I was worried. My SSD RAID was getting fuller every time I deleted files. This should not happen! It SHOULD get emptier. While I was using an OWC Thunderblade RAID, this problem could apply to any SSD. The answer, I …
Larry Jordan and Gergana Berman discuss what LucidLink is and how it works, why it was created, typical customers, and how it competes with other cloud services.
Be careful purchasing a USB-C to USB-C cable. If it says “Charging” on the box, it will not work to send data, connect a monitor, or even connect an iPhone. These are for charging devices only. I’ve already been burned three times. Time I learned my lesson.
Apple just released macOS 15.4. It provides a wealth of bug fixes and significant security updates, along with a few new features. Don’t upgrade quite yet. Here’s why.
Tomorrow, Axle AI will make two important announcements for its multi-user, media asset manager: The first improves data privacy in general and the second improves finding the media you need for Mac-based video editors.
I needed prompter software to go with my Neewer teleprompter. But which to use? I discovered that what I wanted was not easy to obtain. Here’s what I picked, why I picked it and how to set it up for a Mac.
Francesca asks: “I need to move a library between two different versions of Final Cut Pro. How can I do this?” Larry has the answer, and a workaround.
We all want accurate color in our video. But, good golly it’s hard, as this conversation between Gary Bowman and myself illustrates.
Jason manages multiple editors and needs to transfer sequences from Adobe Premiere Pro to Apple Final Cut Pro. In this demo, Larry Jordan shows exactly how this is done.
Siamack is new to Final Cut and struggling to organize her media. In this video, I provide a variety of organizational tools she can use, with a special emphasis on keywords.
In answer to Dave’s question, here are several trouble-shooting tips for Apple Final Cut Pro.
At first blush, Sidebar – the ability to mirror an iPhone or iPad on a Mac – doesn’t seem to offer much value. But, when you mirror the Mac on a mobile device, magic can happen.
Ken reported a compatibility problem between macOS Sonoma and Microsoft Office 2021. Here are the details.
Recently, I purchased an OWC Thunderbay 4 RAID. To go with the RAID enclosure, I also bought four Seagate Iron Wolf Pro 16 TB drives. Over the last two weeks I conducted a wide variety of performance tests and, in many cases, the results surprised me.
This tutorial measures and illustrates the difference in speeds between different HDD (Hard Disk Drive) RAID levels. This also provides definitions of these different levels and recommendations on which to use for your storage.
High-performance, high-capacity storage is at the heart of everything we do as media editors. Clearly, performance improves with each generation of gear. Equally clearly, none of us have unlimited budgets. These tests compare the benefits of migrating from Thunderbolt 2 storage to Thunderbolt 3.
For many years, I’ve written that the fuller a spinning hard disk drive (HDD) is, the slower it goes. But, while I’ve “known” this for years, I never really bothered to test it. Until this week, as part of a detailed review of a Thunderbay 4 HDD RAID. Here’s the answer.
I’ve often wondered just how much better an SSD is for multicam editing than an HDD (spinning hard disk drive). Recently, as part of detailed review of the OWC Thunderbay 4 HDD RAID, I decided to find out.
I’ve always “known” that HFS+ is better for formatting spinning hard drives for the Mac than APFS. But, I wondered, is that just hearsay or is there some truth to it? So, I put them both to the test. The results are surprising.
Backups are basic to protecting your media. But what should you use for hardware, or software, and how many backups are “enough.” Larry Jordan explains the basics.
It’s important to remember that you don’t need to buy the fully-loaded version of any system to get serious work done. Here are my thoughts on how to configure an M4-series Mac for serious video editing without breaking the bank.
Over the weekend, I bought a newly-announced M4 Pro Mac Mini. This article explains what I bought and why. (Updated based on my recent performance tests.)
In this interview, Larry and Sean discuss what OpenDrives provides, the benefits of the OpenDrives architecture, why storage performance is so challenging, why storage hardware and controller software need to be different, and the industry trend toward the commoditization of storage.
Axle AI today announced Searchr – a new software/hardware bundle providing media asset management for small workgroups, NVMe RAID storage and extremely fast networking for media editors or DITs that fits in a backpack. Here are the details.
