FCP vs Vegas

Kevin James · June 6th, 2008, 09:20 AM

I'm going to have to disagree with Robert- I think Vegas is immensely powerful. It's titling and audio mixing capabilities blow FCP out of the water. The sheer speed at swhich you can create a polished cut is incredible.

That being said, bringing Motion and Soundtrack into the picture shift the balance.

With Vegas though, you dont have to use multiple apps to accomplish the same thing.

Now, heres the Rub: I have not touched vegas in a year. At all. My freelance business has grown exponentially. I get work at various post houses and prod companies around town because I know Final Cut Studio. It has taken a huge chunk out of Avid, and around here is the dominant NLE.

If I had not taken the time to learn and become proficient with FCS my career wouldn't be taking off the way it is. I highly recommend getting a mac and learning FCS.

That being said, Vegas' interface and ease of getting up and running allowed me to concentrate on learning the *art* of pacing and making a good cut without getting slogged down in a steep learning curve.

On the negative side of things I had to completely re-educate myself on good organization with the switch. Fortunately I've assisted some great editors who have really helped me work up a system that is consistent, fast, and easy to step into.

In the end, go FCS- maybe even grab an education copy of Avid as well. Vegas will not be breaking into many major post houses as the in house solution anytime soon, and knowing what is used will allow you to collaborate, freelance, and be able to take a job just about anywhere. Even if you are running your own prod. co. this will allow you to hire just about anyone to step in on your gear or their own and give you the ability to collaborate.

I highly recommend checking out the Apple Discussion forums on FCS- there is a TON of great info in there from some incredible big brains on FCS.

Check out Shane Ross and Larry Jordans blogs for some consistent info for the FCS user. There is also a blog called Editing Organized out there which is a great read.

I hope this helps, good luck, edit organized, remember to shoot handles, set your TC to start at 1hr, and roll bars!

-Kevin

Simon Denny · June 6th, 2008, 11:56 AM

Spot on Kevin. All the info i need.

Regards
Simon

Andy Wilkinson · June 15th, 2008, 07:13 AM

I've been reading this thread over the last few weeks with great interest so thanks to all of you who have contributed.

I love Vegas 7 (been using it for 9 months now) but I'm doing it on a 4 year old Dell 3.0Ghz P4 HT and even if I stick with Vegas I'd want a much faster new windows box (for say 1,500 quid) as I'm a great believer in having the right tools for the job.

I'm also begining to do some work with a mate locally who's got an EX1 and uses FCP 6 on a Mac Book Pro so having my own access to FCP would make a lot of sense. I don't want an EX3 but will buy a Z7 soon for various reasons - but that's for another forum section (basically cost/interchangeable lense/fast transfer from CF card but I still want tape option for archive etc.)

I'm strongly leaning towards getting one of the new Mac Pro 8 core 2.8GHz (with extra RAM, RAID set-up etc.) as this will allow me to learn FCP but still use Vegas 7 as and when I need/want too (until the current box dies - and then I still have the option of replacing it at a relatively modest cost!)

Going to a new Mac Pro/FC Studio will not be a cheap option (!), especially when I factor in a second Dell 2408WFP Monitor for it but I'm currently viewing it as a necessary and sensible step...... so keep these comments coming as people like me read every word!

Erwin van Dijck · June 15th, 2008, 08:05 AM

I switched about 2 ~ 3 months ago from Vegas on a PC to a MacPro 8 core with FCS. I took time to learn the new software, did some online training at Lynda.com, read a book, experimented and I am happily running Final Cut now.

Vegas is very good at certain tasks and is dong it fast. But I think in the end the complete package of FCS with all the integrated applications, clean way of working, and based on a solid foundation (Mac) makes it the way to go.

Some examples: Final Cut renders during unused processor time, providing you with a pre-rendered timeline to watch - no stuttering on transitions as I used to have in Vegas! And the 8-core is powerful enough to give a 1:1 preview on a second 24" monitor.

Or take the interview from a clip: with one mouse click you sent it to SoundTrack to easily remove that irritating airconditioning hum, and then you sent it back.

Or take Compressor, the killer app that made my delivery workflow go triple as fast: it converts a movie to every format or versions I want, in a batch, and can even upload automatically to our FTP site. And if the customers want a small change in the edit? I just start the batch again and the whole process runs smoothly without interference.

regards,
Erwin

John C. Plunkett · June 16th, 2008, 07:56 AM

Vegas is not a toy. I've used it for 8 years and have always considered it to be the fastest editor around. It's what I consider to be a great open-ended foundation for building the NLE you want. With that said, I use FCP as much if not more now than Vegas, but I still run both.

