Hmmm, good thing you mentioned that. I completely forgot I have scenalizer, I bought it to fix the frame drops during capture but then Vegas got better. Will try and post results. Otherwise, please keep posting possibles solutions to this problem. Thanks

OT, but, If SCS would someday add support for SAVING or exporting BWFs This would save many of us a lot of aggravation. (Broadcast Wave File allows multichannel and Timecode, among other metadata.

This depends on the hardware you are rendering to.

How does Vegas see your hardware rendering device?

This would be the procedure if your hardware supports it.

You need to set up your seperate mixes as stems buses in your project. One for the mix, effects, and music. Get everything mixed correctly.

Select Tools | Print Video to Tape. You should select "enable multichannel mapping" in the conform timeline to device format dialog. Select custom.

In the Channel Mapping dialog, you select the three stem mix buses. Makes sure you select the "Mono downmix" version of each stem bus. If there is a particular channel order, then move them around as you require.

Follow the remaining instructions/options on the dialogs.

Peter

I tested this method many times using my DVX100, any reason why it doesn't work? After I print to tape, I recapture the footage and it's all mixed in one channel. If I get it to work, I will be renting a Digital Beta PAL

Other than buying a card like the AJA Kona 3/Xena 2K or Blackmagic your best options for getting the audio from the file onto a multichannel video tape such as Digibeta in your own editing facility, and I'd forget DV as an option altogether, is to buy, borrow or rent a multichannel audio interface for your PC.

Ideally this will have multiple digital audio outputs, and/or multiple analogue audio outputs and support ASIO drivers which Vegas will recognise.
There are many options out there for these type of interfaces.
I use a Digidesign DIGI002R which has 8 analogue audio outputs and two stereo digital, one optical and one coax, digital audio outputs.

The analogue outputs can be connected directly to the Digibeta's analogue inputs.
As the digital outputs on my systems are SP/DIF I need to convert them through an external converter box to AES-EBU digital audio for input to a Digibeta.

Your vision will also need to be converted at the same time to a format the Digibeta will accept.

The simplest would be via firewire through a camcorder to composite analogue. Unfortunately Digibeta machines don't accept firewire or S-Video so the higher quality video inputs need to be supplied as component analogue or SDI digital (which can have embedded digital audio).

My considered suggestion though is to check out a local video transfer service that can accept a multichannel AVI file rendered from Vegas and replay it from their own non-linear editing system. Depending on the duration of your video it may end up being a cheaper, and simpler alternative to trying to set up equipment you don't have just to get the final footage on tape.

http://www.newhope.com.auNew Hope Media[/link]

Great advise, thanks. Did try a local video transfer service, over $540.00 for 1 transfer, from AVI PAL to Digi Beta PAL, A bit ridiculous.
Will try taking the Hard drive to a friend that uses Premiere and see if we can rent a Digi Beta PAl machine. Thanks, learned a lot from your answers, will consider switching editors for my 2 new movies.

Will try taking the Hard drive to a friend that uses Premiere and see if we can rent a Digi Beta PAL machine.

In the end it isn't the software Vegas, Premiere etc that is creating this problem for you. In fact Vegas has far greater audio abilities than most video editing software on PC or Mac. The problem is the hardware you have interfaced to it.

Vegas will capture your DV/HDV footage and allow you to edit and mix the the audio contents. Vegas also offers the ability to output the various audio streams you may want for international sales, separate dialogue, SFX and music. However to interface to professional/broadcast hardware like a Digibeta you need appropriate hardware on your editing platform.

I'd be looking at purchasing a Blackmagic or AJA card if you intend to continue producing video that needs to end up on broadcast format video. That way you get the benefit of the professional video and audio connections plus RS422 machine control and timecode that these cards offer. You may also get additional video processing on board the card, speeding up render times and upconversion to professional video formats. The downside is the card will cost a few thousand dollars. That is why the video transfer service is quoting $540.00 for one transfer because they will have this or similar hardware interfacing their NLE system and their Digibeta.

Although DV is capable of supporting 4 channels of audio at 32KHz (not 48KHz) no NLE software will output to DV in that format.
Besides 32KHz audio (with a maximum 16KHz bandwidth) is not broadcast quality anyway.

Regards

New Hope Media

Could you please advise on the Blackmagic or AJA card to get for my purpose? Hate to buy the wrong card :) Thanks a million for your help
Also, I just read that Media 100 prints to tape with separate audio channels, why is Vegas so behind on this? I also think that Premiere might do it too, not sure.

I just read that Media 100 prints to tape with separate audio channels, why is Vegas so behind on this?

Vegas can print multiple audio channels to professional videotape IF you have the right hardware. Neither Premiere nor Media 100 will print multiple channels (more than 2) to a DV tape. This is a limitation of DV not the software be it Vegas, Media 100, FCP, Premiere, AVID whatever.

The Media 100 is able to print multiple channels to a professional video tape recorder, such as a Digibeta, because you are buying a software and hardware package, at a much higher price because of the hardware, and the combination of the two offer the ability to do this. Media 100 uses an AJA OEM card. Similarly Premiere will do this IF you have the additional third party hardware but it won't as a software package by itself.

Vegas is sold as a software only package and will work without any specific hardware, other than the PC on which it is running BUT it caters for third party hardware such as AJA and Blackmagic cards, numerous audio interfaces, mixing consoles and timecode to midi timecode converters.

It's up to you as the end user to choose what level and brand of hardware suits your needs. For many users the software and their PC is enough, particularly if all they are trying to achieve is a video captured and edited then output to DVD or Blu-Ray.

As for which model of Blackmagic or AJA cards it gets down to the video format you wish to output SD or HD and the type of video hardware you want to interface.

For High Definition video (HD) the http://www.aja.com/html/products_windows_xena.htmlXena LH[/link] (or LHe for PCIe slots) is a SD/HD card with 3rd party support for Sony Vegas.

In Standard Definition (SD) the Xena LS (LSe for PCIe) also supports Vegas and is about a half of the price of the LH.

Above both of these is the Xena 2K (2Ke for PCIe) for HD but I'm not sure if it supports Vegas. It is also about twice the price of the LH.

I'm not quoting prices as I'm in Australia my local prices wouldn't be relevant to you.

I don't have info on the Blackmagic range but if you post on the Video forum I'm sure there are users with both AJA and Blackmagic cards who could supply more info and advice.

Professionally the output of multiple audio tracks on a finished product is usually left to an audio post production process in a separate facility, not a video editing program. Vegas offers comprehensive audio post production built into a video editing package, because it began its life as an audio editing and mixing program, and that, combined with the correct hardware, will allow you to do the complex video editing and audio mixing all in one package and output it to professional hardware.

New Hope Media

You have no idea how much I appreciate all the info you are giving me, thank you. I sure hope others are benefiting from it too. I can’t be the only producer making features with Vegas and getting distribution. I did a lot of research before I decided on Vegas and I love the program, however, I didn’t even think of my movie selling, much less getting distribution. I'm producing 2 bigger movies with guaranteed distribution and this issue needs to be solved now, so I'm prepared for future sales. I will check into all the info you gave me, again, thank you very much.