After you install Vegas and start it for the first time, the registration wizard appears. This wizard offers easy steps that enable you to register Vegas online with Sonic Foundry. Alternately, you may register Vegas online at www.sonicfoundry.com at any time. Registering your product provides you with exclusive access to a variety of technical support options, notification of product updates, and special promotions exclusive to registered Vegas users.
Sonic Foundry, Inc. 1617 Sherman Avenue Madison, WI 53704 USA The information contained in this manual is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Sonic Foundry. The software described in this manual is provided under the terms of a license agreement or non-disclosure agreement. The software license agreement specifies the terms and conditions for its lawful use.
1 Table of Contents Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Welcome to Sonic Foundry Vegas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Technical support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2 Getting media files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Selecting media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Previewing a media file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Using the Media Pool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3 Applying post-edit ripples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Applying a post-edit ripple manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 Applying a post-edit ripple automatically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 Shuffling events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4 Using the Trimmer window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Opening a file in the Trimmer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Moving frame-by-frame in the Trimmer window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Making selections in the Trimmer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5 Using audio bus tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112 Adding envelopes to an audio bus track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112 Adding effects to audio bus tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112 Muting or soloing an audio bus track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6 Grouping events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Creating a new group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Adding an event to an existing group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 Removing events from a group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7 Recording Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Setting up your equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143 Basic setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143 Setup with mixer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8 Using Advanced Video Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 Cropping video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 Cropping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166 Rotating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
9 Compositing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188 Understanding the parent/child track relationship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188 Selecting compositing modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189 Changing the overlay mode for a parent track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
10 Adding track motion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Using the track motion shortcut menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216 Controlling the track motion workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216 Using keyframes in track motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
11 Selecting a file format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .238 More about the MPEG format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .238 More about the Wave64 and Perfect Clarity Audio formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .239 More about video formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
12 Creating a multimedia CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 Using Scripting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 Running a script. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 Creating shortcuts for frequently used scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258 Storing a script . . . . . . . . . . . . .
13 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279 Troubleshooting resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .279 Common questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .279 Why are some of my DirectX plug-ins not working correctly? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .279 Why do I hear gaps in my audio playback? . . . .
14 TABLE OF CONTENTS
15 CHAPTER Introduction 1 Welcome to Sonic Foundry Vegas Sonic Foundry Vegas™ is an innovative and advanced multitrack media-editing system. Vegas was designed to create an efficient audio/video production environment without sacrificing the quality and processing power that you expect from Sonic Foundry. Whether it’s the standard and familiar Windows navigation commands or the clean and uncluttered interface, you’ll find Vegas to be a tool that will be mastered in minutes.
16 Installing Vegas 1. Insert the Vegas CD-ROM. The Vegas 4.0 Setup screen appears (if CD-ROM AutoPlay is enabled). If CD-ROM AutoPlay is not enabled, click the button and choose Run. In the Run window that appears, type the CD-ROM drive’s letter and add :\setup.exe. Click OK to start the installation. 2. Click Install Vegas 4.0. The installation process begins. 3. Follow the screen prompts and enter the necessary information when required. 4.
17 Online help To access online help, choose Contents and Index from the Help menu or press F1 . Note: To view online help, Internet Explorer 4.0 or later must be installed on your system. Internet Explorer 5.0 is included on the Vegas CD-ROM for your convenience. The online help window has four tabs that you can use to find the information that you need. Toolbar Tabs Information pane The Contents tab provides a list of available help topics.
18 Overview Vegas is designed to be an easy-to-use program with many tools that provide power and flexibility when creating and working with multimedia files. Many Vegas operations, menu items, and shortcut keys are consistent with other popular Windows software applications. The following sections provide a graphical tour of the Vegas workspace. Main window This is the window that appears when you open Vegas.
19 Time display The Time Display window reflects the cursor’s position on the timeline and the end point of a time selection. You can customize time display settings, including what time the window displays and colors are used in the display. For more information, see Using the Time Display window on page 263. You can move the Time Display window from its docked position above the track list to float on the Vegas workspace or dock in the window docking area.
20 CD layout bar The CD layout bar displays tracks and indices in an audio CD layout project for disc-at-once (DAO) CD burning. For more information, see Burning CDs on page 247. Track list This area identifies the track order in your project and contains controls used to determine track compositing and mixing. For more information, see Using the track list on page 50.
21 Status bar The status bar is located at the bottom of the main program window and displays information about roughly how much space is left on your computer to record audio (Record Time). During the rendering processes, the left side of the status bar also contains information about the progress of the render. The Video Preview window also has its own status bar that displays project specific information. For more information, see Understanding the Video Preview window on page 221.
22 Explorer window - Alt+1 The Explorer window is similar to the Windows Explorer. Use the Explorer window to select media files to drag to the project timeline or add to the Media Pool. You can also use the Explorer to perform common file management tasks such as creating folders, renaming files and folders, deleting files and folders. Use the Start Preview ( ) and Auto Preview ( ) buttons to preview files before adding them to the project. Preview selected media files before placing them in the project.
23 Mixer window - Alt+3 The Mixer window gives you access to your project’s audio properties, bus assignments, output levels, and plug-in chains. For more information, see Using the Mixer window on page 135. Edit Details window - Alt+4 This window serves as a highly detailed and customizable database of all of the events in a project. The database can be organized and sorted according to a large number of attributes. For more information, see Using the Edit Details window on page 97. CHP.
24 Media Pool - Alt +5 The Media Pool helps you organize the media files you’re using in a project. The information about these files is displayed in a highly flexible database that can be instantly sorted. You can also use the Media Pool to apply effects and plug-ins to media files and set the specific properties of these files. For more information, see Using the Media Pool on page 40. Video Preview window - Alt+6 This window displays a project’s video during project editing and playback.
25 Transitions window - Alt+7 The Transitions window contains all of the transitions available in Vegas. The thumbnails display animated examples of each transition. You can drag transitions from this window to replace the crossfade between two video events or to replace the fade-in or fade-out region of a video event. For more information, see Understanding basic transitions on page 201. Video FX window - Alt+8 The Video FX window contains the video effects available in Vegas.
26 Media Generators window - Alt+9 The Media Generators window contains the different media generators provided in Vegas. Media generators make it easy to create events containing text, credit rolls, test patterns, color gradients, and solid color backgrounds. You can drag a media generator to the timeline to create a new generated media event. For more information, see Using generated media on page 187.
