Can't preview 5.1 with Sony Vegas Movie Studio 10

Keebler wrote on 8/25/2011, 4:29 PM
I'm a bit disappointed with Vegas Movie Studio 10. The product can do 5.1 audio mixing - which is why I bought it - but I can't preview it without doing a full render? What good is that? I can't wait 5-10 minutes to test every change.
Also, I downloaded a demo version of Vegas Pro and it can do it so it's not my hardware.

So then, why not preview 5.1? Do I really have to spend hundreds of extra dollars to be able to preview 5.1 when my version can mix 5.1?

Thanks,
Rich

Comments

musicvid10 wrote on 8/25/2011, 5:35 PM
No version of Vegas does Dolby 5.1 encoding in realtime, not even the Pro version costing hundreds of dollars more. Even the Pros render their projects to hear the final product.

If you have a sound interface with six discrete I/O channels (not a 5.1 sound card), you "should" be able to route the discrete PCM outputs to monitor / preview your surround mix from the timeline.
Markk655 wrote on 8/25/2011, 7:44 PM
Keebler, Do you mean just play the tracks in the preview? As musicvid points out, it an be done as long as your computer is set up for it. I have used a couple of different sets of headsets (some with discrete internal speakers) and VMS definitely previews in 5.1. Alternatively, some sound cards have outputs for 5.1 speakers.

Keebler wrote on 8/29/2011, 2:27 PM
Hey guys,

Thanks for the replies.

I don't hear anything in the rear speakers using Vegas Movie Studio 10 while working in the track editor, scrubbing, changing pan settings, etc. If I render the movie out, I hear it. It makes it really hard to do any significant tweaking since I have no clue how it's going to sound until I render the movie (or at least a section of it).

If I use Vegas Pro (using a trial version until I decide what to do), I can hear sounds in the rear speakers whether I'm scrubbing, playing back normally, etc. I don't need to render the movie to hear the rear channels.

Thanks,
Rich
Markk655 wrote on 8/29/2011, 7:38 PM
That makes it sound like a preference setting may be incorrect. Right click on the preview window, select preview device preferences>audio device tab. What audio device and playback device are you using for rear speakers?? Do you have the same defined set up in Vegas Pro?
pwppch wrote on 8/29/2011, 9:49 PM
Please fill out your system specs in your user profile.

What audio hardware are you using?

What is your audio output device setting in VMS?

Peter
Keebler wrote on 9/10/2011, 7:14 PM
Just a follow up. I noticed there was a new driver for my onboard audio (Realtek) which has only been out for a month. Once I downloaded that the rear channel is now playing while previewing 5.1 ! BTW, I'm using the Direct Sound Surround Mapper.

Thanks for all the help!
Keebler wrote on 9/14/2011, 1:23 AM
Actually, I jumped the gun in responding. After playing with Vegas for a few minutes the rear speakers stopped working.

Basically, what I have to do now to get the rear speakers to work is to change to another audio device, apply the settings and then switch back to the direct sound surround mapper and then the rears works for a few minutes.
Keebler wrote on 2/20/2012, 6:22 PM
Still having the problem, even on my new computer. This is using onboard audio with this chip - Realtek® ALC892

Sometimes, I hear sound in the rear channels and within a few minutes it stops working. If I switch to another audio device and then back to DirectSound Surround Mapper, it will come back for a bit.

Let me know if there's any other critical information that will help...

Thanks,
Rich
Markk655 wrote on 2/20/2012, 7:12 PM
How long did you try out the Pro version for? Was it enough to see if it works well for a long time?

How are your speakers connected to the cpu? Standard 3.5 mm jacks? If so, next time it stops working, connect the rear speakers to the front jacks to see if it is the speakers.

Do you have an NVidia video card with HDMI out? There is a known issue with some drivers/cards (incl. mine!) whereby there is a conflict between the RealTek driver and the NVidia driver. You need to go into the BIOS when it (careful what you change) and check which Audio you use. Make sure that you have onboard audio checked otherwise the sound gets routed through the video card. For me, the issue was no sound, but perhaps it shows up differently on your system.