11-16-08 - New AppleCare articles

Apple just posted some new ProApp-related AppleCare articles.

Final Cut Pro / Express

Final Cut Pro: Choosing a Hard Disk - The disk that contains your computer's operating system is called the startup disk or boot disk. In addition to the operating system, the startup disk also stores your applications (such as Final Cut Pro), your application preferences, system settings, and documents. Because the files on the startup disk are your most critical data, maintaining the startup disk is vital. Because digital media (especially high data rate video) makes your disks work harder, you should use dedicated disks for capturing and playing back your digital video and other media files. Consider your media disks as storage units that work long, hard hours, while your startup disk keeps your system properly organized. If a disk is going to malfunction, it's better if your critical data is separate from your replaceable media files. Depending on what kind of computer you are using, you may be able to use internal and external hard disks to store your media files. Each has benefits and drawbacks.

This is a very detailed article with a lot of useful technical information about the required minimum seek times, spindle speeds, etc for Final Cut Pro. Well worth checking out.

Final Cut Express 2: How to Delete the Preference Files - Learn how to resolve issues caused by unusable preference files in Final Cut Express 2.

Final Cut Express HD 3.0: Configuration error when using with iMac G5 (iSight) and Power Mac G5 (Late 2005) - If you open Final Cut Express HD 3.0 on certain computers, you'll get a "Configuration Error" message that indicates that your computer is missing certain hardware or software, or possibly an AGP graphics card.

Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express: Convert MP3 and AAC audio files for compatibility before importing - This document explains how to import MP3 and AAC-encoded audio files into Final Cut Pro 3, Final Cut Pro 4, and Final Cut Express.

Final Cut Express HD requires a Quartz Extreme AGP graphics card - To use Final Cut Express HD, you need a computer with an AGP graphics card that is capable of handling Quartz Extreme.

Final Cut Server

Final Cut Server: Unable to launch the specified application - In some cases the Final Cut Server client application may not open when you double-click the Final Cut Server.jnlp icon or Final Cut Server.app icon. This may happen after switching user accounts or restarting your computer from a volume other than the one you used to download the Java Web Start Final Cut Server client.

Soundtrack Pro

Soundtrack: How to Configure Digidesign Audio Devices - Learn how to use Digidesign audio devices with Apple's Soundtrack music application.

I guess they're talking about Soundtrack Pro here, not Soundtrack, as the original Soundtrack was discontinued 5 years ago.

Qmaster

Apple Qmaster: Optimizing cluster storage capacity - By default, the Apple Qmaster distributed processing system saves temporary process files in the /var/spool/qmaster directory on the cluster controller's startup disk. Computers in the cluster will access this location as needed. If you are processing large source media files that exceed the available storage space on the startup disk, you may run out of storage space on that disk.

Logic Pro / Express

Logic 8: How overlapping recordings are assigned to take folders - The Takes feature in Logic Pro/Express 8 is a powerful way to organize multiple recordings of a part in your projects. Here are some tips and explanations of what it will do in various situations.

Logic Express 8: Troubleshooting Basics - If Logic Express 8 isn't starting up properly or performing normally, try these basic troubleshooting steps to remedy the situation. Please note that these steps aren't exhaustive, and are not intended to cover any specific issue. They are fundamental, basic steps that are most effective in getting Logic Express 8 into good working order, and are the steps most often suggested by AppleCare Technical Support.

FCS Remover 2.0.2 released

We've just released FCS Remover 2.0.2. It's a maintenance release with a couple of minor changes.



Firstly, the Final Cut Studio and Final Cut Server presets now select Shared Files by default - some users were reporting Software Update listing Pro Application Updates after they'd uninstalled Final Cut Studio but this is because they had not also selected Shared Files. If you do want to maintain compatibility with existing ProApps on your system such as Logic and Shake, use the Maximum Compatibility preset.

We added a new preset for Compressor and Qmaster, as these are quite commonly reinstalled. There were also some minor interface tweaks.

