Integration of VV and Acid

farss wrote on 6/6/2003, 4:50 AM

Don't know if this is the best place to post this but here goes.

I'll be doing a few corporate videos and I thought it would be nice to add some music to some sections and Acid looks like good value and something that even with my total ignorance of music and general tone deafness I could probably use to tweak some existing loops to suit my needs.

I've played around with Express and would like something a bit more powerful, Acid Music looks more than enough for what I want.

Question is how does the Acid family integrate with VV, can I put the loops onto VV audio tracks and play with it there or is it a case of compose in Acid, export as .wav and bring that into VV?

It seems with Acid Pro I can bring my video into it and then work on the music against the video but Acid Pro is giving me a lot more than I'll ever need and I kind of feel like I'm paying for a lot of functionality twice if I go down that path (not that I begrudge SoFo the money!).

Comments

PDB wrote on 6/6/2003, 5:39 AM

Well, I'm no expert either and only do this as a hobby....but followed the same path you are considering...So far, I have done the music in Acid, rendered as .Wav, imported into Vegas and worked from there...Not sure if the loops in Vegas idea would work, but you would lose a lot of what acid has going for it if you do I think...

regards

Paul.

FuTz wrote on 6/6/2003, 6:24 AM

I tried it too and loops are best used in Acid. You won't get the same precise results you would get in Acid if you try to "loop-work" in Vegas. Try downloading an 8-pack and play with it in Vegas, you'll get the point...

One thing that's interesting in Acid Pro4 is the capability to match your "punches" with picture.
It's been a while since I didn't use Acid though. But if you're really good at composing with loops or, better, if you want to create your OWN loops, you should be happy using Acid (yes, it *records*, but is not a multitrack).
It's another learning curve again: some details aren't exactly like you'd guess if you're a Vegas "extensive user". Mainly the same but a few details here and there. But I'm sure you'll be able to switch from Vegas to Acid "mode" in a snap very soon!

Farss: I got AcidPro4 for just $99 as a special deal when it was released (some bugs in the program though...) so my guess is that if you can go on with what you have and can wait for v.5, you'd probably get a good deal...

vicmilt wrote on 6/6/2003, 8:59 PM

We love Vegas and Acid - here's how we work with them.

First rough cut your show w/o music - if you're doing an industrial, I'm assusming that you won't be cutting too much stuff "on the beat".

Now decide how many sections of music you need. I like to totally change the music for each major scene change.
Let's say you have a 10 minute video and want 2 - 30 "special spots (maybe product demos, for instance)", and 4 - two minute songs.

Now - without any distraction of picture or movie sound, create the six different songs in Acid. If you knoiw one section is more or less 53 seconds, then try to keep the song about 53 seconds long - but don't get too hung up, yet.

Now do a rough mix of each song and insert it into Vegas, and begin to play around with the movie and the music, together. Don't be afraid to cut the music up, and move it around - often the video will lead you in these decisions.

Now, with the mixed music tracks more or less in place, (basically for "feel" and inspiration, fine cut your video.

If you have a client, now is the time to get the video rough cut approved.

Once the fine cut is approved by everybody, mix it down, without the "dummy" music tracks. Import mixed DV into ACID.

Now you fine tune the ACID tracks, bringing them in one at a time, and fixing the musc to emphasize what's on the screen. It will be easy to have the various "cuts" start and stop exactly where you need. When you have it perfect, mix the music (mute video tracks). Congratuations - you have a completed score.

Import this score into a copy of the fine cut, insert volume envelope, adjust sound, and you are done. You will be extraordinarily pleased with how great a cohesive piece of music like this will enhance your video.

Good luck, and let us know how it works out.

v.

farss wrote on 6/6/2003, 9:07 PM

Thanks,
I feel a lot more confident about tackling it now, I guess you use Acid Pro?

Thought I might start with Acid Music, by the time I buy some reasonable sound gear the piggy bank might be a bit empty.

I figure starting with Acid Music I shouldn't make too much af a mess, remember I love music but just cannot get my brain around how it works. I know a couple of people with some musical ability, might be an idea to get them involved.