Vegas 11 strangeness

[Jim Andrada]

I just downloaded V11 on a new machine - I can place a clip on the timeline and hit play - and nothing happens. Cursor doesn't move, nothing in the preview window - nada. I can drag the cursor around and click the next/previous frame buttons and the cursor jumps, but still no preview ( and display preview is checked.

New system is win 7 64 bit

Anyone seen this before/any ideas? Had to send my regular system in for some repairs and just got a smallish box as a temporary fill-in and will have to edit a small project this week with a Friday deadline.

Any suggestions gladly accepted

FYI - I was running v9 on the system that's being repaired but this project came up unexpectedly so I needed an NLE and upgraded.

[David Jimerson]

I've seen that happen occasionally since version 10; closing and reopening the project usually clears it up.

[Paul Fierlinger]

I see it often with an hour plus project. Curiously, just waiting can help but I agree with David; shutting and reopening Vegas usually helps. I wish there was an explanation for this.
EDIT: by which I mean a work around.

[Jim Andrada]

Hmm

Tried that about 20 - 30 times. No luck. Damn - maybe I can find a V 9 around somewhere. This is a fatal flaw.

[Jim Andrada]

Update - I got it to work once by rebooting. After that even rebooting doesn't work

This is a total piece of crap!!!!!!!!!

[Jeff Harper]

As horrilble as it might be, I would reinstall windows, I'm betting that will take care of the issue. Install Vegas before doing any updates to the new install. I'm betting it's a conflict with Windows, or other software, as it doesn't happen on all PCs. Really bad bug, sorry you're having the issue Jim, sounds extremely frustrating. I would be very angry also.

[Seth Bloombaum]

I've not had this problem with V11... but, check out the audio buffer size in Options | Preferences | Audio Device | Advanced | Buffer Size (Samples). Try bringing this up to, say, 4096.

Again, I've never had to do this with Vegas, but have had this playback problem a couple times with Adobe Audition. I'm only suggesting it because it will take 30 seconds and might help... I'd want to try it before a windows reinstall.

[Jim Andrada]

Thanks Jeff

Wouldn't be quite so frustrated except that my "real" system is down and out for repairs and I'm stuck with a small el cheapo that I just got for a short term project (not video related) and didn't really intend to install much except a basic system

And suddenly I have to shoot and record an orchestral concert tomorrow night and get a finished DVD out by Friday for submission to a conducting contest in Japan - so I downloaded the new version of Vegas figuring it would be a good excuse to upgrade and..........

Oh well, if all else fails I can probably do it with Final Cut Express on my MacBook. Or even iMovie for that matter. Basically just match up the music and video and cut back and forth a bit between a wide and a close camera. Nothing artistic required (of me at least)

[Jeff Harper]

Jim, I think you can download the old versions of Vegas and use them as a trial, can't you? Try that out first, might work. Just find the archive of downloads and all the previous versions are there, but I'm not sure if they work as trials or not. Worth a try.

[Mike Kujbida]

Jeff, we're thinking along the same lines :)
Jim, since you were using Pro 9 on your old system,. there's no reason you can't use it on this one.
Sony lets you install Vegas on as many systems as you want with the caveat being that you only run it on one system at any one time.
I have Vegas installed on my work machine and my home machine without any problems.

[Jim Andrada]

Thanks much - once I get my big system back should be be no problem - all my downloads are safe (?) on my E-SATA array. But the el cheapo doesn't have an e-sata port.

Guess I could always go get one. In the meantime I'm rummaging in my "old software" drawer.

I'll also see if I can get at the downloads for the older versions.

[Paul Fierlinger]

I've not had this problem with V11... but, check out the audio buffer size in Options | Preferences | Audio Device | Advanced | Buffer Size (Samples). Try bringing this up to, say, 4096.
_____________________________________________________________________

Seth, I think you might have solved the hesitancy for me!!! I'll know more in a day or so for sure, but I put your suggestion under the test in a project that has been particularly troublesome for me and I do know how to acerbate it (grab the cursor and move it at top speed back and forth across the entire one hour length and the cursor will get stuck while I have to wait a few minutes to be able to scrub again). I've been putting my Vegas 11; 64 bits through some more tests now, and everything seems to behave -- what a relief and many, many thanks for your post.

[Jim Andrada]

Problem solved - ie I'm back up with Vegas 9 and 11 is history

Thanks to all

[Seth Bloombaum]

Originally Posted by Paul Fierlinger

...you might have solved the hesitancy for me!!! I'll know more in a day or so for sure, but I put your suggestion under the test in a project that has been particularly troublesome for me...

That's great news Paul.

What we're talking about here is the number of samples that are buffered in hardware (the sound card). I suggested 4096 because it's a huge number for this setting. You might well find that one of the settings in the 1000 samples range does the trick for you.

Why this is so, I don't know, but I've certainly seen some weird stuff solved through adjusting the buffer, and the Vegas 11 behaviour the O.P. described exactly matched some experience I've had with Audition.

Other hints that one may want to touch audio buffer settings:
"skippy" playback, full of dropouts.
Noisy playback, clicks.

Especially when using an audio plugin that does a lot of processing - Izotope Ozone, for example.

Have a larger setting only presents problems when doing ADR or multitrack music layups - in those situations it increases latency and therefore can lead to sync problems.

[Jim Andrada]

Hi Seth

I tried adjusting the buffer but it didn't help so I fell back to v9 and gave up on v11 - maybe permanently. In fact I think I.m giving up on Vegas as well. Too many frustrating strangenesses lately