I have used Media 100 since version one (early 1990s) and although it was very shaky in those pioneering days I have always loved its clear and easy work flow - and its picture quality. Although it was cheaper than Avid in those early days its picture quality was true "on line' quality. Since then I have upgraded every few years and seen the stability improve and extra features added.
However most video editors seem to use Final Cut Pro and I have come under increasing pressure from colleagues to move across to it. As it happened I already had it on the shelf as a few years ago Apple stopped selling DVD Studio Pro as a stand alone program. I needed DVD Studio Pro so I had to buy the bundle which happened to include FCP.
Well, I managed to resist making the leap until recently, when I started using the new breed of tape-less cameras. My first experience was the much acclaimed Sony EX3, which was used for a video for the charity ARCOS. The only way I could get its files into M100 was by upgrading to the latest version of FCP and then using Sony's Clip Browser and Clip Transfer software. That worked fine but then, for a new documentary production, I had footage from the Canon XF103, another very popular camera. This time the only way I could get the material into M100 was to import it all into FCP first and then export it out again - a complete waste of time. I contacted M100 support and they suggested some third party software which was not only quite expensive but also required some tortuous navigation to locate each shot within a multitude of folders. By this time I was completely cheesed off with Media 100 and decided to give FCP a try.
It was obviously a steep learning curve but with the help files I was able to get the hang of it quite quickly. Some of the features of FCP are better than M100, its colour grading for example, but I soon found I had shuddered to a halt and the help files were no help. Importing files from the Flash card is quick and straightforward - all your shots are there ready to edit. But they all have 2 sound tracks, even the mute shots. Ok, no problem, in M100 you just select the clip and turn off the tracks you don't need before dragging it to the timeline. Simple! But in FCP (I discovered by Googling the problem) you have to make a copy of a clip before you can remove its sound tracks and then only by putting it in a "sequence" or timeline first and then dragging it back to the bin. It works but it's fiddly.
Sound mixing is a bit fussy too. True, FCP gives you finer control but you have to click on the clip first then adjust the levels in the editor. Media 100 deals with it all in the timeline and is completely intuitive - and fast! With Media 100 I generally edit in the timeline and I find it very surefooted and quick. You have a clear picture of what you've doing with all the tracks at a glance - not so with FCP.
But the most frustrating aspect of using FCP for me came when I put all my sequences together in one master program. Clips that had played perfectly in the short sequence now announced that they "NEED RENDERING". Fair enough I click Render All. Nothing. So I finally get them to render by trial and error. But why? Just as well the client wasn't sitting, tapping his fingers waiting to see the first cut. I'm sure many of the problems I had were because I'm a novice with FCP but returning to Media 100 afterwards was pure joy!
With several video productions in the pipeline, I have no doubt I shall have to return to FCP at some stage. But Media 100 will remain my favourite. I just wish they would sort out importing easily from the many different formats.
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