Setting up an editing studio.

A forum to share ideas and opinions on the equipment and technical aspects of film, video and AV making.
Ken Wilson
Posts: 164
Joined: Mon Jan 29, 2007 11:17 pm

Re: Setting up an editing studio.

Post by Ken Wilson »

Hi Mike and Col. Thanks for all the information and to Col for a very detailed requirements list. It is greatly appreciated. I will print out your posting on here and then investigate what the local computer shop can do and what they say about their prices including their charges for assembly and of course will let you know what happens next.
The Avid system I first had was found via an article in a computer magazine someone showed me at work. It was obviously a cut down version of the professional one and I would think with the right computer would have worked fine.
But I had never even USED a PC at that time. I didn`t know what a mouse did, how to open or save a file...nothing! So learnt about computers and video editing at the same time. It was all completely mad and more than an uphill struggle or a steep learning curve, more a baptism of fire. The Avid was eventually sold on when I switched to Adobe Premiere.
ned c
Posts: 910
Joined: Mon Jan 29, 2007 3:39 pm
Location: Dammeron Valley USA

Re: Setting up an editing studio.

Post by ned c »

No one has mentioned screens, I do suggest two computer screens so that you have lots of room for the "big picture" and information; all NLEs these days are designed to provide a two screen view as well as a one screen view. I have two 23 inch Dell screens that are very good. If you work in HD the timeline will not play out to a monitor as it will with DV; I have a Black Magic Intensity card to do this to a 27 inch HD video monitor.

ned c
Ken Wilson
Posts: 164
Joined: Mon Jan 29, 2007 11:17 pm

Re: Setting up an editing studio.

Post by Ken Wilson »

UPDATE:
Well I copied the list which Col placed on this forum and after removing the prices, e-mailed it to a specialist computer editing company within easy reach of us here, asking for a quote. I have just received a reply this morning. There were one or two component changes to Cols list including this comment:

I have priced for WD hard drives as I have found the Samsung to fail quite often. I have also priced for the larger 64Mb cache drive that we always use for video editing on all except the system drive.
I can't find the LG drive number you listed so I have quoted for the LG Blu-Ray writer we build in to our systems.


Apart from that, I have a quote to include the build and software installation but not VAT. It is £1595 which seems way too high to me. This would mean after adding 20% VAT we would be looking at about £1900 and this doesn`t include a monitor!

I also note Ned`s comments about monitors. I don`t know what it meant by: "If you work in HD the timeline will not play out to a monitor." I presume you mean a second monitor?

So currently paying over £2000 is not justified by the demand for HD. I will need to investigate further.
ned c
Posts: 910
Joined: Mon Jan 29, 2007 3:39 pm
Location: Dammeron Valley USA

Re: Setting up an editing studio.

Post by ned c »

Apologies Ken. The timeline will play on the computer monitor when working in HD but will not play out to a TV monitor as DV will. There is so much information being processed it needs a special card in the computer, I use the Black Magic Intensity, to feed the external TV monitor. I use a 27inch LCD HDTV as my video monitor plus the two Dell monitors as the computer monitors.

ned c
Ken Wilson
Posts: 164
Joined: Mon Jan 29, 2007 11:17 pm

Re: Setting up an editing studio.

Post by Ken Wilson »

Here is the latest on the search for a new PC to edit HD.
I don`t know what I should expect to pay for the cost of the actual build, in other words, labour. Col gave me the prices of each item and it appears from this that about £500 has been added on quote 1 for the actual building of it. I don`t know how long this should take. Two days? Or longer? But that seems quite high.
I have asked for a lower price/ lower spec, but still a fully operational system and quote 2 has shaved about £300 off but sacrificing some memory and speed it would seem.
No definite decisions have yet been made, but it seems keeping to my £1000 budget is going to be tough.
I could try a local computer shop out of town, but they may not have the experience. Negotiations are on-going.
Mike Shaw

Re: Setting up an editing studio.

Post by Mike Shaw »

It's a shame you don't know anyone who is capable of putting a machine together - I'm in the same position and have to resort to the shops. I'm told it's 'ever so easy' to build a PC ... but I don't believe it - not with all the setting up and 'matching components' that has to be done - especially if you don't understand all the terminology and what the connections mean/are for/etc. In the end it could be even more expensive getting it sorted out! So I feel for you. Ideally, the 'builder' would also install and test that the editing software runs on it without problems - and that implies they understand the software usage. That's one of the reasons I went to DVC in Hove - I don't know if they're more or less expensive than anywhere else, but they know video editing software and that to me was a big blessing, and their after-sales support is superb. Rather a long way from Yorkshire though!!

As for time to build - I don't know, but it was two weeks from me ordering to picking it up - I think it was built in a day or so, and then tested for most of the rest of the time on a 'real edit' using the software I was going to use, to make sure it performed all the basic functions without any problems.
col lamb
Posts: 680
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:51 pm
Location: Preston, Lancashire

Re: Setting up an editing studio.

Post by col lamb »

Whilst building or modifying your own PC is fairly easy it is not for the nervous.

With every motherboard that I have used in the last fifteen years of PC building they have all come with a quick start fitting leaflet and a big manual, the big manual can be safely stored away and not used. The quick start guide goes through the steps in a logical sequence. The hardest part is seeing the text on the small connectors for reset, hdd led, internal speaker which go into equally small labelled connectors on the motherboard.

From unpacking to boot should take about 2 hours if you know what you are doing and about 6 if you are a first timer. Installing a new operating system is the most time consuming part of the process.

If there is sufficient interest I'll write a series for FVM on how build/modify.

On the other hand I can build and supply a PC or modify an existing one to suit a given budget, if anyone is interested send me a private message.
Col Lamb
Preston, Lancashire.
FCPX, Edius6.02, and Premiere CS 5.5 user.
Find me on Facebook, Colin Lamb
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