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Episode 7 of the Digital Rebellion Podcast just came out and it covers how to sync your Final Cut Pro 6 or 7 timeline to Cut Notes, our iPad app for taking timecode-accurate notes during a screening.
You can subscribe in iTunes or via the direct feed. The Episode 7 video is available for direct download here. The podcast is free and is optimized for iPhone 4 / 4S, iPad and Apple TV.
You can also watch the video on the Cut Notes video page.
We're open to requests for future tutorials so please let us know if there is something you'd specifically like to see.
Today we released Cut Notes 1.1, a significant update to our note-taking app for the iPad.
The biggest change in this version is Final Cut Pro synchronization. You can now sync your Final Cut Pro 6 or 7 timeline over wi-fi and have the timecode display in Cut Notes automatically update as you play or scrub in FCP. You can even use the play button in Cut Notes to remotely control playback.
We've also qualified it for iOS 5 compatibility, so we recommend updating before using it on the new operating system due tomorrow.
A notable change from previous versions is that the Hold button has been removed. Holding is now achieved by tapping the timecode as it is playing, causing it to freeze and turn blue. Tap it once again to unhold.
Final Cut Pro sync requires a wi-fi connection to your Mac. Here's how to set it up:
1. Go to Audio MIDI Setup in the Utilities folder under Applications. Go to Window > Show MIDI Window and then double-click the icon marked Network.
2. Click the + button under My Sessions and name the new session Cut Notes. Tick the box next to it to enable it. Under "Who may connect to me" at the bottom, set it to Anyone. In the Bonjour Name field, enter the name of your computer if it is not already set.
3. Now launch Cut Notes on your iPad and click the Sync button. The name of your iPad should appear in the Audio MIDI Setup window on your Mac in the Directory list. Select it and click Connect. It should then appear under Participants on the right-hand side.
4. In Final Cut Pro, go to Tools > Control Surfaces. Set the "Use" field to Mackie and click the + button. Set both input and output connections to Network - Cut Notes and click Ok.
5. Now open the Audio Mixer from the Tools menu. This MUST be open at all times in order for Cut Notes to receive timecode. If you find it gets in the way, drag it off screen or position it behind other windows but do not close it.
6. Now drag the playhead or press play and Cut Notes will update with the timecode of your Final Cut Pro sequence. You can even start and stop playback within Cut Notes itself.
If you have problems setting it up, make sure that you are connected to the same network as the Mac via wi-fi. This will not work over Bluetooth or cellular networks. If your Mac isn't connected to a wi-fi network, you can create a Computer-to-Computer network by going to Airport and then Create Network. You can then connect directly to your Mac from the iPad.
We've listened to the feedback of our users and this is just one of many updates we are planning in the near future. Stay tuned.
We're pleased to announce our newest app - EditCodes for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.
EditCodes is a reference application that provides a searchable database of common error messages for Final Cut Studio, FCPX, Avid Media Composer and Adobe Premiere Pro for Mac.
When you receive a cryptic error message in your editing application, fire up EditCodes and type all or part of the message into the list. EditCodes will then display the errors in its database that match your search terms. Tapping one of these errors will show a description of the problem and steps to resolve it.
If an error is not found in the list, you can use the Action button to submit it to us and we will add support for it in a future version.
EditCodes is available for $1.99 on the App Store.
(Note: if you're looking for a desktop solution rather than an iOS app, Crash Analyzer in Pro Maintenance Tools has an error lookup function that uses the same database.)
We've just released Pro Media Tools 1.1 Beta 1, a public beta of a major update to our suite of tools for simplifying media management.
This is the first of several planned betas that we are using to help gather feedback about the future direction of the suite.
The major changes in this version include:
The majority of the applications in the suite are now 64-bit. This means that they're better able to deal with large amounts of data, which is especially useful for Edit Detector.
Post Haste is now being bundled with Pro Media Tools. We plan to better integrate it with the tools in the suite in a future beta.
Edit Detector has been given a major overhaul. It is now significantly faster and more accurate. It is more than twice as fast on my test machine at scanning SD media. We've also implemented a caching system so that it only needs to scan the frames once. Reopening an already-scanned file is instant.
The full changelog is as follows:
This is a beta release designed for evaluation purposes. It is not intended for use in a production environment. If you require stability please use version 1.0.5 instead.
You can download the 1.1 beta here. 1.1 will be a free update for all existing customers.
Last week we released Pro Maintenance Tools 2.0.2, which adds many new features and fixes some issues with our suite of tools for maintaining, optimizing and troubleshooting your editing system.
Here are some of the bigger features.
Final Cut Pro X XML (FCPXML) files can now be scanned by Corrupt Clip Finder and repaired by XML Repair. You will need Final Cut Pro X 10.0.1 in order to import and export FCPXML files.
By default, Corrupt Clip Finder will scan QuickTime movies, audio files and images. If you have installed third-party QuickTime components to allow QuickTime to read additional formats, you can add support for these formats in Corrupt Clip Finder by adding their file extensions to the list in preferences.
For example, if you installed the Panasonic AVCCAM Importer you can add the MTS file extension to the list to tell Corrupt Clip Finder to also scan MTS files.
Plugin Manager now supports Avid RTAS plugins, Premiere VST effects and Motion 5 templates (for use in FCPX). Please note that when installing Motion Templates through Plugin Manager, it will copy the template to the Effects category by default but you can easily drag it to another group if you so wish.
If you have multiple NLEs installed, the long list of plugins may be daunting so you can now filter plugins based on their host application.
This is a small subset of the changes in this version. You can read the full changelog here.
