Not sure which Mac to get for FCP/Avid... Input much appreciated

Hello,
My question is...
I work in television production and I am making the move to get into editing and I plan on purchasing a Mac in the next few weeks, and I am looking for a bit of advice.
Basically I would like to run FCP on the Mac, and if possible I would like to be able to run a version of Avid Express. The projects that I will work on at home will probably be run through FCP, but if possible I would like to be able to install some version of Avid on the same machine to help me learn.
My main question is... I actually have a television that I purchased about 2 1/2 years ago that has an easy option to use it as a computer monitor, and first off I would like to see if you can tell if this will work for a Mac Pro... Secondly, would it make more sense to shell out $2500 for the Mac Pro and use my existing monitor, or should I go with an Imac and not use my monitor. Basically I would like to know if there is a major difference between a low level Mac Pro and a higher end Imac. I am just a bit uncertain what would be the best way to go. My limit would be $2500 but I would really like to keep it around $1700.
I am not sure if my tv/monitor can handle graphically what would be done so I have included a link for the model that I have.
Any input would be appreciated.
Westinghouse LTV-27W2 27" Widescreen Progressive-Scan LCD TV

You might - just - get a Mac Pro for $1700, if you bargain-hunt, but bear in mind that you'll likely need to upgrade the RAM, and certainly get hold of a decent amount of HD space for your media and renders for both programs. Check lowendmac.com regularly - they have a good range of vendors with used and refurb models.
Avid no longer sells Xpress Pro - it's all Media Composer now. Note that Avid does have very specific hardware requirements for supported systems. Not even every Mac Pro is supported (which doesn't necessarily mean it won't run, but you may have problems with it). Pay close attention to which graphics card you're getting, and check that table. Also, Media Composer requires specific versions of OS X and Quicktime, so you'll either have to settle on one system (and avoid Software Updates) or have different systems (eg, two partitions) for the two programs.
Your television has a DVI input, which will work fine with either a Mac Pro or an iMac. Note that Mac Pros still have one DVI port; for an iMac, you'll need the separately-sold Mini DisplayPort to DVI adaptor. Either way, it will be fine for video editing.
Matt
Message was edited by: Matt Clifton

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Which Mac to get for FCP/AVid work.... Input appreciated

Hello,
My question is...
I work in television production and I am making the move to get into editing and I plan on purchasing a Mac in the next few weeks, and I am looking for a bit of advice.
Basically I would like to run FCP on the Mac, and if possible I would like to be able to run a version of Avid Express. The projects that I will work on at home will probably be run through FCP, but if possible I would like to be able to install some version of Avid on the same machine to help me learn.
My main question is... I actually have a television that I purchased about 2 1/2 years ago that has an easy option to use it as a computer monitor, and first off I would like to see if you can tell if this will work for a Mac Pro... Secondly, would it make more sense to shell out $2500 for the Mac Pro and use my existing monitor, or should I go with an Imac and not use my monitor. Basically I would like to know if there is a major difference between a low level Mac Pro and a higher end Imac. I am just a bit uncertain what would be the best way to go. My limit would be $2500 but I would really like to keep it around $1700.
I am not sure if my tv/monitor can handle graphically what would be done so I have included a link for the model that I have.
Any input would be appreciated.
Westinghouse LTV-27W2 27" Widescreen Progressive-Scan LCD TV

You might - just - get a Mac Pro for $1700, if you bargain-hunt, but bear in mind that you'll likely need to upgrade the RAM, and certainly get hold of a decent amount of HD space for your media and renders for both programs. Check lowendmac.com regularly - they have a good range of vendors with used and refurb models.
Avid no longer sells Xpress Pro - it's all Media Composer now. Note that Avid does have very specific hardware requirements for supported systems. Not even every Mac Pro is supported (which doesn't necessarily mean it won't run, but you may have problems with it). Pay close attention to which graphics card you're getting, and check that table. Also, Media Composer requires specific versions of OS X and Quicktime, so you'll either have to settle on one system (and avoid Software Updates) or have different systems (eg, two partitions) for the two programs.
Your television has a DVI input, which will work fine with either a Mac Pro or an iMac. Note that Mac Pros still have one DVI port; for an iMac, you'll need the separately-sold Mini DisplayPort to DVI adaptor. Either way, it will be fine for video editing.
Matt
Message was edited by: Matt Clifton

Not sure which way to go for transfer.....

