Euphonix MC Color & Transport

[Kaku Ito]

I received the beta (soon to be released) MC Color and MC Transport yesterday to prepare for the show (InterBEE) and really enjoying using them.

I'm going through a grading process that I had done without any surface controller, but being able to simultaneously control the jog and each H/M/L levels wheels work out really great. Without the surface controllers, I tend to use more curves but that can't really see the changes in the movements and differences in various portions of clips, and the edits points between clips to see and adjust to match the color and the levels.

The feel of the MC Transport is amazing comparing to what they had on the MC Control, can't even compare. The wheels and the trackballs on the MC Color feel as good as the shuttle and the jog dial of the MC Transport. Also, using the buttons above the jog/shuttle to control playing the clips back and forth, skip between the edit points back and forth make it really go through the job fast.

I used to assign various control functions on my super duper Logicool mouse with many buttons, but now I'm hardly touching the mouse and the keyboard. I started working with the MC Color and Transport then in one hour, I started grading really intensively, so that explains how these controls are design really well.

To make things clear, I was grading without any surface controllers, and couldn't adapt using MC Controller for FCP and Digital Perfomrer, but MC Control and MC Transport are providing me better work environment than not having them. Since I haven't worked intensively with other expensive systems, I'd guess the real big boys would have different opinions than I do, but I'd recommend these to people who weren't using any surface controllers for Apple Color. Makes bid difference. What I got provided as far as MC Color is put together as one off, so I found few glitches but I'd assume the production model would be bit more concrete.

I'm running this with Mac Pro 4,1, Sony BVM-D24, Blackmagic Multibridge Pro and the Ultrascope. Very inexpensive but complete grading environment. Also, the clips are stored on Small Tree GraniteStor via 10Gb connection from the Xserve.

 

[David Birdy]

How do you like the controller after a few months?

Can you compare this & the Wave?

Thanks
Dave

 

[Kaku Ito]

How do you like the controller after a few months?

Can you compare this & the Wave?

Thanks
Dave

David,

I can't really use Apple Color without the MC Color and the MC Transport.
Very nicely laid out and feels really nice.

Comparing to the cheap Wave, this one feels nicer and have more control, but lack supports other than Apple Color.

 

[Kwan Khan]

Thanks for sharing kaku

 

[Sanjin Jukic]

Comparing to the cheap Wave, this one feels nicer and have more control, but lack supports other than Apple Color.

Kaku,

this sound like a joke because if you do not sell Tangent Wave it doesn't mean that Wave has lack of controls...

You should be a bit honest here.

Also it's written about Wave:

"Note: usage of controls may vary depending on the software used with Wave."

For example if you transfer this notion to Euphonix MC Color & MC Transport that means there is actually a huge lack of controls.

"The following software applications currently support the Wave panel. New apps are continually being added
so please check back if your preferred product is not yet listed.

- Apple - Color (See wave plugin page for more details) Please note that Apple Color v1.5 or higher is required.
- Assimilate - Scratch (No drivers required)
- Iridas - SpeedGrade & FrameCycler (No drivers required)
- Piranha and IFX Ant film finisihing solutions by IFX
- The Pixel Farm's PF Clean
- REDCine-X (No drivers required)"

LINK>>>

Also to tell you one example about what happened when I was in IBC Amsterdam last year

that all three balls were flying to the floor from MC Color console and some of pretty embarrassed visitors have been collecting

them under the AJA stand vitrine after that accident.

One more thing:

About Tangent Devices & Tangent Wave

"Both companies are dedicated to providing high quality solutions for the visual post-production industry worldwide.
Founding members, Andy Knox and Chris Rose have been working in the industry since 1991 and have drawn on this
experience to develop several product lines.

Synergy, our first product, won a DTI Smart award for innovation and our generic control panels have become the panels
of choice for many software based colour grading systems. We have developed bespoke hardware and software solutions
for several other manufacturers who chose us for our flexibility and speed of response.

Both companies are based near Luton, a few miles north of London in the UK."

LINK>>>

 

[Kaku Ito]

Sanjin,

I meant MC Color only support Apple Color.