Pro Maintenance Tools is an essential toolkit for maintaining your Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Pro X, Avid Media Composer and Adobe Premiere Pro system. To find out more, see our Pro Maintenance Tools page which includes a detailed feature list, gallery and video overview. A 15-day free trial is also available.
We're pleased to announce our newest product, Post Haste for Mac. Post Haste is a tool for organizing your projects. Everyone has their own way of structuring project folders on their hard disk. Post Haste simplifies this by allowing you to assign folder templates for different project types or scenarios, such as editing, visual effects and motion graphics.
When you start a new project, launch Post Haste and enter a few details about the project such as the project title, client name and the name of the editor. Choose a template and the directory you wish to place the new project folder into and click Create Project. Post Haste will copy the contents of your template into a new folder for that particular project. It's a big timesaver.
Post Haste was originally conceived and developed by Paul Conigliaro and we have now taken over the project, although Paul is still involved. Post Haste 2.0 is a complete rewrite of the application. You can read Paul's thoughts on the new version here.
We've completely overhauled the interface and provided the ability to setup an unlimited number of templates and filename parameters.
Templates can now be setup directly within the application through the built-in template editor. The location of templates can be customized, allowing you to store them in a shared location on your network to make them available to everyone.
One new and very useful feature is folder breaks. Folder breaks allow you to break parameters across folders, turning a project name like Client_Project_Current Date to Client > Project > Current Date. To get an idea of how this function works, watch the filename preview at the bottom of the window update as you toggle the Folder Break check boxes on and off in preferences. This is explained in more detail in the user manual.
To get a better idea of what Post Haste has to offer, take a look at our latest podcast episode that gives a general overview:
Post Haste is available as a free download from our site. Existing Post Haste 1.x users will need to download the software manually. It is also available on the Mac App Store, making it our first application on the store.
We're very interested in hearing feedback on Post Haste 2.0 from new and existing users alike. Use the links in the Help menu within the application or use the contact form to let us know what you think of the new version.
Apple released a Final Cut Pro X update today which added several much-needed features, one of which was XML import and export. I've seen a lot of confusion on Twitter so I'm going to clarify some terminology.
XML is a format for ordering data within a file. XMEML is a subset that Final Cut Pro 7 and below uses for creating a plain-text version of a Final Cut Pro project or sequence that other applications can read. The data is ordered in much the same way as it is within the project file, with the browser contents at the top, followed by the sequences, tracks and the media within.
FCPXML is the new subset for Final Cut Pro X. It is organized in the way FCPX organizes its data internally, which is completely different from the Final Cut Pro 7 way. You have resources at the top (all files and generators within the project) followed by a single sequence with the storylines and clips inside. There are no tracks and each clip is organized into a parent-child relationship rather than chronological order. Timing information such as in and out points are expressed in time units rather than frame units.
So the two formats are completely different and there is no way to directly import FCP 7 XMEML into Final Cut Pro X or vice versa. Apple seems to be leaving this up to third-parties. DaVinci Resolve supports FCPXML and XMEML so it may be possible to convert one to the other (I haven't tested this). Some features will not translate back and forth because they don't exist in the other application.
Currently XML in and out exists only as a menu command. There is no way for applications to automatically communicate with FCPX at this time. Update: Apple just confirmed you can programatically send an XML file to FCPX but there is no way of receiving XML data yet. It is also not possible to update an existing project - importing or sending an XML file will create new projects and events.
Also note that for some reason, you can't export project-based XML when the project is loaded. You have to go back to the Project Library, select the project name and then export the XML.
As you may know, lack of XML in and out prevented us from granting feature parity with Final Cut Pro 7 users in Pro Media Tools and our other products. We're going to begin integrating support in stages, so expect updates very soon.
Update: It would appear that the XML export function in its current implementation doesn't preserve important information, which is a problem when roundtripping. We still aim to support it in our applications and hopefully these issues will be addressed by Apple very soon.
We've just released Editmote 1.0.2 with some great new features. Editmote is an iOS application to remotely control your editing software. Add markers and control playback and volume levels - all without having to leave your chair.
Version 1.0.2 adds a much-requested feature: customizable keyboard layouts. If you have customized the default keyboard layout for your editing application, you can now go into the Editmote preference pane and change the default layout to match the changes that you made. You can also use this feature to map unused buttons to extra functions within your application.
Editmote supports Final Cut Pro 6 and above, Final Cut Pro X, Avid Media Composer 5 and above, QuickTime Player 7, QuickTime Player X, Adobe Premiere Pro CS 5 and above and Adobe After Effects CS 5 and above. However, you can use the Keyboard Layouts tab in the preference pane to add an unlimited number of additional applications.
The full list of changes is available here. When upgrading, remember to install both the new iOS application and the new preference pane otherwise you won't get all of the extra features in this version. The preference pane is available on the right-hand side of the Editmote page.
Editmote is a useful addition to an editor's toolkit. Find out more with our overview video and check it out on the App Store.
Yesterday we released Cut Notes 1.0.4, a maintenance update for our iPad note-taking application. Cut Notes makes it easy to create timecode notes during a screening.
The changes in this version are as follows:
Cut Notes makes a great addition to an editor's toolkit. Find out more in our overview video and check it out on the App Store.
Last week we released Pro Media Tools 1.0.5, a small maintenance update for our suite of tools to streamline media management. It fixes some XML issues, reduces memory usage in Edit Detector and speeds up Quick Bins.
The changes are as follows:
Pro Media Tools is an essential toolkit for post production professionals. Download the free 15-day trial to see how it can enhance your workflow.
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