Questions
A Speed Editor alternative for Final Cut and Premiere
Blackmagic makes the Speed Editor for DaVinci Resolve, and in Resolve it is excellent. It is not built for Final Cut Pro or Premiere Pro. If you cut in either, there are three honest routes: drive the Speed Editor you own through a third-party app, buy a controller made for your editor, or map a game controller or MIDI box you already have to the editor's own shortcuts, which costs nothing. I make the free one, InputConfig, so weigh that, and read the section on what you give up.
What the Speed Editor does that a keyboard does not
Two things. A weighted search dial that switches between shuttle, jog and scroll, so one hand can fly through a clip and then land on a frame. And a set of dedicated edit keys that Resolve understands directly, with no mapping, laid out for the Cut page. The dial is the part people miss when they go back to a keyboard; the keys are Resolve's own.
Using a Speed Editor in Final Cut or Premiere
Blackmagic does not make it for other editors, and it does not show up to the Mac as an ordinary keyboard. CommandPost, an open-source companion app for Final Cut Pro built around control surfaces, can drive it. CommandPost's site says it now asks you to own at least one paid LateNite app, the cheapest being about ten US dollars. If you already own a Speed Editor and cut in Final Cut, that is the route to try first.
InputConfig does not claim to read the Speed Editor. It reads game controllers, devices that identify as a joystick, gamepad or multi-axis controller, and MIDI gear, and I have not tested it with Blackmagic's hardware.
The free route: a controller you already own
Every job on the Speed Editor's transport side has a keyboard shortcut in Final Cut, Premiere and Resolve, and a game controller has enough buttons for all of them. InputConfig turns each button into the shortcut:
| Speed Editor job | On a controller | Keys sent |
|---|---|---|
| Shuttle forward and back | Triggers, with turbo so a held trigger speeds up | L and J |
| Stop | A face button | K |
| Jog a frame | D-pad left and right | Left and Right Arrow |
| Scroll the timeline | Right stick, faster the further you push | Horizontal scroll |
| In and out | Bumpers, with a buzz when the mark lands | I and O |
| Cut at the playhead | A face button | Command-B in Final Cut and Resolve, Command-K in Premiere |
That is the layout in the video editing controller guide, which has it as a preset to download. The Smart Preset Maker also has ready layouts for Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve. With per-app auto-switch on, each editor gets its own layout when it comes to the front.
InputConfig is free on the Mac App Store. macOS 14 or later, no account, no tracking, open source.
The closest thing to the dial
A controller has no dial. A MIDI controller with knobs does. In InputConfig, a knob in Turn mode sends a keystroke every few degrees: Right Arrow clockwise and Left Arrow counterclockwise steps frames the way a jog dial does. A cheap knob box on the desk plus a controller in the other hand covers most of what the Speed Editor does for transport. The MIDI input page explains the knob modes.
What you give up
- The weighted dial. Nothing here has its feel. A knob steps; a stick pushes.
- Labels. Your buttons say A and Triangle, not Ripple and Trim. It takes an afternoon to stop looking down.
- Deep integration. The editor does not know the controller exists. It receives keys, so anything without a shortcut is out of reach.
- Setup per editor. Shortcuts differ between Final Cut, Premiere and Resolve, so each gets its own preset.
Which to pick
- Resolve only, every day: buy the Speed Editor.
- Final Cut, and you already own a Speed Editor or another control surface: try CommandPost.
- Final Cut or Premiere, and you want dials with ready profiles: look at Loupedeck or TourBox.
- Not sure a physical controller is for you, or money is tight: use the pad in your drawer with InputConfig, free and open source on the Mac App Store, and decide after a week.
Questions
Does the Speed Editor work with Final Cut Pro?
Not on its own. Blackmagic makes it for DaVinci Resolve. CommandPost, a third-party Final Cut companion, can drive it in Final Cut Pro.
Does the Speed Editor work with Premiere Pro?
Blackmagic does not support it there. For Premiere, a controller or MIDI box mapped to Premiere's shortcuts, or a dial controller with a Premiere profile, is the practical route.
Can InputConfig use my Speed Editor?
I have not tested it and do not claim it. InputConfig reads game controllers, joysticks, wheels and MIDI devices.
Is there a free Speed Editor alternative?
A game controller you already own, mapped to the editor's J, K, L, I, O and cut shortcuts, does the transport and marking jobs for nothing. InputConfig is free with no in-app purchase needed.
Related
Free. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.