FCP to Avid

MacDoc · Jun 27th, 2012, 03:41 PM

A number of clients have taken the opportunity to do a cross grade to Media Composer .

This came up and there were just a few left...if interested email me.

[QUOTE]Symphony 6 Crossgrade from Final Cut Pro

You probably already know that Media Composer is the industry-standard editing tool used by more professionals to create your favorite movies, TV shows, and commercials. But did you know that Avid Symphony is identical to Media Composer, with all of the same editorial tools and power, plus advanced color correction and Boris Continuum Complete included? Add a Nitris DX interface and you also get Universal Mastering for easy multiformat mastering. And now, for a limited time, you can crossgrade from Final Cut Pro to Symphony 6 at over 80% off the full retail price! WHILE SUPPLIES LAST![/QUOTE]

Symphony 6 is a more advanced version of Media Composer and just now a cross grade for it is less than for MC.

With the MacPros currently dropped in price and this being fully 64 bit it's a very affordable step into the professional Avid world.

jellotor · Jun 27th, 2012, 04:39 PM

We're all going to be kicking ourselves in 2 years when MC7 comes out and it's only $500.

That's just speculation on my part but with Creative Cloud's pricing and FCPX's pricing (and Avid's increasingly aggressive pricing too) it's a race to the bottom for prices for NLEs.

When I was learning on an expensive Media Composer ABVB system (PowerMac 8100!) in school it was a big deal if you ended up with an NLE of your own.

Now it's a no-brainer to pick up Creative Suite CS6 (you had to buy Photoshop anyway), MC6, FCPX and never turn down a client due to compatibility again.

Is it cheaper to crossgrade to Symphony from FCP or crossgrade to MC5.5 and upgrade to MC6?

MacDoc · Jun 27th, 2012, 05:06 PM

Not sure - not all that familiar with Avid's ever changing deals but this seems a very good foot in the door for pros wanting a foot in both camps.

jellotor · Jun 27th, 2012, 05:13 PM

dvshop.ca says that the Symphony crossgrade is $999 and the MC5.5 crossgrade is $749. Upgrade from MC5.5 to 6 is $479 so, yes, the Symphony crossgrade is cheaper. Plus you get the Boris Continuum suite and probably some other doodads with Symphony that make it worthwhile.

It's worth mentioning too that since Automatic Duck's founders were hired by Adobe they've discontinued their conversion software and offered them up for free on the website.

Very handy for someone who truly wants to migrate projects from FCP to Avid.

SoyMac · Jun 27th, 2012, 06:17 PM

Went from FCP to FCP X.
OMIGOD do I LOVE it!
Sorry if that sounds like a squealing teenage girl, but FCP X is perfect for my editing needs, my editing style, and for what I find to be intuitive.

jellotor · Jun 27th, 2012, 07:05 PM

Squeal all you want, I'm glad it works for you. My experience is limited to about 20 minutes of goofing around in the Apple Store. I can see why people like FCPX; it has an intuitive interface.

Or probably more accurately...it has an intuitive interface for people who don't like the learning curves of traditional NLEs. Which is perfectly ok.

A rippling timeline (sorry, storyline) is my biggest gripe from my limited use of the software. In my years of editing with FCP and Avid and PPro I can literally count on one hand how many times I've used a ripple edit on purpose. I prefer the ability to choose the edit mode...if FCPX in a later incarnation brings that ability, I might use it, but I'm enough of a curmudgeon to expect my editing software to conform to me more than the other way around!

The old FCP was highly flexible in that regard.

My favourite intuitive editor is Avid Studio on the iPad. I can do some surprisingly complex edits with that app and it'll edit my Canon 7D footage, too.

MacDoc · Jun 28th, 2012, 07:56 AM

I think DV Shop is out of date as the deal was over at June 15th.

Garry · Jun 28th, 2012, 02:15 PM

I use FC7, but the more I use FCPX the more I'm digging it. All that it's really missing for me right now is Red Support. I bought 7 to X, and it works for me.
YMMV