27 Keyboard command reference Project file commands Description Keys Create new project Create new project and bypass Project Properties dialog Open existing project or media file Save project Open project’s properties Close current project Exit Vegas Ctrl+N Ctrl+Shift+N Ctrl+O Ctrl+S Alt+Enter Ctrl+F4 Alt+F4 Window view commands Description Keys Description Keys Focus to track view Explorer Trimmer Mixer Edit Details Media Pool Video Preview Alt+0 Alt+1 Alt+2 Alt+3 Alt+4 Alt+5 Alt+6 Alt+9 Ctrl+A
28 Edit commands Description Keys Description Keys Undo Ctrl+Z or Alt+Backspace Ctrl+Shift+Z or Ctrl+Y Ctrl+X or Shift+Delete Ctrl+C or Ctrl+Insert Ctrl+V or Shift+Insert Ctrl+B Ctrl+Shift+V Delete Split event(s) S Trim/crop selected events Ctrl+T Normal Edit Tool Ctrl+D Switch to next editing tool D Redo Cut selection Copy selection Paste Paste repeat Paste insert Delete selection Switch to previous editing tool Shift+D Open in audio editor Run script 1 to 10 Set script number 1 to 10 Ctrl
29 Time selection commands Many of the preceding cursor placement commands, when combined with the Shift key, are also selection commands.
30 Event commands Description Keys Move or trim selected Numeric keypad 4/6 event(s) left/right one pixel Move or trim selected Numeric keypad 1/3 events one frame left/right Move selected event(s) left/right on grid Move selected event(s) left/right by the project frame period Move selected event(s) left/right by the first selected event’s length Move selected event(s) up/ down one track Ctrl+numeric keypad 4/6 Alt+Right Arrow numeric keypad 4/6 Description Keys Enter edge-trimming mode Numeric ke
31 Track commands Description Keys Description Keys New audio track New video track Ctrl+Q Ctrl+Shift+Q F Ctrl+F Enable/disable snapping F8 Post-edit ripple affected tracks Post-edit ripple affected tracks, bus tracks, markers, and regions Post-edit ripple all tracks, markers, and regions Group selected events Remove event(s) from group Clear group (without deleting events) Insert/show/hide track volume envelope Remove track volume envelope Insert/show/hide track panning envelope Remove track pann
32 Surround panner commands For finer, more precise movements on the shortcuts in this section, add the Description Ctrl key.
33 Cursor indications The cursor in Vegas changes depending on which functions are available. Cursor CHP. 1 Indicates Modifier Description Standard none This is the standard arrow cursor that means events can be dragged. Trim none Position the cursor over the edge of an event and drag to trim the event shorter or longer. Slip Trim Alt Stretch Ctrl Position the cursor over the edge of an event, press Alt, and drag to trim. The media within the event moves with the edge.
34 Audio signal flow Audio event Normalize event Event ASR Assignable FX pre/post volume Bus pre/post volume Track FX Bus send Track fader Assignable FX send Pan track Input Assignable FX Chain Mute track Output Bus assignment Bus Control Master Fader Mute Bus assignment FX Mute Hardware output Master bus Hardware INTRODUCTION CHP.
35 Video signal flow Velocity envelope Media interpretation Media FX (field order, frame rate, alpha channel, etc.) Event opacity Event FX Transitions Event pan/crop Track FX Track fade to color envelopes Track motion + composite envelope + compositing Video Output FX Motion Blur Envelope Video Supersampling Envelope CHP.
36 INTRODUCTION CHP.
37 CHAPTER Getting Started 2 Vegas is a new way of creating multimedia productions. Whether you are an experienced multimedia author or a budding novice, the powerful features and capabilities of Vegas are organized to increase your creativity and productivity. The following chapter summarizes the basic functions and operations of Vegas.
38 4. From the File menu, choose Save. Enter a name, browse for a location, and click Save to save your project (VEG file). You can change project settings at any time while working on a project. From the File menu, choose to change any of these settings. Properties Setting video properties based on a media file You can automatically set your project video properties to match an existing video file. 1. From the File menu, choose Properties. 2.
39 4. Click Save. Tip: Select the Copy and trim media with project check box to save both the project file and copies of the media files to a common location. For more information, see Saving a project with media on page 236. Renaming a project (using Save As) After you have been working with your project, you may use the Save As command in the File menu to save a copy of a project with a new name. This is useful for backing up different versions of a project.
40 Previewing a media file You may preview files before placing them in your project. The Explorer window has a mini-transport bar with Play, Stop, and Auto Preview buttons ( ). When you preview a file, its stream is sent to the Mixer window’s preview bus (for audio files) or to the Video Preview window (for video files). Tip: You can use the same mini-transport bar buttons in the Media Pool window to preview files in the Media Pool. 1. Select a file in the Explorer window. 2.
41 Adding media to the Media Pool 1. Click the Import Media button ( ) in the Media Pool. The Import Media dialog appears. 2. Navigate to and select a media file to add to the Media Pool. You can use Ctrl or Shift to select multiple files. 3. Click Open. The media file is added to the Media Pool. Adding media to the Media Pool from the Explorer window 1. Navigate to and select a file to add to the Media Pool. You can use Ctrl or Shift to select multiple media files. 2.
42 Getting images You can bring images directly into Vegas from your scanner, digital camera, or other TWAIN device. Vegas adds the images to the Media Pool as JPEG image files. 1. Make sure your device (scanner or digital camera) is on and connected to your computer. 2. In the Media Pool window, click the Get Photo button ( ). Vegas starts the software for the device. 3. Use the device software to get an image and send it to Vegas. Once the image has been sent, the Scanned Files dialog appears.
43 6. From the Speed drop-down list, choose the speed at which you want to extract the audio. If you experience any problems extracting audio, you can try decreasing the selected speed, or you can click Configure to adjust the Audio extract optimization setting. Note: To eject the CD at any time prior to beginning the extraction process, click the Eject button. 7. Click OK. The Save As dialog appears. 8. Select a name and location for the new WAV file. 9. Click Save to begin extracting the audio.
44 Sorting media with bins The detailed view of the Media Pool window helps you sort your media files using their attributes, but for more control, you can create bins. Bins are folders within projects that you can use to organize your media files. Media bins are virtual folders that are saved with your project. They do not affect the way media is saved on your computer. Creating bins Right-click the parent bin where you want to create a new bin and choose Create New Bin from the shortcut menu.
