Apple Upgrades FCPX with XML In and Out, Xsan Support, Free 30-Day Trial

Apple tried to get in front of user complaints about Final Cut Pro X this morning — and tried to get more users in front of FCPX — by releasing v 10.0.1 of the app. It includes XML in and out, Xsan support, and a new Roles tag for labeling audio and video clips that’s intended to take the place of track-based systems (denoting dialogue, music, effects, etc) for easy versioning and localization. And Apple really wants you to give the software a shot, offering a free 30-day trial version (that doesn’t interfere with a legacy FCP install) for the first time ever. The update is free for all FCPX users, as well.

In what looks to be a break from policy, Apple is even offering the broadest hints of a roadmap for the software, promising that “Multicam Editing” and “Broadcast-Quality Video Monitoring” are on deck for 2012. We’re hoping those features show up sooner rather than later — we’re guessing Apple will want them ready for NAB.

StudioDaily’s Beth Marchant is getting a close-up demo this afternoon, so come back to the site later for more complete coverage. For now, you can visit Apple’s info page to learn more about what’s new in FCPX.