FCPX stutters importing 4:3 mini DV tape

senseless · Jul 12, 2014

FCPX when importing from a Canon mini-dv camera, standard 4:3 video stutters and misses frames, creates dozens of clips per scene. I'm using Firewire 800.

I do not have a problem with Final Cut Express. What is going on?

northernmunky · Jul 13, 2014

senseless said:
FCPX when importing from a Canon mini-dv camera, standard 4:3 video stutters and misses frames, creates dozens of clips per scene. I'm using Firewire 800.

I do not have a problem with Final Cut Express. What is going on?

FCP X is a much more resource hungry app than FCP Express. What Mac are you using, CPU and RAM?

senseless · Jul 13, 2014

northernmunky said:
FCP X is a much more resource hungry app than FCP Express. What Mac are you using, CPU and RAM?

I have a 2009 2.8mhz I7 quad core iMac with 8 gigabytes of ram.

northernmunky · Jul 13, 2014

senseless said:
I have a 2009 2.8mhz I7 quad core iMac with 8 gigabytes of ram.

To be fair that should be enough. Any other apps running that might be taking up resources? Is your FCP install up to date.
Another way to check for issues is activate your guest account, log into that and try t and see if there's a difference.

senseless · Jul 13, 2014

northernmunky said:
To be fair that should be enough. Any other apps running that might be taking up resources? Is your FCP install up to date.
Another way to check for issues is activate your guest account, log into that and try t and see if there's a difference.

Everything is up to date and nothing else running. I'll see if this is an HDV issue also. Thanks

ChrisA · Jul 13, 2014

senseless said:
FCPX when importing from a Canon mini-dv camera, standard 4:3 video stutters and misses frames, creates dozens of clips per scene. I'm using Firewire 800.

I do not have a problem with Final Cut Express. What is going on?

It's hard to know why. FCPX can do a lot of things while it imports. Shut all that down. Turn off proxy, analysis and creation of "optimized" media. It's in "preferences"

Small White Car · Jul 14, 2014

It sounds like FCX is more sensitive to glitches in the tape's timecode. For whatever reason FCE seems to be ignoring them.

If Express is capturing it well, though, I'd say capture in that and then move the files over to FCX.

Whatever works.

senseless · Jul 14, 2014

Small White Car said:
It sounds like FCX is more sensitive to glitches in the tape's timecode. For whatever reason FCE seems to be ignoring them.

If Express is capturing it well, though, I'd say capture in that and then move the files over to FCX.

Whatever works.

I think you're right about the FCX timecode sensitivity. I tried a tape made on a different camera (same format) and it was fine. Final Cut Express used to lose sync easily, come to think of it, so this may have been tightened up in X version.

I did not know I could move Final Cut Express files to Final Cut X. This might be something the Express version cannot do, but I will check it out. Thanks!

Small White Car · Jul 14, 2014

senseless said:
I think you're right about the FCX timecode sensitivity. I tried a tape made on a different camera (same format) and it was fine. Final Cut Express used to lose sync easily, come to think of it, so this may have been tightened up in X version.

I did not know I could move Final Cut Express files to Final Cut X. This might be something the Express version cannot do, but I will check it out. Thanks!

There's probably not an in-program way, but just find the files in Finder and then import them to FCX. (I believe they reside in the 'Movies' folder in your user folder.)

I suspect FCX will then copy them to its library and you'll have to erase the originals from FCE to get the drive space back.

An annoying step, but if it works it's worth it.

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FCPX stutters importing 4:3 mini DV tape

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senseless

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