June 15th, 2008, 07:13 AM	#33
Andy Wilkinson Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Cambridge UK Posts: 2,853	Vegas versus FCP I've been reading this thread over the last few weeks with great interest so thanks to all of you who have contributed. I love Vegas 7 (been using it for 9 months now) but I'm doing it on a 4 year old Dell 3.0Ghz P4 HT and even if I stick with Vegas I'd want a much faster new windows box (for say 1,500 quid) as I'm a great believer in having the right tools for the job. I'm also begining to do some work with a mate locally who's got an EX1 and uses FCP 6 on a Mac Book Pro so having my own access to FCP would make a lot of sense. I don't want an EX3 but will buy a Z7 soon for various reasons - but that's for another forum section (basically cost/interchangeable lense/fast transfer from CF card but I still want tape option for archive etc.) I'm strongly leaning towards getting one of the new Mac Pro 8 core 2.8GHz (with extra RAM, RAID set-up etc.) as this will allow me to learn FCP but still use Vegas 7 as and when I need/want too (until the current box dies - and then I still have the option of replacing it at a relatively modest cost!) Going to a new Mac Pro/FC Studio will not be a cheap option (!), especially when I factor in a second Dell 2408WFP Monitor for it but I'm currently viewing it as a necessary and sensible step...... so keep these comments coming as people like me read every word! __________________ Andy K Wilkinson - https://www.shootingimage.co.uk Cambridge (UK) Corporate Video Production

June 6th, 2008, 09:20 AM	#31
Kevin James Major Player Join Date: May 2004 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 204	I'm going to have to disagree with Robert- I think Vegas is immensely powerful. It's titling and audio mixing capabilities blow FCP out of the water. The sheer speed at swhich you can create a polished cut is incredible. That being said, bringing Motion and Soundtrack into the picture shift the balance. With Vegas though, you dont have to use multiple apps to accomplish the same thing. Now, heres the Rub: I have not touched vegas in a year. At all. My freelance business has grown exponentially. I get work at various post houses and prod companies around town because I know Final Cut Studio. It has taken a huge chunk out of Avid, and around here is the dominant NLE. If I had not taken the time to learn and become proficient with FCS my career wouldn't be taking off the way it is. I highly recommend getting a mac and learning FCS. That being said, Vegas' interface and ease of getting up and running allowed me to concentrate on learning the art of pacing and making a good cut without getting slogged down in a steep learning curve. On the negative side of things I had to completely re-educate myself on good organization with the switch. Fortunately I've assisted some great editors who have really helped me work up a system that is consistent, fast, and easy to step into. In the end, go FCS- maybe even grab an education copy of Avid as well. Vegas will not be breaking into many major post houses as the in house solution anytime soon, and knowing what is used will allow you to collaborate, freelance, and be able to take a job just about anywhere. Even if you are running your own prod. co. this will allow you to hire just about anyone to step in on your gear or their own and give you the ability to collaborate. I highly recommend checking out the Apple Discussion forums on FCS- there is a TON of great info in there from some incredible big brains on FCS. Check out Shane Ross and Larry Jordans blogs for some consistent info for the FCS user. There is also a blog called Editing Organized out there which is a great read. I hope this helps, good luck, edit organized, remember to shoot handles, set your TC to start at 1hr, and roll bars! -Kevin

June 6th, 2008, 11:56 AM	#32
Simon Denny Trustee Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Australia Posts: 1,409	Spot on Kevin. All the info i need. Regards Simon

June 15th, 2008, 08:05 AM	#34
Erwin van Dijck Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Hoofddorp, The Netherlands Posts: 75	I switched about 2 ~ 3 months ago from Vegas on a PC to a MacPro 8 core with FCS. I took time to learn the new software, did some online training at Lynda.com, read a book, experimented and I am happily running Final Cut now. Vegas is very good at certain tasks and is dong it fast. But I think in the end the complete package of FCS with all the integrated applications, clean way of working, and based on a solid foundation (Mac) makes it the way to go. Some examples: Final Cut renders during unused processor time, providing you with a pre-rendered timeline to watch - no stuttering on transitions as I used to have in Vegas! And the 8-core is powerful enough to give a 1:1 preview on a second 24" monitor. Or take the interview from a clip: with one mouse click you sent it to SoundTrack to easily remove that irritating airconditioning hum, and then you sent it back. Or take Compressor, the killer app that made my delivery workflow go triple as fast: it converts a movie to every format or versions I want, in a batch, and can even upload automatically to our FTP site. And if the customers want a small change in the edit? I just start the batch again and the whole process runs smoothly without interference. regards, Erwin

June 16th, 2008, 07:56 AM	#35
John C. Plunkett Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Jacksonville, Illinois Posts: 130	Vegas is not a toy. I've used it for 8 years and have always considered it to be the fastest editor around. It's what I consider to be a great open-ended foundation for building the NLE you want. With that said, I use FCP as much if not more now than Vegas, but I still run both.