Thanks a lot for stopping by.
Just above, you'll find tabbed links for:
- Information about the Avid Media Composer training I provide for individuals, groups and facilities, as well as at institutions such as American Film Institute, USC School of Cinema Arts, Moviola Digital Arts Institute, and Video Symphony Institute of Film, Video & Audio.
- Details about the Avid Media Composer book I was asked to write for Packt Publishing. It's a recent addition to their step-by-step "Cookbook" series. At 435 pages, it's packed with practical examples, time-saving methods, tips and tricks to help get you working more efficiently and more confidently, so that you can spend less time dealing with technical and operational issues and instead focus on being creative.
- Avid Media Composer tips and tricks, including a pretty comprehensive list of keyboard shortcuts.
- Some post production and technology related humor you can view while telling your boss you're really checking out some of the useful resources.
- The obligitory resume and demo clips.
- Contact information in case you'd like to consider me to edit or direct your project; or to share a tip, trick or link with other visitors to this site.
- And, if you're curious why there's a guy peeking out of a trash can at the top of the page and a guy playing a saw at the bottom, you can find out about the site's design theme.
TL;DR:
Buy, or upgrade to, iStat Menus version 6 and take control of your internal fans for vastly improved heat control (and many other great features), and likely extend your computer's life, and possibly improve its processing speed. ––– I have not been compensated in any way for this post – I actually shelled-out the $9.99 for the upgrade.
Are you concerned that your Mac is running hot? I sure was, and the fix was as easy as updating to the latest release (version 6) of iStat Menus from Bjango, which I've been using for years and years to monitor all sorts of things on my system (CPU useage is particularly helpful). And, I wish I'd been aware of this app's fan control features years ago! My bad.
Quick Background:
I've been hanging on to my 'Late 2011' MacBook Pro (it arrived at my home in early January 2012, direct from China). I love its 17" matte/anti-glare screen and multiple ports. Over time I upgraded to 16GB of RAM and then, some years later, to an SSD internal Hard Drive (without those upgrades, the system just wouldn't be useable for me with Avid Media Composer and Photoshop, which I use all the time). I mention these details because the added RAM is likely making the system run even hotter than it already would, and I think I skimmed across some article that mentioned that having the SSD drive might be one cause of some other fan control apps, and version 5 of iStat, not working. If I'm wrong about either of those, feel free to let me know).
Also, if you're curious, I skipped buying Apple's 2017 incarnation of their MacBook Pro (MBP) because I was thoroughly underwhelmed, and unwilling to spend that kind of money for a maxed-out system (only 16GB RAM) that I wasn't fully happy with (and then, later, I learned about its keyboard issues, too). I'm holding out hope that Apple's rumored 2018 MBP release (some say June/July, while others think November) will be something I won't be disappointed in buying. I'll miss my 17" screen, but the huge increase in power, brighter screen, and longer battery life will certainly help offset the transition back to a 15".
My System Specs:
Note: I'm also very often connected to a 27" Apple Display,
which additionally taxes the system and increases internal temperature.
Cutting To The Chase:
1.
The 2 free apps I initially tried for fan control (“smcFanControl” and "Macs Fan Control”) did nothing for me – they didn’t work at all. I didn't research too deeply, but I think the fact that I'm running Sierra and/or have a SSD drive may be the culprit(s). So, I kept Googling.
2.
I reset the computer's System Management Controller (SMC). I did this after doing some reading to determine any potential harm (95%+ safe), and I followed Apple’s instructions. While I did this mostly just to make sure that the free apps I tried hadn’t left anything negative behind, my quick reading mentioned that resetting the SMC is often a cure for various issues you might be having, including what Apple refers to as "Thermal Management."
3.
I’ve been using iStat Menus for years and years (there are tons of helpful displays and features), and I only just realized today that it also has a fan control feature. Version 5, that I already had installed, didn’t seem to be doing anything fan-wise, so I upgraded to version 6 for $10. And, I have to say, version 6 is a worthwhile upgrade just for the improved fan control interface alone (I'm writing this even before exploring the new features and updates).
4.
My reading (OK, quick skimming) schooled me on what has been empirically obvious: Macs run hot. I also came across a mention that Steve Jobs wanted the systems to run silently, and had the fans set to lower than optimal speeds to help achieve something close to that (I have no idea whether that's true or not, but I can tell you that, IMHO, the system's fan settings are certainly lower than what they probably should be). Apple’s minimum fan speed is around 2100 rpm and, with that, my CPU was averaging 160˚ - 165˚ fahrenheit when idle – with just Apple Mail and Google Chrome running. I should also mention that temps increase to those levels when my MBP is driving my 27" Apple display. In other words, I will get reduced temperatures (about 5˚ to 10˚ fehrenheit less) when not connected to the 27" display.