Finally, some of you have been experiencing errors when you try to update using the automatic updater. That has been fixed in the latest version but if you have the updater problem you will need to update your old version manually here.

Using Compressor with multiple cores

Here's a quick tip that a lot of people still don't know about. So you've just bought that shiny new Mac Pro, you finish your Final Cut Project, export to Compressor and wait.... and wait... and wait. Hang on a second, that brand-new 8-core machine is only utilizing one core!

Welcome to the world of Final Cut Studio, which is completely unaware of multiple cores in your system. Hopefully this will change in future versions but in the meantime, here is a trick to using those cores in Compressor.

1. Go to System Preferences and open the Apple Qmaster section.



2. In the Setup tab, click Stop Sharing if Qmaster is already activated.



2. Select QuickCluster if it is not already selected.

3. Under Services, select the service marked Compressor and select the checkboxes for Share and Managed.

3. Then click Options for Selected Service.

4. Now you need to select the number of instances to use for the cluster. This is the number of copies Qmaster will spawn to compress the job, and is a question that's open to debate.



Apple's official advice is that the number of instances should be half the number of cores. So if you have a quad-core machine, you should select two cores and four if you have an 8-core machine.

However, newer Mac Pros (early 2009 onwards) and MacBook Pros (early 2010 onwards) support a feature called HyperThreading which allows each core to act as two separate "virtual cores", allowing two tasks to run simultaneously on a single core. So for these models you should match the instances to the number of cores - i.e. four instances for a quad-core and eight for an 8-core.

Some people have suggested setting the instances to the total number of cores (or virtual cores on the newer machines) minus one. I find that this depends on the format you are compressing. If you are compressing a "light" format like DV, you could probably get away with it. However, more processor-intensive formats like H.264 will need a lot more headroom. You would also need at least 1 GB of RAM per instance.

Another point to bear in mind is that Compressor needs to stitch the separate pieces of the file together once processing is complete. More instances mean more pieces to assemble, which adds to the time taken. Consequently, the time saved by increasing the number of cores may be offset by the increase in the time taken to assemble the final file. I would therefore recommend sticking with Apple's advice of half the number of cores for early Mac Pros and matching the number of cores for later models.

5. If you are using Shake. Maya or have any other command-line renderer set up with Qmaster, select the Rendering item in the list and click Options for Selected Service.

6. Click the + button and add as many "Local machines" as necessary (see step 4 for details), then click Ok.



7. Under the QuickCluster section, type a name for your new virtual cluster.

7. Click Start Sharing and close System Preferences.

8. In Final Cut Pro, export your sequence as a QuickTime movie. This is important. Do not choose File > Export > Compressor, as this will fail.

9. In Compressor, import the movie, set up your batch and click Submit.

10. Instead of "This machine", select the name of your new cluster in the Cluster list and click Submit. The movie clip will be processed by multiple cores in your machine.



This is called Virtual Clustering, and it is achieved by launching a new version of Compressor for every instance. This is much easier from the perspective of Compressor's programmers but it takes up more memory and is less efficient than if they were to implement true multi-core capabilities into the application.

So be aware that using this method will require considerably more memory than rendering on a single instance. Apple recommends 1 GB RAM per instance but again, this depends on the media you are transcoding to. If you set too many instances and don't have enough memory, your machine would slow down (or worse, crash) thus undoing the whole point of setting up the virtual clusters in the first place. For best results, follow the recommendations in Step 4.

See the article Speeding up Compressor for more tips on improving Compressor performance.

Update 2010-12-06: This forum thread has an interesting comparison between This Computer and a Quick Cluster with various instances. Results vary depending on the chosen codec but the fastest times seem to occur with roughly half the number of instances compared to cores. The data would also suggest that a Quick Cluster is more beneficial on long files than short ones.

