Customer Reviews

Sony Vegas Pro 9 - Old Version

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The product description above goes a LONG way into describing Vegas Pro 9's capabilities here, so I won't reiterate these ad nauseum.

However, if you're new to the field, is Vegas Pro 9 for you? If you're looking for the perfect, non-linear editor, and are seriously considering producing multiple DVD's as a business line (say you're a wedding videographer, etc.), then I'd respond with a resounding YES. If you're tired of being faced with restrictions of cheaper offerings (i.e. limited menu lengths, constrained templates, etc.) or if you're frustrated with compatibility limitations (only certain video files are supported, you need something that will read AVCHD video files), then here's another resounding YES. If you're looking into software that gives you full range in creativity, then another resounding YES.

If you're looking for software that simply takes your home movie and plops it onto a DVD with minimal rework, look elsewhere. I, however, use it almost exclusively for home movie use, BUT I edit my home movies heavily and create my own music videos which requires that I often look/listen to them on a frame-by-frame basis, so I appreciate the full range of power that is at my disposal.

I have been using Sony Vegas Pro 8 for quite awhile (you can see my full review on this site), so some of the Pro 8 users may wonder if it's worth the upgrade or not. Here are some points to consider that Pro 9 supports that Pro 8 does not:

* 4K images. 4000+ x 4000+ images are now fully supported for rendering. While some may be entranced by this, I had no use for this whatsoever.
* Lighting effects. Sony Vegas Pro 9 offers Glint, Rays, etc. I love these and I use them quite frequently to offer some additional punch on my title screen sequences.
* Fill Light. This feature alone was worth it for me in the purchase of an upgrade. Do you ever have a shot where there's a bright light source that tends to drown out the rest of your footage (that you want!) in shadows because of the differential exposure? Fill Light will brighten those dark images and leave the brighter portions of the frame alone!! This was highly, highly worth it to me since this type of exposure compensation is usually not available on commercially available camcorders.

Overall, Sony Vegas Pro 9 (which has BOTH 32-bit and 64-bit versions on the same disc) operates just as cleanly as its older brother Pro 8. If anything, it appears to operate even more smoothly and some of the buggy portions of the ProTitler appear to have been fully corrected at the time of this review.

I highly recommend this product. Happy editing!

Even though I sometimes use two other video editors, Vegas remains the master of the space. Don't let the notion that the editing workflow is intended more for professionals than consumers fool you -- ignoring most of the bells and whistles, you still have a product that is worth the extra money if for no other reason its stability. I definitely fall in the consumer category, but Vegas is worth every penny to me.

Vegas takes good advantage of modern multi-core in rendering. When I recently upgraded from a dual-core to a new Intel 8-way chip, I saw a near-linear (3.75x) speedup during rendering, which was quite impressive. Since I haven't used Vegas in ways that stress the system outside of rendering, I don't know whether it is as efficient in its use of system resources for other activities.

While Vegas has great format support and degrees of control over output unrivaled by editors in the consumer-audience market, I whish it would include (input) support for formats such as .dvr-ms so I didn't have to convert to .MPEG using another editor (which is more likely to crash) as a pre-step.

In addition to home movies, I like to move recorded TV shows to my Zune, so editing out the commercials is something I do frequently. I bought Ulead 12 just for this purpose -- the multi-trim function seemed to be much more powerful and easy to use than Vegas. After being frustrated not only with crashes and hangs, I have concluded that the workflow in Vegas for this is actually better than Ulead's, mostly because the audio stream vizualization in the trimmer window gives me great cues as to where the commercials start and end. Also, taking time to learn Vegas' keyboard command shortcuts was well worth the effort here.

Like most people, I'm too lazy to read the documentation that comes with software I purchase. When I can't figure out how it works intuitively, I tend to blame the product design rather than myself. Vegas is one product where you do want to take the time to read the manual; doing so is well worth it, particularly if you're going to spend roughly $500 to get the best.