5.
With iStat Menus, there is total customizability for Automatic (user-programmed) operation, and for Manual operation, as well as the ability to easily switch back to 'System Control' (Apple's default settings). As of this writing, I've set the minimum fan speed to 4000 3800 rpm (changed so it's a little quieter and still does a good job of keeping the temp down), and set it to kick-in to high speed (5800 rpm) if/when the CPU temp goes above 160˚. Again, all values are user customizable, and you can set a value at any time, manually, too.
6.
Result:
At the above settings, my CPU is now averaging 25˚ - 30˚ cooler when idle, with only Apple Mail, and Chrome running (and my reading informs me that Chrome makes the CPU work harder – so I should switch to Safari or checkout the new Firefox, possibly).
7.
I did a quick test with the apps that I frequently have running all at the same time (Apple Mail, Chrome, Photoshop, and Avid Media Composer), and iStat's fan controls worked great! I haven’t done any image or video editing yet, but I’m imagining that iStat will work well under those conditions, too. If I encounter anything negative (besides the obviously louder fans), I'll update this post.
8.
Additional Fan Noise:
Even at 4000 rpm, the fans are not as loud as you might imagine.* They're certanly a lot quieter than the fans on the laptop stand I'm presently using! BTW, when I add the laptop stand's fans to what iStat is doing (making sure they're blowing over the back vent as well as underneath), I reduce the CPU temperature another few degrees.
* Remember, too, that the user can set the fan RPM to whatever they like at any time. So, setting the minimum speed to 3000 rpm or 2500 rpm would be quieter, and still be an improvement over Apple's default speed of ~ 2100 rpm.
9.
The first screen grab below is of the iStat drop-down menu that relates to the fans. The sliders are the Manual Override controls, and right below that is a button, labeled “Edit Fan Rules," where you can customize the settings/actions (see second screen grab, below).
In the image below:
- I opted to display the CPU temperature in the menu bar, (137˚ in the picture), though you can display many other temperature stats as well, including in multiples.
- It's highlighted blue, because I was clicking on it in order to display the drop down menu. Otherwise, it's the same color as the menu bar.
- There are two RPM values diplayed (3989 and 4000) because there are two fans in the MBP.
- The sliders allow you to manually control the fan speed.
- 'Automatic' (with check mark) means iStat is controlling the fans based on your settings. 'System Controlled' means letting Apple's default programming take over (meaning slower fan speeds and higher internal temperatures).
After clicking on the "Edit Fan Rules" button (see yellow arrow, above), the fan settings are displayed (see screen grab, below). There are various customizations you can make here for even more control. I've elected just to set the Medium speed (which also becomes the minimum speed when iStat controls the fans with its "Automatic" setting) to 4000 rpm, and the High speed to 5800 rpm. Repeating from above: Set at 4000 rpm, my CPU is now averaging 25˚ - 30˚ cooler when idle (with only Apple Mail and Chrome running).
• There's a lot more information
about iStat Menus at the developer's website »
(This is not an affiliate link. I do not get anything for posting this review).
• If you have any comments or suggestions on this topic,
feel free to contact me »
I also recently purchased a stand/cooling fan. It seems perfect for MacBooks, since they have the air vents in the rear, right at the hinge point. Rather than the laptop sitting on a stand where the fans are directly underneath, this one blows air right at the vents, as well as underneath.
It's pretty quiet on ‘Low' (it has three speeds); and even on Low, it pushes a lot of air. I wouldn't want to carry it around with me everywhere or everyday, but it's great on my desk, where I'm at most of the time anyway.
• Amazon product page: amazon.com/gp/product/B075K5Z91R/r
(This is not an affiliate link. I do not get anything for posting this review).
[February 1, 2015] – Johnny Sepulveda, one of my past students, has won the Student Eddie Award at the 65th Annual American Cinema Editors Awards. He's a talented young man, and I hope I played a small part in his success. Congratulations Johnny! He competed against one hundred competitors from film schools and universities around the country. Richard Linklater, Oscar nominated director of Boyhood, presented the award.
