Apple Final Cut Pro 5 - Manual (Page 1538)

Chapter 14 Assemble and Insert Editing Using Edit to Tape 187
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About Assemble Editing to Tape
An assemble edit records all video, audio, timecode, and control track information on to
tape starting at the In point of the edit. Whatever signal was on the tape previously is
replaced. By definition, this means there must already be some signal recorded on the
tape (even if it’s only 10 or 15 seconds at the head of the tape) so you can set an
In point.
When an assemble edit stops, there is a signal break at the Out point between the new
signal and the previous signal already on tape. Thus, the In point of an assemble edit
maintains a smooth control track signal, but the Out point always has a break. Since
you can always cover up the last Out point break with the In point of a new edit,
assemble editing gets its name from the fact that it is used for quickly assembling
footage together in a linear fashion. However, you cannot replace a shot in the middle
of the tape without creating a signal break at the Out point.
About Insert Editing to Tape
An insert edit allows you to individually replace video, audio, and timecode tracks on a
tape, using In and Out points. Insert editing is frame accurate and never creates breaks
in the control track. For example, you could record new music to audio track 1 while
keeping the existing video track and audio track 2 intact. This requires a precision,
professional deck. (For more information, see “
About the Control and Timecode Tracks ”
on page 188.)
Note: This term is not at all related to making an insert edit in the Timeline; insert
editing is a tape-to-tape editing term that predates nonlinear editing systems.
To perform an insert edit, your tape needs to have a signal already recorded on it. You
can prepare a tape for insert editing by blacking the tape, which means recording
control track, timecode, and a black video signal. You can also perform insert edits on
any tape with an existing, unbroken control track. Having timecode on the tape is also
necessary to set In and Out points for the edit. For more information about blacking a
tape using Final Cut Pro, see “
Preparing Your Videotape With Black and Timecode ” on
page 183.
Important: DV devices (often referred to as miniDV) do not support insert editing
because the tracks are too narrow to be precisely replaced. DVCAM and DVCPRO
formats support insert editing because they use wider tracks.