45 1. Locate a media file in the Explorer or Media Pool. 2. Drag the media file to the timeline. An event for the media file appears where you released the mouse. Dragging multiple media files to the timeline 1. Select multiple media files in the Explorer or Media Pool. Select a range of adjacent media files by pressing pressing Shift Ctrl and clicking the first and last files in the range or select files that are not adjacent by and clicking individual files. 2.
46 Inserting a video file with associated audio Media files with video frequently include associated audio. When you insert a media file into the timeline, the associated audio is automatically inserted into a separate audio track below the video track. The two associated events are grouped together and behave as a single unit when moved or otherwise edited. You can ungroup the events to move them independently. For more information, see Clearing a group on page 126.
47 Video events are created from video files captured to your computer (typically AVI, MOV, QT) or images (BMP, JPEG, PNG, or TGA). You can change many characteristics of a video event, such as speed, color, and size. Video events can overlay other video events and are visual elements that appear on top of a background video, image, or color. Moving events along the timeline You can move events along the timeline individually or as a group. Events may overlap each other or be placed on top of each other.
48 Working with tracks A project consists of multiple audio and video tracks. The track view is the timeline in which all events appear. The track list provides information about the track and contains controls that affect all events in the track. Using the track view Vegas provides numerous options for viewing and navigating in track view. Scrolling and zooming There are several ways to scroll and zoom in the track view.
49 Changing track height You can change the height of individual tracks by dragging their borders in the track list. In the example below, the main video track is fairly large to show the details of the scene while the two tracks above it, which are overlays, have been resized to a shorter height. For more information, see Changing track height on page 103. CHP.
50 Using the track list This section describes the different controls in the track header of each track. Some controls are specific to either video or audio tracks. Video track header Button or Control Name Description Make compositing child Creates a parent/child compositing relationship with the track above. Used when creating masks. For more information, see Understanding the parent/child track relationship on page 188.
51 Audio track header Button or Control Name Description Track number, type, and color The icon identifies whether this is an audio track or video track. Track numbers and colors help organize a multitrack project. For more information, see Managing tracks on page 101. Minimize track height Minimizes track height. For more information, see Changing track height on page 103. Maximize track Maximizes track height. For more information, see Changing track height on page height 103.
52 Viewing playbacks and previews Vegas allows you to play back your project in two ways: directly from the timeline from within Vegas or by mixing the entire project to a preview file. Using playback in Vegas The transport bar allows you to play back your entire project or portions of your project based on a time selection or the current cursor position.
53 Playback reference The following table describes all the transport bar buttons and their keyboard equivalents. You may use these playback functions at any time while working in your project. Note: Vegas also supports the use of many multimedia keyboards for controlling playback.
54 Scrubbing on the timeline The second way that a project can be scrubbed is by positioning the mouse pointer over the timeline cursor at a location that is not over any events and pressing Ctrl . The cursor changes to a speaker icon. Now, when you left-click, the cursor icon changes again to a pan/ scrub icon. Drag the mouse left or right to scrub the timeline.
55 Rendering a Vegas project Rendering refers to the process of creating a new media file from a Vegas project. The project file is not affected (overwritten, deleted, or altered) during the rendering process. You may return to the original project to make edits or adjustments and render it again. The following table describes the formats available for rendering your Vegas project: Format Name Extension Definition Audio Interchange File Format MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 .aif .mpg MPEG Layer 3 .
56 GETTING STARTED CHP.
57 CHAPTER 3 Basic Editing Techniques Vegas projects are multitrack compilations of events that occur over time. The events in your project are references (pointers) to source media files. Vegas is a nondestructive editor, so editing events in your project does not alter the source media files in any way. Getting around When editing and playing back the project, the cursor identifies where you are along the project’s timeline.
58 Making selections Vegas gives you the flexibility to select one or more events, a time range, or events and a time range. All selection options can apply to a single track or to multiple tracks. To select an event, click it. Selecting multiple events You can select multiple events in your project using several methods. Tip: Once you have selected multiple events, you can group them together. For more information, see Grouping events on page 125.
59 4. Drag the cursor to the opposite corner of the area you want to select. A rectangle is drawn on the workspace. All events within this rectangle are selected. Hold the left mouse button and right-click to toggle through the three types of selection boxes: free, vertical, or horizontal. Tip: You may include or exclude events from a selection area by pressing Ctrl and clicking an event. To deselect all events, click anywhere in the workspace outside of the selected events.
60 Selecting a time range during playback 1. Click the Play ( ) or the Play From Start ( ) button to begin playback. 2. Press I where you want the time selection to begin. 3. Press O where you want the time selection to end. 4. Click the Stop button ( ) to stop playback. Using shortcuts for time selections These shortcuts can speed up the process of making precise time selections.
61 Editing events Copying events Vegas allows you to copy events, or portions of events, to the Clipboard and paste them into your project. You may copy a single event or multiple events. Copying preserves the original event information, edits, and other modifications. 1. Select the events to be copied. For more information, see Selecting multiple events on page 58. 2. Select a time range, if applicable. 3. Click the Copy button ( ).
62 Cutting events Cutting events removes them from their respective tracks, but places the cut information (events and time) on the Clipboard. Once on the Clipboard, you may paste the information into your project. Tip: You can apply a ripple edit after cutting. For more information, see Applying post-edit ripples on page 72. 1. Select events or a time range. For more information, see Making selections on page 58. 2. Click the Cut button ( ).
63 Cutting a time selection and events Events and portions of selected events within the time selection are reproduced and placed on the Clipboard. Time information is also placed on the Clipboard. When cutting a combination of time selection and event selection, post-edit ripple mode affects the position of material on all tracks or the tracks of selected events after the cut.
64 Using paste insert When using paste insert, Clipboard events are placed at the cursor position on the selected track and existing events on all tracks are moved further down the timeline by the total length of pasted information. This action differs from post-edit ripple mode because pasting in post-edit ripple mode affects only the tracks in which material is pasted, while paste insert affects all tracks in the project. 1. Copy a selection to the Clipboard. 2.