RED introduces brand new DSMC system

Everyone's been talking about it. Today RED announced its redesigned Scarlet and Epic offerings, thought to be taken back to the drawing board due to the sudden competition from traditional SLR cameras such as the Canon 5D MkII.

At the core of RED's new offerings is the DSMC (Digital Stills and Motion Camera) system. You select the "brain" (sensor and body) of the camera and then mix and match components based on your requirements. You need never buy another whole camera again - just upgrade components as and when they are released.

In addition to the previously-announced Mysterium-X sensor capable of recording at 5K, they have developed Mysterium Monstro, which captures at up to 28K. To put things in perspective, IMAX footage is around 10K so that is almost 3x IMAX resolution! It can capture 261 megapixel (MP) still images too, which means that if you printed out an image at 300 dpi, it would cover approximately 77 square feet!

Epic "brains" come in large, rugged cases whereas Scarlet ones come in smaller and lighter cases designed for traveling. The "brains" available are:

Scarlet models

3K - up to 120 fps with lens
* 2/3" Mysterium-X
* Comes with fixed 8x lens
* This is the original Scarlet announced at NAB
* The original price was $3000 but price is now TBD so it could end up lower
* Captures stills at 4.9 MP
* Fall 2009

3K - up to 120 fps
* 2/3" Mysterium-X
* Mini-RED, C, B4 mounts
* Basically the original Scarlet with the ability to change lenses
* Captures stills at 4.9 MP
* $2,500
* Summer / Fall 2009

5K - up to 30 fps
* S35 Mysterium-X
* RED, PL, Canon, Nikon mounts
* Captures stills at 13.8 MP
* $7,000
* Spring/Summer 2009

6K - up to 30 fps
* FF35 Mysterium Monstro
* RED, Canon, Nikon mounts
* Captures stills at 24 MP
* $12,000
* Winter 2009

Epic models

5K - up to 100 fps
* S35 Mysterium-X
* RED, PL, Canon, Nikon mounts
* Captures stills at 13.8 MP
* $28,000
* Summer/Fall 2009

6K - up to 100 fps
* FF35 Mysterium Monstro
* RED, Canon, Nikon mounts
* Captures stills at 24 MP
* $35,000
* Winter 2009

9K - up to 50 fps
* 645 Mysterium Monstro
* RED, Medium Format, Mamiya mounts
* Captures stills at 65 MP
* $45,000
* Spring 2010

28K - up to 25 fps
* 617 Mysterium Monstro
* Linhof, Alpa mounts
* Captures stills at 261 MP (!)
* $55,000
* Spring 2010

But what on earth do you capture that amount of data to? Well, you have a choice of internal memory, special high-speed DSMC CF or SSD modules (most likely a ton of regular CFs or SSDs in a RAID 0 configuration) or, intriguingly, wireless or ethernet transfer. I'm guessing those last two won't be an option for larger resolutions but hopefully you will be able to send out a proxy version for previewing.

Oh, and you can also link two together for stereoscopic imaging which is unbelievably awesome. The image shows two Scarlets in stereoscopic configuration but it's not stated whether or not the Epics can do it too (particularly the huge 28K one). That'd be interesting to know.

The idea behind the camera is that you swap parts so you could buy a Scarlet and gradually work your way up to a higher model over time without having to re-purchase any extra equipment. This is perfectly possible but it is worth mentioning that some of the models have different lens mounts, and Mysterium-X lenses will not work very well with a Monstro as they are designed for a sensor that is considerably smaller.

The only downside is that Scarlet was originally scheduled for release in January 2009 (I forget when Epic was supposed to be released) so these dates have been pushed back. But I think we can all agree it will be worth it in the end.

Read more at RED's site.

How to reinstall Compressor and Qmaster

We recently released Compressor Repair, which aims to fix some of the most common problems with Compressor - but it can't help you if you've got missing or corrupted files. Sometimes a reinstall of Compressor and Qmaster is needed (although these steps apply to any software in the Suite). Here's how to do it properly.

