Absolutely. That is faster than the machine I usually use, although it's an M proc. Just today, I was forced to use my laptop to author a project I wasn't expecting to do. We only have a couple machines with dual layer burners in them, and my laptop was the only one free. So, I authored a project previously edited but not rendered, on a firewire drive on a desktop. Finished editing, rendering, and authoring, burned to DL disc on my 16 month old laptop which is slower than yours. If you have a network and travel much, XP Home is a PITA, but outside of that...you're good to go. Vegas doesn't notice differences between XP Pro and Home.

I have just encountered a problem with Vegas, DirectX (DirectSound), and 5.1 Surround Projects.

I have an Alesis Multimix Firewire 16 that is ASIO compliant and works perfectly for recording multiple audio tracks in Vegas.

After recording 6 mono tracks I now want to use these tracks to create a 5.1 Surround DVD (for example). No problem so far.

Last night I noticed that the only way that I have (full) access to my 5.1 Surround monitors is to select the 'Direct Sound Surround Mapper' as my 'Audio device type' in Vegas. If I select 'Microsoft Sound Mapper' or 'Windows Classic Wave Driver' the monitoring of the surround panning does not work properly i.e. is not routed to the correct monitors. Still no problem yet.

The problem is that when using the 'Direct Sound Surround Mapper' the video and audio go out of synch with each other when previewing on an external firewire monitor.

After much fiddling around I discovered that the only way to get things 'back to normal' as it were was to lower the 'Audio playback Hardware acceleration' in DXDiag to 'Basic acceleration'.

This ALMOST works properly except for the fact that every time you open a new media file in Vegas you have to start or initiate playback of the file once or twice and let it run for a couple of seconds and only after doing this (once or twice) does the audio and video stay in synch and you can then start editing.

It seems almost as if some sort of 'clock' or 'buffer' gets initially 'calibrated' or 'set' when you start the initial playback as described above - almost as if by starting playback a couple of times some or the other synch is being done between the audio hardware, Vegas, and/or the IEEE1394a controller.

Anyone else ever had this problem.

I have tried everything I know including playing around with the playback buffer sizes and even tried to adjust the 'Synch offset' for my 'Preview Device'. No fix.

This only happens when previewing to an external monitor i.e. when only using the Vegas preview window there is not problem evident.

Are there any registry settings or the like that can be changed to eliminate this sort of 'initial synch' problem. Any other adjustments?

By the way my sound card is NOT ASIO compliant but WDM.

Regards,

Dale.

Hi,

I registered for the fun! An email confirmation came telling me that payment information was listed at the bottom of the page. I didn't see anything, and my question to the contact person failed to go through.

Is there a charge for the event?

No, there is no charge. If there were, you would have input a C/C number. But for a one-time yearly event we're organizing for NAB, it's not worth it to change around our entire cart system. Which is why it should show a zero cost on the emailed confirmation.

Just so you know, it doesn't show anything like what you described; hence the confusion. But, thanks.

I guess you're right, I must not know what's at the bottom of the confirmation mail. Until this post, of the roughly 100 people registered thus far, no one has asked the question, so I haven't dug into the answer. I was under the impression it uses our same mail template for all registrations for all events.
Either way, to clarify again....there is no cost.
http://www.vasst.com/nabparty.htm

Ha ha! For every hundred people there can be a dullard, is that what you're saying? Thanks for putting me in my place.

Thanks,

I'll check it out...

Thank you sir.. I was not quite sure about the Celeron..

Thanks

Vince

Under Preferences>Preview Device, you can set the Sync Offset for the sound. You should be able to match them up.

It won't effect the sync in your Vegas preview window.

Hello, and thanks for the reply.

I already tried that - did not work.

The problem was that the sound would start in sync and gradually start going out unless you lowered your hardware acceleration level and even then you would have to start your playback once or twice before the preview stayed in sync.

Solution:

I tried a few (other) WDM sound cards - same issue.

I then went out and bought an ASIO compliant sound card - problem solved!

The difference (for those that may be interested) is that ASIO allows your software (Vegas) to talk directly to the sound hardware and is not dependant on DirectX or DirectSound for mapping your tracks to the correct audio channels.

This was the only solution that would allow for the preview of a 5.1 Surround Project with 6 mono tracks and preview to external monitor without glitches and audio and video in sync.

Regards,

Dale.

Just some information that nearly made me fall of my chair last night.

I had noticed that somewhere along the line (sometime in the past) my external monitor preview (via FireWire) had become somewhat 'sluggish' and 'choppy' but I just put it down to the fact that my workstation was becoming overloaded with drivers and things and could not cope (and I also never had this issue when running Windows 2000 but had to change to XP because of Cineform HD).

