Final Cut Pro Tip #041

Final Cut Pro Tip #041 – Out of Control

Final Cut Pro is very flexible when it comes to device control. And Firewire sure has made things easy, with a one cable does it all connection. However, if you use a video capture card, there are many more cables to connect including control.

Most professional decks have an RS 422 (or RS 232) data port, which will send your video card and FCP the timecode information and let you control the deck. There are times however, that may not work for you needs. While there are many different ways you can use this tip, here is a specific example.

Your video source is on DV, but you want to use your AJA Kona card to upconvert the DV footage to HD. You can’t use the Firewire cable since you have to go through the Kona, and you only have a DSR-11, with no RS 422 control. What do you do? Easy, use the Firewire cable for control, and the Kona as your capture device. This will allow the video to come in via the Kona and the control and timecode information over firewire.

Final Cut Pro will allow you to split your device control and capture device between two sources. While this may not be something that you will need to use every day, it is a useful tip to keep in mind. One of the easiest places you can change these settings, is in the capture settings tab of the log and capture window. Just remember this will change your easy set up, so when you are done, you may want to remember to change it back.