First; let me say that I did search for the answer to this, but I'm not sure which way to go with a lot of the answers. I'm sorry I'm asking this question for the umpteenth time. Yes; I'm one of those that understands enough about computers to make me dangerous...
Our computers are set up on a home network. Before I got my iPod last year, we ripped all our CDs and saved them on a completely separate external drive named "M" (for music), so all 3 computers could have access to the information on the M drive.
I get my pod & have the office computer set up to be the 'main' iTunes location, since we purchased a USB2 hub for it. I quickly learned how to direct iTunes to 'pull' the music from the M file & understand how all that works. Life is good. I even took the time to put an album art file on the M drive & insterted everything into iTunes by 'hand'.
Bless my hubby's heart. Completely filled with computer envy, he just purchased me a brand spanking new shiney computer. Needless to say, with all these new bells and whistles, I can now use my computer as the 'home base' for all things iPod/iTunes instead of having to go downstairs to do updates, etc.
I looked up & printed out "How to use your iPod to move your music to a new computer" from the Apple web site, which basically says to download everything onto my iPod's harddrive & do the transfer on the new machine.
I think what I'm trying to ask, is since all the music is located on an external drive:
When I download iTunes to iPod harddrive, are all the tags still in place? Will all the album art be correct, so when I download it onto the new computer, everything will be identical to what's on the old computer?
--or--
Is there another trick I can do to have everthing the same on the new computer?
--or--
Am I better off just having my computer go to the M drive & upload all the music onto my new computer & reload all the album art by hand again?
My real hesitation on this method is I have a lot of things on the M drive that I changed the tags on in iTunes, & I would really hate to go & search through everything again & redo what tags I can find wrong.
I know that this may sound like a lot of trivial questions, but with over 6,000 tracks, I'd really like the process to go as smoothly as possible.
And once again; I'm sorry if this seems like just another 'how do I transfer' question. As I was reading the search results, I didn't notice anything that dealt with external drives being involved & I don't know if any of that makes a differance or not in all of this.
Thank you SO MUCH for your time!!
Dell Inspiron E1705 Windows XP First Time Mommy to 4gen 60gb photo
Dell Inspiron E1705 Windows XP First Time Mommy to 4gen 60gb photo

Sandeep,
I have already answered a similar question from you earlier.
Re: Netweaver after one and half year of ABAP experience...
Please do not create duplicate threads.
Regards,
Siddhesh

Switcher/Adder - Still not sure which MAC to buy (long)

