What is Best FCP?

[Bob Schoemer]

Have (2) MAC's that I would l like to put some version of FCP on;

1) Power PC G5 Quad Core - use for converting VHS tapes to some better media and format

2) Mac Pro 2012 (12) Core - 64Gb - use for processing DV tapes and eventually HD media

Also have (2) AJA Kona capture cards - JVC DV tape player - JVC S-VHS player

Any suggestions on what version of FCP to put where is appreciated.

Thanks

[John Nantz]

Hi Bob,
If it were my 2012 (and I wish it was), I'd put a Solid State Drive (SSD) in bay 1 (which you may already have), install the current OSX operating system and the current version of FCP X. Reason for choosing the current version of FCP X is because the layout is different enough from the previous version that it will cause a learning curve.

After that, then there is the file management issues - where to put current projects, finished project, archived projects, and further down the road, a newer version of FCP X and it's projects as it is always said to "back up" your files before starting on an updated version of FCP X. Whew! Who said life was easy?

The Power PC G5, I think, can only run an OSX up to Snow Leopard, v 10.5.[something].

Looks like everyone is waiting for the first person to reply and break the ice so this is for starters.

Edit: Oh, and as they say, "Different strokes for different folks."

[Nate Haustein]

deleted for inaccuracy.

[Bob Schoemer]

John, Yes, 2012 has a SSD for boot and (2) 2Tb for storage. Only issue is I may have to get the right video card for video processing. FYI, found a recycler of computers near my work and a made a very good cash pick-up of this unit.

What about the VHS capturing, will FCP X work for that?

[John Nantz]

With regard to capturing VHS tapes I can't help with that. Got a few myself and probably would be best to capture them to DVD or something. Maybe someday.

With regard to the graphics card part, it would need to be Open CL compliant with a minimum of 1MB of memory, the more the (much) better. And they're not cheap. Put the ATI Radeon HD 5770 in mine but if you're going to make a lot of use out of it then throwing more money for more memory may be a consideration. Personally, I'd go with an Apple one (if still available, heard they might not be) but there are flashed ones out there that are cheaper. Do the research for the pros and cons on flashed.

If you're only going to copy tapes that would be one thing, if you're going to do editing, or a lot of editing, then people's suggestions would probably be different.

[Boyd Ostroff]

Before my G5 died (around 2009?) I was running FCP6 on it. And today I still run FCP6 on a 16gb 2012 2.6ghz i7 quad core Mac Mini Server under MacOSX 10.8.5. Have been working with a large amount of SD legacy footage and FCP6 meets my needs fine for this.

FCP6 was part of the Final Cut Studio 2 package that also included Motion, Color, Compressor and DVD Studio Pro. There is also Final Cut Studio 3 which included FCP7. At the time, I didn't find anything compelling in the upgrade (which wasn't cheap) so I stuck with what I had. The changes to FCP itself were pretty minor IIRC, and it was still a 32 bit program that is limited to a maximum of 4gb memory usage.

I don't know where you could find a legitimate copy of any of these legacy versions today however. You may also have to jump through some hoops to install them under newer versions of MacOSX. This has been covered in some other threads here.

Spent awhile with the free FCPX trial a couple months ago and I suspect I will transition to that eventually. But I ended up spending some money on hardware to improve my video setup recently, so not in a rush to spend more on software.

[Bob Schoemer]

Boyd, I like your ideas. I have a legit vision of FCS 1, I could just load that on the G5 Quad core and it would at least get me started. What video card were you using? May then just try for the upgrade to FCP6, saw the link somewhere. Or just buy a copy on ebay. Then eventually put FCP X on the 12 core, when and if needed.

FYI, have some extra G5's available. PM me would like to know if you know someone in your area.

Thanks - Bob

[Boyd Ostroff]

The Mini has the onboard Intel HD4000 graphics chip, same as my 2013 MacBook Air that also runs FCP6 fine. Or did you mean my old G5? Sorry, that one is long gone, I have no idea what was inside it.

The issue with installing on Intel machines is that the installer is a PowerPC app, and Apple stopped supporting those under 10.7 (Lion) when they dropped "Rosetta". FCP6 itself is actually a universal app however so it can be moved to newer machines and operating systems. I guess none of this would be an issue on the G5 though.:-)

I actually have a friend in Philadelphia who might be interested in your G5's, will ask him and let you know if he is.

[William Hohauser]

Lacking a more detailed description of your two Macs and the Kona cards, here are my suggestions:

With the venerable G5, you can use this as a capture station for VHS and SVHS, using whatever version of FCP you have, as long as the Kona card's drivers are still available for the G5. If not, you can use the DV deck as a convertor and capture via FIreWire, no additional hardware need. I would suggest purchasing a stand-alone analog to DV convertor so not to put too much stress on your valuable DV deck when working with VHS. DV decks are tough to service these days and nobody makes them any more.

The MacPro 2012 should be FCPX ready as is unless Apple was still stocking towers with weak graphics cards even after the introduction of FCPX. I doubt this but who knows. You can check which card is installed using "About This Mac" and then go to the FCPX website and compare it to the list of approved graphic cards.

Make sure that the Kona cards are still supported by AJA if they are as old as the G5. They may not make FCPX/OSX compatible drivers for it.

[Bob Schoemer]

Thanks - That is my intention at this time, get the G5 setup for the VHS capturing using my Kona LHe board. Also have FCS 2, that should still work in the G5. Have a Datavideo analog to digital device and their TBC just in case. Eventually will try to use the G5 to process some SD video, if not that does not work out will transfer over to the 12 core. Will upgrade to FCPX then.

Thanks Again

[Boyd Ostroff]

Originally Posted by Bob Schoemer

What video card were you using?

Funny, was looking at old computer invoices for something completely unrelated yesterday and found the receipt from my G5. It had the ATI9600 graphics card. Purchased at the Apple Store on 3/3/2005 for $2999, model number is listed as 2.5DPG5/512MB/160/SD/ATI9600. I also bought two 1GB SIMMS for $300 each. Phew!

A little mind boggling to look at all these old receipts and realize the amount of money I've spent on computers over the years! Anyway, my G5 was a dual processor model and it handled FC Studio 2 with no problem, although my 2008 MacBook Pro ran it faster.

Also found the receipt for my PowerMac G4/733/256/60/CDRW, purchased from CompUSA on 6/1/2001 for $2999. Had a PowerMac G3 before that, purchased in 1999. There were a lot more over the years, and that doesn't even count laptops. :)

[Derek Heeps]

Originally Posted by Bob Schoemer

John, Yes, 2012 has a SSD for boot and (2) 2Tb for storage. Only issue is I may have to get the right video card for video processing. FYI, found a recycler of computers near my work and a made a very good cash pick-up of this unit.

What about the VHS capturing, will FCP X work for that?

I have a 2008 Mac Pro 8. Core runnnig El Capitan and FCS 3 , FCP 7 under El Capitan

For capture from VHS and other analogue formats , I have a Matrox MXO2 using their Vetura Capture . It works pretty well and will also upscale on the fly .

The Matrox hardware can now be bought cheaply and all the software can still be downloaded from their website

I’ve similarly been down a path with various Apple computers , ever since the AppleII

Have been through G3 , G4 , G5 desktop machines and G3 , G4 and later iiMacs , G3 and G4 Ppowerbooks , then several MBP , currently running a 2009 17” unibody with El Cap .

Gave the trashcan models a miss , but now looking at one of the 2019 onwards Mac Pro towers , as my existing kit is becoming dated