Switch from Premiere to Vegas? at DVinfo.net

Matthew Cairns · January 16th, 2011, 07:59 PM

I know this is a general topic but I'm considering the switch from Premiere to Vegas (CS3 to Vegas Pro 10).

Has anyone had the experience of the switch? Any major issues? I have enjoyed the 'suite' component of Adobe (integration of Photoshop/Encore/Audition etc) and wonder how Vegas compares - esp audio editing, graphis integration, DVD authoring.

My domains; Video - HDV capture, editing and DVD Authoring, Audio - Music recording/editing and output to CD.

Looking to move from desktop Xp 32 bit to notebook Win 7 - and edit on Clevo/Sager i7.

Cheers

Robin Davies-Rollinson · January 17th, 2011, 12:46 AM

I did exactly this switch and it was the best move I've made with editing programmes.
I was getting so paranoid with Premiere crashing - or with the fear of an imminent crash. I found myself saving the project after every edit.
You can still use Photoshop and import the .psf files straight into Vegas.
As for audio, it's like have your own dubbing suite.
I can't speak too highly of Vegas - the stability is awesome - even when compositing.
Go for it...

Chris Barcellos · January 17th, 2011, 01:15 AM

Went from Premiere Pro 2.0 to Vegas 7 about three or four years ago. At the time, it was a scary move for me, but I was looking for a little freedom in the process. In Vegas, you seem to be able to accomplish same thing three or four ways. I was always struck how rigid Premiere was. Every now and then I get a feeling that I should check out CS5, but it rapidly dissapates when I see the prices and system requirements.

Graham Bernard · January 17th, 2011, 01:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robin Davies-Rollinson

You can still use Photoshop and import the .psf files straight into Vegas.

I guess you meant PSD files? And Vegas can dommore than that with those PSD files. There is a tiny script out there that can have a Still/Graphic export to your favourite Graphic Editor, you edit and then have come back as a "Take2"! Marvellous!

Vegas will, since 9, can allow us to import a PSD layered file and have that those layers spread correctly as STACKED Tracks! I and others have banged on at SONY for this and they delivered.

Also, there are many 3rd party NLE tools that you can add-on and use from within Vegas Excalibur, Edward Troxel and VASST's UltimateSPro4. These are massive Toolsets.

Ok, there is much that Vegas does, and does well. However, no motion tracking and just recently they have openned the doors to OFX which has created issues for number of Users. But balanced against this is a creative team wanting to get more stuff out there for their users. And this can create usablity and bug fixes. I could like the text engine ProTypeTitler, but it is not straightforward. It appears intuitive but has had many users pulling their hair out.

I've never used Premiere, but when I once showed a Premmie user, 8 years ago now, that to make a X-fade all I needed to do was slide one event into another, his mouth literally dropped open.

Vegas? Much to like. Is it a finished product? IMHO, nope! The s/w engineers are always tinkering and exploring. If you can put up with the dev-bugs, and be a part of a user base that has come to expect more from its NLE engineers, then you won't be disappointed.

Grazie

Matthew Cairns · January 17th, 2011, 03:23 PM

Sounds good, the integration of psd files a major factor in this decision. What about graphics component of DVD authoring menus/screens? I'm used to the coding of layers in Photoshop, saving, and the automatic applying of those changes in Encore. Is that similar with Vegas.

With the audio editing - what is the internal audio editor in Vegas like compared with Sound Forge - more basic or as-good-as? Would it be over the top to get Sound Forge as well as Vegas? I assume Sound Forge is similar to Audition.

Graham Bernard · January 17th, 2011, 04:04 PM

The best advice you can have is to download the trial and see for yourself. Do the same for soundforge.

Grazie

Matthew Cairns · January 17th, 2011, 04:39 PM

Due to an error I was encountering in Premiere I downloaded trial for Movie Studio HD to see if it was occuring there. Liked some of what I saw there although didn't fix my error. Until I have time and am able to download the other version I thought others may be able to shed light on my questions.

Marc Salvatore · January 17th, 2011, 08:58 PM

I used to edit in Premiere, I periodically check back and Premiere always seems clunky to me compared to Vegas. With that said Vegas is not perfect. Premiere has a much better titler and the titles I've seen from Premiere look better to me. Vegas 9 & 10 were/are fraught with bugs and Sony seems to use us as beta testers now.

Vegas used to be known for it's rock solid stability when run by Sonic Foundry but Sony has lowered the bar in my opinion. It still a great program though and there is a fully functional 30 day trial. It takes a little getting used to if you're coming from other editors. 3rd party plugin support is less and usually more limited as well. Hopefully with the new effect architecture in Vegas 10 more companies will step up and their interfaces will work smoother.

Jeff Harper · January 18th, 2011, 08:11 AM

Encore can do things that cannot be done in DVD Architect. I think the perfect combination would be Encore and Vegas. But you cannot buy Encore as a stand alone program, unless that has changed. Encore renders flv files, will allow user to make a DVD menu for a web video, and the layering is fantasic.

Premier has great timeline performance with the right system, Vegas is mediocre. Vegas titling is poor. Ability is there, but it was implemented so poorly. I strongly dislike Vegas titling and never went back to it after I played with it for a day.

The crashing issue doesn't happen to everyone in Vegas, for example version 9 was said to be buggy, but after the last release it was pefect for me and I found no issues.

Version 10 would seem to be the absolute worst version as far as crashing goes. My personal feeling is a switch to Vegas would be best if you could keep using Encore.

