Is it true that Vegas is DEAD?

[Sean Seah]

I stopped at V13 and was forced to move to Premiere CC but I still love Vegas! I noticed there has been no new release and I am thinking its the end of the road for Vegas sadly... any one knows?

[Jeff Pulera]

Vegas Pro 13 is barely a year old, why would you assume it is done?

[Edward Troxel]

Vegas Pro 13 was announced at NAB 2014. Vegas Pro 13 is still being sold and supported so I would not say it is "dead". Everyone thought Vegas was dead at Vegas Pro 4 as well - when Sony purchased it. Typically it's been about 1.5 years between versions and we are now approaching the 2 year mark. That's all the facts I know.

[Jim Michael]

Sony hasn't asked to monopolize any user group meeting at NAB have they?

[James Manford]

I'm still using Vegas 12 and don't see myself shifting away from it anytime soon. It's a bad ass program once you know how to use it properly.

I love the creative freedom it gives me. And more importantly, it runs super smooth on my system.

It will be a sad day if Sony decide to ditch it altogether. I've spent too much time learning how to use it.

[Chris Harding]

Hi James

When I added Vegas 13 I left my 64 bit version of 10 on my computer and for most projects I still use 10 and it works very well as a editor! If they did introduce a Version 15 it would have to have absolutely unique advantages for me to get it. Obviously the sales of Version 13 are still good enough not to prompt a new version yet. Seriously what could be added that would make it a "must have at any costs" ?

[Tom Van den Berghe]

I work with vegas pro 13 for about 2 years now. Love the program but the interface is so outdated. Before that I always worked with pinnacle studio and the interface (from version 16 and above) is so much pro looking. (but the bugs killed it for me)

I like the flashy interface colors from the moviestudio 13 version. If I can get those in pro 13 that would be nice for me. Now my son (almost 14 years old ) is working with vegas pro 13. He records videos from his playstation 4 and edits them with effects. So not a difficult program.

[Jeff Harper]

Threads about Vegas' demise pop up like this occasionally over the years and always bother me a bit. They typically seem to contain an alarming headline using a phrase such as "IS VEGAS DEAD?" or something similar.

It's just weird to me. Yes, it's true that nothing lasts forever, but the "Is Vegas dead" approach just bugs me a and seems a bit negative. I hope the next release is coming soon. It's always exciting, though often disappointing. I'm on 12 and and would like to see what 14 would look like.

[Leslie Wand]

unfortunately this time around there's more to wonder about scs future course....

with the advent of the catalyst suite it's clear that scs is looking to the newer generation of both cameras and producers. vegas is still based on the obsolete vfw code base - which is now proving limited in handling modern codecs, and new producers want a cleaner, more 'professional' gui.

then there's the competition, all gearing up very substantially for handling complex codecs, colour correction, grading, etc., etc.,

whilst i love vegas, especially it's seeming simplicity and speed, not to mention its ability to utilize scripts, etc., etc., it is looking and feeling REALLY DATED.

i've moved on to resolve as my main nle - i still use vegas 13 for fast rough cuts and audio sweetening, but even then it's losing it's edge as other software advances....

[Jeff Harper]

Well informed and helpful post, as usual, Leslie. Thank you.

[Pete Cofrancesco]

I've seen this many times before where the software company use the existing code base for as long as they can without doing a rewrite only adding small features.

Anyone old enough will remember this happened with Adobe Premiere and more recently Final Cut Pro. In Adobe case they rewrote the code base but maintained continuity while in Apple's case they complete abandoned FCPS.

The fact Sony owns Vegas could be seen as good or bad. The cons are: they didn't develop it, they aren't a software company and don't have a vested interest in Vegas. On the pro they have deep pockets.

Like others have said their interface outdated. I've used other editors that are more user friendly. There are many areas they could improve on but I don't see it happening, it probably doesn't make financial sense for them to put money into an aging product or to expend the large amount of time and money to do a rewrite.

It might be "dead" but it still serves purpose as low cost alternative to subscription base Premiere. That might qualify it as zombie or "undead".

[Brian Drysdale]

I'd say the future lies with Catalyst, it seems to address how you use bins etc in a much more sensible manner than Vegas Pro. However, I don't know how well it handles working with audio, which is real strength of Vegas.

[Graham Bernard]

Brian, I respectfully disagree. But maybe, I don't? .....

Until I note something to the contrary, the Catalyst suite feels like a workmanlike set of post acquisition but pre post tools (NLEs) to be used in the field to get media ready for greater offline manipulation/s. Now, the more complexity provided by Catalyst suite, I can argue, is to allow the cameraman or field director/producer to determine just what shots and what feel is required, and then some. This in turn would provide a JIT ( Just In Time ) solution for hard pressed small/medium sized post houses and broadcast companies to have their template already stamped on the Media, turning this Media into "almost-there", ready to broadcast content. Sony developing and rolling-out and providing this would counter any camera division marketing argument that Sony did NOT have such a toolset. Well, with the CataSuite SONY now can say that they do!

Sony makes and supplies cameras. It's not beyond guessing that somebody, or a working group turned around one day and said, it would be real neat to have a ready-to-go suite for their in-the-field customers. Don't forget, there was other suites out there that do or did do quite a bit of this ( I've attended Red Giant's BulletProof demonstration but now gone :Red Giant Discontinued Bulletproof, Their App for On-Set Media Management), and it could have happen that an SCS VP had indicated that there was in fact a subsidiary of SONY already having a wealth of experience in Wisconsin, in this same field! Who'd have thought?

So, maybe I don't see VEGAS PRO dying anytime soon. I'm now kinda clear just where I see the Catalyst suite can sit. Would I like some of the look and feel of Catalyst to find its way into VP? Yes. Is that going to happen anytime soon? From my 14 years experience, with the VEGAS NLE, not so much. But hey, what do I know? However, if the World is going to continue to spin on JIT content, maybe SONY would, in turn, release VegasPro from their portfolio. Could this have always been their long-term plan, since their purchase of VEGAS VIDEO back around VV5? Sony has had a history of long-reach, slow-burn development, coupled with deep pockets and much patience.i

In Chemistry : "A Catalyst will change the rate of a chemical reaction but will not be used up during the reaction."

In Biology : "Enzymes are soluble protein molecules that can speed up chemical reactions in cells. These reactions include respiration, photosynthesis and making new proteins. For this reason enzymes are sometimes called biological catalysts."

So, I don't see CataSuite usurping VP by virtue of it being a better alternative, but rather it becomes a better, more seductive business model alternative than VP for a camera supplier. Will VP sustain this Darwinian selection process? Who knows. But if I'm correct, then the reasons it withers and dies may NOT be for the exact same reasons that have previously been suggested.

Grazie

[Leslie Wand]

excellent summation grazie...

i especially concur regarding the target / use of cat suite. it's certainly no substitute for vegas, and will take considerable work to come close to vegas's usefulness / dexterity as an nle.

meanwhile though vegas is STILL an amazing nle, it's certainly looking and feeling rather dated. if nothing else a cosmetic make-over would see it revitalized in a market more attuned to slick, professional looking gui's.

[Brian Drysdale]

Vegas Pro will continue for some time (even if Sony stop selling it eg FCP7), although, I suspect the updates that most people need are for the never ending stream of new codecs. Catalyst seems to be a work in progress, so it may be a while before a possible full NLE version comes out. Certainly there is a wide range of NLEs out in the market these days (each with different strengths and weaknesses), so manufacturers do need to decide where a new one fits in the spectrum