[this is long.. you've been warned 8-) ]
As a life long non-Apple owner I've decided that I want to take the MAC plunge. I have been using computers since 1981 and haven't bought a pre-built computer from a company since about 1987. My history as a Wintel guy helps create this problem for me as my inclination is to buy the fastest and biggest you can possibly afford. After all bigger means better right?
So recently I had decided on a Mac Mini (the $699 model) since I can add it to my existing desktop and switch between PC and MAC at will. However, I keep reading how much of an "entry level" computer it is and I don't want something that is underpowered. Problem is that while I can tell you what I consider underpowered in the Wintel world, I can't relate that to the MAC world. I didn't (and wouldn't) have bought a 386/486 SX or Pentium Celeron processor because they are a bit gutless.
So then I started thinking I need an IMac 20" 2.0GHz because it's a G5 and therefore has more speed, power, etc. However, the PC guy in me starts thinking about the lack of upgrades in an all-in-one system. What if I want a bigger monitor when they get cheaper? Of course, I then start looking towards the PowerMac. That will give me power and the expandability. However, since I have to option things out to a respectable level, I end up with a $4000 Mac without a new display. I can't spend that now. Back to the Mac Mini.
Rinse and Repeat.
I'm still having problems with de-programming myself from the Microsoft world. The truth is that in the last 10 years I have always bought much more computer than I needed so that it would be there in case I "needed" it later. Of course with Windows, this seems like all the time. I used to upgrade about every 18 months, but amazingly this iteration of my PC is about 3 years old and is still far from outdated. (1st time in history)
So price puts eliminates the PowerMac which leaves the Mini vs. IMac. I have a 20" CRT now so I am not going to go backwards and consider a 17" IMac. So this leaves me with the $699 Mini vs. the 20" IMac. Of course my research has already led me to believe that I would want to put 1 Gig of RAM ($125) in a Mini as well as spending another $229 for a Mini-Stack to add an external HD with USB/FW Hub so that I have an adequate number of ports. And while it may seem that I have this all figured out, I don't. I also see that I can get a refurb IMac from Apple for around $1500, but I'm terrified about the refurb route.
I really don't look at myself as an adder as I want to get rid of all the PC stuff eventually. There is no compelling reason/application that requires the PC.
I have realized this year that I mainly do only a few things on the computer anymore. Web Browse, E-Mail, Games, Digital Camera Photos, Burning CDs from iTunes (no iPod yet), VPN to work, and Microsoft Money for paying and tracking bills. Any of the Macs do all of this stuff.
Oh and I forgot about what I really spend most of the time on the PC doing...Installing Windows Updates, Rebooting, Updating my Virus Definitions, Rebooting, Updating Spyware definitions and Scanning for Spyware, Rebooting, Fixing my wireless DHCP issue, Rebooting...Searching for new utilities to block Pop-Ups and other Malware.
So let's hear from all the MAC gurus out there. Mac Mini or IMac 20"?? New or Refurb? (although the refurb Mini is not enough of a discount to consider)
Thanks
Carl

Or you can look at it/analyse it from the other way round: What do you do on your computer, and what do you want to do more in the near future on your computer??
No doubt the Mac mini is considered a "entry-level startup mac" but it can still do wonders for you, I am actually quite thankful that Apple now has "simplified" their product line to fewer options so as not to make us confuse - I know in the PC world you can even build-your-own PC like many of my friends do, but consider this, if and when your computer (mac) needs technical service (touch wood), you just need to bring to one source.
I would eliminate the PowerMac G5 (tower) for now because it is really for the professionals... bottomline guideline is, if you think you will be playing a lot with home movie editing (iMovie) and burning quite a bit of DVDs too (iDVD), then your choice would probably fall more to the iMac G5's favor...
As for expandibility concern, even if you own an iMac G5, there isn't really anything to worry about expandibility issues, like some others' replies, you have a minimum of 250G of hard disk space, top that up??! Also with a maximum of 2Gb of Ram, that is more than enough to run a lot of stuffs, also with the Graphics card provided, I don't think you need to worry about upgrading to a better powerful one - Apple's all-in-one iMac G5 concept is to let you not worry about hardware issues like this, but let you immediately enjoy and have fun with your mac, that's the main idea.
Only if you are not a "power consumer" user, e.g. like my dad who just wants to sort out all his digital photos, and my sis who just surf, email and chat, I got them both the Mac mini (my sis upgraded from a iMac G3), perfect for them, but should one day my dad would tell me, "hey I wanna play with home movies...", then I would "worry" about upgrading then...
Cheers

I'm looking at buying my first macbook pro and not sure which one to get

i want to compose music, not professionally just for home use, and i dont know if its worth saving the extra £300 on the the i7 8gb and going for the i5 4gb.
as its my first ever macbook i need advice please.

ok sorry this should go in macbook pro page sorry

Not sure which filter I need for audio fix...

Ok so I am filming this guy at a podium and my wireless mic is taped to the stand. Problem is that he starts talking, but walks away from the podium a couple times so I can barely hear him. Is there a filter to grab just the low audio and bring it up?
Thanks!

No, you're filming him standing ON a podium. He's standing AT a lectern. The difference is as crucial as going to pederast for foot problems.
Yes and no. You must boost the level of the track to compensate for the diminished signal to noise ratio caused by the increase in source to mic distance. This will bring up the floor of the track along with the voice. Now you have to filter out the floor without diminishing the voice. It's easier in Soundtrack Pro where you can display the audio as a spectrum instead of merely volume waveforms. You must target the noise and exclude the signal.
bogiesan

My itunes store won't open. Any suggestions on how to get this to work? I've already downloaded the newest version of itunes. I'm also not sure what Mac operating system I have..