Right right you are the greatest Sanjin.

 

[Kaku Ito]

I think I'm going to stop posting things because of you.

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

I think I'm going to stop posting things because of you.

Post of the week. :cheers2:

 

[Kaku Ito]

Post of the week. :cheers2:

Really? LOL

 

[Sanjin Jukic]

I think I'm going to stop posting things because of you.

As you like it.

But I didn't say anything against of you personally here that tells more about how you doing things in general.

I just want to repeat again that you said something about Wave even you do not know how technically is working or functioning.

Each of console (hardware) gives you control only how it is implemented by software.

So you can't claim that one console has more control compared to another with telling us that Wave is "a cheap", or so.....

You should give us a serious review about it.

I'll quote now one of the comparison reviews between Wave and Eclipse:

"FINAL VERDICT

Honestly was not expecting the product to be this good considering the $5,000 price difference between it and the JL Cooper Eclipse.
I even said as much on the Creative Cow Color forum. But for such a small product, the Wave packs a lot of power and is very intelligently designed.

Does it have all the functionality of the Cooper Eclipse? No and that’s why you pay a premium for that panel.
That is a larger panel, a more robust metal panel with larger controls and many more assignable control buttons.
If you are a full time colorist working all day, every day in a single location with Apple Color, you would most likely lean towards this panel.

But Tangent has done an incredible job of bringing professional tools into the price range of anybody who wants a control surface to run Color.
In my case we’re a post production facility where editing and animation are our primary operations.
Color grading is something I’ve gotten into the past 5 years and we don’t have a full time colorist or the need for one right now.
So the Eclipse is something that’s really nice but priced too high for our needs.
At $2,000 the Wave pays for itself in one, maybe 2 jobs and the simplicity of the operation makes it perfect for us.

And with USB connectivity with no external power required, this panel is made to travel.
I have not tried it with my laptop but I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t take your Macbook Pro and the Wave on location anywhere your work takes you.
Or like I said earlier, in a shop with multiple edit suites, you can easily move the panel from room to room as needed.

As Ron said, there really isn’t a compromise on the quality of the operation in this panel, it’s really just reduction
in the amount of functions you can program vs. the Eclipse. Ok, I was wrong to doubt the Tangent Wave.
This product is solid and I have thoroughly enjoyed trying it out!"

Walter Biscardi, Jr >>>

So Kaku your statement is based probably on a sort of your special interest to sell that chosen console brand here but also that

kind of "false" statements would somehow jeopardize selling, using or renting of the console I work.

Btw, I don't work for Tangent Wave and do not have any contact with them either.

I just reacted on your somehow arrogant and false statement, then I put some of the facts and that was my call for sort of fair play.

Terribly sorry if you didn't get in that way.

Post of the week. :cheers2:

Jeff,

thanks for your kind joke.

It's a pretty transparent of your doing things.

Also I do not need to waste a time to explain "from A to B" sort of things here.

 

[Fredrik Callinggard]

It seems to me that Sanjin traded his espresso machine for his Tangent Wave :incazzato: LOL

I'm more interested in the MC Color then the Wave (No offense Sanjin lol), so I don't mind hearing some more.

 

[Sanjin Jukic]

It seems to me that Sanjin traded his espresso machine for his Tangent Wave :incazzato: LOL

I'm more interested in the MC Color then the Wave (No offense Sanjin lol), so I don't mind hearing some more.

No problem Fredrik,

btw, I do have several (N)espresso coffee machines and looking for someone to trade for the "falling balls on the floor" MC Color console. :w00t: :dita: :thumbup:

 

[Imran Farouk]

well im impartial to either machine...although I've ordered the Wave (it's out so why not just go for the one that seems to be used quite a bit and already is supported)...

The Euphonix is great as you can get the MC Mix and Transport which goes across ALL of the FCS suite. (more so the transport) MC Mix goes great for soundtrack and MC Color for well...color! I do love the seemingly easy way it seems to set things out, personally don't have the color but by the looks of the videos and explinations it seems rather simple. I'll wait on my Wave but I'm definetly going with both companies for different aspects. Each has their strengths...play to it and we can all go home happy campers!