The American Cinema Editors (ACE) is an honorary society of motion picture editors founded in 1950. Film editors are voted into membership on the basis of their professional achievements, their dedication to the education of others and their commitment to the craft of editing. The objectives and purposes of the American Cinema Editors are to advance the art and science of the editing profession; to increase the entertainment value of motion pictures by attaining artistic pre-eminence and scientific achievement in the creative art of editing; to bring into close alliance those editors who desire to advance the prestige and dignity of the editing profession.
Before A.J. McLean (Backstreet Boys) and Chad Vaccarino (A Great Big World) achieved success as singer-songwriters, I had the opportunity to work with them, when they were quite a bit younger, on two short films that I directed.
A.J. made an appearance in the award-winning, poignant drama "Tickits," which was adapted from the acclaimed short story of the same name, written by Paul Milenski. The film also Co-Stars Mark McEwen of the CBS network morning program "The Early Show." In A.J.'s scene, he calls out to the central character, a young boy named Toby.
Chad Co-Starred in the Emmy winning comedy "Paul McCall" as Josh, the leader of a trio of mischief-makers that take delight in chasing little Paul on his way home from school. Throughout the film, Paul's imagination rivals that of Walter Mitty, and we see him, Josh, and his cohorts, pulled into several of Paul's wild fantasies, including becoming race car drivers and cowboys.
Below you'll find videos of:
Chad and Ian Axel, his partner in A Great Big World, along with Christina Aguilera performing in their new music video of "Say Something." The song quickly jumped to #1 after recently being performed on NBC's "The Voice."
The comedy short film "Paul McCall" (12 minutes). Chad appears throughout the film as Josh. Details about "Paul McCall," including awards, cast, and crew, may be found by scrolling down on this page.
The complete short film "Tickits" (17 minutes). A.J.'s scene begins at about the 4 minute mark. Details about the film "Tickits," including awards, cast, and crew, may be found by scrolling down on this page. The original, award-winning short story "Tickits" by Paul Mikenski, may be found in several anthologies including "Sudden Fiction: American Short-Short Stories."
"Say Something"
"Paul McCall"
* This video must be licensed for television broadcast.
"Tickits"
* This video must be licensed for television broadcast.
Entertainment Weekly recently revealed that the lauded BBC/PBS co-production of Sherlock will premiere the much anticipated Season 3 in the US on January 19, 2014. The UK premiere date has not yet been announced.
For those not familiar with the production, Sherlock Holmes is played by Benedict Cumberbatch. US audiences have become more familar with Cumberbatch since his recent roles as Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness, and as Julian Assange in The Fifth Estate.
Holmes' collaborator, confidant, and biographer, Dr. John Watson, is portayed by Martin Freeman. Freeman is well known from such roles as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit, and as Tim in the original UK version of The Office.
Seasons 1 and 2 of Sherlock are available for streaming and/or download on Netflix, Amazon, and iTunes.
This award-winning production is another in the long list of television series and feature films that have made Avid Media Composer their editing tool of choice.
Click for larger, high resolution version of this image »
[October 7, 2013] – Steve Pang, Visual Effects Editor on Gravity, confirmed today that the film was indeed edited using Avid Media Composer. Hopefully in the days and weeks to come we'll see some interviews with the editorial team so we can learn more about the challenges of a film of this scope, and how Avid Media Composer fit into their workflow.
~ Click each image below for a larger, higher resolution version ~
[February 16, 2013] – American Film Institute first-year Editing Fellows Steve Pristin and Michael Smith were nominated for the Student Eddie Award at the 63rd Annual American Cinema Editors Awards. Steve and Michael were two of my students this year at American Film Institute. I hope I played a small part in their success. Congratulations guys! Pictured below is Student Eddie Award Winner Michael Smith with Academy Award winning actor Jon Voight, who presented the award.
Pictured below are Steve Pristin (L) and Michael Smith (R) with Acadamy Award winning editor Michael Kahn (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan).
The American Cinema Editors (ACE) is an honorary society of motion picture editors founded in 1950. Film editors are voted into membership on the basis of their professional achievements, their dedication to the education of others and their commitment to the craft of editing. The objectives and purposes of the American Cinema Editors are to advance the art and science of the editing profession; to increase the entertainment value of motion pictures by attaining artistic pre-eminence and scientific achievement in the creative art of editing; to bring into close alliance those editors who desire to advance the prestige and dignity of the editing profession.
American Film Institute
On the left is the entrance to the Sony Digital Arts Center where the Editing Fellows spend the majority of their time using the institute's 17 Avid Symphony workstations, running off a brand new Avid ISIS server. On the right is the Warner Brothers' building where they attend courses and production meetings.
