| The LogicKeyboard for Apple's Final Cut Pro |
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| Written by David Hurd | |
LogicKeyboard’s custom keyboard for Apple’s Final Cut Pro is based on the original ultrathin Apple keyboard. It offers a plug-and-play set-up with any USB-equipped Mac computer, and has a good feel with its stylish and modern “New Apple Look.” But the key difference between this custom keyboard and my regular keyboard is its editing speed in FCP. In addition to writing reviews, I run a TV production company, so I’m able to test new products in a real-world environment. I had just switched over to Mac a couple of years ago, so having FCP shortcut keys labeled on the LogicKeyboard for FCP makes editing a lot simpler and faster. And a nice side effect is that I am actually beginning to memorize FCP key commands. Another benefit is that the keyboard is slim enough to fit on the pull-out keyboard tray under my editing desk; it doesn’t have to live on top of the desk like my regular Mac wireless keyboard. Mac allows you to use more than one keyboard at a time, and since the new LogicKeyboard features the same letters, numbers and symbols as my conventional keyboard, I can use either one or both. I generally use my conventional keyboard for reviews and the LogicKeyboard for editing. The LogicKeyboard for FCP is actually a real Apple Pro extended keyboard, and it has all of the icons on color-coded key caps for selecting tools, navigating and editing. For me, it made sorting P2 clips in Log and Transfer a much easier process –– having color-coded In, Out, Forward and Backward keys made the pre-editing of my 75 clips go much faster. I am still learning FCP, and between the tutorials at www.lynda.com and my new FCP LogicKeyboard, I’m making good progress. LogicKeyboard has also introduced their Advance line of keyboards. The Pro and Advance lines both use the same keyboard, but instead of having color molded into the keys, the Advance keys use painted colors guaranteed to outlast the keyboard. It’s basically the same thing, but it saves you $45. The company has also released a keyboard for use with Final Cut Studio Color, which you can see on their website. The system used to test this product is a Mac Pro dual quad-core 3Ghz computer with 12Gb of RAM, an AJA LHe card, 10 Seagate 450GB SAS drives in an AIC case and controlled by an ATTO R380 SAS controller, a Gateway 24-inch computer monitor, and a 17-inch TVLogic HD monitor for video output.
MSRP: FCP Pro Line $159.00
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Lynda.com |
