Dear Davinci Resolve Support Team,
I hope this message finds you well, amidst the symphony of chaos that seems to ensue whenever I dare to open Davinci Resolve on my trusty M2 Max Macbook Pro. Ah, where do I even begin?
Since embracing Davinci Resolve into my creative life back in the mystical era of October 2023, it's been a rollercoaster ride that I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy. Bugs, glitches, and gremlins have become my closest companions, and let me tell you, they aren't the best conversationalists.
Trying to navigate through the labyrinth of issues has become my new favorite pastime, although I must admit, it's more frustrating than trying to teach a cat to do tricks. And believe me, I've tried. From random crashes to inexplicable playback delays that make me question the laws of physics, Davinci Resolve seems to have developed a mind of its own, and it's not a particularly cooperative one.
Now, I'm not one to point fingers, but I can't help but wonder if the Davinci team decided to skip quality control altogether and leave it to the whims of fate. Do you even let professionals take this software for a spin before releasing it into the wild? It feels like trying to tame a wild stallion with a toothpick.
In my 18-year career journey through the wild west of creative software, I've never felt the urge to call for a refund as strongly as I do now. And trust me, it's not a decision I take lightly. I've developed a bond with my hard-earned $300, and I'm not about to throw it into the abyss without a fight.
But let's delve into the nitty-gritty, shall we? Why does the built-in EQ decide to take a vacation whenever I try to work with retimed clips?
And don't get me started on the enigma that is the non existent rendering cache for compound and nested timeline clips (a feature requested all the way from the distant 2016 - 8 years ago!!!). It's feels like trying to squeeze water from a stone.
And let's talk about the Fairlight page. Oh, the tales I could tell! Why, oh why, does it decide to take a siesta every time I dare to use a few measly Waves plugins on my master chain? It's like a magician's disappearing act, only less impressive and infinitely more aggravating.
And speaking of playback, why does it feel like I've entered a parallel universe where real time sound effects have a delayed reaction again with compound clips on the timeline, like they're waiting for an invitation to the party after I hit play? They are called real-time for a reason. I assure you, it's not a remix I ever wanted to hear.
The UI slows down when scrolling around in the timeline if audio scrubbing is on at the same time as voice isolation.
Let's not forget the curious case of being able to optimize media from the timeline but not proxy media. One works but is almost deprecated, while the other decides to play hide-and-seek with my sanity. And speaking of hide and seek - why was the "Remove Optimized Media" Removed???
And last but certainly not least, why, in the year 2024, do I find myself performing a bizarre ritual of slider dances just to coax the stabilizer into re-enabling the stabilizer button after I roll or trim a clip? It's like trying to appease a tech-savvy deity with offerings of sliders and trimmings.
So here I am, baring my soul to you, dear Davinci Resolve Support Team. I'm not asking for the moon and stars, just a little sanity in this chaotic creative cosmos. Let's turn this and many other tales of frustration into one of triumph, shall we?
Yours in both exasperation and hope,
Nikos
I hope this message finds you well, amidst the symphony of chaos that seems to ensue whenever I dare to open Davinci Resolve on my trusty M2 Max Macbook Pro. Ah, where do I even begin?
Since embracing Davinci Resolve into my creative life back in the mystical era of October 2023, it's been a rollercoaster ride that I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy. Bugs, glitches, and gremlins have become my closest companions, and let me tell you, they aren't the best conversationalists.
Trying to navigate through the labyrinth of issues has become my new favorite pastime, although I must admit, it's more frustrating than trying to teach a cat to do tricks. And believe me, I've tried. From random crashes to inexplicable playback delays that make me question the laws of physics, Davinci Resolve seems to have developed a mind of its own, and it's not a particularly cooperative one.
Now, I'm not one to point fingers, but I can't help but wonder if the Davinci team decided to skip quality control altogether and leave it to the whims of fate. Do you even let professionals take this software for a spin before releasing it into the wild? It feels like trying to tame a wild stallion with a toothpick.
In my 18-year career journey through the wild west of creative software, I've never felt the urge to call for a refund as strongly as I do now. And trust me, it's not a decision I take lightly. I've developed a bond with my hard-earned $300, and I'm not about to throw it into the abyss without a fight.
But let's delve into the nitty-gritty, shall we? Why does the built-in EQ decide to take a vacation whenever I try to work with retimed clips?
And don't get me started on the enigma that is the non existent rendering cache for compound and nested timeline clips (a feature requested all the way from the distant 2016 - 8 years ago!!!). It's feels like trying to squeeze water from a stone.
And let's talk about the Fairlight page. Oh, the tales I could tell! Why, oh why, does it decide to take a siesta every time I dare to use a few measly Waves plugins on my master chain? It's like a magician's disappearing act, only less impressive and infinitely more aggravating.
And speaking of playback, why does it feel like I've entered a parallel universe where real time sound effects have a delayed reaction again with compound clips on the timeline, like they're waiting for an invitation to the party after I hit play? They are called real-time for a reason. I assure you, it's not a remix I ever wanted to hear.
The UI slows down when scrolling around in the timeline if audio scrubbing is on at the same time as voice isolation.
Let's not forget the curious case of being able to optimize media from the timeline but not proxy media. One works but is almost deprecated, while the other decides to play hide-and-seek with my sanity. And speaking of hide and seek - why was the "Remove Optimized Media" Removed???
And last but certainly not least, why, in the year 2024, do I find myself performing a bizarre ritual of slider dances just to coax the stabilizer into re-enabling the stabilizer button after I roll or trim a clip? It's like trying to appease a tech-savvy deity with offerings of sliders and trimmings.
So here I am, baring my soul to you, dear Davinci Resolve Support Team. I'm not asking for the moon and stars, just a little sanity in this chaotic creative cosmos. Let's turn this and many other tales of frustration into one of triumph, shall we?
Yours in both exasperation and hope,
Nikos
MBPro 16" M2 Max 38GPU 64GB 2TB - Resolve 19b1 / macOS 14.4.1
Filmmaker, photographer & sound engineer with 20 years of grinding my teeth. Computer science and audio production degrees.
Davinci Resolve & Final Cut Pro.
Filmmaker, photographer & sound engineer with 20 years of grinding my teeth. Computer science and audio production degrees.
Davinci Resolve & Final Cut Pro.