FCPX sluggishness is the only thing making me longing for Premiere

Hi,
Ive been going back and fort between Premiere and fcpx and there are good things I can say about both of them. But one thing that keeps slapping me in the face is the bad performance the Fcpx has in the timeline.

Im on a mac pro 2013 8-core d700
external storage: pegasus r2 with raid-0 going up to 800MB/s

When working in prores, fcpx performs better, even in 4k. Funny enough I do see even better playback performance on premiere.

But as soon as I throw som other media at fcpx it just vomits. Such as .MTS files (Sony) .mp4 (gopro)
If I do absolutely nothing it plays back fine, but as soon as I do any speed changes/ layer two clips onto of each other fcpx becomes one tired horse.. While on premiere I do the same thing and it is as snappy as ever.
With this kind of machine and software optimised for the hardware I get close to pissed with the results fcpx is giving
Ive looked around and I have seen similar reports and there is no answer to be found except that Apple know the performance on fcpx is not optimised.

Setting are
*better performance for playback
*Tried both to turn rendering on or off.
*deleting rendered files
*removing browser
*minimising waveforms on clips.
*no specific plugins or effects has been added to clips
*No Harddrive is even close to being 80% full

Is the only option to convert every clip I ever work on in the future to pores proxy in order for fcpx to give me a break?
There are some things I really like about fcpx and the workflow with Davinci Resolve i one of them. But to work in an environment where I have to render every single thing and even then its struggling is just unacceptable..

I hope things will be better for you when the next update for FCP X gets released.

- Ronny

Only difference is my P2 is RAID 5, and I get great performance with a variety of 4K media, including GoPro. No clue why some folks get bad performance with a nMP.

I have nMP 6 cores, LaCie Thunderbolt2 1TB SSD RAID 0. I run all the time in high quality mode and FCPX simply flies, so do Compressor and Motion. Use countless layers, and Compound clips. FCPX 10.1.4 and Yosemite, the best combo ever for me. On my computer I only keeps the most essential softwares.

Thx for the replies guys
But I got to say that makes me even more frustrated not nowing where to look since it is obviosly working for a lot of people..
It is an expensive can and not being able to use its powers sure is frustrating to say the least

Unlike any other NLE, FCP X taps a lot of its power from the underlying operating system. If both get along well, FCP X will be much more performant than anything else. If not, it will be slower.

Some performance issues with FCP X are caused by corrupted or conflicting files in the OS, mostly at the User level. So the first thing I always advise is to create a new admin user account and see if FCP X runs better with that account. If it does, post back so we can help you fix this.

- Ronny

BenB wrote: Only difference is my P2 is RAID 5, and I get great performance with a variety of 4K media, including GoPro. No clue why some folks get bad performance with a nMP.

I occasionally see similar timeline slowdowns as the OP -- on a max'd out 2013 iMac with Pegasus R4 in RAID5. The UI becomes laggy and slow, then restarting FCP X fixes it for a while. I don't understand why some people see it and others don't.

I do documentary work with a very high shooting ratio, so I can't afford to optimize all the material on import. I have a big project coming up soon, and I'll try to do more testing then and narrow it down to a certain codec or procedure.

Joema:
It doesn't make me happy you are experiencing these issues but atlas I'm not alone in having this problem..

Ronny:
Thnx for the heads up, I will try this tomorrow hopefully and get back here! Appreciate the help

I have similar issues with slow downs on my 6 core nMP. My best fix has always been to do a clean install of OS X. It's a pain but I'm sure either something at the OS level gets corrupted or I end up installing something that conflicts with FCPX.

Every clean install I promise myself I won't install anything but the essentials but somehow that's a hard promise to keep. Just did a clean install again this weekend and everything is flying once more. Even the 4k MP4 files from my GH4 are playing effortlessly.

I have a new Mac Pro and constantly get the slowdowns. Fresh/clean install didn't help much. It was not worth the time and grief I spent doing it. Gotta track down plug-ins and serials and all of that fun stuff. Never fun. Anyway everything I use in FCPX is ProRes. None of this Proxy nonsense nor do I use the original files. If it's not optimized already, it gets optimized upon import.

Recently I started up FCPX and was working on a 40 second project. FCPX ran out of memory and crashed HARD. Had to force quit it. I have 64GB of RAM! WTF? I wasn't even using it for very long and my 40-second sequence wasn't exactly complex other than the Magic Bullet Mojo logo plug-in being used on some clips.

No matter what, Apple has a lot of work to do. It's far from ideal at this point. They need to get it to where these kind of problems just don't happen. If they don't happen in Premiere or FCP7, they shouldn't happen in FCPX. This is a very MAJOR problem. It's far from trivial. Hopefully they get things worked out.