I think the reasonable course would be for you to buy the newest version of Premier or stick with your old one. Then I would also buy a used license for Vegas 9 for $150. Someon has/had Vegas 9 for sale for $120 in the classified section of this website. If you're a pro, you would need your old program to get through projects that you got stuck on in Vegas. I wouldn't abandon Premier abruptly, unless you're a hobbyist and have nothing to lose.

Mike Kujbida · January 18th, 2011, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matthew Cairns

With the audio editing - what is the internal audio editor in Vegas like compared with Sound Forge - more basic or as-good-as?

Even though Vegas started off as a multi-track audio program, it's still a basic editor while Sound Forge is an audio sweetening/finishing tool.
It has a lot more tools for doing this than Vegas will ever have.
Newer versions of Sound Forge have the noise reduction tool now built in to it (formerly a $200 or more add-on).

Quote:

Would it be over the top to get Sound Forge as well as Vegas? I assume Sound Forge is similar to Audition.

If you already have Audition, there's no sense buying Sound Forge as they're similar tools and Audition will work with Vegas just as well as Sound Forge.

January 16th, 2011, 07:59 PM	#1
Matthew Cairns Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 67	Switch from Premiere to Vegas? I know this is a general topic but I'm considering the switch from Premiere to Vegas (CS3 to Vegas Pro 10). Has anyone had the experience of the switch? Any major issues? I have enjoyed the 'suite' component of Adobe (integration of Photoshop/Encore/Audition etc) and wonder how Vegas compares - esp audio editing, graphis integration, DVD authoring. My domains; Video - HDV capture, editing and DVD Authoring, Audio - Music recording/editing and output to CD. Looking to move from desktop Xp 32 bit to notebook Win 7 - and edit on Clevo/Sager i7. Cheers

January 17th, 2011, 01:15 AM	#3
Chris Barcellos Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Elk Grove CA Posts: 6,838	Went from Premiere Pro 2.0 to Vegas 7 about three or four years ago. At the time, it was a scary move for me, but I was looking for a little freedom in the process. In Vegas, you seem to be able to accomplish same thing three or four ways. I was always struck how rigid Premiere was. Every now and then I get a feeling that I should check out CS5, but it rapidly dissapates when I see the prices and system requirements. __________________ Chris J. Barcellos

January 18th, 2011, 08:11 AM	#9
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	Encore can do things that cannot be done in DVD Architect. I think the perfect combination would be Encore and Vegas. But you cannot buy Encore as a stand alone program, unless that has changed. Encore renders flv files, will allow user to make a DVD menu for a web video, and the layering is fantasic. Premier has great timeline performance with the right system, Vegas is mediocre. Vegas titling is poor. Ability is there, but it was implemented so poorly. I strongly dislike Vegas titling and never went back to it after I played with it for a day. The crashing issue doesn't happen to everyone in Vegas, for example version 9 was said to be buggy, but after the last release it was pefect for me and I found no issues. Version 10 would seem to be the absolute worst version as far as crashing goes. My personal feeling is a switch to Vegas would be best if you could keep using Encore. I think the reasonable course would be for you to buy the newest version of Premier or stick with your old one. Then I would also buy a used license for Vegas 9 for $150. Someon has/had Vegas 9 for sale for $120 in the classified section of this website. If you're a pro, you would need your old program to get through projects that you got stuck on in Vegas. I wouldn't abandon Premier abruptly, unless you're a hobbyist and have nothing to lose. __________________ "The horror of what I saw on the timeline cannot be described."

January 17th, 2011, 12:46 AM	#2
Robin Davies-Rollinson Trustee Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Gwaelod-y-garth, Cardiff, CYMRU/WALES Posts: 1,215	I did exactly this switch and it was the best move I've made with editing programmes. I was getting so paranoid with Premiere crashing - or with the fear of an imminent crash. I found myself saving the project after every edit. You can still use Photoshop and import the .psf files straight into Vegas. As for audio, it's like have your own dubbing suite. I can't speak too highly of Vegas - the stability is awesome - even when compositing. Go for it...

January 17th, 2011, 03:23 PM	#5
Matthew Cairns Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 67	Sounds good, the integration of psd files a major factor in this decision. What about graphics component of DVD authoring menus/screens? I'm used to the coding of layers in Photoshop, saving, and the automatic applying of those changes in Encore. Is that similar with Vegas. With the audio editing - what is the internal audio editor in Vegas like compared with Sound Forge - more basic or as-good-as? Would it be over the top to get Sound Forge as well as Vegas? I assume Sound Forge is similar to Audition.

January 17th, 2011, 04:04 PM	#6
Graham Bernard Old Boot Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: London UK Posts: 3,633	The best advice you can have is to download the trial and see for yourself. Do the same for soundforge. Grazie

January 17th, 2011, 04:39 PM	#7
Matthew Cairns Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 67	Due to an error I was encountering in Premiere I downloaded trial for Movie Studio HD to see if it was occuring there. Liked some of what I saw there although didn't fix my error. Until I have time and am able to download the other version I thought others may be able to shed light on my questions.

January 17th, 2011, 08:58 PM	#8
Marc Salvatore Major Player Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Medford, OR Posts: 351	I used to edit in Premiere, I periodically check back and Premiere always seems clunky to me compared to Vegas. With that said Vegas is not perfect. Premiere has a much better titler and the titles I've seen from Premiere look better to me. Vegas 9 & 10 were/are fraught with bugs and Sony seems to use us as beta testers now. Vegas used to be known for it's rock solid stability when run by Sonic Foundry but Sony has lowered the bar in my opinion. It still a great program though and there is a fully functional 30 day trial. It takes a little getting used to if you're coming from other editors. 3rd party plugin support is less and usually more limited as well. Hopefully with the new effect architecture in Vegas 10 more companies will step up and their interfaces will work smoother.