Sharing Libraries

Had a quick trawl around and couldn't find anything specific to this, simple setup:

3 x Macbook Pro's on Gigabit ethernet.
MBP1 Edit machine has locally attached Thunderbolt Pegasus R6
MBP2 on SMB Gigabit network purely for logging and rough cuts, no external storage.
MBP3 ingest only, has 2 X Thunderbolt locally attached GRaids, and records 2 X SDI SD live feeds, supplied by Decklink Duo and Softron Movierecorder3. It is connected to other Macs by Gigabit.

MBP1&2 create local Libraries and opt to leave media in place, created by Network attached MBP3. After logging, a local Library is copied over network from MBP2-1 for editing, seems to work and no relinking.

In addition MBP2 would like to ingest camera rushes from SXS cards or HD backup, across the network onto Pegasus R6 which is directly connected to MBP1, the main edit Mac. The idea being that the media is then availably locally for editing and reduces the network load. Ingest works fine, but... when this Library is copied and opened on MBP1, media is offline and there are errors about file locations relating to Media Destination, Cache and Backup. Is this a path problem, or something more complex? It seems to be down to the fact that MBP2 has created the media,onto a network share, rather than just pointing to it, as above with live ingest rushes.

No San no transfer Library, as I understand it, so Libraries have to be copied. External media seems sensible for sharing.
This method worked a treat on FCP 7 by simply opening each other's projects and the logging machine was able to do logging, add markers to do rough cuts etc.

One workaround was to ingest Media into MBP2 Library and then copy the library including its media contents across to MBP1 main edit. This obviously works fine, but how then can you subsequently collaborate/add media, without a) copying entire contents again, or b) resorting to XML?

Think I might have come up with my own solution:

MBP2 and 3 Ingest live coverage and camera rushes to respective locally attached drives, which are shared on the network

MBP1 (main edit) accesses ingested media on the network, from other MBP2&3 shares, using an externally referenced Library (unmanaged). During any downtime, media is consolidated into a folder on it's locally attached storage.

"Lean" Libraries can be exchanged between the Macs, by copying for rough cuts and the media should link ok.

SD material, so files not huge. By the end of the recordings and ingest all media should reside locally on main edit MBP1, and there will be backups on the other 2 Macs, bingo! Can anyone think why there might still be any re-linking misery?

Hi John,

Sharing media and Libraries over a GigE network without central storage can be tricky indeed. But I think you have come up with the correct solution for your specific setup. As long as you exchange Libraries that point to the same external media you should have no relinking problems.

- Ronny

Thanks Ronny, I think I've got this working now. I have 2 Libraries on the Logging Mac and drag an event containing logged clips from one to the other, then, I've setup Automator to copy the"transfer" Library file across the Network,where it can be opened. Media stays linked, as long as OSX can figure out the paths, to the external media folders, not sure how I achieved this, but it now works in both directions. I just logged onto to each Mac using the same user details as local and mounted the root of the Thunderbolt Drives, that way I don't have to mess with sharing options for specific folders.

Consolidating is then a great way of working with local media on the main edit Mac and handily provides media backup.

Good news, I love good news

- Ronny

I think you will be hearing from me quite a bit. I've just gone for it with this amazing software. Not convincing a very conservative broadcast community in Glasgow though, they'll catch on eventually.

I love Scotland. I have friends in Greenock, Paisley and Gourock. Just keep using FCP X and share your experiences with friends and colleagues. Even the most conservative people eventually change their minds once they see how they can use FCP X at their benefit. But, just like it was with classic FCP, this will take some time.

- Ronny