While investigating my sound card issues I came across the following link:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=885222

Basically if you do not apply this patch and make the relevant changes to your registry after applying Windows XP SP2 the maximum speed at which your FireWire peripherals operate at is limited.

I installed the patch and presto - my external preview is smooth as smooth can be!!!

If you have a problem installing the patch (as I did) then do a Google search for a file called 'RegClean1394' and run this prior to installing the Microsoft patch (it just clears all of your current IEEE1394 settings and allows the patch to install). If you can't find the file email me and I will send it to you.

Email: dpaterso@fleetfocus.net

Regards,

Dale.

Did notice that the preview was getting choppy from time to time, but never had a thought that this could be XP/SP2/FireWire related - defragging disks, cleaning drivers, disabling all kinds of useless services in XP, and then.... SP2 sets the port to S100 speed, instead of S400/S800. Morons.

Thank you very much for this post.

We use the USB Terratec Phase 26 USB card for 5.1 surround mixing, 6 analog out, two in, stereo Optical/SPDIF in/out.
Works like a dream with vegas - and easily switchable between ASIO and 'standard' for other apps.

/magnus

Hi, been using heroglyph for two years now - the interface and approach is extremely non-standard, but it does render fantastic graphics. Especially the matrix-functions are extremely useful for making effects which look very good, and take no time at all - and then apply any number of effects to the whole matrix.

The font handling i think is a problem with Heroglyph, not all fonts installed on system are available in Heroglyph, and I cant figure out why.. and not being able to get the video from Vegas that I am compositing on/around is frustrating - apparently there is no way for a plugin to get the video signal from vegas..

It's great to be able to "fill" fonts with video from any number of clips.

/magnus

I'm in for this! From what I've heard about past events, this is one big BLASST for Vegas folks. Thanks to VASST and the other sponsors for putting it together. Hope to meet others on this forum there.
Randy

It is only a pleasure.

Please let me know if it helps.

"Performance of 1394 devices may decrease after you install Windows XP Service Pack 2"

It is the word 'may' that makes me smile so I would like to know if it did make a difference to your preview speed.

It certainly has improved things here.

Well, put it this way, the external preview certainly seems smoother and if there is a glitch now and then it certainly seems to recover a lot faster!

Regards,

Dale.

I would save the project under a new name and delete all the tracks from that saved project except the master video track and any audio tracks you want to keep. Then do a Save As... into a new folder and check the option [X] Copy and trim media with project. Vegas will not render, it will just copy out the sections that use used with a little extra on each end (you get to set this amount when you save) Than all you do is give your friend these AVI files to color correct.

~jr

The VASST site has some free tutorials on color correction:
http://www.sundancemediagroup.com/articles/glennchan/levels_in_sony_vegas_part_one.htm
That still just covers the basics.

If you're doing a DVD, then you can throw on the broadcast colors filter with the lenient settings (w 7.5IRE setup if you are targeting non-Japan NTSC markets). Over-the-air broadcast will actually be more limiting than DVD, so the 120 IRE is a little too conservative for DVD. It shouldn't be a big deal since your colors likely won't get that high (unless you are shooting something that's really bright+saturated). If you feel that the broadcast colors filter is limiting the colors too much, then raise composite max to "130".

Anything more really depends what you want to do. Color correction generally covers:
A- Fixing problems.
B- Making sure the video levels are legal.
C- Making the footage look good/better. The DVD I have coming out goes into detail on this.
At a basic level, having the video levels hit proper black and white level will make footage look better. See the tutorial link above.
With video-originated footage, you can also add a bit of film-like contrast with Color Curves. See the last event in the following .veg:
http://www.glennchan.info/Proofs/dvinfo/color-curves.veg


I hope that helps.

Hello - check this out!

It seems that I was a bit too hasty in my assumption that I had solved my external monitor preview issue by replacing my sound card with an ASIO compliant sound card!!!

Everything seemed fine yesterday although admittedly I did not test with large files.

Today - the problem started again - the video and audio started losing sync with each other AGAIN!!!

Eventually I was able to simulate the problem every time.

After a reboot of the workstation - as long as Vegas was the first application that you opened - the video and audio would be in sync when previewing on the external monitor but the moment that you exited Vegas and then opened Vegas again, or if you edited the clip on the timeline, the video and audio would go out of synch and stay that way until a reboot. The same problem was replicated on another of my workstations.

Note that this problem was only apparent when working with 5.1 Surround Projects.

After wasting the whole day today trying to solve this I eventually found the fix:

Checking (or enabling) all of the available devices under 'Options' and then 'MIDI' and then selecting the devices on the 'Sync' tab seems to have solved the problem!

