SONY VEGAS PRO 8.0A COPORATE
DETAILS OF PRODUCT AND FEATURES
Vegas Pro 8 includes Vegas Pro 8 video capturing/editing software, DVD Architect Pro (version 4.5) DVD authoring software, and Dolby Digital AC-3 Encoding software. Similar to Vegas 7 I was very impressed with the overall stability of the Vegas Pro 8 tool suite when working on highly complex video projects involving a dozen or so audio and video tracks.
The first task I tried was backwards compatibility, opening a Vegas 7 project file with Vegas Pro 8, not a problem! I also tried the same thing with DVD Architect Pro and as expected version 4.5 had no problem working with version 4.0 project files.
A change since version 7 is that Sony now mimics Adobe Premier Pros layout by having the default setting with the timeline along the bottom of the screen and the media resources and preview window along the top of the screen. In version 7 this was reversed. You can also change it back if you prefer it the other way.
Media generators include credit rolls, text, solid colors, test patterns, noise texture, checkerboard, and color gradient. A new feature in Vegas Pro 8 is the ProType Titler tool which is a very powerful feature. This tool can be used with phrases, words, and even at the character level. Some of the animations include character fly-ins, advanced curves, shadows, glows, blurs, and gradients. You can also adjust line and character spacing, and X/Y coordinate axis positioning with precision. Its easy to sample media generators and video effects by mousing over the selection. This is a great time-saving feature as I was able to get an idea of an effects behavior very quickly.
An interesting movie theater type effect is the fly through effect which uses multiple levels of 3D motion on 4 video tracks.
Its great to see that one of the features I had suggested be added in my Vegas Pro 7 review has been added to Vegas Pro 8full screen preview. You can press ALT Shift 4 to view full screen or use the Preview on External Monitor button if you just have one display. If you have an external display you can configure it to work with this button. Well done, Sony!
Interactive tutorials are available on the Help menu and are helpful for completing various tasks such as adding a title to your project timeline. Some of the tutorial categories include basics, audio, video and still images, text and backdrops, and projects.
Scripting is handy for automating repetitive tasks and can be run from the Tools menu. Vegas extensions are actually compiled scripts that use the .NET Framework and can be written in Javascript or Visual Basic .NET. Created scripts can also be accessed via the Edit, View, and Tools extensions menus.
In both Vegas Pro 8 and DVD Architect Pro you can access additional media using File->Get Media from the Web. This accesses the Sony website which serves as your content connection to Sony partners including Artbeats, Sony Media Software, Shockwavesound.com, ActionBacks, Sounddogs.com, and iamusic.com.
AUDIO FEATURES
Sony has added an Audio mixing console in Vegas Pro 8 which provides a hardware-like audio mixer with buttons for assigning effects, routing, and automation control. To access use View->Mixing Console and the mixing console displays all of your audio tracks vertically with buttons for noise gate, EQ, compressor, adding new insert effects (Fx), input source, output master, and PAN sliders. With my audio background Sony had me feeling right at home and its a snap to add audio effects with the mixing console. For example, on a particular track select the Insert Fx button and then the effect type/manufacturer/effect (Chorus->Sony->Sony ExpressFX Delay). Its that easy!
PERFORMANCE
A PC configured with 1GB RAM is sufficient for running one tool at a time but if you plan to run multiple tools concurrently then I suggest you upgrade your setup to 2GB RAM (youll be glad you did).
DVD ARCHITECT PRO
Sony has added additional themes (now totaling 44) in DVD Architect Pro and these can be customized and saved as new themes for use in future projects. A handy feature is Reapply theme layout which works well when youve selected a theme and then rearranged and added buttons on the screen. Edit->Reapply Theme Layout will automatically realign the buttons using the theme style structure. This is a very cool feature indeed! I also used object order to layer graphics moving items forward/backward or to the Top/Bottom.
Editing tools include the selection, sizing, navigation, and keyframe tools which can be accessed from the Edit menu or by clicking on the corresponding button in the workspace panel.
DVD Architect Pro integrates with Cinescore as you can insert soundtracks directly within DVD Architect Pro. Selecting Insert->Generated Music launches Cinescore and selecting a track results in it being inserted in your DVD Architect Pro audio timeline. Very slick and Sony even allows you to import Adobe Photoshop files!
Video workspace overlays are very useful for checking your project prior to mastering. For example to ensure your production adheres to title and action safe areas you can enable these overlays by using View->Workspace Overlays and enabling Show Title Safe Area and Show Action Safe Area.
CINESCORE
Cinescore is a loop-based audio soundtrack creation tool that has some very interesting sound styles, themes, and variations, and you run Cinescore right from Vegas Pro 8 or DVD Architect Pro.
The Cinescore timeline includes 4 main tracks for video, audio, generated music (i.e. theme pack music), and sound effect style audio transitions (i.e. whoosh, breaking glass).
Themes represent a collection of related musical ideas, are typically loop-based, and include a variety of variation presets. Theme variation presets share characteristics such as key, tempo, and melody. Each theme has one or more sections and moods, and for each mood you can select from a variety of arrangements. Advanced parameter controls include section, mood, arrangement, intensity, tempo. You can also set the ending as normal, fade out (gradual), loop, or abrupt. Theme variation presets include starting section (i.e. intro, verse, chorus, bridge, interlude), mood, arrangement, tempo, and intensity. You should also note that the sections and moods available to select from vary by theme.
Intensity setting reflects the density of the music (i.e. loudness of the mix and number of instruments/sounds used). A setting of 100% uses all instruments. Tempo variations vary from one theme to another and typically range between 96-106% where 100% represents the original tempo setting. This is to prevent drastic tempo changes that will distort the overall sound. Hints are markers that indicate change (i.e. tempo, mood, intensity). To add a hint double click the location on the hints bar above the timeline in the Generated Music dialog.
Sony also has a variety of theme packs available for use with Cinescore and I test drove 2 of the newly released (Sep 2007) editions, Hyperculture: New Media Soundtracks and Urban 24/7: City Soundmaps. Each of these theme packs includes 10 themes. A breeze to install each of these theme packs installed in about 5 minutes each. I didnt even have to restart Cinescore to detect the newly installed theme packs. Using the Theme Chooser dialog I was able to sort themes by title, package type, genre, and tempo.
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