David Cross, Host of the 63rd Annual ACE Eddie Awards:
The Bronx Boys Still Playing at 80 Completed
Benjamin Hershleder has completed producing, directing, and editing the feature length documentary The Bronx Boys Still Playing at 80, hosted by Carl Reiner. This film is a follow-up to the award-winning short documentary The Bronx Boys (archived web site) which was completed 10 years ago and eventually aired as part of Cinemax's Reel Life series, and on PBS. The broadcasts later lead to a story in TIME magazine about the men. The official web site is in development; in the interim, there is a Facebook page, and an IMDB page.
Avid Editing Book Published
Benjamin Hershleder has written a book on Avid Media Composer editing (core essentials and beyond) for Packt Publishing. Benjamin has been teaching the operational aspects of Avid Media Composer software since 1995, and has been an Avid Certified Instructor since 1997. He has been teaching as an adjunct professor at American Film Institute since 2007. Packt Publishing has a series of computer related books (e.g. programming) that they call "cookbooks" which include step-by-step instructions; and this book is one of the latest in that series. While the cookbook format is theirs, Benjamin worked hard to have additional information included in each chapter as well as in several appendices (at 435 pages it's packed full of helpful information). So, there are a lot of demystifying explanations for both how and why to do things, along with many sanity-saving tips and tricks. If the final stages of publishing stay on track, it should be available January 1, 2013 (or earlier). Also visit the Facebook page.
[February 20, 2012] – Eric Kench was awarded the Student Eddie Award at the 62nd Annual American Cinema Editors Awards. Eric received his award from Academy Award Winning Editor Anne V. Coates (Lawrence of Arabia, Erin Brockovich). If you wish to get in contact with Eric, his professional email address is EricKenchEdits [at] gmail.com, and his LinkedIn page may be found here.
Eric was one of my students in several courses. I hope I helped in a small way with his success. Congratulations Eric!
The American Cinema Editors (ACE) is an honorary society of motion picture editors founded in 1950. Film editors are voted into membership on the basis of their professional achievements, their dedication to the education of others and their commitment to the craft of editing. The objectives and purposes of the American Cinema Editors are to advance the art and science of the editing profession; to increase the entertainment value of motion pictures by attaining artistic pre-eminence and scientific achievement in the creative art of editing; to bring into close alliance those editors who desire to advance the prestige and dignity of the editing profession.
[July 3, 2011 - Posted by Benjamin Hershleder] – Over the past few days, in the wake of Apple's release of FCPX, I've seen a couple of posts where folks are deciding not to consider using Avid Media Composer simply based on how the company operated (or is perceived to have operated) in the past, rather than if they provide editing tools that fulfill their professional needs. It pains me, as someone who is not only entrenched in the Avid world but also aware of the system's many strengths and capabilities, to hear that folks continue to carry negative feelings toward Avid Technology. I hope Avid can eventually change people's perceptions of them from the past, and I know they're working very hard at doing just that.
What I can tell you is that the new leadership (in place for the past few years) really is working to listen to the users and be a partner with post production professionals. This Variety story, covering the award given to Avid by the American Cinema Editors (ACE) is one indication of that:
"Harry B. Miller III, an ACE board member and head of the org's technology committee, said Avid "has always had the superior product" among editing software packages, but recently the company has also gone out of its way to solicit feedback from editors and shape the product to their needs.
Apple, by contrast, has been slow to improve Final Cut Pro. Miller said, 'Apple and Final Cut Pro doesn't listen, doesn't respond, doesn't solicit our opinion.'"
And just a small bit of my own anecdotal evidence is that in the recent past top executives have also attended several gatherings here in the Los Angeles area at Alpha Dogs, and top executives will be coming to L.A. again on July 13th – details of where are yet to be announced, but the visit is mentioned in this blog post by Avid President and CEO Gary Greenfield where he reiterates Avid's commitment to professional editors' needs:
"...during the last couple of weeks.... the discussion has been both passionate and personal, because this is about your livelihood.
For Avid, making great video and audio products to serve the needs of professionals - top editors, whether for film, theatrical, television, broadcasters, major film and music studios, or independent film producers is our lifeblood. You can depend on us to be thinking about your needs first."
In addition, Avid has numerous employees listening and interacting with customers in many ways, including various email lists, the Avid Community Forums, and of course the requisite social media sites such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.
I'm also well aware that Premiere is a strong and swiftly maturing application, very similar in a lot of ways to FCP, with a great company behind it. I'm a huge fan of Photoshop & After Effects myself; and with the recent CS5.5 update I'm very interested in exploring Premiere too (when I can find the time!).