The only reason I stay away from 5 stars is that the included DVD Architect Pro software will not produce AVCHD DVDs that are playable on Sony's own PS3. The PDF manual actually speaks to this fact, but blames it on the player. However, since both Ulead and Cyberlink are able to produce DVDs with AVCHD content that are recognized just fine by the Playstation, this is rather hollow. So, I have to produce my HD home movie disks using Cyberlink instead, something that ought to be embarassing to Sony.

Since Sony has patched Vegas a few times, the AVCHD issues I was experiencing have been resolved. I think there are still some cineform issues the need to work out for the pros, but apparently some other daunting bugs have been worked out as well. Vegas Movie Studio is simply a stripped down version of Vegas--and there is certainly a market for the prosumer market. Vegas now deals with the files from all the cameras I deal with except for the Flip Mino HD--which I use Pinnacle Studio 12 Collection to edit. I wanted to be able to grow with my video editing and wanted more than the 2 video tracks Pinnacle Studio provides, but also more than that, with Vegas Pro I have the ability to use unlimited audio and video tracks. Compared to Adobe Premiere, Vegas is a steal--I no longer regret having purchased it. Adobe Premiere Elements 8 has unlimited video tracks as well, but it bogged down my computer so much I immediately uninstalled the trial version. Consequently I conclude this software is a good value for the money; and a good place for people to start if they want to develop professional editing skills.

If you own a PC, Vegas Pro is your best choice for NLE. It is the most stable, useable, flexible, and equals or exceeds the capabilities of PREMIERE and even FINAL CUT PRO. If you own a MAC, (I don't), there may some debate whether to go with Vegas or Final Cut Pro. But you should know that Vegas (although inexpensive) is as powerful a video editor as all the rest and experiences the highest of satisfaction from its users. If you work in the music industry side of video, I'd like to point out that Vegas Pro has some significant strengths over other NLE's when it comes to audio mixing/sweetening. I've used Premiere for a couple years with a sort of dismal satisfaction - it was capable of doing a lot, but it was very unstable and inflexible when it came to certain tasks. For example, nothing can be easier as exporting/rendering video from Vegas Pro. I was very frustrated with going through many, many different workflows to get HOLLYWOOD PRODUCTION QUALITY VIDEO on a DVD. Using Vegas Pro, I don't have to go through ANY workarounds. High Definition video rendered to a DVD-ready MPEG2 looks almost as it did before compression!

So much about this software JUST MAKES SENSE. Also Vegas Pro 9 is designed to work with computers of varying memory/power capabilities. In other words, if you don't own a powerhouse PC/MAC, chances are this is the one NLE that will function without crashing. Or so, that's my understanding. I try to run Premiere on a 64bit windows 7 12gb ram PC, and it just crashes and crashes and slows down and crashes and slow, slow, slow... Vegas rocks! This version has won several awards including the Best Professional HD Editing Solution by Videomaker magazine (2010).

I have Sony Vegas Pro 8 and I really like it, very powerful editing program. I now got Sony Vegas Pro 9. There are very similar to Pro 8 but with new improvements. Vegas Pro 9 can not import AVCHD directly from a camera but if you have already transfer .m2ts file into your computer from the camera. You then can import your .m2ts file into Vegas Pro 9. I use the software corel that come with the AVCHD camera to trasfer file and keep my raw footage store on another hard drive, just drag out the raw footage and edite them.

Vegas Pro 9 can import:

1) Media
2) AAF
3) Broadcasts Wave
4) DVD Camcorder Disc
5) hard disk Recording Unit
6) Memory Recording Unit



Here is what Pro 8 can import:

1) Media
2) AAF
3) Broadcasts Wave
4) DVD Camcorder Disc
5) hard disk Recording Unit
6) Memory Recording Unit
7) AVCHD Recording

I absolutely LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE this software and have never looked back.

I was a newbie at making videos, and started off last year (2009) with Roxio Video Wave (which I would also highly recommend to anyone starting brand new). However, as my skills progressed, I found I kept wanting to do more than Roxio could accommodate.

I trialed lots of software (I tried Corel's suite, Nero's, Cyberlink's PowerDirector, Adobe Premiere Elements and Premiere Pro), with my hopes set the highest on Cyberlink PowerDirector and Adobe Premiere Elements.

