A Speed Editor alternative for DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut and Premiere
InputConfig is completely free on the Mac App Store. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon.
For DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro or Premiere Pro there are three routes: drive a 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. Blackmagic makes the Speed Editor for DaVinci Resolve, and in Resolve it is excellent. It is not built for the other two. I make the free route, InputConfig, so weigh that, and read the section on what you give up.
On this page
Know what the Speed Editor does that a keyboard does not
- The search dial. Weighted, and switches between shuttle, jog and scroll, so one hand can fly through a clip and then land on a frame.
- The edit keys. Dedicated 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, while the keys are only Resolve's own shortcuts.
Use 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, and I have not tested it with Blackmagic's hardware. It reads game controllers, devices that identify as a joystick, gamepad or multi-axis controller, MIDI gear, and since 1.8 the Contour ShuttlePRO, with its jog wheel and shuttle ring.
Map 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.
Use these routes in DaVinci Resolve
Resolve is the one editor the Speed Editor is made for, so there the question is not whether it works but whether you need to buy it. Blackmagic lays the Speed Editor out for Resolve's Cut page, and a game controller or MIDI box does the transport jobs through Resolve's own keyboard shortcuts.
- The free route. J, K and L shuttle and stop, I and O mark, the arrows step frames, and Command B cuts. The table above has them, and the DaVinci Resolve layout sets them up on a gamepad.
- Knobs and faders. A MIDI controller works too, and MIDI controller for DaVinci Resolve on a Mac covers it.
- A real dial. A Contour ShuttlePRO has a jog wheel and a shuttle ring, and Contour lists Resolve among the apps it works with.
The weighted dial is what you give up. If you cut in Resolve every day, the Speed Editor is the better buy, and if you edit now and then, start free.
Get closest to the dial with a knob or a ShuttlePRO
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.
For a real dial, a Contour ShuttlePRO has a jog wheel and a shuttle ring, and InputConfig reads both, plus its buttons. Press Scan on a row, turn the wheel or the ring, and give it the editor's arrow keys or J and L. The video editing controller guide has the layout.
What you give up
- The weighted dial. Nothing here has its feel. A knob steps. A stick pushes. A ShuttlePRO comes closest, with a wheel and a ring of its own.
- 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.
The short version
Pick by what you edit in and what you already own:
- Not sure, 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.
- Final Cut, and you own a Speed Editor or another control surface. Try CommandPost.
- Final Cut or Premiere, and you want a real jog and shuttle. A Contour ShuttlePRO, read by InputConfig.
- Final Cut or Premiere, and you want dials with ready profiles. Look at Loupedeck or TourBox.
- Resolve only, every day. Buy the Speed Editor.
Try the free route for a week before you buy hardware.
Questions
Is there a cheaper Speed Editor for DaVinci Resolve?
A game controller or MIDI box you already own, mapped to Resolve's J, K, L, I, O and cut shortcuts, covers the transport jobs for nothing. It has no weighted search dial, and a Contour ShuttlePRO is the nearest thing to one.
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, MIDI devices, and since 1.8 the Contour ShuttlePRO, jog and shuttle included.
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.
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