Vegas Video discussions from 2005 (Q1Q2)

[Jozie Rabyor]

Greetings, all. My first NLE experience was with Windows MovieMaker, the software bundled with Windows XP. In MM, I could trim --that is, shorten -- a clip on the timeline by positioning the cursor on the clip's edge, then clicking and dragging to shorten the clip.

I can do this in Vegas Movie Studio (VMS).

But: when I did this in MM, all subsequent clips rippled -- that is, snugged up-- so that no blank space remained on the timeline.

Is there a way to make this happen with VMS? I understand how to trim a clip and then select the resulting timeline hole/blank space and then engage Ripple Edit and hit delete.

But is there a way to make the thing ripple after a trim automatically?

Thanks.

[Patrick King]

I have one for Vegas from Worldtech Devices.

http://www.worldtechdevices.com/vegas.html

Mine is actually an older version. Good key response. Has keys with the shortcuts painted(?)and not decals. I got the keyboard with a Shuttle Xpress at half the cost of the EZ Keyboard. I was willing to pay the money, but got to thinking how I would use it with the jog/shuttle located where it is on the EZ Keyboard. I prefer to use my left hand on the jog wheel and right hand to either mouse or hit keyboard shortcuts. I guess if you prefer to use your left hand to jog or hit keyboard shortcuts leaving your right hand assigned to the mouse then the EZ Keyboard would be better for you. Love the jog and love the shortcuts labeled on the keys.

[Patrick King]

If you really feel like a geek today and are willing to read this guy's info, about halfway down the page is a table with the settings needed for various levels of configuration.

http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm

[Dennis Vogel]

Look for a button on the toolbar labeled "Auto Ripple". Click it so it looks pressed in. That turns on auto ripple, the thing you want. Vegas has one and I would be surprised if VMS didn't have the same thing.

Good luck.

Dennis

[Jozie Rabyor]

Thanks for the answer, Dennis. But actually, I don't think VMS does have this option. No auto ripple button that I can see, and no matches with the search function in Help.

Anyone else with any ideas, I'd love to hear 'em. This is quite a flaw in a program that in every other way seems to have dear old MM beat!

Jozie

[Patrick King]

Page 40 of the Movie Studio manual describes the Ripple edit mode. Different icon than Vegas but appears work in a similar way as Vegas Auto Ripple tool. I think Movie Studio just doesn't have the Post Edit Ripple feature (which I prefer personally).

[Edward Troxel]

Thanks for the info, Peter.

[Glenn Chan]

I find the blackviper tweaks don't really do anything, unless you are running 96MB of RAM or something like that (in which, buy more RAM).

If you want your machine to boot more quickly, get rid of antivirus scanning, check for configuration problems (i.e. PIO mode), get rid of viruses and spyware, and then try disabling start-ups.

Disabling start-ups:
winXP:
This isn't necessarily safe, but you can go run --> msconfig, click on the startup tab, and disable everything. Chances are very high you don't need whatever it is.

If you find that you are missing a startup you regularly use (i.e. MSN messenger, VNC/remote, etc.) then add it back in through msconfig again.

Some programs have updaters in there, but you generally don't need the updates.

[Jozie Rabyor]

Thanks for weighing in, Patrick. I see the instructions in the manual for using Ripple with cut, paste and delete. But I'm still trying to get subsequent events to ripple when I don't shorten an event by splitting and then cutting--but instead edge-trim it on the timeline by clicking and dragging on one side of the event.

If you or anyone who uses Movie Studio can make this happen on your copy of the program, please clue me in. I've already tried logging off and rebooting, and also using the software's 'repair' feature. If this technique is supposed to be available, I don't think I have it. I suppose I could try re-installing. But first I'd like to make sure that VMS actually does this.

It's sort of inconceivable to me that it wouldn't, but I've tried searching the manual for the word Ripple, and reading every entry. I've read all the info on Trimming (on the timeline). At least I think I have. Still no instructions for this particular technique.

So again, muchas gracias and big, big thanks to all who are trying to help me--and if anyone has further suggestions, I'm still hoping to figure out what I'm doing wrong.
Jozie

[Patrick King]

<<<-- Originally posted by Glenn Chan : I find the blackviper tweaks don't really do anything, unless you are running 96MB of RAM or something like that (in which, buy more RAM).

If you want your machine to boot more quickly, get rid of antivirus scanning, check for configuration problems (i.e. PIO mode), get rid of viruses and spyware, and then try disabling start-ups.

Disabling start-ups: winXP: This isn't necessarily safe, but you can go run --> msconfig, click on the startup tab, and disable everything. Chances are very high you don't need whatever it is.-->>>

Glen,
I think you might need to review the latest BlackViper table. I've found them VERY useful on a workstation with only 2 gigs of ram (benchmark validation of speed increases). You say his tweaks 'don't really do anything' and then you say go willy-nilly into the msconfig and turn off everything, which you admit isn't really safe.

I'm suggesting it is much smarter to use his guide as a resource to select exactly which things should be set to Automatic, Manual, or Disabled in the Services setting.
He also offers other recommendations for tweaks (http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/supertweaks.htm).

Additionally, I would not give a blanket recommendation of 'getting rid' of virus and spyware software. If the computer used to edit connects to the internet (and it does for a lot of folks), then make an effort to disconnect when editing and keep the virus and spyware software, just make it manual so it doesn't scan while editing. If your editing computer is truly stand-alone (never connected to the internet), you can completely remove them.

[Patrick King]

Last resort: ask at the Sony Forum. They have Sony reps lurking that will answer if other owners can't.

http://mediasoftware.sonypictures.co...asp?ForumID=12

[Samuel Birkan]

The Sony Forum mentioned here is an excellent resource for Vegas Studio. One of the regular posters there has a detailed post a few monthes back how to do ripple edits.
That said the ripple feature is surprisingly tough to master for some strange reason

[James Binder]

Yeah -- the jog wheel is what I thought was most cool about the keyboard. Whish it was on the left side though -- more ergonomic for left hand jog and right hand mouse usage.

Although, I'm pretty used to using 'J-K-L' for jog/shuttle -- which is after all on the right side of the keyboard.

What else is out there to control Vegas? Coming from the audio world, I'm aware of several different dedicated control surfaces for audio recording software -- anything like that for Video/Vegas? That is, more advanced features, etc than the EZ keyboard or the likes…

Thanks –

[James Binder]

...worked great. Thanks again for the tip(s).

[Edward Troxel]

For a jog/shuttle wheel, I use the Contour Shuttle Pro. It works great and you can also program the various buttons. The way I have my laptop programmed, I could actually edit a full multi-cam mix and never touch anything except the Shuttle Pro. (not counting audio)

If you're really looking to control Vegas via external devices, you might want to take a look at the Mackie external controller!