Editing 4 x 4K concert video from external HD (not SSD), or move project into internal SSD?

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Level 1

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Editing 4 x 4K concert video from external HD (not SSD), or move project into internal SSD?

I am going to edit a concert video. 4 cameras (4K) and separate audio. Total of 680 GB video.

FCP 10.6.5. OS 14.8.1. Mac Studio M1, 64 GB ram.

I am quite new to FCP, but since I work on a daily basis with Logic Pro X, I thought I would be able to get into FCP too.

I have tried to do the Multicam edits with the raw files on a LaCie external disk (4TB - not SSD), but it seems to be too slow. I have tried to create proxy files / transcoding - but the transcoding process is always hanging. And even when I set the location for transcoded files to be on my internal 4TB SSD disk, it lands on the external Lacie.

I am concidering to move the whole project into the internal SSD. Is that the best option?

Thanks for help!

Mac Studio, macOS 14.8

Posted on Oct 22, 2025 11:02 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Luis Sequeira1

Level 9

72,720 points

Oct 22, 2025 12:24 PM in response to GlobalHouse

In this day and age, editing from a rotating hard drive should only be a last resort - especially dealing with multicam, and large format files. The HD will be a severe bottleneck.

In the internal, or other SSD, you will probably be able to edit with original media.

It used to be recommended to not edit using the internal drive, but now with very fast and large internal SSD, the old caution about using the system drive for editing no longer applies - provided that you have enough space.

Creating proxies on the internal, as mentioned, would be a good solution as well. No idea why it's failing, though.

Regarding the location where proxy media is created: this is determined on a library by library basis: select the library, open the inspector, and next to Storage Locations click "Modify settings". The Media location is what you need to set. This affects not just where proxies or optimized media are created by also where media that you copy to the library goes. When importing your large files, you should "leave in place", so those files won't be copied.

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Answer 2

terryb

Level 4

3,334 points

Oct 22, 2025 11:33 AM in response to GlobalHouse

Is the external spinning disk is formatted as MacOS Extended, or ExFAT? FCP wants MacOS Extended for spinning disks and APFS for SSDs.

I'd try proxies again before moving everything to the internal.

Don't select the multicams themselves to be transcoded, just their constituent clips - I've recently had FCP stall when trying to transcode multicams. If you are automatically hiding the clips after creating multicams you'll need to go to View->Browser->Show Hidden Clips. Hide clips in the browser in Final Cut Pro for Mac - Apple Support

If you're still having issues, try resetting FCP preferences. Hold Option and Command while launching FCP and choose Delete Settings. It will open the default Untitled library. Re-open the library you were working on, set the Settings back to the way you like them (disable Background rendering, etc.) and see if the issue has been resolved.

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