Is windows the best environment for editing?

farss wrote on 11/5/2006, 6:08 AM
I'd started writing a really long post and then thought I could sum it all up with a simple question.
How can we have a button, just one button, that makes the T/L play regardless of anything, no matter where in Vegas you are, all it does is Play. And using that button doesn't do anything else, again regardless of whatever else you're doing in Vegas.
If not, why not and what would it take to make it so.

Comments

TLF wrote on 11/5/2006, 6:28 AM
Isn't that what F12 does?

Worley
JohnnyRoy wrote on 11/5/2006, 6:31 AM
I believe F12 will always play the timeline. I also have a macro programmed into my Shuttle Pro 2 that performs Alt+0, Enter. The Alt+0 sets the focus to the timeline and Enter starts Play. If you don't have a Shuttle Pro 2, this is a good excuse to buy one. ;-)

~jr
TheHappyFriar wrote on 11/5/2006, 9:45 AM
doesn't CTRL+SPACE do the same thing (it's what I use)?

EDIT: why are you asking about Windows in the subject (the message has nothing to do with the subject)
TLF wrote on 11/5/2006, 11:09 AM
Probably it WAS a relevant title before the really long initial post was shortened...

Worley
farss wrote on 11/5/2006, 12:54 PM
It has everything to do with Windows or OSX for that matter (I think).
I've only got the early Shuttle Pro so I think no macro capability but even so the macro shifts focus back to the T/L.
That seems to me to be the issue, the whole focus thing. The T/L can continue to run even when it's lost focus but all control input only goes to whatever has focus, there's no way to have a dedicated device that sends controls messages directly to the T/L.
Simple example. I open a FX dialogue, all keyboard, mouse and Shuttle input now interacts with the FX window, I cannot operate the transport controls on the T/L and adjust the FX paramaters, well OK, I could but only using automation.
By comparison if I was to feed the output of a VCR through a hardware processor of some kind all the controls on the devices are completely independant. I can use the play, pause, jog controls on the VCR and at the same time adjust say the Eq settings on a hardware processor.
Hope this makes sense.

Bob.
Former user wrote on 11/5/2006, 1:04 PM
You make sense, but that is the problem with running an NLE on a non-dedicated computer. You have softkeys. Programmers love softkeys, but I am like you, I prefer dedicated keys.

You will be hardpressed to find any NLE that has dedicated buttons though.

Dave T2
Grazie wrote on 11/5/2006, 1:21 PM
It is mad that we sample DV at all to "1"s and "0"s at high speed. I want the ability to have full dynamic 35mm sized chips that capture gorgeous material.

The "better" question would be to ask is the digital environment a cul-de-sac?

Just me musing . . . . I got more!

G
farss wrote on 11/5/2006, 1:34 PM
Sorry Grazie, you just missed the chance to reserve a RED.

It's NOT a problem with the digital world, after all DV is 1s and 0s at acquisition. And you can edit it in exactly the way I'm describing, don't even need a PC (or a Mac).

But that's diverging from the topic.

Thinking about it, it might be doable but not simply, the T/L would need its own device driver to communicate with the control device. I think the problem originates using the general purpose keyboard device as a control device. I'd have thought the MCU gets around this but reading several posts about issues with that it seems even its transport controls are working through keyboard emulation.

Bob.
TheHappyFriar wrote on 11/5/2006, 1:42 PM
that's correct but that's not os related but software related. My wife uses some transcribing software that always accepts commands from the function keys when it's open, even when it's not in focus. ALT+0 focus's to the TL, so if you had a macro that did that you could put focus back on the TL & then your controls would work again.

I setup my mouse so that ALT+0 & F12 were macro'd & it worked perfectly.

Check out some gaming hardware, such as the Belkin N50. that could do what you like I belive.