OK, finally got a stable system
 

This thing with Vegas11 and GPU accelaration has been no end of pain.
I do HD work with Vegas and I *really* need the GPU accelerated preview and renders.

After a few weeks of tinkering I finally have a stable system with GPU accelaration enabled.
I am not happy about the effort needed to get a stable system.

Sony, maybe you can provide a "system sanity check" with Vegas where you analyze the system components and warn about known problems or outdated drivers etc...
Vegas relies on so many other system components and drivers - you have all this information in your crash reports...

Anyway, here are the spec's

- Windows Pro x64 SP1
- MB Asus Z8NA-D6(C) BIOS 1209
- 16GB RAM
- CPU Dual Xeon E5645 @ 2.40
- HighPoint S-ata RocketRaid 644 / driver 1.1.10.624

- Vegas 11 64-bit build 511
- Visual C++ redist x64 9.0.30729
- Blackmagic HD Extreme 3 with BM Desktop Video v9
- Titler Pro build 111213
- BCC Vegas 7.0

- GeForce GTX580
- Nvidia 285.62 driver

My suggestions for a 64-bit system...
- Do not install the 32-bit version of Vegas
- Uninstall C++ redistributables not needed (Programs add/remove...)
- Use nVidia beta drivers NVIDIA Driver Downloads - Advanced Search
- Use "Windows Classic Wave driver" in sound prefs
- Clean system with TuneUp utilities from time to time http://www.tune-up.com/
- Use SIW System Info for Windows to find out what you have http://en.kioskea.net/download/downl...siw-standalone


Good luck!

/m

Re: OK, finally got a stable system
 

old video driver. running 290.36 - extremely stable so far, with 511 / latest nb titler.

Re: OK, finally got a stable system
 

Actually, 285.62 is the most recent WHQL driver. Any driver versions currently available after the 285.62's are "beta" driver versions. However, 285.62 is surprisingly buggy for a current WHQL driver.

Re: OK, finally got a stable system
 

after the problems i had with 285.62 i opted for the cutting edge since i was already bleeding to death..... ;-)

Re: OK, finally got a stable system
 

Magnus, that's truly interesting info.

The 2 points I'm taking from it is that I've got 32 and 64 installed. I want to keep using CineScore which is only editable in 32 Vegas. And the other point "- Visual C++ redist x64 9.0.30729".which I know was installed but sometimes I get a report saying it isn't! I'm still on builds 425 as I've got some outstanding client projects that need to be concluded in VP10 as I've read that others have had bug-bleed from VP11.

Presently I'm keeping all RAM and system calls to a minimum: no Media Mangler; external monitor sync to NIL; some presently BETA testing FXs to a minimum unless I can get a crash-free.

SCS using GPU Accel AND the dawning of OFX in Vegas are truly stressing Uses systems. Those that haven't experienced issues aren't aware of what can happen and are oblivious to the iissues. Those that are having issues are needing to reflect very hard on their previous open attitude to installing and your wish for your sanity checklist is completely understood by this User.

We'll get through this, and when we do, SCS, with Vegas, are just so well placed to make/take advantage of these developments that "other" NLE companies are looking closely at where Vegas is going. Let's hope the outcome is what we want.

VP10 and now VP11 have much to offer. It's now up to SCS finesse this new feature set into a stable environment. If that means stripping down a PC to its barest complexity, and not having previous builds/versions also installed, then we need to
know. For my own production sanity I've always had at a
very minimum the previous 2 versions installed and operating. If what you're saying is borne out by SCS then we need to know. I'm now wondering if SCS test with multiple versions on the same PC at the same time. My instinct leads me to think that they wouldn't, why would they?

Interesting work you've shared with us Magnus. Thank you

Cheers

Grazie

Re: OK, finally got a stable system
 

Yep. 285.62 should have been left in a "beta" stage, considering the bugs it has. For me, one of the more serious flaws is the display in Windows Media Center remains black even though there is actually video content playing through the player. None of the other Nvidia drivers suffer from that display problem in WMC.

Re: OK, finally got a stable system
 

I can confirm 290.36 as very stable with Vegas 11 latest build x64 and Titler Pro.

Graham; on vegas v8 I could edit for days without a single crash. That was one of my main arguments. It was rock solid and would happily load any media on the timeline, and render to all and any format.

It was an outstanding product and I built a production company on it from '03 to '08. Today, would I recommend Vegas Pro? No, not with the current problems. For home video Movie Studio seems to be doing fine, but for pro work, Vegas Pro 11 is just not reliable anymore - and that means a whole lot when you have deadlines, clients, a reputation and a family to feed.

