Is FCP X compatible with FCP 6

[Pete Cofrancesco]

I need to keep FCP6 for my standard def DVD work but I'd like to install FCP X to try it out and use for a special project.

Can it be installed on the same Mac without interfering with each other? I read an article article about installing X with FCP7 having to create a separate partition on the system drive and didn't know if it applied to 6 too.

http://www.fcp.co/final-cut-pro/tuto...cial-apple-way

edit: It wouldn't install. Confusing the article talks about Snow Leopard but when I looked at the requirements on FCPX Apple says 10.10 or newer.

[David Knaggs]

Hi Pete.

I'm running both FCP X (10.2.1) and FCP 6 (6.0.6) on OS X Yosemite (10.10.4).

They both run fine. No separate partitions on mine.

I think the only thing to watch is that you can't have both open at the exact same time. You have to close one before you open the other (at least that's what I recall).

If you are running an earlier OS, the latest FCP X won't run on it. I was sticking with the earlier Mavericks but, when version 10.2 of FCP X came out, I was forced to upgrade to Yosemite. But the improvements in the latest FCP X made the OS upgrade well worth it, in my opinion. (Even though I don't particularly care for the "look" of Yosemite.)

If you are on Snow Leopard to keep your full tools from the old FCS, upgrading to Yosemite will lose Cinema Tools, LiveType and Motion. (I've been unable to find the old Motion since I upgraded to Yosemite, but I would only use the new Motion 5 these days anyway.) I just checked my old DVD Studio Pro and it opens fine. I'm not sure if it retains full functionality with the latest OS though, because I haven't used DVD SP for quite a while.

Also, you would lose Shake (if you have it installed).

I'm purely speaking from my own experience. I don't know if my observations hold true for others.

[Pete Cofrancesco]

All of what you said is encouraging since I only use fcp, compressor, Dvdsp. Color, Motion, & Live Type are too complex for my purposes. That separate partition method must be a way of retaining those apps.

I looked up my hardware specs 2009 MacPro and its new enough to install Yosemite (cutoff is 2008).

[Steve Mullen]

Originally Posted by David Knaggs

Hi Pete.

If you are on Snow Leopard to keep your full tools from the old FCS, upgrading to Yosemite will lose Cinema Tools.

I cannot get Cinema Tools from FC Studio [with FCP6] to load even under 10.9.5. Always fails saying it's doing something with Plug-ins.

Which version of Cinema Tools worked with 10.9.5 until you upgraded to Yosemite? Or, did you directly from Snow Leopard to Yosemite?

PS: I've run both FCP 6 and FCP 7 plus FCP X 10.0.9 and 10.1.0 under 10.9.5 with no problems. However, from day one, with 10.1.0 every 5 or so minutes the beachball shows up for over 30 seconds -- no crash. To avoid the delay I've stuck with 10.0.9.

[William Hohauser]

That beachball is possibly the backup files being written. On my system it can cause a momentary stop (3 to 4 seconds) in the program going forward but no beachball.

[David Knaggs]

Originally Posted by Steve Mullen

Which version of Cinema Tools worked with 10.9.5 until you upgraded to Yosemite? Or, did you directly from Snow Leopard to Yosemite?

Hi Steve.
Yeah. I found Snow Leopard to be the last OS to retain full functionality for my old FCS (with FCP 6, Cinema Tools, etc. plus Shake). After Snow Leopard, various parts of FCS would stop working with each successive OS upgrade. So much so that I have kept a laptop (MacBook Pro) on Snow Leopard for the last couple of years, just in case I need any of the original FCS tools when clients need old projects opened up and tweaked. I still find Cinema Tools useful from time to time in its own right. But, I must confess, I'd love to find a modern alternative to Cinema Tools. If I did, I'd update that laptop to Yosemite to take advantage of newer apps that I'd like to use with the laptop. So, if anyone knows of a good modern app that functions as well as the old Cinema Tools, I'm all ears!