Editing (composing) is a generalized term used to describe any kind of manual scene change made during or after a recording. It can be as simple as pausing during commercials or as complex as compiling scenes together from one VCR to another. There are a number of ways to make edits, and this gives the dedicated Betaphile lots of options for getting creative. Most editing techniques are described below. Check the model's features list because some are only available when using certain models. Simple editing: This is stopping and starting the tape to remove or avoid recording unwanted content. This can be done during off-the-air recording or when using an external input. Audio is edited along with the video. Only one machine is needed for this and every Beta VCR can do it. Continuous editing: This technique is pausing the tape to avoid recording unwanted content. This can be done from off-the-air recording or using an external input. Audio is edited along with the video. The tape can also be stopped and then placed into record pause to resume recording. Keeping a beta VCR in pause mode for more than eight minutes will cause it resume forward movement. This is done automatically to protect the video heads and tape. Only one machine is needed for this, and every Beta VCR can do it. Butt editing: This is copying a tape from one VCR to another and using pause to delete unwanted material. To do this, the tape in the player is placed in pause at the beginning of the scene to be added. Then you locate the ending point of the previous scene on the tape in the target recorder and place it in record pause. Both VCRs are then started at the same time by pressing pause again on both VCRs. The new source material is then added to the tape in the recorder. Audio is recorded along with the video. Every Beta VCR can do this, and it requires two units. Audio insert editing: Many Beta VCRs have an AUDIO DUB button or switch. This lets you separately record audio to the monaural audio head. In VCR language, this is designated the NORMAL audio track. Adding new audio is performed like simple editing. The picture and Betahi-fi stereo are not affected during audio dub. You cannot add to or alter the audio in Betahi-fi stereo because it is imbedded in the recorded video signal (see Betahi-fi). The audio source can be from another VCR, a microphone, a reel-to-reel recorder, or from a separate audio program (SAP). To see if this VCR records SAP, check the features List. For more on separate audio program recording click, here. Video insert editing: This is inserting only the picture from another source into a previous recording. The normal monaural audio track is not affected. To do this, you press the VIDEO INSERT button on the recorder before starting your edit. The source can be from an off-the-air broadcast, a player VCR, pattern generator, or a camera. Only Beta VCRs that have the video insert feature can do this. Video and audio insert editing: This is inserting both video and audio from another source into a previous recording. To do this, press the VIDEO and AUDIO INSERT buttons on the recorder before starting your edit. The scene is inserted, and at the end of the insertion the trailing video and audio in not altered. The source can be from an off-the-air broadcast, a player VCR, pattern generator, or a camera. The normal audio can be inserted again if needed. Only Beta VCRs that have a video and audio insert feature can do this; check this VCR's features list to see if it has this capability. Synchro editing: This feature puts the playback unit in charge of releasing the pause mode for both VCRs (playback and target VCR). It is the same as butt editing except now the playback unit is in control. You place it in pause where you want a new scene to begin and put the recorder in record pause where you want the new scene to be added. Turn Synhro-edit ON, and by just pressing PAUSE on the player, both VCRs will start and begin the edit. Communication is done through a Control-S cable, and it is only one way. Audio is recorded along with the video. Some Beta models can do inserts (see above) while being controlled by Control-S. Source material comes from the playback VCR. Only Beta VCRs that have a Control-S out jack and the Synchro-edit function can do this. Check this VCR's features list to see if it has this capability. Simple assemble editing: Similar to butt editing but with more control. You press EDIT ASSEMBLE on the playback VCR. Then locate the starting point of the scene you want to record (transfer) and place it in the pause mode. Next you locate the point on the recorder (source) where you want the edit to start and put it in record pause. Press EDIT START on the playback VCR, and the editing will begin. Pressing PAUSE on the playback VCR halts the edit and the playback VCR goes into pause after two-seconds, and the recorder rewinds the tape to where the edit ended and then goes into playback pause. You can now make another edit by finding the next scene on the player and repeating the procedure. Pressing EDIT ASSEMBLE again releases the editing mode. Audio is recorded along with the video. Only Beta VCRs that have a Control-T or control-S jack and the assemble edit feature can do this. Source material comes from the playback VCR. To see if it has this capability, check this VCR's features list. Simple insert editing: Here the tape handling is the same as simple assemble editing, except now you select which to record, the audio, video, or both. Selecting