2013 iMac.. FCPX or CS6?

[Simon Knight]

Ok, with FedEx telling me my little Red temptress is "Onboard for delivery" today I come to thinking about my little 2007 iMac in the studio... She's gonna have to be sidelined at some point soon and I wonder where to go next..

i don't have the expertise to build a super PC so think a 2013 2.7 iMac will do for the money.. I can't stretch to a Red Rocket yet either..

So for a standard off-the-shelf iMac which piece of software gives smoother results? I'm prepared to learn either but come from FCP7 so have a slight bias.... I'm happy to transcode if necessary but would like to dabble in native R3D editing....

any thoughts....

 

[Mike Halper]

I would wait until after NAB before making any hardware or software decisions. Apple could easily refresh the iMac line and the revamp of the Mac Pro is possible as well, especially with the old Mac Pro being banned in the EU. Although Apple is known for not announcing products at trade shows, some things have started to change with Apple and NAB is where they announced FCPX. Both Adobe and Apple could update their software suites or at least make announcements during NAB.

That said... my inclination is to go with Adobe. It's good to know both though, and FCPX is rather inexpensive.

 

[Martin Weiss]

I would download the trial versions of both and see which one fits you best. Also give Avid a try.

Personally I went with CS6; sometimes I wonder if I should go Avid, as it is not stable on longer form projects (>1 hr.)

 

[Rob Castiglione]

"CS6 ... not stable on longer form projects.."

Oh dear. Can you give a little detail Martin? I have recently gone the CS6 route myself.

 

[Simon Knight]

Not planning any purchases for a couple of months so will be after NAB anyway..

As far as hardware is concerned, what level of productivity are you going to get from a non-Rocket based system like an off-the-shelf iMac??

thanks guys... Also interested in the CS6 long-form issues?...