[Ron Thompson]

[Jerry Hofmann] “AJA will have come up with something new to slap in the mahines and we’ll all be wanting whatever it is…”

I hope not! My Cinewave is going on 5 years of service (has it been that long?)
I’m not one to buy every new piece of hardware that comes out, so when I get the Kona 2, I hope it will last as long and expand as well as my Cinewave did…no matter what Apple’s next machine or software release is.

Ron

[Ron Thompson]

I remember a discussion on the forums years ago about the PowerPC “ceiling.” Most seemed to believe 3Ghz processors was it. Now with Intel, is it possible to have 4 and 5 GHz Macs??? Then the days of Cinewave and Kona2 capture cards with on-board processing will be a thing of the past. These faster chips will do everything and a $200 capture card might be all we need!

I’m also just an editor, so feel free to destroy my logic. But I don’t think I’m too far off. no?

Ron

[Ron Thompson]

[deadhead] “Though I didn;t try it, the faders will also work to animate a parameter in Motion.

Unfortunatley faders couldn’t be mapped to sliders like the 3 way Color Corrector. I hope Apple writes in the hooks for FCP to eventually use a control surface like this or better yet one of the trackball color control surfaces.”

With more MIDI/USB implementation, I would love to see a FCP keyboard with knobs and dials that can be mapped to FCP functions. The online demos at the Apple site show a MIDI keyboard also controlling Motion parameters. Maybe Bella, Post-Op (EZKeyboard), or some other third party company can design this type of keyboard combination. Using a Mackie for Motion or Soundtrack is nice, but it would cool to see all of these FCP Suite functions all in one place…why not a MIDI keyboard?

Thanks for the mini review…you definitely get what you pay for.

Ron

[Ron Thompson]

FCP shouldn’t take that much space. If you installed all of the Soundtrack files, you might consider moving those to an external drive. I don’t have FCP5 yet, but all of the programs shouldn’t be more than a couple of gigs. Also with DVD Studio Pro, you can move some of those files to an external drive.

Ron

[Ron Thompson]

I don’t have a K2 yet, but the breakout box can usually be mounted behind the patch bay, this way the I/O’s are facing the same direction as your decks and other equipment I/O’s. The box should be short enough to do this, right? (just a guess on my part, but they’re usually fairly short).
And you can still mount equipment in front in the same slot space–amp, EQ, or other short equipment boxes.

I’m always renting decks, so a forward facing BOB is better for me…My “house” cables are bundled up and routed around the cabinet…Not as pretty, but easy to access.

Ron

[Ron Thompson]

There is a link below “Re: KONA-2 TimeCode out?” where we talk briefly about the MCU. Seams like deadhead is able to get the jog/shuttle to work.

I plan on getting this unit when I upgrade to the Kona2…I would love to hear if anyone else is having issues. Most of the posts I read are favorable though. Maybe your Midi interface is no good???
I’m always interested in “real-world” user response before I purchase equipment…hopefully this is an isolated case.

From the Mackie Presser:
Initial MCU implementation includes transport and jog/shuttle, cursor navigation, writing automation with touch

[Ron Thompson]

Thanks Dead… good to hear!! This should be good for Mackie!
I can’t imagine a FCP user who won’t add this to their system…especially people who have to online broadcast shows. Mixing in FCP was a nightmare.
I also like the fact that the MCU can be used with other apps.

As far as the Behringer, I guess you get what you pay for. $200 is a nice price point, but I’d rather go with name recognition and reputation.
I’ve used Mackie’s all of my professional life…they’ve never given me a problem, so I look forward to getting this unit.

Thanks again
Ron

[Ron Thompson]

[Bill Portune] “The Video file is 19.94 Gigs, and audio is 894 Megs”

Are capturing A/V separately?
Sounds like that could be a part of the problem.

[Ron Thompson]

[Deadhead] “in FCP5 the TC does show up on the Mackie’s display.”

How is that working for you? This was one of my top 3 feature requests. When I pick up the Kona2(or other product), I will probably get a MCU as well.

Ron

[Ron Thompson]

[nbrazzi] “lso, I have to wonder if working with DV50 is acceptable for broadcast. Seems like it would hurt the video quality.”

I deliver DV50 projects for broadcast all the time. No problems. Its a nice codec to work with. The Panasonic SDX900 has become the new broadcast work horse…Since it shoots DVCPRO50, I capture it natively. I also work with DVCAM and Beta footage. Cinewave takes care of the mixed codecs in one timeline. Output goes to Digibeta via SDI. No QC issues to date. The obvious beauty is less drive space required while maintaining nice quality.

Ron