Final Cut Pro version 10.6 extremely slow!!!

hey, can you please help me to get the 10.5.4 version of FCP and also facing creepy issues with both 10.6 and 10.6.1, am fed up with this build now I am getting to hate working on FCPX. I even Installed Davinci but learning new software will take its time as you know it. Really appreciate if you could help me

Working on FCP 10.6.1

2020 M1 Macbook pro

16Gb ram

Mac Os Monterey (12.0.1)

Even now the FCP is working very sluggish, even a single 1080p 30 fps video on timeline gives frame skipping. Scrubbing in the timeline is very slow. Rendering takes ages to finish. An 8-minute video with some simple cut in 1080p 30fps with h.264 took around 30 mins to render out (Not exaggerating, literally happened) Give the Color wheel even for Extending the Clip's endpoints. I don't know what more issue it should have, Very disappointed updating it.

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hey bro, I have an older MBP with Catalina, but still can't download it. it just pops the warning and nothing else is happening, I mean the 10.5.4 version doesn't start downloading, is there any other way to bypass it or something?

Thanks for the information. This is very discouraging, to say the least. I was hoping my new 16" maxed out M1+, which is in the mail to me for early December delivery, would handle it easily. Sounds like it is time to go to Davinci Resolve or Premiere as the path now.

I have never been a fan of Premiere since it exhibits all the user-viscious interfaces Adobe loves to consistently build into all its products. Davinci Resolve, on the other hand, seems to be the love child of FCP and Premiere. Making the transition (major FCP plug-in investments already made and now down the drain not-with-standing) will not be all that daunting.

Suffice it to say, Steve would never have allowed a useless set of two consecutive releases like this to happen. The entire FCP dev team (and Product Manager, in particular) would have all been fired by now. I am at a total loss to understand what is happening on the FCP dev team. Was the new built-in motion-tracking their downfall? What was it? They should have left things at 5.4ish before they were absolutely certain that had an app that, at the least, works. FCP has had some near-death calls as a product in the past when Apple went to the new FCP interface. It was at that time almost all film schools threw it out and went back to Avid or Premiere but it had grown back in popularity, since then. So this is a huge setback. The transition to Davinci Resolve will not be all that hard. I recommend at least trying it out since it is free.

Now all I need to find out first is if Davinci Resolve has the same performance problems on the new M1+ platform. Based on data I have collected thus far it seems it is fine but merits further investigation. I know Premiere runs OK on M1 based on what I have heard. Davinci Resolve seems to beat it out in certain benchmarks (e.g., rendering time). But that is for other Forums to pursue :-) This transition seems like losing an old friend. Shame on the Apple FCP team and what a major defeat and setback for Apple and its FCP user base. But they have iPhones to sell so FCP must once again be the ugly step-child product these days.

To quote Steve "it just works". That is what should be the case with the two most recent FCP releases. The previous ones did. As consumers, it shouldn't be that hard to figure out. Buying niche diagnostic tools like (whatever Etre is) won't help things. I, for example, am running a plain-Jane setup, stripped down to FCP only and I have never heard of problems like these being reported here. I have brazenly assumed since the app has gotten more complex (and larger) that one just needs to throw more horsepower (and money) and upgrade to more recent powerful options now available. That is why I ordered the new 16" maxed-out MacBook Pro. Not here yet but had been hoping. Still, we have these discouraging reports of people on brand new maxed out machines like the one I have on order having these issues not found on releases two versions prior. "It should just work".

If you get your new computer and install FCP on it without migrating or installing anything else it will just work. As soon as you start to migrate you run risks. Most users don’t do clean install when they upgrade to a new operating system. You won’t have that problem as you’ll get a clean system without Chrome or AVAST or CleanMyMac or a lot of other stuff that just wrecks pro apps systems. We’re seeing people with systems that have kernel extensions from 2015 and launch daemons that are still running doing nothing any more than bogging down system resources.

Etrecheck is free btw.

Update to 12.1.

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Are you using third party plugins? Which ones?

The problem became bearable after moving the FCPX cache from external SSD (it's a NVME SSD connected by TB, shouldn't be slow) to local SSD (I put cache on external SSD before due to want to save some wear and tear on the local irreplaceable SSD). I will update more after upgrade to 12.1.

Hi all,

The slow rendering issue can make FCP really useless. It is a scandal.

I have a brand new Mac Pro 2019 with 2x graphic cards, 96 GB RAM etc. I am working with thunderbolt 2 and 3 drives and a SATA drive via thunderbolt adapter (I never use more than 70% of a disk). This combination works very well for me. I have worked with a Mac Pro (Late 2013 = cylinder) since years and was very happy with FCPX in last years. I am waiting since 1,5 hour right now for rendering+exporting of a 1 hour 1080p movie (yes, with a lot of FX, etc.) and it is now at 63%. This is really unacceptable and far more than frustrating. As I've said, the machine is new, I have installed everything clean. Even with new downloads from AppStore etc.. My experience (I am editing since mid 1990s and working with FCP since 7.) whispers to my ear that the issue has nothing to do with filled up disks or some FX or some file formats. This is directly related to FCP. (It is now 1h 45 min and rendered is 66% of the 1h timeline!)

Sorry for the long message.

umit

You did say there are a lot of effects. Some can task the processor a lot more than others.

Noise reduction is one that is extremely processor intensive, and can increase the export times by quite a lot, for example.

A few things of note in your report:

You are running 11.6; if you want to stay in Big Sur, you should probably update to 11.6.2.

There are several crashes and applications hanging. Is the Wacom driver fully up to date?

Also I see that you are using Paragon software, which is meant to handle NTFS formatted drives.

That is fine, but they should not be used for FCP libraries or for exporting. Use Mac OS Extended or APFS.

Hi & thanks for the answer.

Big Sur: I will go over to Monterey. Shall I stay on Big Sur?

Wacom driver is up to date. For the new system I've downloaded and installed for a week or so. It has never caused problems on any of my systems. If it works it works:)

Paragon software is for NTFS disks of other people where I have to put some finished movies, documents etc. sometimes. I am using this option only for copying something from finder. Never exporting directly from any software.

Thanks again.

umit

I had a few issues with Monterey 12.0.1, but 12.1 seems quite stable.

Of course, always make a full backup or three before upgrading your OS.

I usually do a clean install and then migrate only the user accounts, and reinstall the applications separately.

Even though your system is pretty lean, but because you are having issues, it may be worth doing that.

Hi,

I am using some built-in and some 3rd party effects. Mostly color correction (wheels, curves etc.) or some grunge or old movie FX. Yes, there are many on the timeline. But, both the built-in noise reduction of FCP or Neat Video (version 5) are used many times on my timelines and even if you don't rendered these before export, they don't prolong the export time dramatically. Yes they make a difference but not 5times more.

My project is a HD (1080p) ProRes with clips with different frame sizes and codecs (optimized, mostly mp4s from older footage), many ProRes exports from Motion, 3-4 Mark III footage, uncomp. 16b 48 KHz AIFF files and a few .png or .jpgs. Parts of the timeline are compound clips with some titles. This is an usual timeline for me (I make documentaries). I never had an 2,5 hours export session where I had to wait sometimes 5 min for the 54% goes to 55%.

I have to mention too that the "render-everything-in-every-possible-opportunity-again"-syndrome of FCP is on its top-highest form now. :) You can never find your timeline rendered if you quit and launch you project with a many-times-rendered timeline.

Working with FCP(X) was so joyful and confortable; why this pain now?..

Thank you for trying to help me.

Regards

umit