Who is up to a challenge?
 

I am the proud new owner of a canon XL1. I have been reading the information everyone has left on this site and experimenting with my new camera. I have alot to learn with operating but I am at the point where editing is coming up, for software (for a beginner with a small budget) I have been told Sony Vegas is the way to go I have seen versions from $69 and up. I understand you get what you pay for. But what version is the best bang for the buck? Now for a way to transfer the video, Blackmagic Design:Video Recorder USB Capture Device ? Is this something that I can use? Or are there other things out there to get started with? I greatly appreciate any help that anyone will give.

Congratulations on your new camcorder! And welcome to DV Info.

The standard way to transfer DV footage from your camcorder to a computer is via a Firewire 1394 connection. You'll need a firewire cable to connect your XL1 to the computer. If your computer doesn't have a firewire port, the card can be purchased very inexpensively.

Choosing a video editor is a very personal decision. Download the different trial versions and see which one suits you best. If you're just getting your feet wet and decide on Vegas get the Vegas Movie Studio Platinum Pro Pack, it has some extras that might be useful. Main drawback is it has a limit of 4 video tracks, but that may not be a problem for you.

Other NLEs for the PC: a basic/free editor comes with Windows called Movie Maker, or you can research Premiere, Edius, Avid, and SpeedEdit. If you have access to a Mac, research Final Cut.

what exactly do you mean "the Main drawback is it has a limit of 4 video tracks" Thank you for the earlier info on hookup. Makes me feel pretty stupid when the answer was that simple.

Michael is totally right on saying to download the free trial version. Because believe me, your going to be mad if you pay big money for a program you hate. As for myself I also have an XL1, I have Vista, OS, and as soon as I hook up the camera it asks me if I want to save the video. I personaly use adobe Premiere 4, which has allot of cool features. When your done with your video it gives you the option of saving as a MPG file, to CD, to computer, and it has a function that connects straight to YOUTUBE and posts your work. I also have Adobe Preimere pro, which is a little harder to use, but I guess all takes practice.I have heard good things about sony vegas, but I suggest getting vegas platinum, which best suits your type of equipment, the regular vegas is suited for a low budget camera

Thanks also for that information. I have purchased my firewire and did a little recording over the weekend. I downloaded it to Windows Movie Maker just to experiment but when I played it back the audio was very slow and distorted over my computer. I played it from the camera through a tv and it was fine. Any idea what I did wrong or would that be an issue with movie maker, my computer?

It can be useful when editing to have several tracks of video for different types of information in your finished video. One track might be used for titles, one for the main video, another for B-roll or cutaways. Sometimes, you might use create several tracks for different characters. Some videos only need 1-4 tracks, but most higher end software editors have "unlimited tracks". But if you're creative about it, 4 tracks isn't really a big limitation.

Let us know the specs of your computer, it will be easier to pinpoint the problem. It is generally recommended that you capture your video to a separate hard drive that operates at 7200rpm. Firewire drives are generally ok to use with DV as your "video drive".

Hewlett Packard
HP Pavilion
AMD Athlon (tm)64 Processor
3200+
2.21 GHz 512mb ram
is this what you are referring to?

The first two years I was editing video, I could have used only 3 tracks AT MOST and been fine. On my last project, though, I had 12 tracks. I could have compressed that down to 10. Odds are, 4 is plenty for right now. Congrats on the start!

I have found a version of sony vegas 6 are any of you guys familiar with this? I have a fair amount of footage now and need to cut a little, add some audio over, and would really like to insert a few clips where they would be better suited. Is this possible with this software?
I also found sony vegas movie studio 9 platinum edition would this be better?

Vegas 6 is two versions past, of the full version. Platinum, is a limited version, but that has HD capabilities.

Hi Frank...........
 

Really, your PC should be able to handle this task, tho' with only 512MB of memory, you're stacking the odds against it.

My suggestion, for what it's worth, is invest in a memory upgrade to get your machine at least up to 1 Gig, 2 if the budget stretches.

Check your hard drive - have you defragged it lately? Remove all and any extraneous junk and do so, it really helps.

Dive into Control Panel and set your Virtual Memory to double the actual memory in the machine:

Control Panel - System - Advanced - Performance - Settings - Advanced - Virtual Memory - Change - Select "Custom Size" and enter 2 X current physical memory.

[This based on Win XP, will be different in 98, but findable. If on XP SP 2, download SP 3, it does make a slight difference to performance]

Ensure all background systems and services have been terminated before playing with video, DO NOT leave a sheaf of other apps lurking around in the background. Disable any internet connection and terminate any virus checker. Do not play games on your video machine! (Concurrently).

Peruse the back posts on all and any of the video editing forums here on DVinfo, they have an answer for all and any question you could possibly need or wish to ask with regard to machine setup, software use or even the correct height of your chair. Google knows!

Vegas is good, all of them are good, but I suggest you go back to basics. Download a trial version of Ulead Video Studio, it's free, dead simple and will do everything you've said you want to do with a very shallow learning curve.

If it struggles on your machine then there's another problem somewhere.

Lets get you actually functioning before you attempt the George Lucas manouvre.

CS