1. Download FCS Remover and run it.

2. Select "Compressor and Qmaster Only" as the preset.



3. Click Remove and enter your admin password.



4. Restart your machine, and when it boots up again, empty your Trash.

5. Insert your Final Cut Pro or Logic DVD (I'm using Logic here), ctrl-click on "Install Logic Studio" or "Install Final Cut Studio" and select Show Original.



If you are running Final Cut Studio 3 (FCP 7), perform Step 6. If you are running Final Cut Studio 2 (FCP 6), skip to Step 7.



7. Run Compressor.pkg (if using Final Cut Studio 3) or Compressor.mpkg (if using Final Cut Studio 2 - note the extra "m").



8. When that finishes, run Qmaster.pkg (FCS 3) or Qmaster.mpkg (FCS 2 - again note the "m").



That's it! At this point, it is a good idea to update Final Cut Studio. Several users have reported that this method did not work until they had updated Compressor and Qmaster to the latest versions after reinstalling.

(Note: I've seen other people recommend Pacifist as a way of installing the files again once they've been removed. Pacifist is a great piece of software but if you make a mistake, it's possible to seriously screw things up unless you know what you're doing. I think this method is a lot safer and less susceptible to user error. However, if the above steps don't work for you, try Scott Simmons' Pacifist method here.)

Compressor Repair 1.0.1

I just got a bug report in from a user who stated that Compressor Repair would hang once he clicked Repair. I discovered this occurs if qmasterprefs is missing (which would also explain why Compressor wasn't working for him...). This is now fixed in version 1.0.1.

For the unaware, Compressor Repair is an application that is designed to fix the dreaded "unable to submit batch" error a lot of people have been getting with Apple's Compressor application. It can also fix "stuck" batches that won't progress and can also fix Compressor startup problems if you select the "Trash Preferences" checkbox.

We've been receiving a lot of feedback about this application - it's great to hear that it's been useful for a large number of people. Keep the feedback - good and bad - coming in as we always appreciate it.

Compressor Repair is completely free and is available here. Click here to see our other applications.

Introducing Compressor Repair 1.0.0

Compressor Repair is a new tool created by us to diagnose and fix Compressor problems.

Basically, if you're unable to submit batches, it's almost certain that qmasterd isn't running. And if it isn't running, that's probably because it's not in your StartupItems folder or it's exiting upon startup due to an error. And most people manage to fix their problems by reinstalling Compressor and Qmaster so that indicates that the problem is due to either missing files or files with incorrect permissions.

So Compressor Repair checks for missing files and modifies their permissions if they do not have read access (and write access where necessary). It trashes your Qmaster spool folder, which can be the cause of "stuck" batches, resets Qmaster and launches qmasterd. It can also optionally trash Compressor preferences, which can be the cause of Compressor refusing to load.

It is designed for Compressor 3 and both OS X Leopard and Tiger. It is completely free and is available here.

As always, we are trying to make the best products we possibly can so we appreciate all feedback you can give. You can email us, report a bug, suggest a feature or use the feedback link at the bottom of every page.

11-5-08: New AppleCare articles

In the past week or so, Apple has posted several new ProApp-related articles to the Support section of its web site.

Final Cut Studio: Switch to higher performance graphics with MacBook Pro (Late 2008) - Learn how to configure the MacBook Pro (Late 2008) for better graphics performance with Final Cut Studio.

Motion: QuickTime proxies from RED sometimes import with no audio - Sometimes there may seem to be no audio when you import QuickTime proxies generated by RED cameras or by REDAlert into Motion. This may happen if you import the movie by using the Import button in the File Browser, drag the movie from the File Browser to the Canvas, or drag the movie from the Finder to the Canvas.

Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Express: Unexpected quit during AVCHD ingest - Final Cut Pro 6 or Final Cut Express 4 may sometimes quit unexpectedly when you attempt to transfer AVCHD media, if the third-party Perian QuickTime component is installed.