Don't ask me why or what the MIDI settings have to do with external monitor preview via FireWire! I don't know! But (for now) it seems to have solved the problem!

Comments appreciated!

Regards,

Dale.

How can I go about adding a Preview on External Monitor button on the toolbar? My first idea was to create a script that would invoke that Preview command but I could not find a way to do so in the API. Did I miss it, or is there another way? Is it possible to invoke a keyboard command in a script?

Is it possible to display the frame number counting from the beginning of the clip, rather than the tape?

With the timecode filter applied in the media pool, yes.

I am a new member on this site and a new HD 100 U owner, please excuse my ignorance. I edit with Sony Vegas 6. What are my options as far as getting the HDV footage from camera to my hard drive. At this time my plans are top capture in HDV for archival purposes but to down convert and produce in SD.
I really appreciate any help that can get me on my way.

Thanks for the speedy reply! I am not sure if I understand. Are you referring to do Timecode filter under Video FX? I tried adding that to the track on which the clip was placed. Sure enough, it imprinted the time code, but how does that help me when I want to edit a clip in the Trimmer? I want the beginning of the clip to be frame zero so I can work with other applications (say I need to rotoscope a segment of a clip).

Your first post doesn't reference the trimmer, FX don't show up there for obvious reasons.
If you want to select a portion of an uncut clip and make a specific frame to be frame zero, you'll need to make a subclip of that sequence/clip in the Trimmer tool.
To see T/C for the actual event, you have to drop the Timecode FX on the clip in the Media Pool, as mentioned in the earlier post.

Emre,
It is already an icon on the Video Preview toolbar. It looks like a little TV or computer monitor. Also the keystrokes to invoke it are Alt+Shift+4 (and how come that little combination isn't preprinted on my WorldTech Vegas keybaord I don't know).

Thanks, Pat. I know that but I want to have a copy of the icon on the general toolbar as I don't use the Video Preview window (the wonders of a dual monitor setup).

I don't know if there's a way to do this in Vegas 5, but I have almost finished my edit for a wedding, yet I'm trying to insert an empty event for all (audio and video) tracks. Problem is, I have 4 video tracks with 7 tracks of audio carefully synched to the video. I have to keep them all together.

If I do a regular "insert empty event" on one track...well...you know what happens to the sync for all my other tracks. So is there a way to do an "insert all empty event"?

Thanks for any light you can shed on this frustrating issue!

Sorry about that, I just monkeyed around with the places in Vegas I thought you should be able to do it and couldn't so I'm at a loss.

There are always going to be a few things that you wish were different to make Vegas (or any software) more helpful, but they're absent.

My biggest "want" in Vegas right now is some sort of text description of VideoFX, AudioFX, Transitions, and Presets. I think if you right-click on one, you should have the option of displaying a paragraph (or ten) about that Preset or effect. I can't remember the difference between Color Balance and Color Corrector. And I sure don't remember why you're supposed to use one over the other.

I would recommend Cineform Connect HD. Its only 200 bucks and works well with Vegas. I capture using the Cineform HDLink utility and edit in HD with those files. I then downconvert at rendertime for DVD. When you edit with the Cineform files you get pretty good performance so there is no need to downconvert and edit in SD.

Agree if you have a reasonably fast computer and don't mind spending $200, Connect HD is probably the way to go.

If you have a slower PC, or short of pennies, you could also consider either doing the render to Cineform from Vegas (i.e. capture m2t, render to CineForm) and using that, or using a DV proxy (either my manually replacing files, or using Gearshift). Take a look at this thread:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=52233

Mark

My first question would be why you are inserting empty events to begin with? However, it sound like you have auto-ripple turned on and it needs to be turned off.

I keep having Vegas & Acid only lockups with my EMU 1820m Vegas 6 combo and latest drivers/versions are worse than it use to be.

I yanked the EMU and Vegas seems happier but the SoundMax on my ASUS mobo seems to be a little weird. Center volume is low and can't figure out if it's got some driver alternations to the the analog outs...

Anyone using it for surround mixing successfully?

My reason for creating an empty event across all tracks is simple, I am trying to make room to move a sequence in front of another event. If I only had 1 video or audio track to move across the timeline, a cut and paste would be simple. However with so many audio and video tracks carefully synched together, moving a clip with it's audio track will throw everything else off.

Maybe I'm completely missing it, and there's an easier way. I have looked for a way to 'lock' audio tracks with their video tracks like I do with Adobe Audition, but haven't found a way. If I could do this, I could move one track over the desired amount, and everything would follow with auto-ripple.

Bottom line, I don't want to keep having to sync multiple audio and video tracks when I move things around.

