Adobe Premiere Pro + TourBox Lite: A Beginner’s Perspective

For the digital media industry, Adobe Premiere Pro is the standard for most, if not all, video editing. And like most Adobe products, newcomers often feel as though they’re in the cockpit of an analog airplane when first opening the software. I felt similar.

Although I’m no stranger to the video editing scene and have had my fair share of Adobe learning hurdles, Premiere Pro has been a daunting program to master while actively working as an intern. CapCut was my go-to video editing platform before I came to Kismet, and I was very comfortable with it. There was only one problem: my TourBox Lite wasn’t fully compatible, and it would tweak out often.

And so, TourBox sat in its box, collecting dust, being a waste of money, until Kismet.

First Impressions & Learning Curve

One of my projects during my first summer at Kismet was to create a hype video for a client in the tourism and recreation industry. When I first jumped into Premiere, I wanted to learn relevant hotkeys right away in order to streamline the process. That’s when I thought of the golden opportunity to learn how to use my TourBox for the bulk of my editing process.

The TourBox Lite fits into the palm of my hand, so I don’t need to stretch across a keyboard just to split a clip. It has six regular buttons, one dial, and one wheel. The dial and wheel each contain their own buttons as well. Being fully mappable, this was my layout:

As most new tools are, learning took some time, and by some, I mean all of 15 minutes. I spent the entirety of the first editing session cutting, splitting, and manipulating clips to the chosen music. Focusing on getting the muscle memory down, I was flying through a project that normally would’ve taken 2-3 hours to do. More importantly, the process felt smoother, and I felt more confident in what I was doing.

Why this could be crucial for a beginner

Efficiency is a necessity for video editors. Online, there are thousands upon thousands of packs for anything from color grading to text animation. The TourBox doesn’t just allow me to work faster, but I can work faster consistently. 

For beginners especially, this matters more than you might think. Mastering the initial sequence of cutting and splicing video and audio not only makes the mental side of learning Premiere easier, but it also gives the learner more time to focus on what they need to, like storytelling, pacing, and creativity.

Is it necessary?

No! You can absolutely become a great editor with just a keyboard and mouse.

The TourBox Lite acts as an aid to the editing process, but it won’t make a good editor into a great editor. That goes for any tool other than a keyboard and mouse.

Would I recommend it?

If you have $100 to spend on the TourBox Lite (or more to splurge on a more advanced model), you’re open to learning a new or streamlined way to do the bulk of your editing, and you enjoy what you’ve read so far, I would say absolutely. 

If you’re content with how you’ve been editing and don’t see a need to change, you won’t be at a disadvantage by sticking to the old reliables.