Creatvie Cow tries out the new MC Color controller from Euphonix

Creatvie Cow by Walter Biscardi Jr.

Apple Color has brought a powerful color enhancement tool to the masses much like Final Cut Pro did for editing when it was released. What was once possible with only a high end hardware based system, like daVinci, was now in the hands of anyone with $999 who purchases Final Cut Studio. What has finally started to appear on the landscape are reasonably priced hardware controllers that emulates the same controls used by colorists for years.

No longer the domain of $15,000 specialized hardware, we now have choices from about $1,500 to $7,000 (US) to run and operate Apple Color. To date I’ve had the opportunity to test and use the JL Cooper Eclipse and the Tangent Wave controllers. Now the folks at Euphonix have invited me to try out the new MC Color controller.

I’m going to follow the same article structure as my original Tangent Wave review so you can compare and contrast the two products easier.

THE HARDWARE

Now first of all, the system we’re testing this panel on.

• Mac Pro 2.93 8-Core "Nehalem" processors with 16GB RAM
• ATI 4870 Graphics Card
• AJA Kona 3 Video Card
• 24” Dell Monitor and 22” Viewsonic Monitors driven off the single ATI
• FSI 2450W Reference Monitor
• At the time of testing we’re running Final Cut Studio 3 with the Color 1.5.1 update.
• At the time of this testing we’re using the EU Control 2.5.3.66099

As with my previous testing on the Tangent Wave I asked my buddy Ron Anderson to come over and give his impressions as well. He’s a 30 year colorist who operates daVinci, Scratch and Color among others. He’s also extensively used the full set of Tangent panels with Color in a DI suite along with the new JL Cooper Eclipse panel.

OUT OF THE BOX.

So first impressions out of the box. Sleek, low profile and very solid. The surface of the controller has a nice matte rubberized finish giving a nice feel for your hands. Buttons and controls are nicely done, they feel solid and are very quiet. It’s plastic, much like the Tangent Wave, but that rubberized matte finish and the silver appearance of the buttons definitely makes it feel a little more polished. read more...