You can lock a track or event by right clicking and selecting "Lock."
As far as blanking, are you then using these empty events as slugs? You can make a selection for the length of the empty event/slug, and then right click, choose "insert empty event" and this will insert an empty event for the length of the entire selection. Just be sure ripple is off.

Hi folks, Don't know what this is called in Vegas, but I want to be able to move from one clip to the next on the timeline - without having to mouse around and placing the cursor over the end of the clip.

Is this a keyboard shortcut that I don't know? In Saw - you hit the TAB key and it moves the cursor to the next "beginning" or "end" of an event, or region. Shift-Tab moves it the other way, and it's so handy. One click and you are there.

I've looked through all the help files and can't find it. Maybe it's not there, but then again, maybe it's just called something that I don't know.

thanks,
Milt

Does Vegas support HDCam? Thanks.

Does Vegas support HDCam? Thanks.


I assume this is in regard to the HVX200---the answer is no, but you can use Raylight by Dv Film---I understand that it isn't the most elegant way of working.

http://www.dvfilm.com/raylight/index.htm

Hi folks, Don't know what this is called in Vegas, but I want to be able to move from one clip to the next on the timeline - without having to mouse around and placing the cursor over the end of the clip.

Is this a keyboard shortcut that I don't know? In Saw - you hit the TAB key and it moves the cursor to the next "beginning" or "end" of an event, or region. Shift-Tab moves it the other way, and it's so handy. One click and you are there.

I've looked through all the help files and can't find it. Maybe it's not there, but then again, maybe it's just called something that I don't know.

thanks,
Milt


Control-Alt--arrow keys----Just hold the control and alt key down together.

I was actually referring to the Sony F900.

I was actually referring to the Sony F900.

Yes, it does.
Both via firewire from JH3, or as component input from cam directly using a BMD card, which is how we're working with footage from the 700.

As far as P2...http://www.sundancemediagroup.com/articles/camcorders/p2_and_sony_vegas.htm

I was actually referring to the Sony F900.

Yes, it does.
Both via firewire from JH3, or as component input from cam directly using a BMD card, which is how we're working with footage from the 700.

As far as P2... I'll have a tutorial up within the hour.

Wonderful - works like a champ.
Thanks,
M.

If you have a ten key, you can also hit 7 or 9, same as Avid. 4/6 nudge, 2/8 move up/down. 0 for preview centered around cursor.

DSE and Edward are certainly more knowledgeable on Vegas than I, but if I were to do what you said you are trying to do, I would just finish that project exactly how you want it with all video and audio track set where you need them and SAVE.

Then just open another instance of Vegas, place the new event on the timeline and then add the .veg from the first project and it will place all 4 video and 7 audio tracks in correct spatial order when you render.

I didn't used the nesting feature of Vegas for quite a while after it came out. But after loosing a really big edit, I've learned to do a series of small edits and stitch them together. It may be just a mental thing, but I'm intimidated by large edit projects and breaking things into meaningful chunks make it easier on me. Silly self-induced mental games, but fortunately for me, Vegas mitigates my neuroses.

Yes, it does.
Both via firewire from JH3, or as component input from cam directly using a BMD card, which is how we're working with footage from the 700.

As far as P2... I'll have a tutorial up within the hour.


Hey Doug, how does the Raylight work---is it cludgy? Also, have you shot with the HVX200---if so, what do you think? I'm thinking of it as an entry level camera into the world of HD.

I don't find Raylight kludgy at all, it's not much different than HDV-CineForm. Native reading would be good.
As far as the cam...I won't comment beyond saying it's not at all what I expected. Chromakey is impossible with this camera. At any setting. 720p30, 720p 60n, 1080i....nada works. The vertical shift is ridiculous to deal with.
We ended up using the A1U footage acquired at the same time.

Anyone know of a way to get the Event Fx window to open in more than one instance?

Color matching: I have two clips on two tracks and I'm flipping back and forth using the Solo button to view them. It would be great if either the Event Fx window matched the clip being viewed, or if I could get one Fx window to open for each clip.

Scott

Scott,

I haven't tried this and I'm not on my Vegas machine to give it a spin, but will the EventFX dialog box dock? Can you drag it to the edge of the area where the Trimmer and Transitions tabs are and see if it will latch on and "dock" to become a tab.

I don't think it will because I think all the dockable tabs are specific menu items in the View menu. I don't think you can have two open because it is a 'dialog box' but I cannot confirm that.

As far as I know, you can only view the properties for one FX at a time. Here's a interesting solution, though: Open Vegas TWICE and do each image in the separate instances of Vegas. Then you can have both open at once.