65 Punching-in and crossfading events You can insert events into the middle of (on top of) existing events without altering the timing of the project. When the inserted event ends, the original event continues playing as if it had never stopped. You can choose the duration of crossfades for punched-in audio events. 1. From the Options menu, choose Preferences. The Preferences dialog appears. 2. Click the Editing tab. 3. Select Quick fade length of audio events. Specify a duration for each transition.
66 Trimming events This section describes simple ways to trim events. You can also use the Trimmer window to trim events. For more information, see Using the Trimmer window on page 93. Tip: You can apply a ripple edit after trimming an event. For more information, see Applying post-edit ripples on page 72.
67 Trimming a time selection Trimming events removes all media outside the time selection. The removed information is not placed on the Clipboard. Trimming is different from cutting in that the events within the time selection are preserved. 1. Select a time range. For more information, see Selecting a time range on page 59. 2. Press Ctrl + T or, from the Edit menu, choose Trim. The material outside the time selection (across all tracks) is removed from the project.
68 4. Use the 1, 3 and 4, 6 keys on the numeric keypad to trim the current event edge: • Press 1 to trim one video frame left, or press 3 to trim one video frame right (or hold Ctrl + Shift + Alt while rolling the mouse wheel). • Press 4 to trim one pixel left, or press 6 to trim one pixel right (or hold Ctrl + Shift while rolling the mouse wheel). Depending on the current zoom level, the trim duration will vary. Note: Pressing 5 on the numeric keypad exits edge-trimming mode.
69 Splitting selected events Only the selected events are split at the cursor’s position. Events before splitting Events after splitting Splitting a time selection Unless locked, all events within the time selection are split at the starting and ending points of the time range, meaning that two splits are made. The split occurs across all tracks.
70 Slipping and sliding events To help you picture what happens when you slip and slide events, think of an event as a window to a media file. The window can display the entire media file or a small section. When the window displays only a portion of the media file, you can move either the window or the underlying media to adjust the media that is played by an event: • When you slip an event, your event maintains its place on the timeline, but the media file moves in the direction you drag.
71 Sliding an event Press while dragging an event. The slide cursor appears ( Ctrl + Alt ). As you drag, the relative position of the media remains fixed on the track, and the event position changes. You can use this technique when you want to maintain an event’s length, but have the event play a different section of the source media file at a different point in your project. Tip: You can apply a ripple edit after slip-trimming or sliding an event.
72 Applying post-edit ripples You can apply a post-edit ripple that affects either the edited track(s), the track(s) and certain project elements, or everything in the timeline. The power lies in the fact that you can apply this post-edit ripple to a wide variety of editing tasks, such as trimming, crossfading, cutting, pasting, and deleting events. You can also choose to apply your ripple edits manually or automatically.
73 Applying a post-edit ripple manually 1. Perform one of edits discussed above. Above the timeline, an arrow indicates where the post-edit ripple will occur and the direction the affected events will move. 2. From the Edit menu, choose Post-Edit Ripple, and choose a command from the submenu: • Affected Tracks ripples only the track(s) where you performed the edit.
74 Shuffling events Vegas provides a quick way to change the order of a sequence of events in a track. Right-click and drag an event to a new location in the track and choose Shuffle Events from the shortcut menu that appears. Vegas shuffles the events into the new order. The original four events Right-click and drag event three between events one and two The four events after the shuffle Crossfading events Vegas allows you to crossfade between two events on the same track.
75 Manually setting a crossfade Vegas does not insert an automatic crossfade if a shorter event is placed on top of and within the same time frame of a longer event. In this case, the longer event begins playing, then the shorter event plays, and then the longer event resumes playing at the timeline position. You can manually create a crossfade to fade in and out of the shorter event. 1. Place the mouse pointer on one of the shorter event’s handles. The envelope cursor appears ( ). 2.
76 As you drag, the relative position of the media remains fixed on the track, and the crossfade position changes, effectively trimming the edge of the event in the direction you drag. You can use this technique when you want to maintain the length of two combined events but want the transition to occur earlier or later. Two events with a crossfade. Sliding the crossfade to the left... ...and to the right.
77 Using redo Pressing Ctrl + Shift + Z or clicking the Redo button ( ) redoes the last undo performed. Repeatedly using the keyboard command or toolbar button continues redoing undos in reverse order, from most recent to oldest. In addition, you may redo the last edit by choosing it from the Edit menu. Redoing a series of edits You can view the redo history by clicking the arrow on the right side of the Redo button ( ). The top item in the list that appears is the most recent undo edit.
78 Markers Right-click the marker bar Marker bar Inserting a marker at the cursor 1. Position the cursor where you want to place the marker. 2. From the Insert menu, choose Marker, or press 3. Type a name for the marker and press Enter M . . If you do not want to name the marker, simply press Enter . Inserting a marker during playback During playback, press set. M . The marker appears on the marker bar. You may name the marker after it has been Naming (or renaming) a marker 1.
79 Deleting markers 1. Place the mouse pointer on the marker that you want to delete. The pointer changes to a hand ( ). 2. Right-click to display a shortcut menu. 3. From the shortcut menu, choose Delete. The marker is removed from your project. Vegas does not renumber the tags as you remove them. For example, if you have five markers in your project and delete markers 3 and 4, the remaining markers will be listed as 1, 2 and 5.
80 Naming regions 1. Place the mouse pointer on the left region marker you want to name or rename. The pointer changes to a hand icon ( ). 2. Right-click to display a shortcut menu. 3. From the shortcut menu, choose Rename. A text box appears next to the region marker. 4. Type the region’s name. 5. Press Enter or click anywhere in the track view to set the name. Selecting regions You may select the events, across all tracks, within the region for editing or playing back. 1.
81 Working with command markers Command markers add interactivity to a multimedia presentation streamed over the Internet by inserting metadata into streaming media files. As your video plays, any number of other actions can be programmed to occur. These commands are a part of the Microsoft Windows Media and RealMedia streaming formats. Most frequently, these actions add text or open a related Web site where the viewer can find more information about the topic at hand.
82 Defining streaming media commands In a streaming media file, command markers can be used to display headlines, show captions, link to Web sites, or any other function you define. Vegas includes several command types that you may add to a streaming media file. Some command types are exclusive to either the Windows Media (WMV) or the RealMedia (RM) player.