Being a Photoshop user since Version 3 and loving that program, I couldn't wait to try the relevant Adobe Premiere Elements and Elements Pro. Unfortunately, they were total disappointments because of their complexity, kept crashing (those users who complain about that aren't kidding), and the lack of some basic intuitive interface workings. Plus with Adobe they install all sorts of extra "crap" software that runs checking registration, etc.

PowerDirector was great, but not expandable and had quite a few little annoyances with its interface I couldn't get over.

Reluctantly, I tried Sony Vegas Pro. I was reluctant because seriously... how many people have received decent software from a camera or hardware electronics manufacturer? Zip. Zero. You get those cheezy programs to make short clips or transfer files from your camera to computer, but that's about it.

Well, let me say Sony's software division that's created Vegas Pro has certainly altered my stereotype!

I had a learning curve of about a day with Vegas getting used to their terminology as opposed to Roxio's (for example, in Vegas Pro media on a timeline is referred to as an "event". Roxio also has the same functionality as "envelopes", but Roxio doesn't call it "envelopes").

Anyway, Vegas Pro's functionality is exactly what I need/want in a software package. It does all the little things I find "non professional" producers would do. For instance, if I want a clip in a Vegas Project, I can just drag and drop it from Windows explorer onto the timeline. In any Adobe project or PowerDirector, it's a 2-step process of first having to "import" it into your media library and then dragging from your media library onto your timeline. Vegas Pro knows what you want, and does everything automatically for you when you drag/drop (eg, import it into the media library, etc).

Vegas installed easily, starts in less than a minute of my cheesy laptop, renders quickly, and hasn't crashed once. It's also not bloated software, and doesn't install more software than you need.

Vegas Pro can handle almost any kind of media file you want to throw at it.

It comes with an amazing set of transitions and video effects out of the box (as PowerDirector does). But if you want more, dozens of companies produce hundreds of additional plugins (both audio and video) allowing you to do more. Two great ones are 3D Six Pack from [...]
Video is a cinch to work with on the time line. In the same single clip you can easily slow video down, speed it up, and even reverse it without having to use or create separate subclips, and all just by clicking and dragging the mouse pointer. Super fantastic.

With audio, it's a snap to work with. I've even created a few remixes just by working with sound clips across the time line, doing fades, and adjusting audio envelopes (eg, the volume, playback speed, etc) on the time line.

Another big advantage of Vegas Pro over Adobe Premiere Pro is you can preview transitions and video effects *before* you actually apply them! In Premiere Pro, you can't do that. Who the heck wants to have to memorize transitions/effects to know what they might look like on your timeline before rendering?

Anyway, with Vegas you can also customize just about everything; windows can be docked however you like; you can write your own scripts to include your own functionality using .NET; the PDF manual was a breeze to read through;

After learning their Vegas lingo, it's become even easier and things just work.

The three drawbacks I find to Vegas (which are really minor) are:
1) the media library that came with it has nothing but "demo" clips which I can't use unless I purchase them;
2) the "trimmer" window where you can work with sound/video clips separately outside the timeline works differently than Roxio's similar interface. In Roxio, when you set an "in" and "out" point in a media clip and insert that into the timeline, that's the version (eg, you can't extend beyond the boundaries of the media w/o reediting the in/out points). In Vegas' trimmer window, you can set the in/out point, but when dragged onto the timeline you can extend beyond those points if you need to (I personally wish it was locked like it is in Roxio because otherwise there's no point to having the trimmer window as you can just do all your work in the timeline);
3) the Sony Message boards are restricted to people who have registered their software. So as a "trial user" you're out of luck. Also when registering (not activating) you have to provide Sony with all sorts of information (which I refused to do).

I've been recommending this software to anyone who's thinking of wanting to do more with creating videos than just the basic stuff. I'm not a fan of Sony products (computers, cameras, video cams, etc), but I absolutely love this piece of software. As much as I love Adobe Photoshop (and recently purchased the CS4 version), for video production I'm definitely a Sony software convert.