My itunes store won't open. Any suggestions on how to get this to work? I've already downloaded the newest version of itunes. I'm also not sure what Mac operating system I have..

To find the version of Mac OS X on your computer, all you have to do is click the Apple logo and then About this Mac. For more info, take a look at this doc -> Finding your OS X version and build information
Do you see an error when you try to open the iTunes Store on your Mac?
This Apple doc is a good place to start -> iTunes: Advanced iTunes Store troubleshooting

First Mac!!! Which one to get for Photoshop?

I'm so excited, yesterday I got approval from my wife for a Mac. I've been a PC since the DOS days. This will be a bit of a learning experience, but I am looking forward to it.
The only "heavy duty" use the computer will see is Photoshop. I use Lightroom for 90% of the photos I take. The other 10% go into Photoshop.
I am struggling with choosing the right Mac.
I like the portability of the 13" MacBook Pro. I not sure it will be enough for PS.
My 2nd choice would be the 15" MacBook Pro. I like the higher resolution display (1680X1050) quadcore.
As I write this I am seeing the the 15" is really the way to go. What are your thoughts?
Thanks
Monty

montymo wrote:
Thanks for your input. As usual I went over board THis is what I got:
2.0GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7
4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
MacBook Pro 15-inch Hi-Res Glossy Widescreen Display
I ordered a (slow) spinning hard disk. Later in the year, when larger drives become affordable, I plan on purchasing an SSD.
Looks good on the whole. But especially with Photoshop and Lightroom, you will seriously be holding back the top-line i7 processor, SSD, and 64-bit hardware you paid good money for, until you get well above the 4GB RAM. So get more RAM next, it will boost performance in the months while you wait for a cheaper SSD. I get my RAM at macsales.com, and if you have the cash they can even get you to 16GB.
If you want some photography-oriented performance analysis about the laptop you're buying, check the MacBook Pro/Photoshop/Lightroom tests at macperformanceguide.com. Note what he says about RAM in that article, and the difference more RAM makes with the apps you are concerned with. You don't have to get 16GB because it costs too much right now, 8GB will be great.
The last two laptops I owned had anti-glare screen. The one prior that them had a glossy screen. That is the only think I am apprehensive about. I sure it will be fine!
I was at the Apple Store the other day and they had the non-glare MacBook Pro in the showroom. It definitely looks duller than the shiny glossy screens. But I probably would buy the nonglare myself.

HT1349 help I would like to authorize my new laptop for my itunes library I had 5 authorized computers on my account not sure which ones they were one of the autorized computers has crashed so i want to transfer all of my account history onto my compute

my acct. shows that I have 5 authorized computers for my itunes acct. not sure which 5 but I do know it is not my new laptop. our main home computer that I use for managing and adding to my music library may have crashed . so I deauthorized all 5 computers (that was my only choice). I was then hoping to authorize just one computer (my new lap top), I was then hoping that my entire music library would then show up via my itunes/apple account where is it ?
How can I transfer my entire itunes acct. history onto my new lap top? any suggestions? or how can I recover my music library off of a potentially crashed computer?

You can deauthorise all 5 at once, then reauthorize the one you want.
Learn how to authorize or deauthorize your computer with your Apple ID.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1420
You need to log into iTunes on the computer you want to deauthorise. Otherwise, contact contact iTunes Store support to see if they can help.

Need help " Can't find a valid editor for this file extension" not sure why I am getting and this or what to do.

also say explorer not reading SWF files and I have to reload them? Not sure what that is either,
Thanks
Jim

Hi Nancy
Trying to update my site got to make some changes. Do you work on sites via remote? I am on Cloud.
: Nancy O.
Sent: Monday, September 01, 2014 3:47 PM
To: James Neidner
Subject: Need help " Can't find a valid editor for this file extension" not sure why I am getting and this or what to do.
Need help " Can't find a valid editor for this file extension" not sure why I am getting and this or what to do.
created by Nancy O. <https://forums.adobe.com/people/Nancy+O.> in Dreamweaver support forum - View the full discussion <https://forums.adobe.com/message/6692200#6692200>

Looking to buy my wife a Mac, not sure which one

llooking to buy my wife a Mac and not sure which one, she has a windows 7 , any suggestions?

