.

Miscellaneous

Select from some of our most popular packages:
Ambient Backgrounds Vol. 1
Cartoon/Comedy Vol. 1
Christmas Sound Effects Vol. 1

We’re adding to our sound effects library all the time. Check back often to see what’s new, and how much you can save with one of our featured sound effects packages.

Contact us today to add professional sound effects to your next project.

Join us, as PremiumBeat.com begins featuring customer spotlights about some of our most valued patrons. This month, we’re highlighting CinemaCake Filmmakers, a Philadelphia-based wedding and event film-making business.

I had a chance to sit down over Skype with CinemaCake owner, Dave Williams, and asked him about his business, the industry, as well as some of his revolutionary techniques in making wedding videos.

Watch some of his responses here:

And here are some brief excerpts from our conversation:

Tell us a little about CinemaCake as a business.  What makes CinemaCake a premier option for wedding videos in the Philadelphia area?

“From the beginning… we’ve always approached everything more as filmmakers/cinematographers, rather than your stereotypical videographer…the ‘V’ word, as we call it…”

With your “stealth techniques,” how would you say the behavior of the wedding guests is different than it would otherwise be?

“We’re very good with blending in with the crowd and making sure that people don’t know a film is being made. A lot of that comes with the equipment we use (Canon DSLRs)… so at worst, people will think another photographer is in the room. And as you can imagine, people act very differently around a photographer than around a videographer.”

What do you use for post-production equipment?

“We’ve always been Apple fans. We’ve used Final Cut Pro since the beginning of time. And, for the last few years, we haven’t captured any tape. It’s a purely digital workflow that we have. That has made our same-day edits, which we’re known for, a lot easier to produce…”

Regarding FCP X, Dave says they’re holding off until FCP X comes out with several more features necessary for their workflow, and then they will transition over.

What organizational tools do you use in pre-production, production, and post-production?

“ShootQ the program we use. It’s online database contact management, contract management—it does everything. In there, is the ability for the client to fill out questionnaires… it’s just a lot of information that is very helpful to have up front… and all of us have access to it.

“In the old days… you had to sync sound from different cameras and different audio sources.  It was painstakingly difficult. Now, with a program called PluralEyes… the software uses the waveforms from the different sources to sync everything up. This is very important because it saves a LOT of time.

Can you explain how you do a “Same Day Edit”?

“Same Day edits are a lot of fun. And there are various flavors of a same day edit. The pure same day edit is where we start from scratch—where we literally create the film that day, and everything we show that night was shot, created, and edited that day. Then, we’ve had some films where we’ve had the opportunity to do some pre-production… and then, for the day of—we leave holes in the Timeline for things we know we’re going to need.

It blows people away. Because when people are watching it at 10:00 at night, they’re seeing something that just happened an hour and a half ago. It freaks them out—standing O sometimes.”

Explain how you approach attaining music, (including from PremiumBeat.com).

“Picking music is one of the most rewarding things… but it’s one of the most difficult things. Editors can agonize over the right piece of music. Because…we want to tell a story; we want it to fit… and getting that to feel right—it can make or break a film.

Of all of the sources we’ve used for music, PremiumBeat.com is one of our favorites. It has a huge selection… many genres… it’s easy to navigate on the site… it’s easy to find a song… and it’s relatively inexpensive. It’s been fantastic. People love the music, and it really makes our job so much easier.”

What tips would you give to someone just starting out in the wedding video business?

“Spend some time with somebody who’s doing it. Volunteer. Intern. Work part-time. Because there’s just so much that goes on during the day… there’s just so much that can happen on-the-fly. And unless you really experience that, you can’t ever be prepared for it.”

Avid Technology announced yesterday that reality TV giant Bunim/Murray made the sweeping conversion to an All-Avid workflow from a Final Cut Pro based workflow, starting in early 2012. This means that its editing and storage solutions (including Avid Media Composer 6, Avid Symphony 6 and Avid ISIS 5000) will be used for all of its programs going forward.

Bunim/Murray is an Emmy Award-winning production company, widely credited with creating the reality TV genre with its long-running series, The Real World. They are also known for other hit reality shows, such as Road Rules, The Bad Girls Club, Project Runway, and Keeping up with the Kardashians.

This switch to Avid solutions comes about a half a year after Apple’s release of Final Cut Pro X, which was met with rather mixed reviews, especially among its professional users. Avid immediately began pushing hard to begin converting high-profile clients to its software, and in recent months, is beginning to see a shift taking shape.

