Adding a button on tracks to quickly lock or unlock it.  

I have script for this, with keyboard shortcut. Extremely usable thing.

Adding a button on tracks to quickly lock or unlock it.  

I have script for this, with keyboard shortcut. Extremely usable thing.

I can barely remember some main shortcuts like S, G, U, CTRL+C, CTRL+V 😅 So maybe it is only me, or maybe I am not a short-cut guy, or maybe I am getting old, 50 years old now 😂 that is why I always prefer a button over a shortcut.

Adding a button on tracks to quickly lock or unlock it.  

I have script for this, with keyboard shortcut. Extremely usable thing.

I can barely remember some main shortcuts like S, G, U, CTRL+C, CTRL+V 😅 So maybe it is only me, or maybe I am not a short-cut guy, or maybe I am getting old, 50 years old now 😂 that is why I always prefer a button over a shortcut.

My solution to get around having to remember keyboard short-cuts or at least minimize a lot of them was to purchase an external universal control surface. The Behringer X-Touch One is very affordable ($150-$180) with high user reviews. I purchased the Behringer X-touch one with the thought this would be perfect for my uses in Vegas since it included a single fader with a jog/shuttle wheel and all the transport controls but could be expanded if I ever decided I needed more faders by additionally purchasing their X-touch Extender. The Behringer X-touch controllers support the latest Mackie and HUI control surface interface specs. Vegas has MCU (Mackie) support.

My hopes in using this controller with Vegas was that I could more easily ride the fader and record/playback the volume automation to ensure the main dialog track didn't get buried in the mix. It seems to be working great in Vegas except for the main aspect I wanted from it. For some odd reason when you enable an audio track to record automation in Vegas, then Vegas no longer responds to the X-touch control surface movements using the Vegas included Emulated Mackie Control surface protocol. All the documentation within Vegas seems to indicate this should work. At this point, I'm hoping there's a setting on the control surface I just haven't figured out how to change to make it work in Vegas.

Looking further to the net for answers, the only thing I could find was a user post from 2009 where someone was having the exact same problem with their particular MCU supported control surface and using it with Vegas and no solutions provided. Now here I am 10 years later and seem to be having the same problems. I'm hoping someone from Magix can pick up the ball and can get this working in Vegas since it seems like a really great control surface for Vegas which doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

I figured out how to get Vegas automation controls to work with the X-Touch One. There does seem to be a minor bug with Vegas switching back and forth between Write(Latch) and Write(Touch) in regards to recording pan automation. A bug where the automation mode shows the track to be in Write(Latch) while it's actually stuck in Write(touch) and vice-versa.

Adding a button on tracks to quickly lock or unlock it.  

I have script for this, with keyboard shortcut. Extremely usable thing.

I can barely remember some main shortcuts like S, G, U, CTRL+C, CTRL+V 😅 So maybe it is only me, or maybe I am not a short-cut guy, or maybe I am getting old, 50 years old now 😂 that is why I always prefer a button over a shortcut.

My solution to get around having to remember keyboard short-cuts or at least minimize a lot of them was to purchase an external universal control surface. The Behringer X-Touch One is very affordable ($150-$180) with high user reviews. I purchased the Behringer X-touch one with the thought this would be perfect for my uses in Vegas since it included a single fader with a jog/shuttle wheel and all the transport controls but could be expanded if I ever decided I needed more faders by additionally purchasing their X-touch Extender. The Behringer X-touch controllers support the latest Mackie and HUI control surface interface specs. Vegas has MCU (Mackie) support.

 

Thanks for your suggestion, however such control surfaces are designed for DAW, not NLE. It might work with few NLEs like Vegas Pro, but it was not meant to, that is why it is not an ideal option in my opinion. A better option in my opinion is to use controllers that are designed with NLE in mind such as Contour Design ShuttlePRO.

@aboammar - The CSP? It’s what my Left Hand is for!

My Work Horses:

1 - UNDO and REDO

2 - PreRender & RAM Builds

3 - 2nd Monitor ON/OFF

4 - PLAY Timeline from ANY Control Menu

I’ve got others too.

Now, in general, Control Surfaces, needs to have a serious engineering review of them for VP17 and forwards. There was a time, VEGAS started as a DAW, when there was personnel that DID deal with these matters, but since then little has been augmented. Which, in my opinion, has been a major opportunity lost. It wouldn’t take much for MAGIX to consider this.

How we get at our creativity and what hardware that strips back the veil of that masks us from the landscape of our minds, really has to be front and centre to VegasPro.

NB: Did I really say “masks us from the landscape of our minds” - Good grief.....🤪

@Grazie Thanks for your post which brings nice old memories. Actually my first DAW was Vegas 1.0 and kept using it until version 3.0 if I remember correctly. It was a great DAW until it transformed into Vegas Video. Before Vegas Video, I was using DPS VelocityQ and man, it was an amazing Realtime NLE.

I remember that I bought ShuttlePRO V1 like 15 years ago to use it with Vegas but I lost it. I forgot how it preformed with Vegas at that time, but I am now thinking about getting version 2. Is it working fine with Vegas Pro 16?

