Blog Archives

Posted on by Larry

The Activity Monitor in OS X is one of those unsung utilities that I find indispensable. It allows you to look inside five key areas of your computer to tell you what’s going on. Best of all, you can’t hurt anything using it – because its simply a monitor.

Posted on by Larry

Are you getting the “render error: insufficient disk space” message? You just need to create more free space on your hard disk by deleting files you don’t need.

Posted on by Larry

Soundtrack Pro suffers from the same problem as Final Cut Pro – both applications can only access 4 GB of RAM.

Posted on by Larry

For people pushing pixels (or waveforms) Thunderbolt is a high-speed, data storage birthday present.

Posted on by Larry

A subscriber recounts the difficulties, and the workaround that fixed them, he experienced with Buzz lines cropping up in a project.

Posted on by Larry

I am not a fan of Capture Now, however, for some formats Capture Now is the best option. I like the workflow one subscriber suggests in this article.

Posted on by Larry

In this article we examine my personal favorite method to burn DVDs (Roxio Toast) as well as the most reliable way to burn a VIDEO_TS folder.

Posted on by Larry

Inevitably, adding too many FireWire devices will cause problems. In this article we discuss some things to think about to keep your system running smoothly and avoid, at all costs, the dreaded “beach ball” .

Posted on by Larry

In this article we examine Final Cut’s usage of multiple processors to enhance rendering speed, the possible alternatives, and more.

Posted on by Larry

Creating markers for H.264 is exactly the same as creating markers for a DVD. In this article we examine the technique to do just that.

Posted on by Larry

A subscriber and previous contributor returns with another great tip about operating the Compressor from the command line and advises to limit the number of your batches to a few hundred compressions.

Posted on by Larry

In this note we look at a hard-learned lesson regarding the perils of adding extension cables to Mini-DisplayPort cables.

Posted on by Larry

In this article we examine how SmoothCam is processor-dependent, faster computers working this program more quickly, and recommend a couple of options to speed up the process without upgrading your system.

Posted on by Larry

A kernel panic is a complete crash of the operating system – probably the most serious software crash that exists. Kernel panics are generally not caused by a single application, but by the interaction between the software and hardware.

Posted on by Larry

In successfully working with tapeless media, I’ve developed an easy-to-implement workflow that will help prevent problems in your own projects.

Posted on by Larry

New with Final Cut Pro 7 are two shortcuts: Zoom In/Out at Playhead on Timeline. However, they don’t do anything until you assign them to a keyboard shortcut. But, what if you want to assign them to your mouse? This article shows you what you need to know to do it.

Posted on by Larry

Final Cut Pro is a QuickTime editor. But what if you want to create WMV files? Well, you are not out-of-luck, but you will need different software. This article describes what you need to know, along with how to resolve problems when creating WMV files.

Posted on by Larry

It would be great if we didn’t have to render. But, since we do, what can make it go faster? This article explains what you can do to help and what won’t make any difference.

Posted on by Larry

Rendering is the bane of an editor’s life. Waiting for the computer to calculate an effect can seem interminable. What can be done to speed rendering and what causes it to slow down in the first place? This short article answers these questions.

Posted on by Larry

get is the new kid on the block — an almost magical piece of software that searches your audio files looking for words you type into a typical text entry window. If you know “you’ve got the file around here somewhere,” but haven’t a clue where it is, get is for you, as this product review explains.

Posted on by Larry

Snow Leopard, Apple’s latest operating system, is not for everyone. But it may be for you. This article describes what you need to know in deciding when to upgrade your system.

Posted on by Larry

Apple has announced a new version of its operating system for next year – 10.6 (Snow Leopard). This article looks at what this may mean for Final Cut Pro users.

Posted on by Larry

It’s enough to drive you nuts. Every time you start-up your computer, Final Cut Pro launches as well. It’s time to stop the start! And this article shows you a very easy way to do just that.

Posted on by Larry

Stuttery audio generally is a problem with bad preference files. But, on a MacPro, it can be caused by putting your capture card in the wrong slot. This article describes the problem and what you need to do to fix it.

Posted on by Larry

Audio that slowly drifts out of sync is often due to a mismatch between the sample rate at which you shot the video and the sample rate at which you captured the audio.

Posted on by Larry

You may not know it, but there’s a fiber optic audio connection built into every Mac. This article describes what it is, where it is, and how to use it.

Posted on by Larry

It’s frustrating! You buy a hard disk only to discover you can’t move your data from one drive to the next. Here’s a personal case story, along with options on how to fix this problem.

Posted on by Larry

One of the Mac magazines published some seriously wrong information. Read this to keep from making a mistake.

Posted on by Larry

This technique shows you how to get the most from your FireWire drives, from partitioning through formatting to daisy-chaining.

Posted on by Larry

File journaling is new in OS 10.3. This article explains what it is and what video editors need to know about it to optimize their systems.

Posted on by Larry

As we move away from tape and into tapeless video, questions about how to best archive our projects take on a new importance. For many, the issue revolves around the hardware we use to archive. But there is a second question: what video format do we want to use to store our files for the long-term. In this dialog with Philip Hodgetts, we examine this very complex issue and provide some guidance.

Posted on by Larry

In this article I want to give you some suggestions on proper selection of compression bit-rates; as well as how to improve the compatibility of the CDs and DVDs that you burn.

Posted on by Larry

A brief, but important, reminder on the subject of FireWire cable limits.

Posted on by Larry

Are you having problems getting Final Cut to render? It may not be a software problem. Eric Solstein sent us this cautionary tale on the problems of heat. If your system is acting up, read this article.

Posted on by Larry

Here’s a short article that explains what you need to know about 64-bit memory support, along with some software you can use to toggle between 32-bit and 64-bit modes.

Posted on by Larry

With the camera industry’s head-long rush into tapeless image acquisition, having a soild backup and archiving strategy is critical because video tape masters no longer exist. In this commentary, I discuss the sad state of today’s options and provide suggestions to keep you out of trouble.