Your cost concerns are understandable and similar opinions have been raised many times on the Lightworks forum with several Console users pointing out the high initial costs of R&D, the quality of the switch contacts and general engineering quality of the jog/shuttle mechanism when compared with cheaper, mass produced items. Is there a way to get that shark off the screen? I'd really like to have that space for my timeline. I'm still trying to "get it", in terms of the hoopla. The people who seem to "buy in" to Lightworks seem really rabid about it. I'd bet if it was $250, they'd sell a ton. It is a staggering amount of money to pay for a controller. And they don't sell the X-Keys that I know of.
Whilst not as ergonomic as the genuine Lightworks Console, at only $250, the X_Keys device offers exceptionally precise editing and speed compared with a mouse and it can be hardware or software programmed for control over any NLE or audio software. I personally use the new 'X-Keys 68' USB Jog/Shuttle device with it's 68 programmable backlit keys. That state of affairs will soon change, and it can't be soon enough for me." While third-party console implementations may come close, none give the smooth shuttle/jog capabilities that the LW console does.Īt the moment I'm without my console. The bulk of the edit takes place between the dedicated console and the mouse/trackball. The speed that the console gives Lightworks cannot be overstated. But the major aid was the Lightworks console. One was the comparative simplicity of the LW interface compared to the Avid UI, especially as regards trimming. Let me repeat that: the Lightworks cut took three-eighths of the time that the Avid process did. From end of shoot to finished episodes took one and a half days with the the Lightworks-based series, again, excluding digitise times.
Both had roughly the same amount of location footage, and both drew on the same pool of freelance directors.įrom end of shoot to finished episodes of the Avid-based series took four days, excluding digitise times. Both series were shot the same way - single camera location, multi-camera direct switched studio. One was a Lightworks install, the other was an Avid Media Composer install. I was quite coincidentally involved in the implementation of NLE editing on two popular five-nights-a-week soap operas in the early '90s. "To add a little practical user perspective, here's an example from the real world. This quote is lifted form a forum discussion on the merits of the optional Lightworks hardware 'Console' vs other Jog/Shuttle devices: Although this recent quote from a senior Melbourne editor refers to an earlier implemenation of Avid, his comments are worth noting here. Personally, I have only had limited Avid experience but many Lightworks users are comfortably across both NLEs. Marc previously asked: "What specific advantages does Lightworks have over Avid 7?"