Stuff I've had to deal with during v10/11 releases: all keyframes in Boris OFX-plugs/FX get reset to the first second when opening the project. 'Vegas has stopped working" when undoing accidential ripple edits, or just playing the cursor. Titler Pro does not save edits to titles, when opening the project the text is the old version. The GPU accelerated MainConcept AVC codec crashes on render. Disabling GPU acceleration just to be able to edit and finish the project. Vegas 11 not launching. Rendering SD from HD project kills vegas. I could go on...

There are too many issues to blame it on Windows7 architecture or driver problems.
This is bad software engineering. And irresponsible business strategy.

The failsafe solution is to restore a clean ("fresh install with drivers") partition image from windows backup, and then install a new vegas build. And then all presets and settings are gone. This is doable for geeks with a lot of time available at night, not for filmmakers. I want to be more filmmaker than a geek - VP forces me to be more of a geek than filmmaker. Not good.

I'm looking at Edius6 and Lightworks now, If Sony can't stabilize their next release I'm switching, which is a shame since I have 10 years experience with vegas and don't have to think about how to do something, Vegas is intuitive to me. It will take years before any other tool can become "transparent" to the image and story the way Vegas is to me. That's why I'm even bothering with this GPU/OFX/Obscure3Dformat mess that Vegas has gotten itself into.

Sony; where is the "Certified list of compatible hardware, software, OFX plugins and drivers"?
That shouldn't be to difficult to publish, would it? Sure would help a whole lot.


/magnus

Re: OK, finally got a stable system
 

I feel you Magnus,

I love Vegas, I got V11 after using 8 for years. I did fresh installs of Windows twice on 64bit vista, and also fresh installs of Vegas, and it's still crashing for no reason, still can't capture HDPro over firewire, infact if you try it actually closes Vegas all together.

I have Edius 5 which will be a work around for the capture issue, but I think I'll have to go Avid or Premiere, not sure whether Edius 6 is worth the upgrade. Its a pity, Sony are obviously working hard with their releases so thats great to see though.

But i can never fathom why new releases have to be so broken, unless its like Windows, and each new release just bloats the code more, adding more overheads to the system??

Re: OK, finally got a stable system
 

Magnus, I completely agree, and I'm in a similar position. Your geek comment is spot on. I have enough to do to make a living out of this activity. I don't need the added worry with my shaky attempts to get to stability.

My experience with Vegas mirrors yours. Over the previous decade I've been with it and I feel reflects my trust and investment in my skillset with this remarkable s/w. To even contemplate ditching all that I've gained from my Vegas education is presently unthinkable.

The "Elephant in the Room" is most definitely, for me, is expressed brilliantly through your Geek reference.

Cheers

Grazie

Re: OK, finally got a stable system
 

I had some problems with rendering files using CineForm but also after uninstalling 32bits all has been working well and stable..I'm on Windows 7 32/64 bits architecture. CineForm now runs well in 64bits TVPaint too -- a major improvement in my work flow.

Re: OK, finally got a stable system
 

My Vegas 11 constantly crashes (every 5 minutes) when starting preview from timeline (pressing spacebar). I've tried to update the NVIDIA drivers to the last official version, with little or no improvement.
I've tried to run the vegas program in Vista compatibility mode, with some improvement, but not much.
I tried to uninstall ProTitler, disable second monitor, disable Cuda acceleration, run Vegas in Vista compatibility mode, etc....no result at all.

I loose so much work for each of those frequent crashes, that it doesn't make sense to continue editing anymore. What should I do? Get my money back, and buy Vegas 10? 9? Would it help? When I had Vegas 8, it was stable.

I use a Intel i7-3930K 6-core 3,2MHz, 32GB RAM, SSD for programs and regular 500GB disc for clip files, NVIDIA GTX570 Cuda (enabled in Vegas) , win7-64bit.

Please help! I wanna continue using my favourite editing software, which is now not possible.

<b>UPDATED INFO</b>
In fact, after just opening the project, preview works flawlessly. After a couple of minor edits, preview crashes soon. The same with rendering the project: After opening the project, it renders without any problem. If a make any change to the project (even if I save the changes), also rendering crashes (after few seconds).

I'm reluctand to install Vegas 32-bit, because I want the extra memory from 64-bit. My project consists of 3-4 hundred clips, in full HD, and it sucks up a lot of memory.
Is 32-bit really the only workaround?

Re: OK, finally got a stable system
 

64 bit is not a huge advantage at all, 32 bit works just fine. As suggested before if you have a severe crashing problem you should try reformatting your hard drive. Otherwise, try 32 bit.

Re: OK, finally got a stable system
 

I totally agree with Jeff.

32bit vegas works great, and it was nearly impossible to crash with netbluefx titler. 64bit is much better now but sometimes still has rendering moments of craziness. ( I am using 64bit version of windows 7 pro though )