Archiving Projects that Refer to Many Events at DVinfo.net

Declan J. Casey · March 7th, 2013, 04:12 AM

Hi,

I am hoping that someone can help me solve a problem I am having with my archiving of events and projects in Final Cut Pro X.

Here is my set up… In the office I have a 27" iMac running 10.8.2 and a Mac Pro (Just acquired second hand as a server/import machine) running 10.7.5. and my second editor also occasionally uses his 15" 2012 MacBookPro.

I have just moved over to using a raid array for my storage, and for working directly from. (4 icy boxes, 2 for working from and 2 as backups for the working drives).

What I hope to do is have each event and corresponding projects in a sparse image bundle that can be mounted on each computer individually and worked on from there.

Here is the crux of the problem and my question.

Many of my projects refer to more than one event, usually to my 'master video' or 'master audio' events which hold my commonly used b roll, stock shots, stock music etc. but also when doing multiple videos for the same client over time, I can end up using bits and pieces from many events to create the video I need.

What I need is to find a way to have all this media in the one sparse image bundle WITHOUT having to have each additional event copied into the sparse bundle (as that would be a massive waste of space) . I don't think that the 'duplicate project + used clips only' will suit as we usually have to make many changes to the videos to suit the corporate clients we deal with, and these changes can occur months down the line hence deleting files that are not in use currently could be needed months from now.

'Consolidate' or 'Organise' files doesn't seem to work as it is happy as long as the media is on the same drive, but I need it to copy all the extra files into a particular event folder.

What I'm looking to do is have all the referenced clips in the same folder as the actual event I am working on so that I can take one sparse bundle and edit it on any of the machines without those lovely missing file/event warnings showing up.

Apart from importing each of the individual clips into the event manually is there a way to do this?

Thanks for your help.

Bill Davis · March 7th, 2013, 10:56 PM

I'm not sure you adequately understand sparse bundles and how X references media files.

First and most important, X is nearly entirely referential. Which is to say it works by creating a database of refrence locations for assets - then stores your work as metadata files that REFER to those assets. It doesn't really CARE where those assets are located, it just needs to be able to find them.

So it really doesn't matter to an X Event if files are stored on one, two, or 20 sparse bundles. There's NO penalty or advantage to the number of locations that store the files. If you take 20 sparse bundles and put them into a single folder - then copy those to a "to go" drive, if you just launch those bundles, X will happily re-connect and work with them. There's really NO reason to build discrete sparse bundles to hold all your footage from multiple events - and in fact, doing so is dangerous, becaue unless the event looks out and finds EXACTLY the referenced sparse bundle by it's deeply stored hex ID, it will get lost.

In these days of cheap mobile storage, it's just SO MUCH easier to take copies of your original source sparse bundles with you and X will gleefully connect to clone copies all day long.

Now, If you have storage capacity issues, then you can go back and isolate assets by using "Copy Referenced Events only" - but that kind of defeats the idea of having all your source footage at hand for further editing. That's a judgement call that only you can make.

Essentially I never copy files into my event library anymore - relying instead on alias's and letting X load them via launched virtual drives - a thing that avoids the need to create duplicate sparse bundle collectons, which risk X's database NOT knowing how to re-connect to assets if those spase bundle locations aren't identical the next time you go to mount your project.

There are some useful tips on MacBreak at

that can help you clarify some of the concepts behind Event and Project moving and sharing in X.

Hope these ideas help.

March 7th, 2013, 04:12 AM	#1
Declan J. Casey Tourist Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Cork Posts: 1	Archiving Projects that Refer to Many Events Hi, I am hoping that someone can help me solve a problem I am having with my archiving of events and projects in Final Cut Pro X. Here is my set up… In the office I have a 27" iMac running 10.8.2 and a Mac Pro (Just acquired second hand as a server/import machine) running 10.7.5. and my second editor also occasionally uses his 15" 2012 MacBookPro. I have just moved over to using a raid array for my storage, and for working directly from. (4 icy boxes, 2 for working from and 2 as backups for the working drives). What I hope to do is have each event and corresponding projects in a sparse image bundle that can be mounted on each computer individually and worked on from there. Here is the crux of the problem and my question. Many of my projects refer to more than one event, usually to my 'master video' or 'master audio' events which hold my commonly used b roll, stock shots, stock music etc. but also when doing multiple videos for the same client over time, I can end up using bits and pieces from many events to create the video I need. What I need is to find a way to have all this media in the one sparse image bundle WITHOUT having to have each additional event copied into the sparse bundle (as that would be a massive waste of space) . I don't think that the 'duplicate project + used clips only' will suit as we usually have to make many changes to the videos to suit the corporate clients we deal with, and these changes can occur months down the line hence deleting files that are not in use currently could be needed months from now. 'Consolidate' or 'Organise' files doesn't seem to work as it is happy as long as the media is on the same drive, but I need it to copy all the extra files into a particular event folder. What I'm looking to do is have all the referenced clips in the same folder as the actual event I am working on so that I can take one sparse bundle and edit it on any of the machines without those lovely missing file/event warnings showing up. Apart from importing each of the individual clips into the event manually is there a way to do this? Thanks for your help.

March 7th, 2013, 10:56 PM	#2
Bill Davis Trustee Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Scottsdale, AZ 85260 Posts: 1,538	Re: Archiving Projects that Refer to Many Events I'm not sure you adequately understand sparse bundles and how X references media files. First and most important, X is nearly entirely referential. Which is to say it works by creating a database of refrence locations for assets - then stores your work as metadata files that REFER to those assets. It doesn't really CARE where those assets are located, it just needs to be able to find them. So it really doesn't matter to an X Event if files are stored on one, two, or 20 sparse bundles. There's NO penalty or advantage to the number of locations that store the files. If you take 20 sparse bundles and put them into a single folder - then copy those to a "to go" drive, if you just launch those bundles, X will happily re-connect and work with them. There's really NO reason to build discrete sparse bundles to hold all your footage from multiple events - and in fact, doing so is dangerous, becaue unless the event looks out and finds EXACTLY the referenced sparse bundle by it's deeply stored hex ID, it will get lost. In these days of cheap mobile storage, it's just SO MUCH easier to take copies of your original source sparse bundles with you and X will gleefully connect to clone copies all day long. Now, If you have storage capacity issues, then you can go back and isolate assets by using "Copy Referenced Events only" - but that kind of defeats the idea of having all your source footage at hand for further editing. That's a judgement call that only you can make. Essentially I never copy files into my event library anymore - relying instead on alias's and letting X load them via launched virtual drives - a thing that avoids the need to create duplicate sparse bundle collectons, which risk X's database NOT knowing how to re-connect to assets if those spase bundle locations aren't identical the next time you go to mount your project. There are some useful tips on MacBreak at MacBreak Studio - Episode 169: Sharing Projects in FCPX - YouTube that can help you clarify some of the concepts behind Event and Project moving and sharing in X. Hope these ideas help. __________________ Classroom editing instructor? Check out www.starteditingnow.com Turnkey editor training content including licensed training footage for classroom use.