I am a dedicated hobbyist and have the privilegium to do what I want. For many of you who earn your living by editing, this must be a huge pain. It is not acceptable to be forced to trix with FCPX just to keep it running. Tearn of this function tearn of that funnction. That is totally unacceptable with such a powerful computer and such "powerful" FCPX. You should be able to run everything in highest gear, short or long project with tons of of effects. But as said before many things that are directly harmful or not needed, running in the background of the system could affect performance. Here is a nifty free utility that will tell you about those things on your system www.etresoft.com/etrecheck

Thank you
Makki

Ok! I just did a did a Reinstallation of OS X and there is a improvement, even if it is a inconvenient solution.

I will check the software out Makki! Thx for the tip

Redifer, I feel you.. What system are you on?

There is one thing I have heard regarding slowdowns and that is that EVEN IF you have a prores File there can be somewhat bad encoded/corrupted even if you can watch it. This will cause slowdowns for FCPX apparently. Cant remember how one does to search for errors in specific files like that but I think I heard someone say it was possible in FCP 7.. Might be worth to look into.

In this regard/matter Premiere is more stable in performance I think since it feels like it isn't as sensitive. But with that said I have had my share oh bugs and errors with adobe as well..

I have a 2013 Mac Pro and have noticed the intermittent slow downs. I would say these come and go with releases, but for several of the free upgrade releases, the performance in FCPX has been great. I work with all native media, a mix of R3Ds to GoPro, 4K through 480, Interlaced and Progressive. Our libraries are close to 2TB in size per half a season with many events and even more projects due to individual network delivery requirements. This is all completed in a rather tight deadline time frame. In addition to this, I rely on some heavier 3rd party effects that are also not known to improve performance, like FilmConvert and CoreMelt.

All of this being said, I have never found FCPX to be a burden compared to Premiere, as every piece of software has it's caveats. The only real performance hit that I find distressing is working with our custom Motion 5 titles during playback, in which FCPX cannot handle playing over those titles/generators without getting hung up. I am looking forward to the next release, Apple has so far listened and responded in kind to as much user feedback as possible, IMHO. It seems like they like to wait, however, to make sure that each release is a true fix/improvement and not a step backwards, no matter how small the detail may be.

We work in a highly collaborative and split location situation- meaning I am often strategically sharing and transferring assets, Xfer Libraries, etc. for others (including new editors) and myself, quite often. Aside of some protection needing to be built in with external media and the consolidate feature, versus how well that currently works with managed media, FCPX has come a long, long way in terms of reliable, consistent performance- and shrinking the practices, like with any NLE or post software, that help us all avoid potential pitfalls. (Sorry for the run-on.) We, as editors and animators, should reflect and take a certain pride in knowing how to skillfully operate our tools, just like a carpenter would with any of his or her tools or an artist with their choices in combining canvasses, brushes and paints. Being on top of your craft means learning/knowing work arounds, it's just the nature of the beast. While true short comings can be frustrating, but they can also be caused by many other factors, that are often, outside the bounds of the software. We aren't making popcorn here.

I also edit on a MacBook Pro- again, multiple half an hour to 45 minute timelines and with proper media management- and as Ronny mentioned, a healthy desktop/hard drive environment, I enjoy a great editing experience on that hardware, on the go, as well.

Repairing your permissions or taking a good look at asset structure is a good first step prior to a clean install. Same with plugins. FCPX handles highly compressed formats, if your workflow requires these, as good or better than 7 ever did- and as good or better than Premiere, that I have seen.

*Also, I work with Background Rendering turned off, and hardly ever, if ever, render anything in timeline- except occasionally for titles or certain clips with multiple animated effects.

Happy Editing!
Dustin

I also Edit stuff on my macbook pro retina and sometimes it performs better than my mac pro.. Thus the reason of this post. Wasn't meant as a bash FCPX post, but I admit being frustrated when I wrote the post. I have been comparing the two NLE's cause those are the ones I have been working with on the same system. With that said not all of us are experiencing the same slowdowns and so we're trying to locate what could cause this. It might be a long stretch to try and locate this but I like many other have paid quite a sum of money for our mac pro's and will put up with a fight if I have to
I would love not to render my timeline but trying to figure out how your edits look like in 5-12fps is a challenge I am not skilled enough to master. And this is with simple speed changes alone to 1080p clips (no frame blending)

Wasn't taking it as a bash, (I don't believe in the NLE 'causes', just good workflows) but there are some broad observations here that others might find misleading, so to better help your efforts, we will need some more information.

