Q: FCPX not responding
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Jan 18, 2012 10:10 AMby andynick,Here's my pet answer for this (very common) question - don't lose heart! It's an awesome application - you just need to see why it's not working well on your system.
You don't say what setup you have but FCP X runs very well (not perfectly, by any means) on my 2009 MacPro 2 x 2.26 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon with 16 GB RAM and ATI Radeon HD 5870 1024 MB
First, check the spec of your iMac against the system requirements:
http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/specs/
Particularly your graphics card. If it's listed here, it's not suitable:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4664
If you are getting crashes, there is some conflict on the OS. Create a new (admin) user account on your system and use FCP X from there - if it runs a lot better, there's a conflict and a clean install would be recommended.
Other ways to improve performance:
Create optimised media.
Hide Waveforms at all times when you don't need them (both in Browser and Storyline / Timeline). They take up a lot of processor power.
Create folders in the Project library and put any projects you are not working on currently, in there. (Twirl it closed to hide them).
Move your Projects and Events to an external HD (make sure it's formatted OS Extended - with journaled on or off) and run from there.
The biggest single improvement I saw in performance was when I upgraded the RAM from 8 GB to 16.
Andy
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Jan 18, 2012 7:33 PMby yinney,Thanks so much Andy & Ian, I really appreciate your input.
I have repaired my disk permissions, my files are already on an external drive, have ditch the other projects in the library....but i feel I may have found the problem.
1. I have only 2Gb of Ram. I should have 8 or 16.
2. My computer is an imac Intel Core 2 Duo. I am told by my Mac shop man, River...:-/ I should have a Quad computer with an i5 or i7 processor. He says even upgrading my ram on the existing computer will only help a wee but. So off to the shop I go. He said 2.5k aussie will get me an i5 and all the space I need. My editor mate also said to drop FCPX. He said it can't talk to anything, can't send OMF files etc. He is about to ditch FCP7 and buy Adobe Premier. I actually enjoy FCPX and when it stops hanging, will enjoy even more. I am sure Apple have begun with the end in mind. I will stay with it.
I go now and watch the Aussies whack the Indians again. For me, as a kiwi, that's hard to swallow but at least we beat them in Tasmania. Sorry for digressing. Thanks guys. 33˚C in Perth today. I love winter.
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Jan 18, 2012 11:00 PMby yinney,Hi Andy,
Thanks for the support. I actually have a Mac Book Pro that I'm typing on. Same? Or should I be looking at the Quad desktop?
Another glitch reared its ugly head today and this may still be because of lack of memory. Always on jobs that have deadlines. I skim the media in the project file, click on a scene, commence an action...the bar immediately relocates to the front of the project. I drag it back to the same position, generally only by hitting shift/z, reduce audio in a file or whatever action, and it whips back to the start again. Then hangs completely. It seems to be getting worse. The coloured ball is now a frustrating feature of every edit decision. Any thoughts?
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Jan 19, 2012 12:06 AMby Ian R. Brown,Your Mac man is talking rubbish to make a sale.
I am using a 2008 iMac with 4GB RAM and no problems.
Some people have problems with the biggest and most expensive Mac Pros.
FCP X has bugs like all software but I strongly suspect that many of the difficulties are caused by user error or conflicts caused by the particular system.
It is almost certain that throwing money at it won't make the trouble go away.
You could bung in a bit more cheap RAM from Crucial but it is most likely that your computer has amassed a load of dross on its hard drive over the years.
Ideally you should erase everything and reinstall the OS to bring it back to the "as new" condition.
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Jan 19, 2012 12:16 AMby Ian R. Brown,Just out of curiosity, exactly what type of video files are you using?
Many years ago we spent weeks trying to work out a chap's problems only to discover that he was shooting with a STILL camera which was using a format that no apps could edit at the time!
We assume that we are all speaking about the same thing but unless you can see exactly what someone is doing it can be impossible to suggest a cure.
If we had seen at the outset the guy was using the wrong type of camera we could have told him he was attempting the impossible!
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Jan 19, 2012 12:24 AMby yinney,Greetings,
I shot pretty much all of the footage on a Sony Z1 Mini DV Cam. I did also import two discs of XD Cam footage using an XD Player. The glitches started happening around about the same time. Coincidence?
I have a client arriving to view the program and it's hanging on me or does not respond on almost every move now. I clean up the start up disc yesterday. Not sure. Will take your advice and get some ram and perhaps get a mac geek around to tidy up my drives.
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Jan 19, 2012 12:41 AMby Ian R. Brown,I have no knowledge of XD Cam or the discs you mention but maybe someone else can comment.
Hard drives should never be allowed to get more than 75% full.
The only real way to cure a computer that has amassed a load of crud is to erase everything and start afresh.
Anything less is like putting an elastoplast over the hole in the Titanic.
