Final Cut Pro X freezing on top spec new 27" iMac, help!

Thanks, Studio Engineer, I will check the version when I get over to my office and fire up the iMac. I'm on the MacbookPro now. It's out of the trash but of course it's an expired trial so it won't execute, but I forgot to just do the command-i for info!

The slowness issue and Safari or iTunes being an issue is interesting and I'll try again, but of course the first thing I always do when exeriencing issues like this is shut everything else down, restart, and just try Final Cut but it did not help.

Several times when it slowed down then just did the spinning wheel of death before every single action I asked it to do (something really complicated and resource-heavy like, oh, selecting a sound clip and trying to drag it to a different spot a few seconds over), I checked Activity Monitor and indeed Final Cut pro was spiking all the windows, showing 100% CPU use. [And yes, I unplugged all USB devices, shut down bluetooth, and crossed all my toes twice.]

Dan, now THAT is interesting. Mea culpa — I may indeed be confusing correlation with causation.

I sincerely hope you are right about the developers. I have been an Apple fan soooooo long, I have long loved their products and software. I have so many products with a little i in front of them I even have a dedicated iCreditCard. Will keep fingers crossed they can figure this out. For the sake of my projects not to mention my Apple stock!😢

I bet you are right about the developers, Dan...

What people need to remember is that FCPx (in theory) is an incredible application, capable of doing things that you would normally need 3 different apps to do.

I KNOW for a fact that Apple is very concerned about the issue below.

Dan Thomas (DAGWare) wrote:

The reason I say this is that up until a few days ago, everything was running fine on my shiny new iMac 21". Then suddenly I started having the same issues as the others in this thread. As far as I know, nothing changed. One minute I'm fine, the next everything goes haywire.

3 months or so ago, I wrote FCPx feedback about this issue and immediately became a response and was asked to provide feedback and steps-to-reproduce as much as I possibly could - to get to the bottom if this issue.

I beta test for many companies (not for apple) and I have gotta say that the responsiveness from their feedback department is amazing and very forthcoming.

So lets hope that they will find the bug(s) currently crippling most of FCPx deep-professional features.

The more constructive feedback they get, the better their chance of finding a solution ;-)

To anyone experiencing sudden slow-downs... This might help.

1) Reboot Mac

2) At the Boot sound > hold SHIFT pressed until you see a gray progress bar.

3) Login to your account

4) Reboot Mac normally

Try repeating as you encounter weird slow-downs.

I have never had any issues with FCPX on my MBP or my previous iMac, although I had/have multiple external drives connected (USB/FW/TB) and quite a lot of third-party FCPX add-ons.

With the new top-spec'd 27" iMac, however... ⚠

le500 -

You may want to report this to your Apple contacts:

I believe I've seen evidence that this problem may indeed be related to the video drivers somehow. I've noticed that sometimes, just before my system freezes, one or both of my displays go haywire - they display random colors and garbage. Here's the interesting part: The last time this happened, FCPX wasn't running - I was rendering via Compressor background tasks.

I sent the projects to Compressor and shut down FCPX - FCPX had been shut down for several minutes before the freeze. That's fascinating because it wasn't anything FCPX, or even Compressor for that matter, was displaying that caused the video issues. It had to be the background processes that were doing the rendering, and they don't interact with the display in any way!

So for some reason, some of the rendering tasks interact with the video drivers. Whether this is by intention, or the result of overwriting portions of memory, is something the developers will have to figure out.

Dan

*** UPDATE ***

I got to thinking about what I've changed since the time I didn't have these crashes, and now. The only thing I could think of was that I started using CoreMelt's SliceX add-in. NOTE: I'm not blaming the issue on CoreMelt specifically - read on for an explanation.

In short: As an experiment, I uninstalled my CoreMelt add-ins (SliceX), and started re-sharing all my projects that had previously hung my computer when sharing. I didn't change anything in the projects - I just uninstalled SliceX. 7 of the 8 projects have rendered without a crash, and the 8th failed with some error about not being able to write the chapter track - I'll investigate that soon, but it's unlikely to be related.

Note that in the past, the system freezes have also happened during editing, and I haven't tested that yet - I will shortly.

Here's why I'm saying that I don't blame SliceX specifically: There are posts on this thread that seem to indicate the crashes can be caused by doing non-CoreMelt effects. But for all of my test projects, the only even remotely fancy effects I used where SliceX effects, so that's all I have to test with (I'm new to FCPX, and these are the only projects I've been working on since I got it).

