Final Cut Pro 7 Editors: Rejoice !!!

If you're a dedicated, dyed-in-the-wool FCP 7 user then you know all too well that our beloved FCP 7 (what I consider the "real" FCP, not "X" which is iMovie on steroids) is a long-dead platform with no hope of ever being revitalized by Apple.

And, if you're also not happy with the layout, workflows and different methods that are used by Premiere Pro, Avid, Lightworks and others then you've probably been wondering for some time, "How do I move forward with an NLE that will keep me current - and run on the newer versions of Mac OSX that are about to hit - that won't support FCP 7??"  Right?

Well you can stop stressing because Black Magic has the solution: Ever heard of DaVinci Resolve?  Of course you have, it's the defacto standard in color-correction/finishing world-wide.

Resolve has had a "lite" version of an NLE for years bundled with it's color-finishing software, but in years past it was extremely basic and not at all considered a "full" editor.  With Resolve 12.5 that's all changed!

The two best things about Resolve?  It *truly* is FCP 7 re-engineered with a similar layout, similar workflows and tools to FCP 7 so getting your head around it's interface is FAST and easy.  The second thing:  it's FREE!!  Right!  Nearly 95% percent of what Resolve is capable of doing is 100% free and will be going forward according to Dmitri Kitsov of Black Magic Tech Support.

So in the near future you can expect a full-on review of it's capabilities and why EVERY FCP 7 editor needs to move over to this platform - now!

Download the free version of DVR here and try it out for yourself - and be sure to read the instructions that come with it so you understand how to setup your system and prep your media based on the system you have:

Download DaVinci Resolve 12.5 Here !

More soon!!

New Stuff - Some stuff still not in!!

Hi All,

So back in June I posted that I'd be doing a "kit" review for Mac-based editors who want an all-up solution to get their work done.  Well I'm still waiting for the rest of the components to show up!  The Focal Trio6 Be and the Equator D8's have both been delayed for months.  So as soon as they both show up I'll be posting the big review!!

The New Stuff - Still Waiting !!!

I know I recently promised you guys some hard-won new reviews especially for the audio portion of our post-production people.

So what's happened since that last post is that I've been waiting to get the equipment from both Audio Plus (The Trio Be's) and from Equator, the new D8 monitors!  Between my own company being really busy and theirs as well we've all been swamped with "stuff" and reviews have been on the back burner for a while.

But, I've got some time to catch up where I left off in the spring, so here's what's coming:

The "kit" review for everything you'll need for an awesome post-production environment:

1.  Retina 5K iMac

2.  SPL Crimson (audio interface)

3.  Focal Trio Be near-fields 

4.  Focal Alpha 65's

5.  Lauten Atlantis mic

6.  Equator D8 near-fields 

...and hopefully for ALL of us who really miss the traditional Final Cut Studio (FC7) interface, an in-depth review of Davinci Resolve Studio!!

And for those who've complained that I didn't have a social media presence, here's a link to both my personal and business pages:

www.facebook.com/robertlaneaz.  The business page-link is there as well.

More soon, my friends!

Come to NAB 2016 !!

To All My Friends in the Filmmaking Community and those I wish could be there:
Come join me at the 2016 NAB Convention!! "I'll be there all week..." and am looking forward to reconnecting with all my industry pals plus playing around with all the new toys!!!

See you in 'Vegas!

See You at NAB 2016!

For anyone who's planning on attending the NAB convention in 'Vegas this year, I'll be there also after a long hiatus.  Last time I was there was as a consultant for Panasonic.  Those of you who remember, my production company was one of the first to fully adopt Panny's P2-HD system and I became a self-made expert on the HVX200 and HPX500 along with the later-coming Varicams.

In fact I made the popular "HVX200 Color Test" demo which showed how you could get "chrome-like" color from the little P2 cam.  That clip is here on my blog:

http://lumenosity.blogspot.com/2011/12/hvx200-color-test-again.html

This year I'll be with DVinfo.net camera in-hand interviewing the unsuspecting.  (laughs)

If you're going to attend, send me an email:  robert@lumenosity.com

Cheers!

First Review Items In !

The first pieces of new reviews for 2016 have just started rolling in:  The Focal Spirit professional headphones (which I'm listening to right now as I'm typing this out) and, the Lauten Audio Atlantis large-diaphragm FET-type studio mic.

Both Focal and Lauten went out of their way to create an excellent presentation in the cases their product comes in, but L.A. went a little nuts:  A handmade cherrywood box with a 1940's style front clasp?!! (pics below)  Gorgeous - and totally overboard!  But I'm really digging the eye-candy both companies put into the packaging.

So stay tuned, new stuff is coming soon!!

Battle Cry for 2016: You've Got Another Thing Comin'

Ever since the economy took a dump in late '07 life for most regular folk has just sucked, plain and simple.  We've all been struggling just to get by while watching banks and Wall Street babies rake in record profits.

Like millions of others my business took a sucker-punch that knocked me out for more than 2 years; now in 2016 my business still hasn't come close to being at 2006 levels, not by a long shot.

But I'm a product of the take-no-prisoners, "We're not gonna take it anymore" '80's, where big hair metal bands were pumping out anthems of supreme self-confidence and "screw you" messages to those who'd stand in our way of self-fulfillment.

Nothing reflected those concepts more plainly than two things:  An advertising campaign by Maxell that showcased a man sitting in his chair at home "rocking out" to his favorite tunes and being blown away by the experience (the pic above).  And, what's become the defacto anthem of the 80's, a heavy metal single from Judas Priest, "You've got another thing comin' ".  So prolific and enduring is the message in that song that it was used just late last year in another ad campaign... for Honda cars, of all things.

The timing couldn't have been more perfect.

I've been frustrated with my business being held hostage by the crappy economy for far too long, and last year finally got completely fed up - if not downright angry, and decided to take the bull by the horns, as it were.  And it's amazing how perspective can change in an instant when you decide that the future is definitely *yours*, not the result of idiots in the White House or Wall Street making stupid choices.

And it's nice to see the economy in a steady, yet slow pace of growth.  We're nowhere near where we need to be and too many people are still suffering financially BUT, for the first time since 2007 I can feel in my bones that we've finally turned a corner and a better future lays ahead of us all.

So if you think that:

-  This year will be just like the last;
-  If your own potential for happiness will be just a grim as before;
-  That the economy has the ultimate power against us;
-  Or that that your options for series-based entertainment will consist of more, "what kind of crap is this?", mindless, useless, reality or sorta-reality TV shows with ridiculous iterations of "Who gives a crap" Wars, "Go fish for this", or "Housewives of blah-blah" bullshit...

You've got another thing comin':  Something completely different and fresh is headed for your screen.  Very soon.