. Which, in my opinion, has been a major opportunity lost. It wouldn’t take much for MAGIX to consider this.

+1. Editing just screams for hardware controllers to make the work faster and easier. Mouse wrangling fx on hundreds of clips is painful (literally and figuratively.)

Contour Shuttle pro works great with Vegas 16. Jog is very fluid.

I forgot how it preformed with Vegas at that time, but I am now thinking about getting version 2.

@aboammar - Stop thinking! Also CSP2 has a MACRO Builder. If you need to nest a series of keystrokes into One Button, this’ll do it. I’ve given the CSP2 the Grazie-Proof Seal of Approval ⚒ . Or the GPSA.

Is it working fine with Vegas Pro 16?

@aboammar - 110% - As I said, it’s what my Left Hand was created for.

Thanks @Grazie and @Kinvermark for your feedback.. I will be ordering CSP very soon 👍

Adding a button on tracks to quickly lock or unlock it.  

I have script for this, with keyboard shortcut. Extremely usable thing.

I can barely remember some main shortcuts like S, G, U, CTRL+C, CTRL+V 😅 So maybe it is only me, or maybe I am not a short-cut guy, or maybe I am getting old, 50 years old now 😂 that is why I always prefer a button over a shortcut.

My solution to get around having to remember keyboard short-cuts or at least minimize a lot of them was to purchase an external universal control surface. The Behringer X-Touch One is very affordable ($150-$180) with high user reviews. I purchased the Behringer X-touch one with the thought this would be perfect for my uses in Vegas since it included a single fader with a jog/shuttle wheel and all the transport controls but could be expanded if I ever decided I needed more faders by additionally purchasing their X-touch Extender. The Behringer X-touch controllers support the latest Mackie and HUI control surface interface specs. Vegas has MCU (Mackie) support.

 

Thanks for your suggestion, however such control surfaces are designed for DAW, not NLE. It might work with few NLEs like Vegas Pro, but it was not meant to, that is why it is not an ideal option in my opinion. A better option in my opinion is to use controllers that are designed with NLE in mind such as Contour Design ShuttlePRO.

Vegas Pro 13 user manual

https://medias.audiofanzine.com/files/vegaspro13-0-manual-enu-477103.pdf

See pages 555 to 570 and see all the NLE features which are built into Vegas to be used with a MCU controller. Pages 557, 558, 559, 560, 562, 564, 566, 567, 568, 569, and 570 may of particular interest to you in regards to NLE uses.

Besides that, Video tends to be rather boring without sound where Vegas seems to have both fronts covered where the developers have mapped many of the MCU commands for DAW use to Video NLE use functions for you. To me it's all "media" where video and sound have a lot of similar properties that map to each other well.

Just a preview for you from page 557: I haven't heard of those NLE features in any other DAWs that can be controlled with an external DAW controller. :D

OT: Pls note that Magix Vegas manuals (incl. the Magix rebranded VP 13 manual) are here https://www.vegascreativesoftware.com/us/downloads/

So to bring you up to speed to what I'm currently working through and what Grazie has done in the past with his Presonus FaderPort 8 is that these controllers and many of their buttons are configurable. Each button can have a specific MCU command assigned to it. When you press that button, it sends that MCU command to Vegas, Vegas then maps that command to a particular function in Vegas.

I'm currently working through reverse engineering that with my Behringer X-Touch One, where I really wish someone from Magix would publish those mappings to make my life easier.

As an example, Here's where I'm currently at:

So I assign a button on the controller to "READOFF" and now when I press that button, I'm able to control the automation envelopes in Vegas.

The command on the left is the default MCU command, what it actually does in Vegas is on the right. That's the Mapping part that has been done by the Vegas developers. That's 6 commands, actually 5 since I'm currently unsure of what TRIM is defined as inside of Vegas. I have 42 more button assignment commands to go through. One of those commands should be mapped to "Video" inside of Vegas, which from the page I posted from the owner's manual will then allow me to control video function parameters with the MCU controller.

With the Contour shuttle Pro, the developers have done that mapping for you so it's simple to just plug it in, Vegas tells the Contour shuttle Pro it is connected to Vegas and all those buttons on the Contour Shuttle Pro get assigned for you. It just works....easy/peasy. That way if you go into another NLE the contour shuttle pro's buttons can be configured differently to be best used with that NLE and the NLE handles that type of communication between the NLE and the controller.

These are the types of updates that Vegas needs since there are more controllers available which are priced attractively and offer much more functionality. Face it, the Contour shuttle Pro is an enhanced mouse with a shuttle wheel and extra buttons although that Macro assignment function does sound interesting as long as you don't run out of buttons. Vegas supported the CSP for NLE use since it was an affordable solution at that time, just like they supported the Frontier Tranzport which was also affordable. The next steps up were the Mackie MCU(DAW) and the JL Cooper(NLE) which were very pricey to say the least. These MCU controllers such as the Presonus and Behringer latest product offerings have a shuttle wheel, additional assignable buttons, real transport buttons, as well as a real motorized fader, and definable knobs which is equivalent to the Mackie/JL Cooper offerings at a fraction of the price. Now we can get those similar offerings in hardware controllers for less than $200 but now Vegas hasn't kept up in supporting the latest offerings and could use a refresh on this front.