What I think this *does* say is that if the developers could identify the methods of CoreMelt's rendering process which use the same portions of FCPX that Apple's own effects use, they might be able to narrow down the areas of code they have to debug.

Anyway, now I'll go back and re-edit the projects, and see what happens. I'll report back.

Dan

Hello Dan,

I just forwarded your last comment to my contact as I have been doing regularly but this time along with this note:

________________________________________________________________________________ _______

FYI please see below last message posted in the Apple Forum about this issue.

Roisin,

I know you are all working hard at trying to fix this, but I need to remind Apple and you are my contact here that this is not some small time childish gaming type of App that we are struggling with here. FCPX is in many cases a professional's working tool and some out there have been unable to do their job for over three months. By any standards this is totally unacceptable.

We don't even have updates or any indications that a fix is eminently expected.

Please forward our concern to the powers to be and perhaps have this escalated to a level of urgency CODE RED or whatever you guys want to call this.

Kind regards

Jose

@le500: Excellent choice of words!

Dan Thomas (DAGWare) wrote:

*** UPDATE ***

I got to thinking about what I've changed since the time I didn't have these crashes, and now. The only thing I could think of was that I started using CoreMelt's SliceX add-in. NOTE: I'm not blaming the issue on CoreMelt specifically - read on for an explanation.

In short: As an experiment, I uninstalled my CoreMelt add-ins (SliceX), and started re-sharing all my projects that had previously hung my computer when sharing. I didn't change anything in the projects - I just uninstalled SliceX. 7 of the 8 projects have rendered without a crash, and the 8th failed with some error about not being able to write the chapter track - I'll investigate that soon, but it's unlikely to be related.

Note that in the past, the system freezes have also happened during editing, and I haven't tested that yet - I will shortly.

Here's why I'm saying that I don't blame SliceX specifically: There are posts on this thread that seem to indicate the crashes can be caused by doing non-CoreMelt effects. But for all of my test projects, the only even remotely fancy effects I used where SliceX effects, so that's all I have to test with (I'm new to FCPX, and these are the only projects I've been working on since I got it).

What I think this *does* say is that if the developers could identify the methods of CoreMelt's rendering process which use the same portions of FCPX that Apple's own effects use, they might be able to narrow down the areas of code they have to debug.

Anyway, now I'll go back and re-edit the projects, and see what happens. I'll report back.

Dan

You def. on to something... After Installing FxFactpry Pro... My FCPx experience became unbearable. After un-installing FxFactory Pro everything sped up significantly. Not saying it is FxFactorys fault just that FxFactory made things very very very slow. Could be Apple problems, could be FxFactory Problems. Latter too gave me nothing but render problems. Faulty frames etc. etc etc. -- In the end, I said goodbye to my invested money but I have a MUCH better mood since then ;-)

So - I think that one thing to do when trouble shooting is to remove ALL 3rd pty effects along with ALL motion templates in the user folder.

le500 wrote:

Hello Dan,

I just forwarded your last comment to my contact as I have been doing regularly but this time along with this note:

________________________________________________________________________________ _______

FYI please see below last message posted in the Apple Forum about this issue.

Roisin,

I know you are all working hard at trying to fix this, but I need to remind Apple and you are my contact here that this is not some small time childish gaming type of App that we are struggling with here. FCPX is in many cases a professional's working tool and some out there have been unable to do their job for over three months. By any standards this is totally unacceptable.

We don't even have updates or any indications that a fix is eminently expected.

Please forward our concern to the powers to be and perhaps have this escalated to a level of urgency CODE RED or whatever you guys want to call this.

Kind regards

Jose

I am VERY sure that Apple does NOT regard this app as a childish game... And I am just as sure that they have absoltely no clue to why FCPx has so many problems, performance wise. If they had, they would fix it immediately. Most of them probably are really avid about video and cutting such. And dont think that have some kind of secret version of FCPx that they use ;-) -- I think they are more frustrated with all those problems than we are... Afterall they are the ones trying to fix it every day.

But this is a HUGE app with MANY lines of code. And given the nature of Objective-C --- Everything is conducted via protocols and system frameworks. i.e. if you rely on a system-framework to provide you with a certain capability which has a BUG... Then the BUG isnt inside of FCPx but inside the system. So perhaps FCPx Team has already found the problem to why FCPx is exhibiting those issues. But the problem is with the system. And you cannot "just" change the system. That is a longer process.