If you are dutifully testing and comparing, please share your (very) specific workflow that is showing FCPX performing better on a MBP than a 2013 MP. From individual machine specs to Library/Event/Project and finally, tasks, i.e. final rendering, playback over certain clips, etc. I know you mentioned a few possible codecs, but we aren't seeing the same performance hits you are describing. Do you experience hangs? Crashes? If so, make sure and submit those reports to the mothership. Once this specific info is out there, then others here can test too- I know Ronny, Ben and others are always on top of these issues.

"Hi,
Ive been going back and fort between Premiere and fcpx and there are good things I can say about both of them. But one thing that keeps slapping me in the face is the bad performance the Fcpx has in the timeline."

I edit while playing back, both video and more specifically, separated audio and don't have any issues with performance on a 2013 Mac Pro. I shortcut back and forth from both collapsed and expanded waveform views, so while waveform generation can slow loading times, it's not affecting my playback or editing experiences.

"Im on a mac pro 2013 8-core d700
external storage: pegasus r2 with raid-0 going up to 800MB/s"

We are running similar setups, I am on the 6-Core version. 3.5 GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon E5 / 32 GB 1866 MHz DDR3 ECC / 2 x AMD FirePro D700 6144 MB. I am running a Pegasus R4, R-0, R-0 and bottom two bays a Mirrored R-1. (working space, versus back-up space.)

"But as soon as I throw som other media at fcpx it just vomits. Such as .MTS files (Sony) .mp4 (gopro)
If I do absolutely nothing it plays back fine, but as soon as I do any speed changes/ layer two clips onto of each other fcpx becomes one tired horse.. While on premiere I do the same thing and it is as snappy as ever.
With this kind of machine and software optimised for the hardware I get close to pissed with the results fcpx is giving"

This is strange as I just tested these same parameters using .MP4 clips, both in layers and retiming and mine play back flawlessly, even while editing them. Perhaps someone else can speak to the .MTS? *If you upload a short problematic clip for me to download, i.e. an MTS 1080p clip, like you mentioned, I will test it here for you to compare results. Please provide your project settings, tasks, etc.

"Is the only option to convert every clip I ever work on in the future to pores proxy in order for fcpx to give me a break?"

You really, really, shouldn't have to do this- especially at the degree you are describing. That seems very atypical to me. Even with R3Ds you can currently work without proxies in certain scenarios, although I prefer Red Cine-X for better handling in downscaling raw 4K to 1080 pro res 4x4. We work with all kinds of mixed frame rates and formats/codecs and I never am forced, on a 2013 Mac Pro, to optimize anything in FCPX 10.1.4. for playback or editing.

However, you are not alone, especially in believing the 2013 models having their share of quirks (Thunderbolt buses for video output, for one..), but more and more support comes with each release of FCPX, so hopefully your experience will be improved in the next release, if it is MTS related.

Happy Editing,
Dustin

Got you
Well I just reinstalled the whole system but from experience (hoping that I'm wrong) I will encounter this yet again. Only then can compare to my mbpr. Crashes did accour before the reinstallation. Its refreshing when one is met by people that are willing to help on forums, highly appreciated!
Hopefully things get better and I more wise in the matter

Cools, I made an edit that may have updated after you saw me respond but ITM, If you upload a short problematic clip for me to download, i.e. a MTS 1080p clip, like you mentioned, I will test it here for you to compare results. Please provide your project settings, tasks, etc.
Cheers,
Dustin

Oh and for anyone wanting to visually track performance, in addition to Activity Monitor, I use these:

www.ragingmenace.com/software/menumeters/

Hi Dustin,

Thanks for providing the link to menumeters. Only a month ago we've made the change to Final Cut X within our production company and I usually have Activity Monitor open during my edit to check on my MacPro's performance.

I will definitely try this out on our Macs next week!

Martijn

freshtea wrote: Redifer, I feel you.. What system are you on?

I am on 10.10.2. 10.10.3 just now came out. I am also using the 2013 Mac Pro Trash Can™ with lots o' RAM and lots o' CPU and graphic power. It performs no better than an iMac really. And not much better at FCPX than my 2006 Mac Pro 1,1 (the first model of Mac Pro ever, I believe) with an upgraded graphics card.

A clean install may make *some* difference in the short term, but Apple needs to get its ass in gear. Adobe doesn't say "Here's Premiere oh by the way you're gonna need to completely reinstall Windows and all of your other programs to get it to work as advertised.". One shouldn't have to dick around like that. Apple needs to improve the code of FCPX substantially.

Also take a look at iStat Menus. I run it and really enjoy having the info.