Help me save my movie! Render/timeline issue

Hi,

I recently upgraded to Yosemite and with that, upgraded to FCP 10.1.4. I have been working on a large project that is hosted on an external hard drive. Like many, I'm a bit confused with the new way of organizing my media (Libraries>Events>Projects) and I have come across a unique issue that doesn't seem to be addressed anywhere else.

I am working with mainly 4k video and have divided my media into two libraries, one being 162.2 GB and the other being 480.73 GB. (I know those are large, please advise if they are too large.) Within those two libraries, I have divided up the media further into smaller events based on scenes.

Three days ago, I went to add something to the timeline and froze and became pixelated. (Please refer to the images.) The timeline is this jumble of pixelation and I can't perform any sort of operation from it. I can still play the project, but I can't move the cursor along the timeline or anything. In that timeline though, I have almost 3 hours of 4k footage.

Initially I thought it was a problem with the software. Then I thought it was an issue with my hard drive and corrupted files. Then I thought it was an issue with my computer. I now have a feeling that the issue has to deal with the size of the project that I'm working on. I am working on a MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013), 2.3 GHz Intel Core i7, 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3. My computer should be more than capable of handling these files.

Does anyone know if the issue here is has something to do with the size of the files and the project? If so, do you have a suggestion for how to work on this project or better organize it? Do I need to work on it from separate libraries and timelines and eventually combine the project?

Sometimes if I quit FCPX and eject the hard drive, or if I restart my computer, I am able to open it back up and it seems to work fine. But that only lasts about 5 minutes. Generally what happens is I go to move the timeline bar, or zoom in on the timeline and everything freezes up and then the timeline window looks crazy.

Any advice would help!

Thank you

4K, eh?
What codec?
What size and type of external media drive are the Libraries and media on?

BenB,

Thanks for the response. The footage was shot on a Red Epic, so it's .r3d. And I'm using two hard drives for the project. The first is a G Drive 4 tb usb 3.0, and the second is a WD 4tb thunderbolt.

This definitely isn't my area of expertise and I know next to nothing when it comes to working with these file types—this was my first project with a red camera.

Thanks

I'd definitely recommend using Proxy media with a rMBP.

J
Didn't see any attachments.

Apple does have a video card replacement program for some MBPs, but I think your machine is outside the troubled computers, but check here… www.apple.com/support/macbookpro-videoissues/

My rMBP 2012 just got a MOBO replaced under the program. I was experiencing some video and freezing issues, mainly while under stress.

Make sure to keep your MBP cool! Elevate it, add a cooler fan or laptop stand. The nature of laptops is to run hot under stress, this will lead to throttle backs by the computer. Feel along the backside of the computer between the keyboard and the screen or use a temperature monitoring program.

Red files are huge, as Ben says try proxy.

How full are your media and internal drives? Maintain at least 15% (better 25%) free space. Performance really goes down fast. This is especially true when using multi cam clips and lots of effects.

Turn off audio wave forms.
Check all 3rd party plug-ins as being up to date. You could also disable/remove them for troubleshooting.
Trash FCPX preferences. (Don't really think this is the issue, just one extra trouble shooting tool)
Quit any applications you don't need.
Check ram and system resource usage in "Activity Monitor". While 16GB is normally fine, 4K Red files might eat that for a snack.
Open the project under a clean user profile.
Best of Luck

Hope this helps, Greg

Why don't you open your library with the FCPX installed on another computer ? Then you will see if the issue is in the project or if it's related to your computer.

Try to do some cleaning with Pro Maintenance Tools as well. There is a 30 days free trial, and this app has saved me from some trouble more than one time.

I have the same setup, with a P2 16 TB RAID 5, and I have great performance using a variety of 4K media. Event GoPro. I don't have any complaints, runs smooth, as does Motion. So it isn't universal, but it happening to some folks.