Mark Raudonis, Senior Vice President of Post Production at Bunim/Murray, explained their reason for the switch:

“Due to the large volume of media generated by our reality shows, we needed to re-evaluate our editing and storage solutions. At the same time, we were looking for a partner who would understand our long-term needs. As we talked with Avid, it was clear that the company has really forged ahead since we worked with them years ago. Their commitment to the needs of their professional customers, like us, is clear. And, with the introduction of Media Composer 6, they really raised the bar and have a vision for the future that makes them the right choice for our business.”

Another benefit of Media Composer 6 is the addition of “Avid Open I/O,” which allows any allows third-party manufacturer to make their I/O hardware work with Media Composer. This also attracted Bunim/Murray to make the switch.

“With the Avid Open I/O, we won’t need to change out any of the hardware from our existing editing stations. Instead it’s just a software install,” said Raudonis. “In addition, we’ve always used Pro Tools, so we’re looking forward to saving time and gaining added efficiencies through Media Composer and Pro Tools interoperability.”

The response

As more high-profile clients begin switching to Avid or Adobe solutions, the post production industry continues to change its landscape. People have already begun reacting to this news—on sites like MacRumors. Here are just a couple of the responses from the article published on that site:

“…It’s a trickle-down effect. The professionals are “influencers” and if Apple loses them, they’ll be losing the inner foundation and core that saved them in the first place.”

“Companies and editors are not going to stay on FCP7 for another few years waiting for FCPX to be brought back up to standard. Many of them will likely switch to Avid or Premiere as well as replacing their machines with Windows PCs. Once this happens, it will be another 3-5 years before they would even consider switching back to FCPX, and many wouldn’t do so just because of this previous headache and lost trust in Apple.”

“This should really surprise no one. The quote, ‘Their commitment to the needs of their professional customers, like us, is clear,’ should sting. You’ve made your choice, Apple. Now sleep in the bed you’ve made.”

What do you think? Have you or your company considered converting to either Avid or Adobe from Final Cut Pro following the release of FCP X? Do high-profile switches like this influence you in any way?

Xto7 for Final Cut Pro ($49.99), previously named Project Xto7, translates the FCP X Project XML (fcpxml) and converts it for import into Final Cut Pro 7.  You can also go directly to Color, Soundtrack Pro, and to other Final Cut Pro 7 XML workflow programs, as well as to Adobe Premiere Pro (and thus to After Effects via dynamic link).

For a full explanation of the capabilities of Xto7 for Final Cut Pro, go to Assisted Editing’s website and download the product documentation.  (Assisted Editing is the joint venture of Phillip Hodgetts and Gregory Clarke.)

From Assisted Editing’s Xto7 Support Resources:

To use Xto7

1. In FCP X, select the project you want to send to FCP 7 in the Project Library. (Do not open the timeline—just select the project in the Project Library.  (If you have Final Cut Pro X and Final Cut Pro 7 installed on different Macs or partitions, make sure the Project and its referenced Events are on an external storage device.)
2. Choose the File menu and select Export XML…, and name and save the FCPXML file.  (If Final Cut Pro X and Final Cut Pro 7 are installed on different Macs or partitions, save the FCPXML file to the Project’s external storage device.)
3. To translate the Project to a Final Cut Pro 7 sequence, either:
   • Run Xto7 for Final Cut Pro and use the open dialog to locate your exported FCPXML file (the open dialog allows you to select more than one FCPXML file);
   • Drag-and-drop the FCPXML file onto the Xto7 for Final Cut Pro application icon;
   • Right-click on the FCPXML file in Finder and choose Open With > Xto7 for Final Cut Pro from the contextual menu.
4. A progress bar appears.  When finished, you will be asked if you want to Send to Final Cut Pro 7 or Save Sequence XML. Choose Send to Final Cut Pro 7 and click OK.
5. Final Cut Pro 7 will launch and display an Import XML… dialog.

• Use the Destination popup menu to choose whether to create a new project or add the sequence to an open project
• If the Sequence Settings popup menu is set to (auto) the sequence will use the Audio Channels, Audio Sample Rate and Render Format of the Final Cut Pro X project; or you can choose your own setting for the new sequence (this can be changed later)
• Turn on the Reconnect to Media Files, Include Markers and Include Audio/Video Effects checkboxes
• Click OK to import the new sequence.
  

Product Reviews
Connor Crosby’s (Final Cut Whiz) Review
Scott Simmon’s (Studio Daily) Review

Be sure to download the product documentation for additional resources and “Known Issues” about this conversion process.