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final cut studio vs. express

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dudeck21

i am just in the process of making my first film and i am going to purchase new software. i own a macbook, not the pro however, and i was wondering if i should just get final cut express or pony up the extra cash and get final cut studio. thank you for your input
 
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As with all things there are trade-offs for going "lite." I'm an audio editor (Pro Tools) so don't use NLEs, but I interface with editors all the time. FCE does not export OMF, which almost every sound editor will need, so if you are going to work with a sound editor you will have another possibly costly step. If you are going to DIY the audio FCE audio implementation is very minimal. The same is true for FCP, but FCP comes with STP (Sound Track Pro) which, although not great, is a vast step up from what FCP or FCE offers. I'm sure that others will chime in on functionalities, plug-ins and workflow with regards to FCE vs. FCP.
 
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Because it's so cheap, man I can't think of any reason not to just get FCP. Without question, it offers more bang for the buck than any NLE in history.
...and I say that as one of the longest avid Avid fans on the planet. I've worked with every NLE at some point and there are things I love and hate about em all. Pound for pound, FCP simply offers the most for the dollar. It can grow with you as your needs grow. That's a powerful thing.
 
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FCE offers a liter version of STP in SoundTrack. The main differences it has is that it only supports consumer digital formats and won't batch import. there are other small differences, but that's just that program. FCP ships only as part of Studio which comes with Motion, STP, Color, DVD Studio Pro and Compressor. It's a powerful package altogether and the extra functionality is worth the extra money, even if the specific differences within the final cut packages aren't enough of a selling point, having a full suite of dedicated packages at your disposal may sway you when making the decision.
 
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