However, since Vegas does support "Emulated" Mackie Control interfaces and all these units come with Mackie Control support, then they can be configured to work with Vegas and should be able to control Video functions inside of Vegas. I think it would be a waste of money to purchase a Contour Shuttle Pro at this time when there's much better options at prices similar to what the Contour Shuttle Pro comes in at.

OT: Pls note that Magix Vegas manuals (incl. the Magix rebranded VP 13 manual) are here https://www.vegascreativesoftware.com/us/downloads/

Thank you! I was looking for that. The previous section I was referring to starts on page 493 of the VP16 manual and Mackie has taken down the link inside of the manual for the Vegas Pro overlay but here it is if anyone needs it as a reference. This overlay definitely helps with my reverse engineering of the MCU to Vegas Mapping assignments.

I wouldn't say purchasing a Contour Shuttle would be a waste of money. It cost 30 % less, is smaller, lighter and doesn't need an extra power supply which all makes it better suited for a notebook usage. Also its surface is tidier and it's more flexible to program (internal macro recording).

So if you don't need the extra audio controlling like the motor fader, investing in the Contour Shuttle is quite worth it.

Back to configuring the MCU protocoll in Vegas Pro:
Did you already see what Vegas Pro offers when double-clicking the MCU device in Options/Preferences/External Control?

I wouldn't say purchasing a Contour Shuttle would be a waste of money. It cost 30 % less, is smaller, lighter and doesn't need an extra power supply which all makes it better suited for a notebook usage. Also its surface is tidier and it's more flexible to program (internal macro recording).

So if you don't need the extra audio controlling like the motor fader, investing in the Contour Shuttle is quite worth it.

Back to configuring the MCU protocoll in Vegas Pro:
Did you already see what Vegas Pro offers when double-clicking the MCU device in Options/Preferences/External Control?

I'm pretty sure that's what we've been discussing could use some refreshing to better support the newer control surfaces but I don't sprechen Deutsch, so I could be mistaken. Have you actually used that with a newer controller, or just opened up the Vegas options menu to show us what we've already been discussing?

You also pointing out what I already stated about the CSP, so thanks for that, I couldn't have said the same thing without the further input.

"the Contour shuttle Pro is an enhanced mouse with a shuttle wheel and extra buttons although that Macro assignment function does sound interesting as long as you don't run out of buttons."

I'm sure the CSP is a great device for some and should be at the top of everyone's list if it was still 1995. Have you read any recent user reviews? It doesn't seem to be very well supported any longer and is known to be buggy, but I'll digress you could likely use both if you really needed the Macro buttons but the rest of it pales in comparison to any modern control surface. The motor faders aren't only for DAW controls as pointed out earlier but things like this tend to get misunderstood if you only read parts of the discussion.

Looking good!

If I didn't know any better, it seems like you just read parts of what I had discussed and decided to respond to the 1 or 2 sentences that grabbed your attention while ignoring the rest, but welcome to the discussion, please try to read all of it before responding and re-stating what has already been stated.

 

If I didn't know any better, it seems like you just read parts of what I had discussed and decided to respond to the 1 or 2 sentences that grabbed your attention while ignoring the rest, but welcome to the discussion, please try to read all of it before responding and re-stating what has already been stated.

Well, you have written a lot about a topic that most readers are unlikely to be interested in. That much detail might be better off in it's own thread as opposed to a general "V17 features wanted thread."

 

If I didn't know any better, it seems like you just read parts of what I had discussed and decided to respond to the 1 or 2 sentences that grabbed your attention while ignoring the rest, but welcome to the discussion, please try to read all of it before responding and re-stating what has already been stated.

 

Well, you have written a lot about a topic that most readers are unlikely to be interested in. That much detail might be better off in it's own thread as opposed to a general "V17 features wanted thread."

You're probably right. I shouldn't have spent so much time attempting to clear up other's misunderstandings and trying to be helpful in doing so and should have created another thread on the be-half of attempting to assist others instead. Makes a lot of sense.

I love forums where folks waste a lot of time criticizing other's who are attempting to be helpful along with the information they are sharing while adding zero value to the conversation in return. What else would they be doing if they weren't busy criticizing others?

Thank you for the advise Nancy.

I think with the last few posts, we went out of the subject of this thread. Lets bring it back, please.

1.) For bigger projects, such as feature film editing, "nesting" becomes an important function. (Edit a project within a project, some call it compound clips) This is now already possible, but only by opening another instance of Vegas. Why not follow the example of FCP or others and introduce a Tab-Based functionality. Double-Clicking on such a compound clip would open that clip in another Tab of the Timeline. (which currently doesnt exist)

 

not really the same one but its close to your expectation, Vegas has grouping layers option for who want to group all layers into a single layer.

i can't be open in a new timeline tab, but it sure helped me for 3 years in editing!

Wrong dimension. :)

We are looking for "grouping" horizontally through time, not vertically. Although vertical is usefull too, especially for complex audio.