Feature Film Audio Post

conleec wrote on 1/1/2005, 2:37 PM
Hi All,

I'm an independent feature film editor. I do my feature cutting in Avid, because it has the best access to cut lists, keynumbers, etc. However, lately, I'm being asked to do more and more audio editorial as well, and I'm exploring options.

I've been aware of Vegas for a number of years. I've even dabbled with it on occasion. Now I'm thinking it might be just the thing to do some of this audio editing/mixing in.

Here's what I'd like to be able to do:

1) Import OMFs with embedded media from Avid.

2) Clean up my dialog, edit SFX, and perhaps even do "temp" or "festival" mixes.

3) Export back to Avid for output.

I'd also like to be able to see video on an external client monitor while working.

Does Vegas support OMF import either directly, or thru a plug-in?

Any info greatly appreciated.

Chris Conlee

Comments

Spot|DSE wrote on 1/1/2005, 2:44 PM
using Cui-Bono, you can import/export OMFI v2 audio but not video information. You'll be able to clean up dialog, edit SFX, and do any sorts of mixes you'd like, and export via CuiBono, back to Avid. You could convert your vid to QT in Avid, and bring that into Vegas, then view that stream on a client/external monitor.
http://www.cuibono-soft.com/home.html
conleec wrote on 1/2/2005, 12:39 AM
Thanks for the response. I have been playing with this today, using the demo versions of both. Very impressive. In your opinion, is Vegas capable of doing a full-blown "indie" festival mix? How many tracks and FX can you push on a reasonably well endowed machine with client monitor output?

Thanks again!

Chris Conlee
Spot|DSE wrote on 1/2/2005, 1:32 AM
Well....I've not done any serious mixes with more than 112 tracks.
It's very common to have 40 or so tracks, depending on how many stems I need to create. The way Vegas works is to divide the load between processors, so if you want a lot of audio and reasonable amount of video, get a duallie.
Yes, you can do very nice festival mixes. My "Toubat: Journey of the Native American Flute" has earned a number of awards, and it was entirely recorded, mixed, and finished in Vegas. (several mixes at this point, depending on where it's shown.
With buses, etc, it's very easy to actually create multiple mixes at once, except that you can only do one 5.1 mix at one time.
conleec wrote on 1/2/2005, 10:25 AM
Thanks. Very impressive.

Chris
conleec wrote on 1/2/2005, 11:26 AM
You know, I've been looking for PC software to migrate over to audio post for feature film work, and of course the normal options come up: ProTools, Nuendo, Cakewalk. Now I've found Vegas and another package that is really cool, but very expensive: SAWStudio.

Has anybody heard of this package before? I've been playing with the demo, and it's extremely "cool," but I was wondering if somebody more knowlegable about pro audio software could justify the price difference between SAW and Vegas. Returns, Aux, Sends, speed, sonic purity, available plugins, etc.

I have lots of experience cutting feature films, but limited experience doing the sound. I'd be getting started more as an FX editor (dabbling in design), BG editor, and perhaps dialog cleanup guy, probably leaving the final mix to somebody else -- at least for a while. But someday, who knows...?

Anyway, I'm an ex Amiga user, and the SAW package strikes me as an Amiga package (even though it isn't). But I've always been interested in software designers who think outside the box.

http://www.sawstudio.com

Anybody care to give an opinion? Thanks a million.

Chris Conlee
Spot|DSE wrote on 1/2/2005, 11:46 AM
SAW studio is an old application that was seriously headed in the direction of being a deep multitrack tool. Then they decided to seemingly focus on radio. SAW isn't half the application that Vegas is, and doesn't have near the flexibility, although earlier versions would suggest they were interested in the MI market at one time. They don't even attend the video or audio industry shows any more, I don't think. NAB is more their market. For sound design, Vegas is a staple. If you're serious about looking at lesser applications with steeper learning curves, look at Nuendo, ProTools, Sek'd. If you are looking for powerful but cheap, and lacking features, look at Tracktion. But none of these have the total package like Vegas does. Then again, you're asking a fairly loaded question in a very biased community forum.
conleec wrote on 1/2/2005, 1:52 PM
Fair enough. I haven't used either of these packages, except in their demo forms. I have to say, both have impressed me. Vegas is extremely inexpensive, especially compared to SAW. Again, I just thought there must be something I'm missing, based on the relative price difference.

Thanks again.

Chris
VOGuy wrote on 1/2/2005, 7:24 PM
Hi Chris.

I was a user of SAW for quite a while in it's early years. Back then, it was an amazing program. Bob Lentini, the program's creator is truly a crazy genius. He wrote the entire ap in Assembly language, which allowed the program to be much more effecient, in terms of computer resources, than if he had written in a compiler language like "C". Pre- Pentium, one could make a good case for using SAW - I had it mixing audio, realtime, four channels with effects, on a 286 processor! Bob also has a great deal of experience in actual audio production and live audio.

Today, since processors are so much more powerful, the program's effeciency, which was SAW's biggest advantage, is not as important. The SAW folks lost me when Windows XP was releasedt. Bob decided to close down his company and abandoned his user base! Just at that time, the Vegas folks offered us a special deal on their new software and the rest is history. Bob started a new company later, and introduced SAW Studio. I had been a happy SAW user, but today I'm still steamed at him for his actions. Today I use Vegas and Adobe Audition - I'm happy with both programs.

Travis
Travis Voice & Narration Services www.announcing.biz