Multi-channel audio mixing is a very much needed addition, and I think it's probably taken this long because it's really the second half of Roles, and they need to get it right. I'm on record as stating that I think Roles is a really great solution, but while the structure is there, the "output" side isn't done.

If you're mixing within FCPX, you need to be able to assign Roles to mixes and sub mixes, and be able to apply effects to those groupings.

If you're sending your audio out to ProTools, you need to be able to organize your audio effectively for handoff. Right now, this actually works ok via X2Pro from what I understand, even labelling the tracks in ProTools with Role names.

Third, I'm really hoping for Apple to use Roles to allow us to better organize audio in the Project timeline. I don't want tracks back, but it is helpful to have clips belonging to a Role grouped together.


Actually, the aspect of 10.0.6 I'm most interested to see is the Dual Viewers. Will this be one of those places where FCPX back-pedals to the Source/Record option? Or will it appear contextually by task? Or is it something completely different?

I'm wondering if we will see audio mixing in Logic X and maybe THAT will be Apple's solution?
Would make sense.

As to dual viewers after completing a job recently on an iMac with FCP 7 I can understand where Apple are coming from as it is a right royal pain in the a*se. I found myself missing X's layout.

Hopefully the update gives us some options to configure our interface to best suit what monitor(s) we have available.

I completely agree. There's no way I'd want a preview window cluttering up the interface while I'm doing logging or even selects. It's much faster to work with the skimable shot icons. Personally, I tend to drop shots roughly into the timeline and then finesse there, so this works for me. But I know others labor over their ins and outs before putting it into the sequence. For those people a dedicated preview window might be of more help.

I think you're right that flexibility is the key. I have personally found FCPX a much more friendly single monitor interface than 7 ever was. I worked on dual monitors (plus a broadcast monitor) for over a decade, and it was very difficult for me to move to a single screen. I'm used to it now, but if FCPX gets some better dual display options, I could see myself grabbing a refurb 27" display to go with this 27" iMac. Talk about real-estate heaven!

Even if Apple releases a LogicX, I still think they need improved mixing WITHIN X for those that don't want to venture outside.

From Larry Jordan's newsletter,

My next webinar is Wednesday, Aug. 22, talking about Cool New Stuff in Final Cut Pro X.


www.larryjordan.biz/webinars/#0822

He's cagey in the description, but twice in it he says that he'll cover, "Any new features that show up in a future release."

A day after the 21st?

Hmmmm....

Even if Larry is privy to that info before hand (and I know for a fact he's not), he couldn't even hint at it without Apple suing him into oblivion. That's his standard statement, as all of us trainers do, because FCP X is the fastest evolving NLE on the market, and it takes us trainers a lot of effort to keep up. When a new version hits the App Store then all of us; Larry Jordan, Steve Martin, Micheal Wohl, myself, etc, we're all up for many nights without sleep banging away trying to tear it apart as in depth and as quickly as possible.

So don't read anything in to such statements from any trainer. Even if some of us were privy, we'd be under the most iron clad NDA on the planet, and couldn't even hint at anything that way.

Killjoy...

BenB wrote:
No offensive but those guys are trainers people have heard of, with an online presence that means something to Apple's marketing guys.

Larry and the guys from Ripple were privy to FCPX way in advance of its release - and are instrumental to getting people to take notice of it professionally. So I'm sure Apple would forgive Larry the odd hint.

Speculate as you wish.

My motivation in starting these topics every couple months isn't to debate who's got access to insider info (or who deserves it).

Even my launch date predictions are a sideshow to what should be the main topic- discussing which features we might like to see in the next update, or how we'd like to see those features integrated. We're all invested in FCPX's growth and development, and I love discussing the possibilities.

BenB. Although I find the timing of Larry's webinar curious, and I honestly don't ever remember any of the descriptions for previous ones reading "...and new features if there are any" before. So I posted it as a lark.

Even if 10.0.6 DOES get released next week, I wouldn't take that as definitive proof of my assertion. If you don't take your NDAs with apple seriously, you obviously won't be getting that info for long...

Larry has made similar wording in the past. There has been flack about it. I'm just saying as someone in direct touch with those folks.

His last blog post about a release just before the LAFCPUG event caused a minor ruckus.

I'm just saying, as a friend and colleague of other well known trainers, just saying. I'm not speculating, just stating what I know from personal conversations.

Speculate as you will.

Wasn't the one just before LAFCPUG simply labelled as session "For Unreleased Software"? which in the end turned out to be Smoke2012? In fact, you were instrumental of about clearing that up beforehand if I remember correctly...

Everyone got their hopes up about that event, and the timing and vague nature of that listing only added to the noise that ultimately lead to everyone's disappointment.

Personally, I'm not interested in speculating about an individuals motivations. Just the software itself.

On that note, I can't say that I won't be leaving the MacAppStore open in the morning and hitting refresh a few times tomorrow morning after 9am, but I'm still betting on the 21st.

Much like speculation regarding Larry's next webinar, MacBreak Studio, after being on a summer hiatus "suddenly" announce a live stream on FCPX questions, this Thursday.

www.pixelcorps.com/live/

The MacBreak Studio folks (Ripple Training) are beta testers so suddenly all these folks have online stuff scheduled around the same time.

I can't imagine these beta testers would be doing this just before a likely major update.

We're sure this isn't just on their regular schedule? It seems to me they do one of these every few months...

Well, we'll know tomorrow either way. If we don't see an update Tuesday, we won't see it until next week at the earliest.

Previously they said they may not be doing any during the summer at all.
I could see them doing something if they had purpose but, nominally, do drop in and do a non specific Q&A seems odd. Otherwise they normally do one a month.

It's everyone's regular schedules. I see nothing out of the ordinary.

Of course Ben. It's a brilliant strategy. They're doing that so they don't raise suspicion.
Of course some of us see right through that tactic. It happens when we least suspect it . . . so that's when we suspect it.

let the conspiracy theories fly

Not like those guys have family and kids they want to spend summer with.

Usually these updates have been slung in the morning, so I'm going to say no release this week and check back next Tuesday.

I say two weeks!

Frankly, I wouldn't mind if it was longer. Although I want more features, I really think that the longer it takes the more bugs will get squashed.