 

[Kaku Ito]

I feel the needs to buy Wave, too actually, because of its wider support of other platform.

I also mentioned the cheap wave that is not wave being cheap but I was talking about the cheapest model.

 

[Sanjin Jukic]

I do not have anything against Euphonix products and have a plan to get MC Transport pretty soon.

But what I have seen at IBC Amsterdam led me to Wave as a choice of Color control console.

Now I've got even REDCINE-X on Wave and I'm happy.

 

[Sanjin Jukic]

I feel the needs to buy Wave, too actually, because of its wider support of other platform.

I also mentioned the cheap wave that is not wave being cheap but I was talking about the cheapest model.

Kaku,

sorry again and could be that I misunderstood what you wanted to say.

It's happening...

Btw, Wave is of course a cheap plastic but that's reason that they put inside a lot of features because Wave has a very good software development strategy.

Tangent makes color grade consoles only.

That's it.

One more thing:

Once when you want to correct skin colors in your RED footage using knobs for FLUT, SHADOW, SATURATION, CONTRAST, etc... at REDCINE-X

that Wave gives you under your finger control then you'll forget immediately all of this discussion.

Real time grade of R3Ds with RR under your fingers that's the Wave control

and you can show to your customer on a favorite HD-SDI monitor or projector.

Before was possible only with Scratch and Iridas Speed Grade and today with REDCINE-X using Wave.

Some other R3D enabled CC systems like Pablo, FilmLight, DaVinci, etc,...have their own custom build grade consoles.

 

[Kaku Ito]

If you don't walk around with the console, that's not issue though. But if you do, yeah it would be annoying. I already mentioned that to the president of Euphonix.

By the way, the way I can share my findings sometimes come from the help with the manufacturer, like what I shared in dvinfo on FX1, XLH1, HVX200 and so on were my money and the help with the dealers I was dealing with and many many people did use my inputs for their references. That is pretty much what I doing here and lately, you come up all the time with counter posts that really disencourage me.

 

[Sanjin Jukic]

If you don't walk around with the console, that's not issue though. But if you do, yeah it would be annoying. I already mentioned that to the president of Euphonix.

By the way, the way I can share my findings sometimes come from the help with the manufacturer, like what I shared in dvinfo on FX1, XLH1, HVX200 and so on were my money and the help with the dealers I was dealing with and many many people did use my inputs for their references. That is pretty much what I doing here and lately, you come up all the time with counter posts that really disencourage me.

Kaku,

"you come up all the time with counter posts that really disencourage me"

in that case you should all the time listen

Don't Give Up

btw, that's very nice Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush song. :emote_hippie:

 

[JC Haydon]

MC Color shipping

MC Color shipping

We have exciting news today:

The eagerly-awaited MC Color is now shipping worldwide, offering video editors and colorists unmatched control and integration with Apple's Color 1.5. The slim-line MC Color attaches to the Mac via Ethernet, and features high-resolution optical trackballs, trackwheels, displays, encoders and a host of programmable keys to speed up and enhance the Apple Color workflow. MC Color's compact design is portable enough for on-set grading, and can be combined with other Euphonix media controllers to build a larger, integrated video editing control surface. MC Color is now available at authorized Euphonix Retailers for only $1,499

Her's a link to an in depth video:

http://www.euphonix.com/artist/produ...olor/video.php

MC Color features:
3 optical trackballs for modifying color values, vignettes and pan and scan
3 optical trackwheels for controlling contrast sliders, vignettes and pan and scan
6 touch-sensitive rotary encoders for adjusting parameters
6 high-resolution OLED displays show parameter names and values
9 programmable soft keys that automatically update their function for each room in Color
Comprehensive transport and navigation controls
Dedicated copy/paste grade buttons for memory banks 1-4
Deep, plug-and-play integration with Apple Color
Click here for more info.

Cheers,

JC Haydon

 

[Kwan Khan]

Thanks for updated @ JC