83 3. Complete the Command Properties dialog: • If desired, choose a custom template from the Template dropdown list. For more information, see Saving command properties as a custom template on page 83. • Choose the type of command from the Command drop-down list. • In the Parameter box, enter parameters to define the behavior of the command. • Enter your own notes or comments in the Comments box. • Specify the timing of the command in the Position box.
84 Deleting command markers 1. Place the mouse pointer on the command marker. The pointer changes to a hand icon ( ). 2. Right-click to display a shortcut menu. 3. From the shortcut menu, choose Delete. The command marker is removed from your project. Working with CD layout markers Markers on the CD layout bar indicate the locations of tracks and indices in an audio CD layout project. These markers are discussed in a later chapter. For more information, see Understanding tracks and indices on page 247.
85 Opening an audio editor from Vegas All events in your Vegas project are references to media files on a storage device. When you edit an audio event in an audio editor, you can choose to open the original media file or a copy of the file. Opening a file in an audio editor You can directly edit the media file to which an audio event is referenced. Any changes you make and save in the audio editor are permanent and are reflected in the event in your Vegas project. 1. Select the event to be edited. 2.
86 BASIC EDITING TECHNIQUES CHP.
87 CHAPTER 4 Advanced Editing Techniques This chapter builds on the techniques that were introduced in the last chapter. Ripple editing, pitch shifting, and takes are just three of the more advanced editing topics that are covered in this chapter. Snapping events Vegas is preset to snap events into place as you drag them. Events can snap to another event’s edges, to the cursor position, or to a time selection. Vegas also allows events to snap to grid lines and markers.
88 Using the event snap offset Each event in your project has a snap offset flag that can be moved along the length of the event. The flag is the white triangle that is located in the lower-left corner of each event. This flag allows you to designate where snapping occurs. This is useful if you need to align the snap with a beat in the event instead of the edge. Snap offset flag 1. Place the mouse pointer on the snap offset triangle. The pointer changes to a hand icon ( ). 2.
89 Pitch shifting audio events A pitch shift is a way to raise or lower the pitch of an audio event. Vegas provides three ways to pitch shift: • The Change Length, Preserve Pitch method shifts the length without altering the pitch of the event. • The Change Pitch, Preserve Length method shifts the pitch without altering the length of the event. • The Change Length and Pitch method speeds up or slows down the audio and changes the pitch at the same time.
90 Time compressing/stretching events Time stretching and compressing events is the process of using the same amount of source media to fill a shorter or longer event. While this can be done to both video and audio events, the two cases are fundamentally different. Press Ctrl and drag the edge of the event toward the center of the event to compress (shorten) it or drag the edge out away from the center to stretch (lengthen) it.
91 Working with takes A take is a version of a scene or audio recording, as in “Scene 10, Take 7”, which means the seventh time that scene number ten has been shot. Vegas allows you to include a number of takes in the same location (event) of the project. You can then rapidly switch between these separate takes to see which one fits into the project the best. Although this is what takes are designed for, you can actually use any media files you want as a take, even completely different sounds or scenes.
92 Previewing and selecting takes Vegas allows you to preview the takes for a given event. 1. Select an event containing multiple takes. 2. Right-click to display a shortcut menu or, from the Edit menu, choose Take to display a submenu. 3. Choose Choose Active... from the submenu. The Take Chooser dialog appears. 4. Select the take that you want to preview and use the Play ( and Stop ( ) ) buttons within the dialog. 5. To use a take, select it and click OK. The selected take is now the active take.
93 Using the Trimmer window The Trimmer allows you to work with and edit one media file at a time. The entire file is opened into the Trimmer, in contrast to events on the timeline that may only contain a portion of the actual source file. The main function of the Trimmer window is to allow you to trim a media file and place portions of it on a track. You can also add regions and markers to a file, preview the media file, or open it in an external audio editing program.
94 Moving frame-by-frame in the Trimmer window As you navigate through a video file in the Trimmer, the exact frame that the cursor is over in time is displayed as in a thumbnail image under the cursor. When using the left and right arrow keys, this allows you to edit with frame accuracy. Make sure Animate video frames in Trimmer is selected in the Preferences dialog to use this feature.
95 Adding selections at the cursor 1. Open a media file in the Trimmer. 2. Make a time selection in the Trimmer. 3. Select the track in the timeline where the selection will be added. 4. Position the cursor in the timeline at either the start or end point where you want to add the selection. 5. Add the selection to the timeline in one of the following ways: • Click the Add Media from Cursor button ( • Click the Add Media up to Cursor button ( ) or press ) or press to insert the event after the cursor.
96 Adding and saving regions and markers to a media file The Trimmer allows you to add markers and regions to a media file in the same way that you add them to your project. Media file markers and regions are different from project markers and regions. The difference between the two is that project markers and regions affect a project, while media file markers and regions are embedded in, and saved with, a media file. For more information, see Adding project markers and regions on page 77.
97 Viewing media markers and regions in events From the View menu, choose Event Media Markers to toggle the display markers and regions that are saved in a media file. These markers are displayed in the timeline in events that refer to the media file. Media markers and regions cannot be edited within the event. However, when you edit the markers in markers and regions in the Trimmer window or in an external audio editor, the event will reflect your changes.
98 Viewing the Edit Details window To view the Edit Details window, choose Edit Details from the View menu or press Alt + 4 . The Show dropdown list allows you to view categorized project information. You can edit most entries by double-clicking them or by right-clicking them to display a shortcut menu. Right-click an entry to display a shortcut menu, or double-click an entry to edit it. Use the scroll bar to view other columns in the window.
99 Events The Events category displays information about all of the events in your project. You may sort any of the information by clicking a column’s header. The number of columns in the Events category requires that you use the scroll bar to view them all. The following table explains each column in the Events category and describes its function. Column Description Track Displays the track number where the event is located. Start Displays when on the timeline the event starts playback.
100 Customizing the Edit Details window You may arrange and delete columns from each category and save the changes to a personal template. Vegas has one template from which you may create your own display options. 1. From the Show drop-down list, choose the category that you want to customize. 2. Drag a column’s header to the new position. The cursor changes to a column icon ( ) as you move the column. If you want to remove the column from the display, drag the icon off the Edit Details window.
101 CHAPTER Working with Tracks 5 Tracks contain the media events on the timeline of a project. There are two types of tracks: video and audio. Each type of track has its own features and controls. While tracks can be organized and mixed in any order, track hierarchy can be important in determining the final output for video. Because tracks are containers for events, effects that are applied to a track apply to every event in that track.
