NLE Showdown

[Seth Richter]

I am conducting a study from several sites about the best NLE software. I will use the information provided to determine the NLE of choice and for what reasons, also which NLE everyone disliked the most.

So, please list below (if possible, note the version of the software):

1. Your Favorite NLE system (core program only please)

2. The NLEs you have used

3. Things you hate most about NLE software (in general, or system-spacific)

4. The single deciding factor toward using your favorite NLE system

5. The pros of your favorite NLE system

6. The cons your favorite NLE system

7. The NLE system you wish you had

[Robert Mann Z.]

1. Your Favorite NLE system (core program only please)
Avid ds

2. The NLEs you have used
pretty much all of them

3. Things you hate most about NLE software (in general, or system-spacific)
all nles have diff keyboard short cuts

4. The single deciding factor toward using your favorite NLE system
power

5. The pros of your favorite NLE system
just about everything about ds is amazing

6. The cons your favorite NLE system
$115,599.00

7. The NLE system you wish you had
Avid ds, alas i can only afford to rent it

__________________

[Rob Lohman]

1. Your Favorite NLE system (core program only please)
Vegas 4

2. The NLEs you have used
Premiere & Vegas

3. Things you hate most about NLE software (in general, or system-spacific)
Learning curve (for me more so with Premiere than Vegas)

4. The single deciding factor toward using your favorite NLE system
works with my mind

5. The pros of your favorite NLE system
power, audio, ease of use. Version 5 will have way more of all of this

6. The cons your favorite NLE system
Bin support mostly and some compatability with other systems

7. The NLE system you wish you had
Cable to my mind?

[Peter Jefferson]

1. Your Favorite NLE system (core program only please)
Vegas 4 (been usig Vegas since its inception when acid was first baught out.. )

2. The NLEs you have used
pretty much all of them. PInnacle piss me off to no end although i stiill use Studio7 for Hollywood effects. The newer pinnacle stuff likes to overtake your OS which is something i do not like considering i use alot of other tools... associations and file configurations shouldnt be reconfigurred without your consent.
Premiere jsut doesnt work as fast as Vegas, Final Cut is jsut too linear for my tastes, and avid, well cost.. so ive only seen it in action without gettin into it.
Edius is OK..

3. Things you hate most about NLE software (in general, or system-spacific)
i hate the mentaility editors have.. not the SW, but the mindset behind the users.. many are passionate about their tools, but a bit of common courtesy doesnt go astray. Ive had premiere users want to argue with me about the speed and ease compared to Vegas, then ive had mac users tel me avid isnt worth the investment...
Thats one thing about NLEs i hate..

4. The single deciding factor toward using your favorite NLE system
Power, speed, flexibility, configuration, tweakability, audio tools

5. The pros of your favorite NLE system
just about everything

6. The cons your favorite NLE system
somethign like Hollywood fx for stock standard video productions would be handy.. maybe a particle generator.. and a stabiliser.. at the moment im using a series of tools to get this

7. The NLE system you wish you had
None, im quite happy. I come from an audio background so the mentality of Vegas Sequencing was flawless during the transition.. when i first opened vegas1, i knew how to use it...
If uve used LogicAudio, Cubase, cakewalk or pretty much any music sequencer, you can use Vegas.. the way it handles files is exactly like its audio counterparts.

[Mike Rehmus]

1. Your Favorite NLE system (core program only please)

Canopus DVRexRT with Edius 2.01

2. The NLEs you have used

FAST, Matrox, Pinnacle Systems

3. Things you hate most about NLE software (in general, or system-spacific)

Hard to customize, no macros, crowded screens

4. The single deciding factor toward using your favorite NLE system

Reliable.

5. The pros of your favorite NLE system

Real time, very high quality, forever young (DVRexRT is 6 years old and still making $)

6. The cons your favorite NLE system

Requires a high-horsepower computer for full realtime.

7. The NLE system you wish you had

5 full rev levels further on in Edius with all of their optional software integrated into one UI and running under true 64 bit code.

[Mark Jefferson]

1. Your Favorite NLE system (core program only please)
Adobe Premiere 6.5

2. The NLEs you have used
Adobe Premiere 6.0/6.5, Avid FreeDV, MS Moviemaker, Shake

3. Things you hate most about NLE software (in general, or system-spacific)
Instability, bad documentation.

4. The single deciding factor toward using your favorite NLE system
Lots of support at user forums, lots of tutorials.

5. The pros of your favorite NLE system
Very flexible, very powerful. Lots of plugins, can export EDL, integration with AfterEffects (kinda)

6. The cons your favorite NLE system
Not the most stable. I save after every change, just in case.

7. The NLE system you wish you had
Avid Symphony