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This chapter discusses the use of two NewTek TimeWarp™ control surfaces in two variants. Both models (TriCaster™ 860TW and its predecessor, TW-42) add convenient slow motion instant replay to the already potent capability of your TriCaster system.
TriCaster 860TW has the same sleek profile as TriCaster 460 CS and TriCaster 860 CS. Of course it delivers the same
precise control over TriCaster’s instant replay recording and live playback when used alone. The TW-42 model, though designed for use with earlier TriCasters, continues to provide great functionality.
For the most part, both TimeWarp™ models have similar controls, with similar labels, and perform in much the same manner. For that reason, in the discussion which follows we will focus on the newer TriCaster 860TW, simply giving you a friendly heads-up whenever we discuss an item where TW-42 varies from its newer sibling.
TW-42 NOTES Wherever items of special interest to TW-42 users appear in this chapter, they will be flagged in the same manner as this paragraph.
22.6.1 22.5.1 CONFIGURING TRICASTER
1. Connect a suitable video source to a camera input on your TriCaster live production system.
2. Select that source on the Switcher’s Program row.
3. Open TriCaster’s Record Configuration panel and set the Primary Source (typically to the Program option).
4. Select a suitable encoding format for the captured files.
5. Use the Add to menu in the Primary Recording controls to assign the recorded clips to either DDR 1 or 2.
TriCaster 860 TW is quite straightforward to use, especially true if you are already familiar with common TriCaster controls and features. In this section, we’ll discuss each part of the control surface, explaining how the various controls operate and what effect they have, revealing a few little tricks that you may find helpful along the way.
TimeWarp provides convenient control over TriCaster’s two DDRs as well as the recording of sources configured for capture.
Qualifiers Record
DDR options
Edit
DDR delegates
Preset
DDR Transport
ALT
Mark
DDR Delegates
Edit group (modify playlist content)
Play Speed (T-bar and presets)
Mark (replay clip creation buttons)
ALT and Qualifiers (which modify the operation of other controls)
Record toggle
DDR options
Preset (DDR Playlist)
DDR Transport (clip playback and position controls)
Let’s take a closer look at the members of each control group and their purpose.
FIGURE 363
Much of the functionality of your TriCaster 850 TW relates to clip playback, navigation, and the like. These are essentially Media Player functions, controlling one or another of TriCaster’s DDRs.
The first two buttons in this group (DDR 1 and DDR 2) basically delegate the other controls to the service of the DDR named (TriCaster 300 is, of course unique in having just one DDR).
Note: These buttons only relate to TriCaster 850 TW operations, and do not interact with the Switcher (or TriCaster 855 CS) delegate buttons.
The third button in this group button is not a delegate button (nor is it a radio button). The DDR 1/DDR 2 button is a toggle switch. When enabled, it tells the control surface to apply DDR Transport control group operations to both DDRs (see Section 22.6.11).
The DDR 1 and DDR 2 buttons are ‘radio button’ controls. This means that they operate just like the ‘Favorite’ buttons provided on a car radio to let you jump to a preset station.
Pressing a button produces an immediate change of state, and your selections are mutually exclusive.
TW-42 NOTES There is no corresponding DDR 1/DDR 2 button on TW-42. Multi- delegating DDRs is not supported with this control surface.
FIGURE 364 | In general, these buttons operate on selected playlist content in the currently delegated DDR (see Section 22.6.3). Remove – Push to remove currently selected entries from the delegated DDR’s playlist (selected items are not deleted from the hard drive, however). TW-42 NOTES The Remove button is labeled RMV on TW-42. |
Copy – Push to copy currently selected playlist items into the Paste buffer.
Paste – Push to insert Paste buffer content into the playlist of the delegated DDR
Esc – close any popup dialog or text entry item.
Hint: These four buttons are also ‘action buttons’ – that is, pushing one of them has an immediate effect (but unlike a radio button, the operation is complete on release, and does not remain in force).
TW-42 NOTES There are no Copy, Paste or Esc buttons on TW-42.
As you would expect, the speed preset buttons in this group (marked 25%, 33%, 50%, 75% and 100%) govern the playback rate of the active DDR.
FIGURE 365
Speed preset buttons are mutually exclusive, and establish a playback mode. They do not initiate playback; rather, the playback speed you choose is applied when subsequently press Play.
(If a DDR is already playing, pushing a speed preset button alters the current playback speed immediately.)
Hint: If you use an onscreen speed control to change to a new playback speed, the control surface button selection state follows when possible (in cases where no button corresponds exactly to the newly established speed, no preset button will be illuminated).
The speed T-Bar works in similar fashion to the preset buttons, but provides a smoothly variable approach to setting playback speed.
TW-42 NOTES There is no Speed T-bar on TW-42.
The IN and OUT buttons in this group allow you to indicate the In points and Out points for events you wish to record for later replay.
FIGURE 366
(MARK) IN
Pressing IN actually performs several related functions. First, remember that TriCaster must be in Record mode for any instant replay marking purpose.
For this reason, if you should happen to push the IN button before enabling recording, it is enabled automatically (illuminating the interface Record button just as if you had pressed it on the screen).
With Record active, an In Point is set for the current clip that will eventually be stored (when you press OUT) in the currently delegated DDR (see Section 22.6.3).
Hint: Actually, the IN button can also be thought of as a ‘reset In Point’ function. Pressing it updates the In Point, discarding any incomplete clip (i.e., one for which an Out Point had not been set. The partially recorded data up to that time is simply dropped (and is not added to the DDR playlist).
FIGURE 367
ALT + IN
A different operation results when you hold down ALT (see Section 22.6.7) at the same time as you push IN. This operation updates the In Point of the active clip in the currently delegated DDR to the frame currently displayed.
TW-42 NOTES This feature is supported on TW-42 as well.
