Edit Suite: The Ins and Outs of Edit Controllers

Recording footage with your camcorder is one thing; turning it into a watchable video is another. Consider an edit controller.

At one time or another, we all have faced a stack of tapes--from last year's vacation, for example--and no way to edit them. Your friends grimace at the thought of one more night of watching vacation videos in your living room. They remember the popcorn turning stale, and minutes seeming like hours, as they watched footage of the dashboard of your car.

What you need is an edit controller that can help you cut out all of the boring, shaky and otherwise nasty shots that we all have a tendency to capture on tape.

You may already be editing your tapes using the tried-and-true method of using your camcorder, VCR and quick fingers on the pause, play and record buttons. Often when using this method, you spend more time worrying about whether you are hitting the buttons on time and spend little time and energy on the creative part of the editing process. Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could unleash this creativity and turn those vacation videos into wonderful experiences for your audience to enjoy?

With an edit controller, you can concentrate more on the artistic side of the editing process and let the controller handle the technical side.

If you want to achieve this freedom of expression, then this article is for you. We'll walk you through the basics of edit controllers, and what to look for when shopping for one. We'll also introduce you to the world of stand-alone versus computer-based edit contro…