Why It Will NEVER Die . . .

David Jimerson

David Jimerson

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"Mac Rulz" comment of the day (from a friend of mine in "film school"):

> Beg all you want, but I study under people in the
> know, and everything I have heard says that the days
> of PC in Hollywood are numbered. Vegas Video is a
> joke, the pinnacle of pro-sumer editing software is
> Final Cut.
 
Re: Why It Will NEVER Die . . .

Oddly, this is similar to something I used to say.  I was never really a mac/PC zealot, but I worked primarily with FCP and Avid and knew how powerful they were.  

I even scoffed at the demo Sonic Foundry did for me at NAB 2-3 years ago telling them how odd it was that "sure you can get realtime previews, but the quality of the image goes down...when you render in FCP, you can be sure that what you see is what you get".  Well, guess what FCP does now in it's "most advanced version ever"-- that's right realtime previews by sacrificing quality and framerate.

Even then, for quite some time I laughed at one of my friends who really loved Vegas.  I thought he was so zealous about it because he was just trying to justify this "lesser" program that I "knew" Vegas was.  I would always laugh and tell him, "Vegas is just a toy my friend.  You can't do any pro stuff with it."

When the time came, I migrated over all my systems to PC (mostly because I was sick of macs from running mac labs), and embarked on the search for a PC-based NLE with FCP as my measuring stick.  I tried them all.  I almost went with Avid because of my familiarity with it, but I was really sick of all the talk you hear about it, mostly from people who know nothing, that "avid is the industry choice.  There is no other choice."  So I tried premier and found it to be intuitive, but not nearly as robust an NLE as I was used to on FCP.

Finally, I sat down and messed around in Vegas.  I hated it.  It was entirely different from what I knew.  Sure, the basic techniques of editing were all accessable, but everything was just presented differently!  Where were my source/record monitors?  I came from reel-to-reel editing, so that was sorely missed.

I was about to trash Vegas, give in and get me an Avid, when along came a short 15min project someone needed edited.  Not having decided on an NLE, but having access to at least the ability to edit (via Vegas), I took the project.  What happened next was very disconcerting...

I was having fun editing!  Not since my early days on FCP v1.0, where everything was a new discovery, did I enjoy the process of editing as much as I was while working in Vegas.  Not only that, in my short time using Vegas (about one week), I was actually editing faster and more efficiently than I was after several years on FCP.  The ability to adjust settings, properties, etc. on the fly simply allowed me to try more creative ideas on the project than if I was in FCP and had to render everything to see the result. Better still, this decidedly abnormal experience of "fun editing" continues to this day whenever I work on a project.

Trust me, I looked everywhere for a "FCP on the PC" (even ways to run FCP in windows:)).  I never found it.  I found something better  ::)

BTW, I still can't get over how much people buy into the whole mac marketting thing so completely.   It's like they say whatever mac wants them to say.  What's worse, is many "educators" are this way and impart this "knowledge" of the industry to their students who accept it as law. :)
 
Re: Why It Will NEVER Die . . .

Wow. That was a nice post. It even made me feel good (I use Vegas for the PC/Native 24p thing with no NLE experience and I feel pretty good about what I know on this using Vegas. It has come very easy. Am I a quick study? Usually. Is Vegas what people in the know say it is? I think so.

I find myself doing things in Vegas that, without experience using other NLE's is just so simple. I find myself 'figuring out' stuff without knowing where to look. I find myself confident in knowing WTF I'm doing and I haven't even begun to learn all of the tricks and options.

I'm self taught with G Klieners DVD as a structure and I'm satisfied. :)
 
Re: Why It Will NEVER Die . . .

[quote author=John Hudson link=board=Offtopic;num=1081139793;start=0#3 date=04/04/04 at 23:23:07]Am I a quick study?[/quote]

Of course you are! You're the J-to-the-H; our very own DVX/Vegas cheerleader! :D (hey, macho-men can be cheerleaders too y'know:))

In all seriousness, Vegas, like any good NLE (or any good program) is consistent in it's interface and workflow. This means that once you get the "feel" for the program and its workflow, you can almost predict how something might be accomplished. Vegas' advantage over other NLEs is its incredible realtime feedback on changes you make on the timeline (audio, video, effects, positioning, etc.) while you're playing the timeline, something very few other NLEs can do.
 
Re: Why It Will NEVER Die . . .

I feel your pain on the missing source window -- maybe an upgrade will rememdy that. Other than that, though, I challenged my friend to list those things FCP can do that Vegas can't (never mind that he chose to ridicule Vegas, but I had listed a fair number of other PC-only editing systems). No response as of yet -- probably going to check with his "people in the know" (a.k.a. his Mac lab instructors).
 
Re: Why It Will NEVER Die . . .

Actually, I'm fine with having no source window anymore. It saves space. The funny thing about Vegas is that the programmers didn't follow any of the conventions and legacies of NLEs and went with what they perceived as most logical. In this way, I keep being surprised at how logical Vegas' functions are! This is also one of the main reasons why Vegas doesn't get any respect in the industry by in large (especially by "people in the know":)). But take a more in-depth look at Vegas, and you will find that many of the conventions and legacies of NLEs are not the fastest way to work. :)
 
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