Hint: This represents a non-destructive edit of the playlist clip, equivalent to dragging the trim handle at the left-hand end of the DDR scrub bar.
(MARK) OUT
Pushing the OUT button likewise performs a short series of several actions:
An Out point is assigned to the primary clip
If the Add to switch is enabled in the Record Configuration panel, the clips is added to any targets configured in the associated destination menu (new clips are added to the end of the playlist)
Note: This is a non-destructive operation. Rather than actually chopping the file, recording continues without interruption, and an instance of the file is added to target playlists.
ALT + OUT
A different operation results when you hold down ALT (see Section 22.6.7) at the same time as you push OUT. This operation updates the Out Point of the active clip in the currently delegated DDR to the frame currently displayed.
SHIFT + OUT
Hold down SHIFT at the same time as you push OUT to automatically trim the play start setting of the newly added clip to a frame five seconds prior to the Out Point (this is a non-destructive trimming operation. The duration of the file on disk is not modified.)
This feature is supported on TW-42 as well.
Hint: This is a non-destructive edit of the playlist clip, equivalent to dragging the trim handle at right-hand end of the DDR scrub bar.
ONE BUTTON MARKING
Another handy method of creating clips for instant replay is referred to as ‘one button marking’. With Record enabled, watch for notable events, and simply press OUT whenever one occurs (no need to press IN beforehand in this case). This creates a new clip with an Out Point at the current frame, automatically setting the In Point to the first frame of the current clip (i.e., the last time you pressed OUT).
FIGURE 368
For ergonomic reasons, ALT is in a special location by itself just below the Play Speed control group. It, along with SHIFT and CTRL (Control) are what are termed ‘qualifiers buttons’, in that (like their keyboard equivalents) they qualify, or modify the outcome of operating some other control.
We’ve discussed one use of ALT in Section 22.6.6; see also Section 22.6.8. At the time of writing SHIFT and CTRL are reserved for as yet unspecified future purposes.
It’s probably no surprise at all that pressing the REC (Record) button enables TriCaster’s own Record feature. It’s worth mentioning though, that REC is not a simple toggle button (as it is on the user interface). Simply pressing REC again does not turn Record off.
FIGURE 369
Recording is such an important function, we are sure you agree you don’t want anyone to be able to accidentally disable it.
For this reason, you must use ALT + REC (hold down ALT while pushing REC) to turn recording off. This makes disabling recording a very deliberate operation, and not one that is at all likely to have been unintentional (as perhaps by some hapless passerby coming in contact with the control surface while looking over your shoulder).
TW-42 NOTES There is no REC button on TW-42. Even so, pushing the Replay In button will automatically enable Record.
Also, you can add a five second clip from the Primary record source to all current Add to targets by pressing SHIFT + REC.
The LOOP, SINGLE and AUTOPLAY buttons toggle their namesake features for the currently delegated DDR.
FIGURE 370
TW-42 NOTES There is no Loop or Autoplay button on TW-42. While there is no Single button either, TW-42’s Sel (Select) and List buttons turn Single mode on and off for the current DDR.
“P” is for “preset” … or “playlist”, if you prefer. However you choose to view it, the buttons labeled P1 – P4 allow you to quickly access any of the first four playlist presets for the currently selected DDR.
FIGURE 371
TW-42 NOTES Preset selection is not supported by TW-42.
22.6.11 TRANSPORT (CLIP CONTROLS)
This group of controls provides a variety of convenient clip transport and navigation tools. The dominant feature is a large, smoothly operating Jog Wheel.
This oversize knob permits you to traverse the current clip in the delegated DDR in frame-accurate increments.
FIGURE 372
The Jog Wheel can be a real boon when coupled with the ALT + IN/OUT method of trimming already captured clips (Section 22.6.6), or can allow you to review an event by scrubbing through it manually even while it is displayed live.
The Jog Wheel is supplemented by the nearby Fast Jog button. Press this control to toggle a high-speed jog mode, which skims through the clip at eight times the normal rate.
TW-42 NOTES The Jog wheel on TW-42 works similarly, but is augmented by an outer
Shuttle ring that can be used to move quickly through a clip or playlist.
The other buttons in this control group are labeled with familiar VCR-style icons, and work as follows:
Previous (Clip) – Push to highlight the prior clip in the playlist of the delegated DDR.
Stop
o Push to end playback at the current frame.
o When already stopped, push again to go to the first frame of the current clip (or playlist, when Single mode is off for the DDR).
o Push Alt + Stop during playback to jump to the end of the current clip.
Play – Push to play the current clip in delegated DDR, beginning at the current frame.
Next (Clip) – highlights the next clip in the playlist of the delegated DDR.
TW-42 NOTES
Press ALT + Next to jump the play head 1 sec. forward from its current position in the clip.
Press Alt + Prev to jump the play head 1 sec. back from its current position in the clip.
Primary and Secondary – TriCaster’s IsoCorder™ technology supports multi- source capture. TimeWarp utilizes the Primary recording channel, but does not prevent use of the Secondary capture channels for all manner of other purposes.
Audio Control – Remember that you can reduce (or Mute) the audio for replays individually using the local playlist pane audio controls in a DDR, or with the DDR level controls provided in TriCaster’s Audio tab(s).
DSKs and LiveSet - TriCaster provides a great deal of creative versatility in connection with instant replays. For example, a DDR with replay clips that is assigned to the Overlay channel of an M/E can be quickly displayed or hidden (with its own transition effect). And, of course, something similar can be achieved with either of the primary DSK layers.
Zoom, Crop (etc.) – Use the Position tools for Overlay and DSK layers to zoom in on the action in a replay.
Clip Organization – It can be helpful, at times, to use the MEM slot options in the
DDR to collate clips for different purposes.