102 Deleting a track You can delete a track from your project and all of the events contained on it. You can delete one track or select multiple tracks to delete. 1. Select the track that you want to delete. To select multiple tracks, click each one while pressing select a range of adjacent tracks or Ctrl Shift to to select discontinuous tracks. 2. From the Edit menu, choose Delete. Tip: You can also delete a track by selecting it and pressing Delete .
103 Changing track color When you add a track, Vegas automatically assigns it a color. This color is easily changed. This feature is useful if you want to use color to organize similar tracks. 1. In the track list, right-click a track to display a shortcut menu. 2. From the shortcut menu, choose Track Display Color, and choose a color from the submenu. Changing track height You can control track height by dragging the bottom edge of a track in the track list.
104 Using the track list Each track in your project has its own controls, faders, and sliders that are contained in the track list on the left side of the track. You can work with these controls to affect the events on the track. Using the volume fader (audio only) This fader controls the volume of the events on a particular audio track. The fader’s range is -.inf to 12 dB. To adjust the fader, drag it to the desired volume level. As you drag the fader, the volume level displays to the left of the fader.
105 Adjusting stereo panning When you click the slider label and choose Pan from the menu, the slider controls the position of a track in the stereo field. Vegas audio tracks are preset to center the signal. Move the slider to adjust the signal’s output left or right. As you move the slider, Vegas displays the signal’s percentage going to either the left or right channel.
106 Phase inverting a track (audio only) The Invert Track Phase button ( ) inverts the audio track at its baseline, in effect reversing its polarity. Inverting a track, while creating little audible difference, is occasionally useful for matching transitions when mixing audio on separate tracks or fine-tuning a crossfade. You can also phase invert an audio event. If an event on a track is inverted and you invert the track, the event is doubly-inverted (restored to its original state).
107 Setting default track properties You can use the settings of a selected track to determine the default settings for all new tracks in your project. Properties that can be set appear in the Set Default Track Properties dialog. 1. Set up a track in your project with the properties to use as default settings for new tracks. 2. Right-click the track number and choose Set Default Track Properties. The Set Default Track Properties dialog appears. 3. Select the check boxes that you want to set as defaults.
108 Adding bus envelopes A bus envelope controls the level of a track sent to a particular bus. Before you can add a bus envelope, you must add busses to the project. For more information, see Adding busses to a project on page 137. 1. Select the track to which you want to add the bus envelope. You may select multiple tracks, if desired. 2.
109 Adding envelope points Once you add an envelope to a track, you may add points to it. These points are used to edit the envelope line in order to automate the control. 1. Place the mouse pointer on the envelope’s line. The pointer changes to a hand icon ( ). 2. Right-click and choose Add Point from the shortcut menu or double-click to add an envelope point. A square point appears on the envelope line. Tip: You can use ripple editing to automatically move envelope points as you edit in the timeline.
110 Changing envelope fade curves You can set the type of fade curve Vegas uses after each envelope point: linear, fast, slow, smooth, or sharp. You can select either a point or a portion of the envelope to set the fade curve. If you select a portion of the envelope, Vegas applies the fade curve to that envelope segment. If you select a point, Vegas applies the fade curve to the segment of the envelope after the selected point. 1.
111 Selecting and adjusting envelope points 1. Select the Envelope Edit Tool button ( ). 2. Click within a track to select it. 3. Drag along the timeline to select envelope points. 4. Drag the selected envelope points to a new position. To deselect envelope points, click anywhere in the event that is not part of the envelope. Drag to select envelope points. Cutting, copying, and pasting envelope points 1. Select the Envelope Edit Tool button ( ). 2. Click within a track to select it. 3.
112 Locking envelopes to events Track envelopes extend for the length of a track and are independent of the events on the track. This means that the envelope remains in place when you move the events in the track. However, track envelopes can be set to move with the underlying events, thus preserving the timing of envelope points in relation to events.
113 Resizing audio bus tracks You can drag the horizontal splitter between the track list and bus tracks to increase or decrease the space allocated to bus tracks. Perform any of the following actions to resize individual bus tracks: • • • • • Drag a bus track's bottom border to set its height. Click Minimize ( ) to minimize a track vertically. Click Maximize ( ) to zoom in vertically so a bus track fills the lower portion of the timeline.
114 3. The motion blur envelope affects all tracks. To bypass motion blur for a track, select the Bypass Motion Blur button ( ) in the track header. 4. To change blur type, choose a setting from the Motion blur type drop-down list on the Video tab in the Project Properties dialog. This setting determines the shape of the blur and the opacity of the frames.
115 Rendering to a new track Rendering or mixing multiple tracks to a single track can be a good method of decreasing the complexity of a project and speeding up future renders. The original tracks and their events are unaffected when you render (mix) to a single track. Typically, you would use this feature when you are finished refining a few tracks and want to combine them. When you render multiple tracks, any envelope or track effects that you have applied are rendered into the new track.
116 WORKING WITH TRACKS CHP.
117 CHAPTER Working with Events 6 Events are windows into media files in a project and are the most basic unit of editing in Vegas. Media files that are inserted into the timeline are automatically contained within an event. Trimming and editing an event does not affect the source media file in any way. Setting event switches Event switches are important functions that are used to determine the basic behavior of events in Vegas. You can set switches for a single event or multiple events at the same time.
118 For video events, turning off the Loop switch makes the last frame repeat for the duration of the event beyond its original length, creating a freeze frame effect (as in the middle example below). The Loop switch is enabled for the event in the last example below. The original three frame clip. Looping is off. The elongated event repeats (freezes) the final frame. Looping is on. The entire event repeats.
119 3. Click Re-calculate to normalize the event again. Tip: You can set the maximum decibel level used by Vegas to calculate the event during normalization. For more information, see Audio tab on page 266. Maintain aspect ratio (video only) Video and image files of various sizes and formats can be included in a single project. The project itself may have a different frame size aspect ratio from the source media files. This is not a problem, but you must specify how Vegas handles these differences.
120 Accessing event properties Vegas automatically determines the properties of an event based on the properties of the source media file. In addition to the event switches (mute, loop, etc.) described in the previous section, event properties include playback and undersample rates for video and pitch shifting for audio. 1. Right-click an event to display a shortcut menu. 2. From the shortcut menu, choose Properties. The Properties dialog appears.