Final Cut Pro: "AE Effects Error: Unable to find plug-in" warning when opening some projects - You may see the warning dialog "AE Effects Error: Unable to find plug-in..." when you open certain projects in Final Cut Pro.

Motion: Higher performance graphics mode may remain active if Compressor is used to transcode Motion projects on MacBook Pro (Late 2008) - When you transcode a Motion project in Compressor on a MacBook Pro (Late 2008), your computer may stay in "Higher performance" graphics mode after the project has been transcoded. This can happen even after you change the graphics setting in the Energy Saver pane in System Preferences to "Better battery life," log out, and then log back in. The Energy Saver pane in System Preferences may report the graphics mode is "Better battery life," but it will still be in "Higher performance" mode.

DVD Studio Pro: Authoring a DVD that plays automatically without a menu - Most DVDs are created with at least one menu from which the user can select tracks, other menus, special features, and so forth. In some cases, you may wish to create a DVD that just plays its content without the need for user interaction.

Logic Pro: Using DSP powered plug-ins with systems that include nodes - Logic Pro 8 allows you to utilize the processing power of additional computers (nodes) on a Gigabit ethernet network. Most of the plug-ins native to Logic, and many third party Audio Unit plug-ins, can be processed by node computers.
Learn more about using DSP powered plug-ins (plug-ins that run from a card or externally connected device, rather than directly from the CPU) and nodes.

Pro Application Replacement Serial Numbers - A new serial number can be generated in the event that yours is missing or invalid. Apple requires a valid proof of purchase to request a replacement serial number submitted via fax or email. The following guidelines will help you to determine what is best for you.

Vue 7 xStream and Infinite shipping now

e-on Software today released Vue 7 xStream and Vue 7 Infinite. Vue is a 3D landscape generation product that has been used on many features including Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3. Infinite is the stand-alone version and xStream integrates fully into 3D modeling packages such as Maya and Cinema 4D.

The best feature in my opinion is the Ecosystem technology. This allows you to change a few parameters and automatically create a forest or some grassland or a desert, complete with random plants and rocks. Each object is varied slightly to give the impression that each rock and tree is completely unique. This makes it very realistic. It can also be used for other tasks, such as the vast robot army in the Vue 7 trailer.

Vue 7 takes this even further with Ecosystem III, which intelligently places objects according to the shape of the terrain. For example, it places fewer trees on a slope than on a flat area, as they would grow in reality. You can also create dynamic Ecosystems that stretch into the horizon without slowing your machine to a crawl. The Ecosystem Painter gives you precise control over your Ecosystem.

What's great about Vue is just how much you get "for free". If you add an Ecosystem to your terrain and then create some global wind, the plants will animate realistically with no input from you. Animating the sun and clouds creates realistic shadows on the terrain below.

There's also Solid Growth IV which minimizes flicker on far-off vegetation, the ability to render 360 degree panoramas (I love this), and something I've been waiting for - a water editor. Water was always pretty realistic but now you have a lot more control. You can now import camera tracking information from Boujou, MatchMover and SynthEyes (but not PFTrack it would seem) which is a big bonus.

Finally, it incorporates a new OpenGL engine that can render up to 4 times faster and the application has been optimized to take full advantage of multi-core systems.

e-on has released a cool trailer showing what Vue 7 can do. Well worth checking out.

FCS Remover 2.0.1 released

We've just released FCS Remover 2.0.1.

There was a minor bug in which dialog boxes wouldn't display in certain situations that has now been fixed. There is also now a user manual to guide new users through the process.

There have been several user interface changes. The "Final Cut Pro" option has been renamed to "Final Cut Pro / Express" to clarify that it also applies to the Express version - there was some confusion over that. There is now a preset for Final Cut Server and the interface now includes icons next to the application names.



FCS Remover allows you to completely uninstall Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Express, Final Cut Server and related components. It is entirely free and is available here.

Important Update: You must install the update manually. You cannot use the built-in installer to do this. We apologize for the inconvenience.