Running it on a Windows 7 64 bit setup with Core i7 processor and 12 gb ram. Raptor drives, no RAID.

No crashes and very stable. Finally got Architect to load properly and work with version "d." Books on using this software are limited to Douglas Spotted Eagle's, which is very good. His training DVDs are good, too.

The bad ... if you want to move up to GPU acceleration, a must if you render HD, then you are out of luck with Sony. You'll also find there's no support for Sony among capture card manufacturers. For example, Matrox, which offers acceleration in its boxes, does not support Sony. There's no Mercury playback engine like Premiere CS5. The little preview window in Vegas is really poor for judging sharpness of your footage. But the big issue is you can't boost rendering and playback performance through hardware add ons.

The one exception is AJA, which does support Sony but has poor value per dollar in its feature set.

Just a consideration for those who are thinking of using this for HD. Even with my set up, the rendering times on HD are about 5 to 6 times playback times.

I use both Final Cut Pro on a Mac Pro and Vegas Pro 9 on a Quad Core Windows 7 HP desktop. I prefer using Vegas almost every time over FCP. If you are coming at Vegas from an entry level skill set, you might want to try their lower end offerings. But if you are wanting to do alot of what pros do, this software is for you. I would say it's shortcomings might lie in some of the graphics capabilities that you find in FCP with add ons, Adobe and AVID. But for relatively straightforward stuff, this rocks. It saves me hours compared to FCP in the editing suite.

Downside? For me I find that FCP has slicker more modern looking titling. I'm probably going to end up buying some add ons for bringing it more into the modern age. Maybe I've missed something in the titling. Lots of their graphics feel a bit dated when compared to FCP.

To the person who wrote that DVD Architect (the DVD customization tool) doesn't work on your machine, I'm surprised. I have 8 GBs RAM, 64 Bit Windows 7, a standard DVD burner and Blu Ray and it all works just fine. Maybe there was some odd hardware problem on your particular box.

Anyway, if you are on Windows and want a great tool to do very high quality video editing, this is a great place to start. You might end up on some other package or using a mac elsewhere, but there's no need to spend more for the bulk of what people do with video cameras.

When shopping for a full-featured, pro-grade NLE you'll need to ask yourself what's really important to you; using software that seems popular with others or using a tool that'll make you productive. Flat out, Vegas Pro 9 just helps you get things done. Vegas will have you cranking out DVD's (accompanying DVD Architect 5.0 is awesome) whereas you'd likely have your head in the user's manual for hours with most others.

Sony has done a terrific job in streamlining workflow and eliminating redundant tasks and busy work compared to Adobe's Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro and mostly Avid's Media Composer. While there's little (if anything) that Vegas Pro can't do relative to the others, Sony has developed an interface that's quite user friendly and intuitive. The number of things you can accomplish with the drag n' drop method makes the learning curve for Sony Vegas Pro 9 far less steep than it's competitors. Also, because Vegas has it's roots as an audio program from way back, you'll be delighted with the sound stuff too.

The relative ease of use can be deceiving. Professionals will find every feature they'll likely need while home users have a video editing solution for 5 years. Rather than repeat all the spec's and features you can read about above just let me have you consider this; you know that box in your basement of 8mm and VHS tapes with all your home movies, sports and kids school plays? Get 'em converted to digital and have a ball editing, setting the footage to music and transferring to DVD or BluRays. I know what I'm gonna be doing for the next 6 months.

Anyway - buy this product, learn all you can from the web and get busy. You can do great things.

Jim Malmstrom

What is doesn't do is Panasonic P2 mxf files. I've got 3 hours worth of video from 4 Panasonic HPX500 cameras... the one and only time I'll need to edit this format and I'll need to buy a $200 Raylight add-in / plugin to edit it. Not a great way to blow $200.

Also, I have had to fuss around with loading the 64 bit version for about 2 weeks and just now discovered that my RAID card was preventing Vegas from running. OK, so now I can run Vegas without the RAID array... but I need to run them together!! This is the only program in three years of running that RAID card that's ever had a problem with it.