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The Contour Shuttle Pro
By Steve Manke A note from the author: I checked a Shuttle Pro out of stock for testing. It looked like a useful device and I was interested in putting it through its paces. By the time I was ready to write a review of the product, I found that I could not do without it. The Shuttle Pro can fit nearly any use. It truly does have something for everyone. Desktop video editing is more prominent today than ever before. As Mac users, we enjoy a range of video editing software than is unrivaled in the WinTel market. Powerful features and a variety of price points mean that there is something for everyone. Most of us know the big titles in the video editing market- iMovie, Final Cut Pro, and Adobe Premiere. Less well known are the hardware products that have been developed simply to make the software easier to use. One such product is Contours Shuttle Pro. In concept, the device is quite simple. In day-to-day use, the product is quite simply powerful. The Shuttle Pro gives you 13 programmable buttons and a Jog/Shuttle wheel. Installed along with the drivers for the device is an application that lets you program each button with an equivalent keystroke. For example, in Final Cut, the i-key marks an in point and o-key marks an out point in your video clip or timeline. When cutting down raw footage, you may use these keys dozens (if not hundreds) of times. Binding those keys to the Shuttle Pro doesnt make it much more useful than the keyboard, until you start binding more of your most commonly used keys. With all of your most commonly used keys assigned, the device virtually comes alive. In my configuration I have the Shuttle Pro on the left of my keyboard and my mouse to the right. Typically all of my editing was done with my left hand on the keyboard and the other on the mouse. With this device I found myself barely using the keyboard at all. Having the programmable buttons is a great feature, but the Shuttle Pros ultimate power lies in its jog/shuttle wheel. In the course of editing footage, it is necessary to scrub through a great deal of video. This can be done effectively with the mouse, but you find that the experience is not as precise as it could be. The shuttle wheel is actually two controls in one. A separate outer ring surrounds the main wheel and moves independently from the center. As it is spring loaded, it returns to its default (or rest) position when you release it. This is perfect for scrubbing through video at variable rates. The further you turn the wheel, the faster you move. As you return it towards its rest position, the video slows down accordingly. This makes it very easy to scrub though a video, forward or back, in a highly controlled manner. The inner wheel of the Shuttle Pro gives the frame accuracy not found with the outer wheel- accuracy that is impossible to get with the mouse. This wheel moves through video frame by frame to make even the most precise edit a thing of beauty. The Shuttle Pro comes preconfigured with a series of presets for many applications. As I wanted to learn as much about the product as I could, I chose to create my own key set from the start. The process was easier than I had expected. The first step is to use the devices control application to select the application that you want to use the device with. In my case, I chose Final Cut Pro 3. From there, I simply had to choose the button location from a dropdown menu, enter the corresponding keystroke, and label the button for easy recognition. Making the device even more useful, it is possible to create multiple configurations for a single application. This means it is possible to have a configuration for capturing video, and another for editing. Switching between the configurations is a simple matter of pressing whatever Shuttle Pro button assigned to make the switch. This gives the device near limitless versatility. The Shuttle Pro far exceeded even my highest expectations. In my testing, I had only one small problem. The CD that came with the device contained drivers that did not work with OS X 10.2.1. A quick visit to the Contour web site fixed that. I was glad to see that the software was already updated to the recently released 10.2.1 release of OS X. Mac OS 9 is supported as well, as are various Windows operating systems. As I mentioned, the Shuttle Pro will work with almost any application. You simply choose the application in the devices control program and assign keys. This makes the device equally versatile in games like Quake 3 and Unreal Tournament, as well as professional applications. With the Shuttle Pro plugged into the side of the keyboard, you will never get fragged while trying to grab your BFG again! The product is a must have tool for anyone who is working with audio or video applications. Its versatility and control make it a powerful tool and its ergonomic shape not only make it an impressive looking addition to your desktop, but also make it comfortable to use. For amateurs and professionals alike, this device is worth its weight in gold. For more information, click here! |