A question I get all the time is: “How do I import just a section of a clip? The original is really long and I don’t want to waste disk space.”
Regardless of the video editing software (NLE) you use, the answer is not initially encouraging: “You can’t. Here’s why.
The system disruption caused by a badly-formatted Windows boot file autonomously distributed by CrowdStrike last Friday preventing some Windows systems from booting is a cautionary tale for all of us. Even Mac users need to pay attention.
Apple Final Cut Pro 10.8 no longer supports DVD burning. However, Apple and Corel teamed up to provide a 50% discount to Roxio Toast for all FCP users. Here are the details.
Apple announced macOS Sequoia at WWCD 2024. The big question for media creators is: Now what? Here’s the answer.
Apple released macOS 14.5 last week. Here’s are Larry Jordan’s “Rules for Upgrading,” along with his answer to the question: Is it safe to upgrade?
Apple updated Final Cut Pro for both iPad and Mac last week. While it looks like the iPad version got all the love, there’s more to the story – beneath the surface.
This video interview is with Jon Finegold, Chief Marketing Officer for Signiant. Jon describes the company, what it does and why it is better and faster to use Signiant for large file transfers. He also presents their latest news for NAB.
8K is coming. Not today and not tomorrow. But sooner than you expect. To get ready, you should first look to upgrade your storage, then, once it is both big and fast enough, upgrade your computer. Here’s what you need to know.
Time Machine requires its own storage volume. While you can back up to the cloud, backing up to local storage is far faster and cheaper. But, there’s a trick you can use to make this local backup even better.
In this short video, Larry Jordan compares the differences between using DisplayPort and HDMI when connecting external computer monitors to your Mac. One is a much better choice.
There are several security reasons for editing video where the computer is not attached to the Internet. But, if you do, which video editing software will work without the web?
In the face of evolving digital threats, small media businesses are tasked with the critical responsibility of securing their assets. Here are tips you can use to keep your business safe.
There are two key questions we ask whenever we buy storage: How fast does it go and how long does it last? We’ve got a pretty good handle on SSD speeds. Trickier, though, is determining endurance (life-span). Here’s what you need to know.
Two weeks before Christmas, my old Synology server died. Dead. I had all my data safely backed up – but on an expansion chassis that required a functioning server to access. Here’s what I learned in migrating to a new Synology server.
Working on a Mac provides a great experience with optimal performance. Some problems might set you back, though, as your computer slows down. Here are a series of tips for ways to resolve them.
Creative Cow reports that Retroactive 2.0 now supports Apple Final Cut Pro 7 running on macOS Mojave and High Sierra. Here are the details.
In this short video, Larry Jordan shows how replacing hard disk drives (HDDs) with solid state drives (SSDs) can significantly improve the speed of your computer, without a lot of extra cost.
In this short video, Larry Jordan explains the key differences between Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4.
Regardless of which NLE you use for editing, we are all looking for ways to make editing go faster. Recently, I discovered an inexpensive purchase that can transform the speed of your existing computer system: An SSD RAID. These charts explain why.
There are a variety of ways to find and rename media in Adobe Premiere Pro, but there is also a significant caution that goes with doing so. Here’s how to find and rename media files.
One of the key benefits of Apple silicon computers is the use of Unified Memory. But… what is “Unified Memory,” why is it important, and how much do we need for our work? This tutorial has the answers.
I’m confused. What’s the difference between a “format” and a “codec?” The answer is that sometimes these are the same and sometimes these are different. Here’s a good way to think about these.
There seems to be a problem accessing data stored on ExFAT drives on a Mac with macOS Sonoma installed. Here are details.
This is the time of year for upgrades and new releases for Mac users. However, it is important to remember that our job is to get our work done – on time and with minimal stress. Don’t rush to upgrade – wait for software to settle down.
Help needed: Robin is seeing black frames in his video which fail to export in Final Cut Pro 10.6.x and display severe artifacts in Premiere Pro. Why is this happening?
The OWC Jupiter Mini server is a capable, cost-effective, general-purpose desktop server that, once you get it setup, provides high-speed performance with the ease-of-use that you expect from a server. Here’s my detailed review.
