Basic RAID questions

Hey John,
There are many 'configurables' in the x264 UI (libavcodec) that you may want to play around with.
I need to get some stuff done today, but I'll try to reply later one..
BTW, I very seldom use compressor, other than for building presets for FCPX

Till then attached are a couple of droplets I made.
One is very low quality, for emailing video previews (for clients to check clip placements, trans, filters, etc..) No quality here.
There other is a 720 preset. Take a look through the UI at various different settings.
I remember when I first worked with this I had to do a lot of online research trying to find out what various settings were for.. wasn't to successful. It was really a trial an error type of thing for me building some presets. I still need to make some better ones...

Kurt

Yes, A new system wouldnt hurt in my case..

What I'd like to see in FCPX is a 'custom' area for rendering.
Seeing h264 is big these days with so many web videos, it would be nice if any rendering in the timeline could be changed to h264 or any some preset variation you make in compressor.
Being a delivery codec, not too sure how the UI would be, but id like to try it anyway..

So the project settings would be as normal (whatever resolution) but any background rendering, or manual rendering could be set to h264 or x264 (a custom compressor preset). Now rendering out (or exporting out) the timeline would be basically copying (somewhat how it is now if you export to 422 and the rendering is set to 422 as well)

If I find that for some reason I need to work with background render on (i usually never do), I will export the file as a normal 422 then use adobe media encoder to make it a h264. Much faster this way on my system anyway.

Kurt

Kurt,
Isn't this what happens when working in Optimized Media? It is Apple's 422, edit, render etc… Optimize on import, work through editing, export all 422.
Hope this helps, Greg

What I mean is in the project settings you can modify the render format to various 422's and uncompressed.
(click on the project, then in the inspector click modify)

Here, if there was a custom setting, and you are making a web video, making a custom h264 setting would be nice.
this way when you render it on the timeline, exporting it to a h264 would be much faster (basically just copying it out as one file provided the project settings, like the resolution are the same as what custom h264 preset you chose)

Kurt

Make sure you have worker threads set to auto under the values tab.
Also check to see if 3rd pass is set to how you want it, under the behavior tab.
Attached is a hi quality droplet that has 3 pass enabled, so this one would be slower.

When making presets for x264, one test I do is try various exports from FCP with a timeline that has
2 clips in it. The first clip is a video of TV snow (static)
then the second clip is any HD clip
Dont put a transition between the 2 clips.
Now export various times changing quality as needed in compressor and libavcodec preset/s
Just after the static clip plays, how are the macroblocks on the next clip...
I use this as a judge when making the x264 presets

There are many other settings in the libavcodec UI.. enough to drive you nuts, but you do have plenty of control making presets.

thanks
kurt

I'm reconsidering my options and I think your suggestions about incorporating a recent model MacBook Pro into the work flow might be worth a try. I'm just not sure I completely understand how this would work. Would the following series of steps be something along the lines of what you are suggesting?.

Step 1: On my early 2009 MacPro I would import source video and audio in FCPX, storing the optimized files and projects to the FCP X Library on an external drive. I could do this using my Buffalo MiniStation USB3/Thunderbolt drive attached to the MacPro via my USB3 card.

Step 2: Edit audio/video with FCP X on my MacPro with the edited project being stored in the FCPX Library on the external drive.

Step 3: Move the external drive over to my MacBook Pro and attach it via Thunderbolt.

Step 4: Open the edited project in FCPX on the MacBook Pro and export it as a ProRes422 Master file to the SSD drive on my MacBook Pro ( or to a second attached external drive).

Step 5: Encode to mp4, m4v, mp3 with Compressor with the Buffalo drive or a second attached drive as the final destination.

Does this make sense or do I have everything confused?
Thanks.
John

That's one basic workflow. However, there more things at play during an export than pure H.264 encoding, and some of them will be sped up by using a decent GPU. You can often see the progress bar slow down during a title- or effect-heavy part of the edit, then speed up when it's past them. In the tests in the article I linked to earlier, the old Mac Pro did quite well at straight ProRes exports, and much faster than a MacBook Pro 13".

If you're using a lot of effects then it may well be faster to export to ProRes from your Mac Pro, then use the MacBook Pro purely for the H.264 encoding. Before you commit to buying a new Mac, though, make sure you run some tests (with your actual media and sequences) at an Apple Store if at all possible. You may find that a new 27" iMac (or even a MacBook Pro 15") is a better option all round, for example. I have a MacBook Pro 13" but I only use it on-site and hardly ever for actual editing, and while it's fine for encoding, it lags my iMac quite a bit in general work.

For more specific answers, I'd recommend doing some timing tests. Create a representative 5 minute timeline, then time each specific step in the process (export to Master File, each encoding step, etc.) and let us know how long they take. The raw encoding step on a modern Mac should be faster than real time, but without knowing the breakdown between the export and the encode it's difficult to really advise how to fix the problem.

Essentially, it's complicated. At some point, though, it's not worth investing a lot more money in a really old Mac.

funwithstuff wrote:
Essentially, it's complicated. At some point, though, it's not worth investing a lot more money in a really old Mac.

That's exactly my thinking. I've put a fair amount of money into my 2009 MacPro. SSD PCIe card, USB-3 card, upgraded graphics card, 32GB RAM, a shelf full of external FW drives that have little future in them with the architecture of the new Macs. I'm really hesitant to pour much more into it. I've even toyed with the idea of taking the plunge and buying a new MacPro. But to get the most out of one of them I would have to invest in Thunderbolt peripherals, etc., and the actual investment would be substantial– The low end model with 12GB RAM is $3000. I can easily see doubling that with more RAM, upgraded graphics card, new monitor, etc. Since I'm not made out of money I think for now I'll stay with my old MP. My video work does not generate any income so I have a hard time justifying this kind of purchase.

I do have a mid 2012 MacBook Pro with 16GB RAM. I think I need to see how I can leverage both computers for the best work flow. I think I will do some timing tests with short video segments to get objective measurements. I'm really surprised to hear that I might be able to encode mp4 with Compressor faster on my MacBook Pro than on my MacPro.

I'm not 100% sure if your 2012 MacBook Pro will work with QuickSync, but it's definitely worth a try. Here are some instructions on how to make it work in FCP X and Compressor:

www.macprovideo.com/hub/final-cut/fcp-x-...or-hardware-encoding

With regard to a new Mac (eventually) remember that the higher-end iMacs can be comparable to the lower-end Mac Pro. The ThunderBay IV can be bought empty to take your existing hard drives as a cheaper Thunderbolt option, too. If you're in no rush, maybe wait until 4K/Retina desktop screens are available as that will be a big upgrade.