121 Copying and pasting event attributes You’ve set up one event exactly the way you want it, and now you want to apply the same attributes to another event. Vegas provides a quick way to copy the attributes of one event and paste them onto another. You can copy and paste multiple event attributes, including: • • • • Properties (pg. 120), including audio pitch shift (pg. 89) and video playback rate (pg. 90) Switches (pg. 117) Video event plug-ins (pg. 181) Cropping (pg. 165) 1.
122 Setting an event’s fade in and out The event handles allow you to change an audio event’s fade in and out volume. You can also change the type of curve that the event uses to control the volume’s fade in or out. 1. Place the mouse pointer on a handle (upper corners of the event). The pointer changes to the envelope cursor ( ). 2. As you drag, the volume envelope appears. Vegas displays both the time in the event and the decibel level.
123 Using opacity envelopes Opacity envelopes set the overall opacity and allow you to fade video events in and out. This affects the transparency of the event in relation to background events on lower tracks. These background events can be other video events or background colors. For more information, see Using generated media on page 187.
124 1. Double-click the envelope where you want to add a Envelope points point. 2. Drag the point to adjust it. Vegas displays the time and velocity level of the point as you drag. 3. Right-click the envelope between two points to choose a fade type (linear, fast, slow, smooth, or sharp) to set the shape of the curve. Tip: To delete a point, right-click the point and choose Delete. Making a video play at twice its normal speed makes the duration of the video half as long.
125 3. Drag the velocity down to -100% for a normal speed reversal. This is the original, untrimmed, event. The horses run from left to right. The event is edge trimmed to the frame where the reversal will begin. The velocity envelope is added and set to -100%. The thumbnails reflect the change and the horses run backwards. The event can now be repositioned to fit the project.
126 Adding an event to an existing group 1. Right-click an event in the existing group, choose Group from the shortcut menu, and choose Select All from the submenu to select all of the members of the group. 2. Press Ctrl and click the event to be added to the group. 3. Right-click the event, choose Group from the shortcut menu, and choose Create New from the submenu. Note: Events can only be in one group at a time.
127 CHAPTER Adding Audio Effects 7 You can use audio effects, or plug-ins, to improve the quality of the audio in a production or to create special artistic effects. In addition to the DirectX plug-in effects included with Vegas, you can also use other Sonic Foundry plug-ins and third-party plug-ins. Using audio effects There are three ways to use audio plug-ins in Vegas: track effects, bus effects, and assignable effects.
128 Using plug-in chains A plug-in chain is a sequence of plug-ins to be applied to tracks, busses, or assignable effects. A plug-in chain can contain one or more plug-ins. The same plug-in can be added to a chain more than once. Plug-ins in a chain After the plug-in chain is created, the audio is processed by each plug-in in order. The plug-ins are cumulative so, in some cases, you may want to rearrange their order to achieve the desired effect.
129 2. Click the Plug-In Chain button ( ) on the window. The Plug-In Chooser dialog appears. Plug-ins already in the chain appear at the top of the dialog. Plug-ins already contained in the chain 3. Select a plug-in and click Add. 4. Repeat step three to add as many plug-ins as you need to create the desired effect. 5. Click OK to close the Plug-in Chooser dialog. The plug-in chain appears just below the title bar in the appropriate FX window (Audio Plug-In or Video Track FX).
130 Saving customized plug-in presets Each plug-in has a number of presets that you can use to set the behavior of the plug-in. However, you can also adjust the controls for the plug-in manually to create custom settings. You can then save the effect settings as a new preset. 1. Click the Track FX, Bus FX or Assignable FX button ( ). The appropriate FX window (Audio Plug-In or Video Track FX) appears. 2. In the plug-in chain at the top of the window, click the plug-in you want to customize. 3.
131 Arranging the plug-in order from the Plug-In Chooser dialog 1. Click the Track FX, Bus FX or Assignable FX button ( ). The appropriate FX window (Audio Plug-In or Video Track FX) appears. 2. Click the Plug-In Chain button ( ). The Plug-In Chooser dialog appears with the plug-in chain displayed at the top. 3. Drag a plug-in to a new location in the chain, or select a plug-in and click either the Shift Plug-In Left ( or Shift Plug-In Right ( ) ) button. 4.
132 Saving plug-in chains You can save and edit the plug-in chains that you add to tracks or busses or create as assignable effects chains. Saved chains retain the order of plug-ins and the settings that you have applied. Vegas stores these chains as effect packages for use in future projects. If you use the same plug-in chains regularly, saving them as packages is faster and more consistent than recreating the chain manually.
133 Organizing your plug-ins Within the Plug-in Chooser dialog, you can create folders to organize the plug-ins. This can help you organize large numbers of plug-ins on your system. You can create folders and then drag plug-ins to the folders. Applying non-real-time event effects Non-real-time event effects are a different method of applying audio effects in Vegas.
134 Bypassing all audio effects From the Options menu, choose Bypass All Audio FX to omit all audio effects (track, bus, and assignable effects) during playback. Bypassing effects allows you to quickly compare your project with and without effects and conserve processing power to avoid playback problems. When effects are bypassed, you can choose whether bypassed effects remain open.
135 CHAPTER Using the Mixer 8 The Mixer window is where you control the project’s busses and assignable effects chains. Using the Mixer window The Mixer is a dockable window where you can control audio busses and assignable effects chains within your project and adjust the outgoing signal’s volume and routing. Viewing the Mixer window The Mixer window appears in the window docking area by default when you first start Vegas. However, you can drag the Mixer within the workspace at any time to float it.
136 Using the Mixer toolbar The Mixer’s toolbar allows you to access project properties, add busses, and add assignable effects chains to the Mixer. Button Description The Project Audio Properties button accesses the project properties dialog (pg. 266). The Dim Output button attenuates the volume of all busses that are routed to hardware outputs by 20 dB. Click again to restore original volume. The Insert Assignable FX button adds an assignable effects chain to your project.
137 Using busses A bus is a master control for the audio-signal mix of one or more tracks. You can assign tracks to play back on a specific bus. For more information, see Assigning audio tracks to busses on page 140. However, to assign a track to a bus, you must have more than one bus in your project. Each project has a Master bus as a default, but you may add up to 25 additional busses to the Mixer window. A bus is the last stage in the signal’s flow through Vegas.
