I've also imported mpeg files into Vegas 8 that had no sound. Vegas 7 read these same files fine, with both audio and sound. I sent a message to tech support a week ago, but haven't received any reply yet.

I'll chime in with a "me, too"...

In my case, the offenders are mpg-2 files with attached AC-3 audio that originated on my DVD recorder and were then edited in Womble. The audio is recognized by Vegas 7, but not Pro 8.

must be something with your mpeg files. Or V8 & the way they're rendered. I can import rendered mpeg-2's with mpeg audio no problem. mpeg's from years ago & ones I just rendered now.

EDIT: any way to post up a PSA so I could see if it opens for me in vegas 8?

I have the same problem. With the original DVD-Recorder source, I have the audio in VP8. But If I edit-cut and render the mpeg file in Womble or Tmpeg software no audio is present in VP8.

"mpg-2 files with attached AC-3 audio that originated on my DVD recorder and were then edited in Womble. The audio is recognized by Vegas 7, but not Pro 8."

Not really an answer to v.8, but in general it's not a great practice to import ac3 into anything but a DVD authoring app like DVDA... Ac3 is a delivery format with not just different timing than video, but the variable packet size can make it difficult if not impossible to edit as precisely as wav. You've also got whatever dynamics set in the ac3 file, so a simple re-encode of ac3 to ac3 is going to muddy things and often reduce volume.

My buddy cbrillow contacted me via email and has discovered that re-encoding the audio using layer II works (Womble). I have put an AC-3 encoded 15 sec PSA at www.jesion.com/AmericanLungAssoc.mpg
It took almost 2 hours to re-encode all my clips. What a waste of time thanks to VP8! Just think what the charge would be to a client who wanted a 2 hour re-cut of a project....

Regards,
Jerry

"Ac3 is a delivery format with not just different timing than video, but the variable packet size can make it difficult if not impossible to edit as precisely as wav. You've also got whatever dynamics set in the ac3 file, so a simple re-encode of ac3 to ac3 is going to muddy things and often reduce volume."

All well and good, but not really applicable to my situation, which involves recording on a DVD recorder and cutting out commercials with Womble, which then does a stream copy to a new file rather than re-encoding the AC-3.

In Jerry's case, he's printing to tape for delivery to a cable station, so there's no additional re-encoding to AC-3, either.

can't you change the recorder to record in mpeg layer 2 audio? i so just use that. it's a trade off: don't be able to edit & save space or be able to edit & lose space.

"can't you change the recorder to record in mpeg layer 2 audio? i so just use that. it's a trade off: don't be able to edit & save space or be able to edit & lose space."

Don't exactly know who you're addressing here -- Jerry or me. But I'll respond as if it were directed at me:

No, my DVD recorder is a (very cool!) consumer device that only writes files with AC3 audio. I can, in fact, edit on the unit, but not with the same frame-accuracy that I get from Womble.

At any rate, this part of the discussion is moot -- we can use the workaround of re-encoding the audio to mpeg or LPCM in Womble and do whatever we want with the video from there.

However -- the original issue remains: what has changed in Vegas Pro 8 that prevents us from using files with AC3 audio, when versions 5, 6 and 7 appeared to be fat, dumb & happy with it? We'd simply like to know if this is a bug, if it's something peculiar to our systems, or if it's a change intentionally implemented by Sony.

When you're paying for basically yearly upgrades, you don't expect to lose functionality. I wanted to skip this version because I'm now retired and have less disposable income to throw around, but was lured to VP8 by the promise of the new titler. Now I find that I have to fall back to version 7 for what would have been my first significant project for VP8, because VP8 doesn't accept the same file types that previous versions did. I don't remember seeing anything about that in the 'What's New for Version 8' section.

My mpeg files (working in Vegas7 but not V8) were also edited in Womble - however, they are all PCM audio, and not AC3.

Another "me too" post. I just upgraded to Pro 8 and...I am just really, really ticked. I do NOT want to go through the rigamarole of downgrading to 7; but, I just may be forced to do so to get this project done. I've got MPG2 files that I've transferred straight off my JVC Everio HDD camera. The .mod files worked fine in Vegas 7; but, Vegas 8 refuses to recognize the audio track. They play in WMP just fine; what has happened that VP8 won't recognize the audio?

As another follow-up, MPEG-2 handling in Vegas 8 seems to be very poor. I understand that compressed source files aren't the best; but, if that's what you've got, that's what you've got. I have a lot of MPEG-2 files that worked fine in Vegas 7; Vegas 8 is dropping frames all over the place. Plus the inability to read audio in MPEG-2 files taken directly off an HDD camcorder. It's both disappointing and very irritating as I was looking forward to working with a number of the new features in 8; but, I probably won't be able to start actually using the new version until they get it patched. Please hurry, Sony! I've got a big production coming up at Christmas and I'd rather work in 8 than in 7.

Me too!
Re-encoding all the files just isn't an option, they've worked great for me in vegas 6 and 7 and now I can't even open my old projects because virutally everyone is based off of these mpeg2 files...

What software made these mpeg2 files? Well the Sony DVGate software that came preinstalled on my Sony RA Series computer of course...

If there isn't a fix for this soon I'm going to be disputing the charge with American Express. This isn't an upgrade... I can open the very same files on the same PC in 7 and it works just fine.

After the VP8a update I'm still having the problem with MPEG-2 audio. I had written tech support and was informed this would be fixed with the first service patch but it appears it has not, at least for me.

I am curious is "a" is working in this regard for others?

- Mark

Same problems here with some MPEG audio missing, as well as general poor MPEG performance in 8 and 8a.

Support says that it's Main Concept's problem and when they fix the audio codec they will integrate the fix into another patch, but no date when that will be.

In the mean time a much easier work-around was posted in the Vegas Audio forum- rename the mpg file to a .vob file- then it works in both Vegas and DVD architect without problems.