Impossible to answer without any details. How does she use the computer? What would she like to do on a new one?
Windows 7 is not a computer, its an operating system. It can be an excellent computer rivaling a Mac or be bargain basement offering outdone by even the most modest Mac.
Laptop or Desktop? Large screen or small? Features? Price range?
So without any real context there's no way to say what you should or should not buy. Or what that Windows 7 computer can do currently, so as to suggest a similar offering from Apple.

Not sure if i should get one

I want a macbook,i really do. But its getting closer and closer to the time that im planning on buying one, and im not sure if i should get one yet. Im a sophmore in highschool, and i need a computer for highschool. I know im going to end up getting some bias answers but--Should i get a macbook now, or should i get some other computer? The computer that im going to get is going to have to last from now till--hopefully--the end of collage. So is there another computer that i should get, and get a mac sometime in the future? maybe even before collage and just have some cheap thing for highschool. I just want your opinions, im not trying to starts some kind of mac v. not mac arguement. I just didnt know where a good place to ask would be so i decided to ask here. Thanks Alot.

I used both Mac and PCs during college.
As a recent graduate, it was very important that I paid attention to my major and class requirements. Several classes I had required Internet Explorer, MS Project, and Visio.
At the time the best choice for me was a PC. However, as a owner of a MacBook, I now dual boot and have the best of both worlds. However, dual booting does require a Windows XP Pro "SP2" disc.
*Getting Windows XP*
Around college you should not have a problem getting this. A single XP license actually allows you to install the OS on (1) PC and (1) Notebook. Finding another copy shouldn't be that difficult. And if worse comes to worse, you just call Microsoft (some place in India) and activate the copy over the phone. Just tell them the copy is on one PC to make it a quick phone call, they can't understand much more let alone any explanation of the license and if it was uninstalled off another computer.
*Word Processor*
I use Word 2004 for Mac. It functions well, but I feel Word 2003 is still better.
*School Software*
I would also check with your school and see what software you get with your tuition. Some schools just give out AntiVirus crap, others provide entire Office Suites. So if you are going for broke, keeping software cost in your plan is a good idea.
*Final Opinion*
If it were me, I would go with the MacBook. Because I know how to hunt for software, I don't figure it paying for any. The MacBook is actually a very competitive price. Since Apple provides the option to run Windows, why not get a MacBook to take advantage of both OS X and Windows environments.

When I view my ipohotos on my macair that have been uploaded from my iphone, sometimes my compute just shuts down. It is when I have the iphoto open. I'm not sure which version this is...I bought the computer about four months ago.

When I view my ipohotos on my mac air that have been uploaded from my iphone, sometimes my computer just shuts down. It is when I have the iphoto open. I'm not sure which version this is...I bought the computer about four months ago.

adkennon wrote:
And maybe you don't talk to too many people but I've been on many forums on different websites where people have had similar problems and a lot of people in the store were having battery problems where they were draining too fast. What I learned is that all the people who did not download the updates are good. There phone is working the same. The people who have, they're having battery problems
I have downloaded every update and my battery life is better than any previous iPhone I have ever owned. I see posts from hundreds of people every day, and this is not a commonly reported problem. While there are a few random reports of battery problems, it is no more than I have seen for any other model or any other version of iOS in almost 8 years. Usually problems of rapid battery drain can be traced to bad apps (FaceBook is the worst offender) or corrupt data being synced from iCloud or other sources (gmail, Windows Live, Yahoo, etc).
The simple test is to restore the phone as New. Do not create any email accounts. Do not install any apps. Do not enable FaceTime or iMessage. Do not enable Twitter or any other social networking app. Use it for a day and check the battery usage. You will find that it is working well.
And also see this: http://www.overthought.org/blog/2014/the-ultimate-guide-to-solving-ios-battery-d rain. It is the best treatise I have seen on the subject of battery usage.