138 Deleting busses from a project You can remove busses from your project at any time. When you remove a bus from a project, any tracks assigned to it are reassigned to the Master bus. Deleting a bus Right-click the bus to be deleted in the Mixer window and choose Delete from the shortcut menu. Deleting multiple busses 1. Click the Audio Properties button ( ) on the Mixer window. The Project Properties dialog appears with the Audio tab displaying. 2.
139 You can adjust the volume of several busses simultaneously by selecting the busses and adjusting any of their faders. If you select an assignable effect along with the busses, the output fader of the assignable effect moves along with the bus volume faders. Changing bus meter resolution You can select a meter resolution at which a bus displays the signal levels that are being mixed.
140 Assigning audio tracks to busses If your project contains multiple busses, you can assign a track to a specific bus. 1. Click the Bus button ( ) in the track list to display a drop-down list of available busses. This button appears only if the project contains multiple busses. For more information, see Adding busses to a project on page 137. 2. From the drop-down list, choose the bus for the track’s output.
141 Tip: To use the output fader to control the wet/dry mix of the assignable effects chain, set each plug-in to 100% wet. Use the output (effects return) fader to balance the dry track signal with the wet plug-in signal. You can work with assignable effects controls in much the same way you work with busses. Use the same methods described earlier in this chapter for adjusting volume, adjusting for clipping, muting, soloing, and renaming. For more information, see Working with busses on page 138.
142 Viewing bus tracks From the View menu, choose Show Bus Tracks or press U . The bus tracks appear at the bottom of the track view. A bus track appears for each bus or assignable effect chain in your project. Adding track envelopes Right-click the track header in the track list, choose Insert/Remove Envelope from the shortcut menu, and choose the appropriate envelope type from the submenu.
143 CHAPTER Recording Audio 9 Vegas can record audio into multiple mono or stereo audio tracks while simultaneously playing back existing audio and video tracks. You are limited only by the performance of your computer system and audio hardware. Vegas records audio to a media file on your computer and into an event on the timeline. You may record into an empty track, a time selection, an event, or a combination of time and event selection.
144 Setup with mixer This setup includes a mixer where the speaker and microphone connect. The mixer is then connected to the computer’s sound card. Mixers usually have pre-amps built into them. This diagram does not show you an instrument or a physical preamplifier, such as a rack-mounted component. The reason for this omission is because these types of setups vary widely based on your mixer, instrument, and pre-amp type. Refer to your components’ documentation for specific setup configurations.
145 Preparing to record Before you record, you must arm the tracks into which you will record the new audio. You must also select the recording settings for the tracks. You have the additional options of using a metronome or turning off playback during recording. Arming the track for recording Whether recording into an existing track, an empty track, a selected event, or a time selection, you must prepare a track for recording. You can arm multiple tracks prior to recording. 1.
146 Selecting recording settings After the track has been armed for recording, select whether the track records the signal in stereo, in mono from the left channel, or in mono from the right channel. If you are using the Windows Classic Wave Driver, you also must select the device from which the track will record. Selecting recording settings for Sound Mapper 1. Click the Record Device Selector button ( ). A menu appears. 2. From the menu, choose the recording method (Stereo, Left, or Right).
147 Recording You may record into an empty track, a time selection, an event, or a combination of time and event selection. Vegas adds the recording to the timeline as new take and saves it to a media file on your hard drive. Vegas also supports triggering recording from MIDI timecode. Recording into an empty track 1. Select a track. Alternately, to record to a new track, choose Audio Track from the Insert menu. 2. Place the cursor on the timeline where you want to begin recording. 3.
148 Recording into a time selection By making a time selection, you specify where along the timeline to record. The time selection also determines how long Vegas records. Any selected events that occur within the time selection are split and the recorded data is placed into the time selection. For more information, see Recording into an event with a time selection on page 149.
149 Recording into an event with a time selection Recording into a time selection allows for a pre- and post- roll during recording. The time selection is adjustable to increase or decrease the pre- and post-roll duration. During recording, the selected event’s edges serve as the punch-in and -out points. You can create multiple punch-in and -out points by selecting more events within the time selection.
150 5. Right-click the time display and choose MIDI Timecode In. The time display now shows the timecode being generated from your MIDI device. The top of the display reads MTC Input Waiting. 6. Begin generating MTC from your MIDI device. The top of the time display now reads MTC Input Locked, the time updates from the MIDI device, and Vegas automatically begins recording. Typically, there is a short delay between when you begin generating MTC and synchronization.
151 Changing where recorded files are stored in the Project Properties dialog 1. From the File menu, choose Properties. The Project Properties dialog appears. 2. Click the Audio tab to display the project’s audio properties. Path where recorded media source files are written and stored. 3. Click Browse. The Recorded Files Folder dialog appears. 4. Browse for the location where you want Vegas to save recorded files. 5. Click OK.
152 Monitoring recording input with track effects If you want to hear your recording signal with real-time track effects, you can turn on input monitoring. Click the Record Device Selector button ( or ) and choose Input Monitor from the menu. During recording, your signal will be played back with the current track effects chain, but a dry (unprocessed) signal is recorded. Note: Your ability to monitor effects in real time is dependent on your computer's performance.
153 CHAPTER 10 Working with 5.1 Surround Vegas allows you to create 5.1-channel mixes to prepare audio for DVD-Video. Note: Vegas plays and mixes uncompressed 5.1-channel audio. Authoring software such as the Sonic Foundry 5.1 Surround Plug-In Pack is required to encode 5.1-channel audio to AC-3 for use in DVD authoring. What is 5.1 surround? 5.1 surround is a standard format consisting of three speakers across the front and two speakers in the rear. The “.
154 Your system must also have an appropriate sound card setup such as: • 5.1-compatible sound card • Sound card with three stereo outputs • Three stereo sound cards There are several ways to set up your system, depending on the sound card and speaker setup you are using. Six powered speakers 5.
155 Track list in 5.1 surround mode Mixer in 5.1 surround mode Surround panner Track routed to LFE Track routed to Bus Front L/R Rear L/R Center LFE Surround panners Routing to hardware in the mixer You must route the surround audio to the correct output in the mixer. 1. From the Options menu, choose Preferences. 2. Click the Audio tab. 3. From the Audio device type drop-down list, choose an audio device type other than Microsoft Sound Mapper (such as Windows Classic Wave Driver). 4.