What I hope is that folks will take a look at Avid Media Composer 5.5. Additions like "Smart Tool," "Avid Media Access" (which they call "AMA"), Real Time Audio Suite (RTAS) plug-ins, and the ability to mix SD and HD of different frame rates (powered by the amazing "Fluid Motion Engine"), are just some of the many changes to the application over the years. Are changes still needed? I think so – support for more 3rd party hardware, 64 bit architecture, and background rendering are just a few examples of things I think would be mighty nice. Version 6 is right around the corner, so who knows what the future holds.
Even though I use and teach Avid, I'm one to recommend the right tool for a particular job. So, if Premiere is a viable tool for a certain job, I'm all for using it (just as I was for FCP). In the end, what I hope folks don't do is what my mom used to call "cutting off your nose to spite your face." Check out Avid Media Composer (you can even use it for free for a month) and see if it's the professional tool you were looking for or, at minimum, if it has a place in your digital toolbox.
Links:
- Avid's $995 special for FCP users from July 5 - September 30
- $995 Media Composer for FCP Users Promotion FAQ
- Information on Avid Media Composer version 5.5
- 30 Day Free Trial of Media Composer 5.5
- Free Tutorial for FCP users on using Avid Media Composer
- Free Tutorial on Avid Media Composer Basics
- Information on the private Avid training provided by Benjamin Hershleder
– Updated July 4, 2011 with screen grab, quotes and links
– SEO Terms: switch, change, replace, cross-grade, apple final cut pro, fcp, fcp7, suite, adobe, premiere, avid, media composer
[July 1, 2011] – What a busy last few days it has been, since the release of Apple's FCPX editing application, keeping up with all the reviews and viral videos. With many "Legacy FCP" users feeling abandoned, the two major companies offering the alternative editing applications Adobe Premiere Pro and Avid Media Composer have quickly weighed in on the change in the marketplace.
Adobe's Steve Forde reached out to those feeling disaffected, saying in part "Adobe has and will continue to focus on EARNING the right to be your tools of choice as you tell your story, and deliver professional content. We know that not all is perfect, but we will LISTEN, engage in dialogue and constantly improve our software."
Steve Forde and Al Mooney, in what can only be described as a refreshing move, also reached out to editor/blogger Jeffery Harrell who made a video relating his disappointment and frustration with FCPX which quickly went viral. Near the end of his blog post about his candid interaction with Forde and Mooney, Harrell perfectly relates how we all feel by saying "...sometimes it’s good to have a vendor who treats you like a partner, rather than a customer. Sometimes it’s good to work with somebody who listens more than they speak, somebody who gets where you’re coming from and wants to help you get where you want to go, rather than telling you where you should go."
Avid Technology President & CEO Gary Greenfield also reached out today, announcing that a cross-grade pricing incentive which had ended on June 17 would be revived. The special $995 pricing of Avid's industry leading Media Composer application will be available from July 6 through the end of September for owners of any release of Final Cut Pro (except FCPX). Curious users can also test drive Avid Media Composer 5.5 by taking advantage of their 30 day free trial.
With Adobe also offering a free trial of Premiere Pro, editors will be spending a good deal of time over the next 30 days kicking the tires and taking Avid Media Composer and Adobe Premiere Pro out for a spin, figuring out which of these tools they'll decide to drive for the long haul.
– SEO Terms: switch, change, replace, cross-grade, apple final cut pro, fcp, fcp7, suite, adobe, premiere, avid, media composer
[June 26, 2011] – If the fact that Final Cut Studio is no longer in the Apple Store and FCS links redirect to FCPX...
or if the numerous news outlets and blogs reporting that FCP7 (a.k.a. "Legacy FCP") is "End of Lifed" and in some cases that Apple is requesting retailers to send back their copies of FCS still doesn't convince folks of the end of development for this software along the FCP7 code-base, then here are Apple Product Managers discussing FCPX (excerpts below).
At no time do they mention continued development of "Legacy FCP" on that code-base. One would imagine that if they were going to concurrently develop "Legacy FCP" that they'd say that very loudly and very clearly. It sure would end a lot of the Apple bashing that's happening. Right? Read more »
Stand By Me
This rendition of Ben E. Kings's Stand By Me started in Santa Monica, California
and then traveled around the world, adding performers all along the way.
Playing For Change Web Site | Buy Song At iTunes | Buy CD & DVD at Amazon
Bob Marley's One Love
Playing For Change Web Site | Buy Song At iTunes | Buy CD & DVD at Amazon
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