How do you open Sony Alpha a7R MXF video in FCP X?

If your FCP X reports an import error or something similar while handling Sony Alpha a7R MXF files, you may wish to read this tutorial. We write it to help those who are meeting problems working with Sony Alpha a7R MXF footage in Final Cut Pro X. It presents a way of converting Sony Alpha a7R MXF files to ProRes codec for use in FCP X smoothly.

"Hi guys, I've been struggling with one problem none has been able to fix so far. I'm editing some MXF files coming from a Sony Alpha a7R through FCP X. For some reason the Sony Alpha a7R .mxf files are imported without any audio. I have processed a lot of Sony Alpha a7R MXF videos in the past without any issues at all and I'm following exactly the same procedure - the only change is that I have updated my OS to High Sierra. This is really strange and I'm wondering if it's related to some update in FCP X and if anyone else has experienced a similar issue. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!"

This is a known issue between FCP X and macOS High Sierra. One solution is transcoding Sony Alpha a7R MXF media to ProRes codec first, then import into FCP X. Check a guide on how to process Sony Alpha a7R MXF to ProRes conversion for FCP X editing.

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How to transcode Sony Alpha a7R MXF footage to ProRes for FCP X editing?

To transcode Sony Alpha a7R MXF video files to ProRes, do as below:

Video Converter (It is available for Mac, simply download the proper version depending on your computer.)

Step 1: Start up Video Converter for Mac and click "Add File" to load Sony Alpha a7R MXF video files that you need to convert into this program. This converter supports batch conversion, so you can import a bundle of Sony Alpha a7R MXF files into it to do conversion at a time.

Step 2: Click "Profile" to select output format. We would recommend choosing "Final Cut Pro" > "Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov)" as output format. Apple ProRes is FCP X's favorite editing codec, which FCP X will recognize and handle well.

Tips: If necessary, you can click "Settings" button to modify video and audio parameters like encoder, resolution, frame rate, bitrate, aspect ratio, sample rate, and audio channels. You can also "Enable 3D Settings" to add 3D effect to your source media.

Step 3: Start MXF files conversion. Click "Convert" to start Sony Alpha a7R MXF files to ProRes conversion. As soon as the conversion is complete, click "Open Folder" to get the generated files for editing in Premiere Pro on your Mac with optimum performance.