Questions
A MIDI controller for Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro has no MIDI learn and no MIDI settings. It listens to the keyboard. So a MIDI pad controller or a box of knobs runs Final Cut the same way a game controller does: something in between turns each pad and knob into one of Final Cut's shortcuts. InputConfig is that something, free on the Mac App Store, and it finds a class-compliant MIDI device over USB or Bluetooth MIDI with no driver. Here is a layout for a pad controller with a few knobs.
The pad layout
Pads and keys act as buttons and stay held while you hold them. Add a row per pad, press Scan, hit the pad, and pick the key.
| Pad or knob | Final Cut key | Job |
|---|---|---|
| Pad 1 | J | Play reverse; again for faster |
| Pad 2 | K | Stop |
| Pad 3 | L | Play forward; again for faster |
| Pad 4 | Space | Play and pause |
| Pad 5 | I | Set range start |
| Pad 6 | O | Set range end |
| Pad 7 | Command-B | Blade at the playhead |
| Pad 8 | M | Add marker |
| Knob 1, Turn mode | Right Arrow clockwise, Left Arrow counterclockwise | Jog a frame at a time |
| Knob 2, Turn mode | Command-Plus clockwise, Command-Minus counterclockwise | Zoom the timeline |
| Knob 3, Dial mode | Horizontal mouse wheel | Move along the timeline, faster the further you turn |
The keys come from Apple's Final Cut Pro shortcut list. Option-L and Option-J (half speed forward and reverse) and Option-M (marker with a name) are good choices for spare pads.
InputConfig is free on the Mac App Store. macOS 14 or later, no account, no tracking, open source.
Knobs: Turn and Dial
A knob can be read three ways. Turn fires a short nudge every few steps of rotation, clockwise for one row and counterclockwise for the other, which is how a knob becomes a jog wheel. Turn Step sets how far you turn per frame; at the default, a knob turned from one end stop to the other gives about 32 steps. Dial treats the centre as zero, like a stick: the further from centre, the faster the output runs, which suits scrolling. Switch fires once past halfway, for pedals and buttons that send CC. The built-in MIDI: Knob Deck preset has a Turn-mode knob on the arrow keys and a Dial-mode wheel on scrolling to copy from. To find what a knob sends, open the Live Visualizer's MIDI view and turn it.
One controller for Final Cut and your DAW
If the same pad controller also plays drums in Logic or GarageBand, give the Final Cut preset an auto-switch entry for Final Cut Pro. When Final Cut comes to the front the pads send its shortcuts, and when you leave it the preset that was running before comes back. Turn automatic switching on in Settings, Advanced first. Note that InputConfig listens alongside other apps, so the notes still reach your DAW if it is also listening to that controller.
Premiere and Resolve
The same table works with a few changes. In Premiere Pro, the cut at the playhead is Command-K and zoom is plus and minus without Command. Premiere also has a Control Surface page in its settings for the hardware protocols Adobe supports. In DaVinci Resolve, the cut is Command-B and zoom is Command-Plus and Command-Minus, as in Final Cut; for grading with real knobs, Resolve users tend to reach for dedicated panels or Resolve-specific MIDI tools, which do things a keystroke mapper cannot. The video editing controller guide lists the differences row by row.
When a game controller is simpler
If you do not already own MIDI gear, a game controller in the off hand does the transport and marking jobs with no desk space. The Final Cut Pro preset in the Smart Preset Maker is ready in two clicks, and a DualSense can buzz when a mark lands. The two can run together: MIDI rows and controller rows live in the same preset.
Questions
Does Final Cut Pro support MIDI controllers?
Not directly. It has no MIDI settings, so a MIDI controller needs an app that turns its pads and knobs into Final Cut's keyboard shortcuts.
Do I need a driver for my MIDI controller?
Not for a class-compliant USB or Bluetooth MIDI device, which is most of them. InputConfig finds it the way GarageBand does.
Can a MIDI knob scrub the Final Cut timeline?
It can step the playhead a frame at a time (Turn mode on the arrow keys) or move the timeline view with the mouse wheel (Dial mode).
Does the same pad work in Final Cut and OBS or Logic?
Yes, with a preset per app and per-app auto-switch turned on.
Related
Free. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.