Not sure which direction I should be heading

I'm going to drop a lot of money on equipment sometime during the next six months, and I'm really not sure which direction I should take this. As I see it I could either go with everything hardware, or I could go with Mainstage. Basically, what I want is to get the sound of me and my keyboardist up to snuff, as it's currently not that great.
What I'm thinking of getting for now:
Hardware route:
Nord Electro 73
a magically great guitarfx
Software route:
Mainstage
M-Audio Profire 2626
Midi foot controller
Macbook Pro 3,06GHz 4GB RAM
As you can see, the Mainstage route will be more expensive. At the same time it will offer more flexibility, and the ability for more bandmates to join in in the future.
Keyboardist will use the following sounds:
- Piano
- Rhodes w/ effects
- B3
- Clavinet
- Solina
- Strings
- (Maybe some C64 SID-sounds)
I guess that's it for now.
Guitarist (me) will use:
- Overdrive
- Amp simulator
- Delay (I know this takes a lot of processing power, so only one or two delay-fx simultaneously.)
- Other, typical guitar-fx.
If I go hardware I'll go with a multi-fx, but I have yet to find any that will let me tap the tempo on one patch and then keep that tempo when I go to the next patch, so they get kind of limited.
We will both be playing at the same time, and latency is important. I want to use it at 16bit/44,1KHz, as I guess that's the lowest I can go. I want to be able to play with 32 sample buffer. At 64 samples the latency gets too long. I guess I could get used to it, but the day I try to run my bassist or other guitarist og lead vocals or backing vocals through Mainstage I don't want to have to excuse the latency.
Is it stable enough? I plan on using the computer as a Mainstage-only laptop, not installing anything except Mainstage and maybe a few plugins. It'll normally not be connected to the internet, with Airport turned off.
There's probably a lot of stuff I've forgot to mention, that I might think of later, but the main question is; which route would you go in my situation? Hardware or software?
Message was edited by: hanerlend
Message was edited by: hanerlend

Stability will be risky on mainstage. Some people have no problems, other have lots of cpu issues.
I've been running one keyboardist and a backingtrack loaded into exs24 and have had one problem during a show that required a reboot.
EXS24 stopped playing a backing track twice as well - which was pretty major.
I'll be using playback for backing tracks and will not be sending my guitar through the computer. We will also have a drummer playing now, so if the computer breaks, we'll lose keyboards and will be able to continue on and end a song.
I think it's an acceptable risk for the flexibility and cost savings - since I already had a laptop and all the midi gear. And I try to accept a bit of glitchyness as it's a new program. Hopefully that will be changing over the next few months - as this latest version seems more stable and updates should add to that.
If I were a major act playing large shows, *I would not be using it*. And if it continues to cause problems, we'll be looking for something else.
I used the logic environment for our last band. We had three keyboards for three separate people - that worked pretty much flawlessly.

I have an ipad with 8.1.1 software. I lost my thumbnails on my movies after one of the system updates but not sure which one since I don 't look at the movies that often.

I have an ipad running 8.1.1. I lost all of my movie thumbnails after one of the system updates, but I'm not sure which one since I don't look at the movies that ofter.How do I restore my thumbnails. They are fine in itunes on my imac that I sync with.

onix_76 wrote:
how come? Documents also have on hand to buy as photo and check the box
So what? The second-hand shop you bought it from didn't follow the right procedures. You also didn't follow the right procedures to make sure that iPhone was not in Activation Lock. It's like buying a car for cash but not getting the title signed over to you. It's not your car if you don' have the title. And that's not legally your iPhone if the previous owner's Apple ID is still registered to the device for Find My iPhone/Activation Lock.
Only a proof of purchase from the ORIGINAL retail store would do any good at all. Return the device to where you bought it and demand your money back. If they refuse, either get a lawyer and/or turn in the device to local police. If you're in possession of stolen property, then the cops won't care about where you got it from.

Not sure which Mac to get for FCP/Avid... Input much appreciated

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