It kinda boils down to this: You need to chop down a tree, and you have a choice of using an axe or a chainsaw. Some people will actually choose the ax because they don't know how to start the chainsaw.

If money's no object, like you say, why stay with the ax?

Believe me, Premiere, Vegas, Edius, they're all chainsaws. GOOD chainsaws. A little effort with the manuals and tutorials now will save you a LOT of work later.

Lee

Interesting analogy

ok, I have to agree with Law, i too hate vega. I just can't stand the interface. It is a nice software but the interface just kills it. Premiere Pro on the other hand is like second nature to work with, there are few things i hate about pro but overall I love it. I tried vegas for a year and I will not go back to it.

I think that you will find that for many of us, the interface of Vegas "Makes sense" where the interface of Premiere does not. While I have not tried Premiere Pro, I DID look at Premiere before buying Vegas and could not figure out how to do simple things that are readily evident on Vegas' track header.

So, bottom line, everyone needs to use the program they are comfortable in using. If Premiere suits your needs, stick with Premiere. I happen to like the Vegas workflow better.

apples and oranges
 

I own all three of those. Studio 8 for my wife and I do my work in Vegas+DVD and/or Premiere Pro (I have Avid as well but it sits totally unused since getting Pro). I do use Premiere Pro more than Vegas. But the comparison is skewed. It's apples and oranges. You're comparing a Yugo (Studio 8) to a Honda (Vegas) and Toyota (Premiere Pro) - if you see where I am going.

If you already have Vegas, it IS a great tool. If you're having problems with the interface and getting around, may I suggest you purchase the Vegas Workshop book by Douglas Spotted Eagle. That book should make editing in Vegas fairly simple for you as it explains everything about Vegas in a very straight forward simplified manner.

As for the SS included with S8, it's very basic. If money is not an object, pick up a copy of Sonicfire Pro 3.0. It's amazingly simple to use and will work with ANY NLE you choose to work with. It is no more difficult than the included SS in S8.

But the bottom line is you can not do in S8 what you can do in Vegas or Premier. If you're satisfied with S8 and it fills your needs then stick with it. If you want to move up to a higher level editor then either Vegas or PPro will fit the bill. You can also look at Avid DV Express - that, Vegas and PPro are in the same price range. Also, Vegas+DVD comes with an AC3 encoder (fully licensed and Dobly approved), or if you just bought Vegas, you can buy the encoder seperately and PPro comes with a trial version (3X) of MinnetonkaAudio's encoder. That's not even scratching the surface of the differences......

Additional note Premier Pro is not the same Premiere as 6.5 or earlier. It's been rebuilt from the ground up.

Thanks, guys.

Right now I think I will use both. Split the L/R audio into 2 mono channels and mix them in S8. At least that will save me from having to carry a mixer most of the time.

I am sure Vegas will come into play more as I start using it.