But I have read that 10.8.3 (ML) is being tested exhaustedly and one thing being put weight on are Graphic Drivers... So lets hope ;-)

Studio Engineer,

I wish I had the same convictions and levels of assurance and patience as you have, but with lack of evidence on their part thru lack of information provided to their customers, I stand firm on one statement I wrote: "By any standards this is totally unacceptable." There is no acceptable reason to have professional clients crippled from doing their jobs for such a long period of time. We are talking about Apple that has so much cash it could buy half of America. So let them spend some on adding more resources to their professional Apps department and have this thing fixed asap.

I'm a Canadian living in Spain and here everything is Mañana, they take sometime three years to build a god **** house. Darn it in Montreal we used to see skyscrapers lift from the ground even during the winter freezing months. But if one guy comes along and says, ok I'll give the contract to the team that accepts to build it in three months, I'll garantee he'll find a construction team willing to take on the challenge. Even if it implies heavy penalty clauses for each single day late in delivery.

Sometimes you just have to add resources to get the job done.

I hear and feel you....

But imagine someone provides you with a house, promising YOU that you can put any kind of furniture inside of it and the TiVo-outlet has cable TV (That someone IS Apple) -- The (You) in the equation is The FCPx Team.

So you move in... And start utilizing the House (Framework) - as you put down the couch and sit on it with 3 fat ladies.... The floor breaks as it cannot hold the weight (GPU Drivers)

Then when you Plug in the TV - the promised cable only shows Al Jazira. And there you are with your fancy TV with LOTs of features but to no good because the promised cable along with all the nice channels simple isnt there. (Quicktime Performance etc etc etc)

And so it goes....

Is this unacceptable... YES SIR.... 100% -- And normally you would sue the guy having built the house. But the guy building the house is your boss and the one paying you. Now what do you do...

yada yada... Yes.. Apple IS to blame - be it the OSX Department or FCPx Department. One thing though, remains sure. Those who sit and spend THEIR life programming all this stuff are PROUD of what they are doing... So it goes without saying that they thrive off kudos and props, just like you and me after making a movie everyone loves.

Imagine you would do their work... And then read all the forums at this current hour... NOT much to be proud right now. You've just spent years of your LIFE conjuring up exceptional features only to find yourself with a limp app, perhaps being crippled by its Framework. Especially when you invest your whole day to make it work, and it does not. Highly frustrating I would say. And THAT frustration (IMO) is exactly what will make this whole thing push forward to days of glory where users, hand in hand with dev. can be happy about using their fav. app...

I personally LONG for those days ;-)

One of my favorite sayings is "Expectations are everything." The lack of communication is the thing that drives all of us crazy. I realize that Apple is a big company, and keeping all of us minions invormed would be difficult. However, if Apple kept a developer's blog that could be updated with progress reports, it would help a lot of us "keep our shirts on."

It will probably never happen, but if we had at least some idea of their progress, and any idea at all how long it might take, it would help a lot. Also, if they had any ideas as to things that might help in the mean time, that would be nice to know also.

I can dream. But in today's corporate environment, with all communication having to pass through so many channels to be approved, that's all it is - a dream. "I wish it was Christmas today."

Dan

The least we can say is some of us , mainly you Studio Engineer have a way of lifting this to humoristic levels. I had a great laugh falling from my sofa with the three fat ladies. Now suppose for a moment some of the team members are fat ladies, well then Sir you just added months to a resolution of this problem....mouahahaha

I agree with you and see that you don't disagree with me, but in the end someone has to take on the role of the bad guy. Allow me the honors....;-)

In your example I place myself as one of those nice proud and attentive FCPX members reading this and with my way of thinking I would use messages like mine to tell the boss; see boss we need more help, you have to hire or transfer more people to our team, we are burning midnight oil and still have no clue as to what's causing this. Please send in the cavalry and help us get our customers smiling again and more importantly get them productive so they can deliver their projects and get paid.

Cause in the end I hate thinking of the frustrations these poor guys in the FCPX team are suffering, sorry for saying guys, perhaps there are fat ladies there to, but how do we mesure their frustration against the customers innability to make a living! Unlike some of us that have more then one machine, there are guys in this discussion that only have their spanking new glittering iMac that is no more then a paper weight at this time.

Studio Engineer wrote:

Highly frustrating I would say. And THAT frustration (IMO) is exactly what will make this whole thing push forward to days of glory where users, hand in hand with dev. can be happy about using their fav. app...

I personally LONG for those days ;-)

I'm a developer for a large company, and I, too, long for those days when we could work hand-in-hand with users, and we would all be proud of the result. I'm going off-topic here, but this is one of my major pet peaves with today's corporate environment.

<sigh>

Dan