AUDIO INSERT or VIDEO INSERT on the recording VCR only copies that part. Video only records the picture, and audio is just the sound. The monaural audio track can be dubbed later if desired. Betahi-fi stereo audio is in the video and cannot be altered. The Betahi-fi will be added if the video is copied. Communication is done through a Control-T cable. Only Beta VCRs that have the Control-T jack and the assemble edit feature can do this. Source material comes from the playback VCR. Check this VCR's features list to see if it has this capability. Automatic insert editing: This feature lets the Betamax automatically control the insert editing operation of both VCRs. First press EDIT, then press INSERT, and then audio, video, or both. On the VCR with the tape for editing locate the point where you want to start the insertion, and set the VCR to the playback pause mode. Press EDIT MARK, and the starting point is now memorized. Next, find the point where you want to stop the insertion, set the VCR in pause, and press MARK again. The editing endpoint is now memorized. On the VCR for playback (source), locate the starting point of the scene to be inserted and set the VCR to playback pause mode. Press EDIT START on the VCR for editing (where the points where memorized), and insertion will start. VCRs will proceed to make the insertion. At the preset ending point, it will stop automatically, and both VCRs will go into the playback pause mode. During editing, the player will rewind, scan, and play back until it locates the next edit point. Only Beta VCRs that have a control-T jack and the assemble edit feature can do this. Source material comes from the master VCR. To see if it has this capability, check this VCR's features list. Automatic assemble editing: This feature controls the operation of both VCRs when executing your edits. Up to eight desired scenes can be memorized and assembled onto a tape. To do this, first press EDIT, then ASSEMBLE. On the VCR for playback (source), locate the starting point of the first scene and place it in playback pause mode. Press COUNTER RESET, and all zeros will appear in the display. Press EDIT MARK, and the starting point of the first scene is now memorized. Locate the ending point of the first scene and press pause and then EDIT MARK. The ending point of the first scene is memorized. Each of the edit start and stop points are now shown in the display. Next, you locate the beginning of the first edit on the player (source) and place it in the pause mode. On the recorder, find the location where you want the first edit to begin. Place the player in playback pause mode. You can repeat these steps until eight edits have been placed in memory, and they can be in any order. Press EDIT START on the playback VCR, and it will find the scenes and assemble them to the recorder in the order programmed. During editing, the player will rewind, scan, and play back until it locates the next edit point. Audio is recorded along with the video. Only Beta VCRs that have a control-T jack and the assemble edit feature can do this. Source material comes from the playback VCR. Check this VCR's features list to see if it has this capability. Pre-roll editing: This feature controls the operation of both VCRs when executing your edits. It runs the original tape and the tape to be edited for several seconds before the pre-programmed edit starting points arrive. During the pre-roll routine the two VCRS are fully controlled and automatically synchronized during operation. Up to eight desired scenes can memorized and pre-rolled automatically. The setup and operation are the same as with assemble editing, except when EDIT START is pressed both machines will run back their tapes for five-seconds and then go into pause. Next they will start moving both tapes forward at normal speed. When the pre-programmed edit points arrive, the target VCR will switch to record, and the editing will begin. When the ending point arrives, the recording will cease, and the machines will do one of two things. If no more edits are programmed, the player will go into pause two-seconds after the editing has ended. The target VCR will also run for two-seconds and then back up to the ending edit point and go into pause. But if more than one edit has been memorized, the player will continue on to and find the next edit point and then repeat the process, and so on for up to eight programs. During the editing the player rewinds, goes into scan and plays back until it locates the next edit point. The target VCR controls the editing process. After all the scenes have been edited, the player and recorder will each run for two-seconds and then go into the pause mode. The edits can be memorized in any order. Audio is recorded along with the video. Only Beta VCRs that have a control-T jack and the assemble edit feature can do this. Source material comes from the player VCR. This is the ultimate method for making seamless edits. To see if this VCR has this capability, check the features list. Controlled editing: This uses a stand alone device called an editor to control two Beta VCRs during a dubbing session. These special devices can be pre-programmed to perform a multitude of assignments. Almost all of the above techniques are available, depending on the editor and the machines used. To check out the editors, click here. To see an interactive table that lists all the VCRs that have a switch for initiating the active editing mode, click here. ©Misterßetamax go to homepage