...asking if Vegas is as good as Premiere, on a Vegas forum, is just a loaded question. Of course we think it is!

Many users on this forum have used both and can tell you why they prefer V over P or vice versa.

Books? We don't need no stinking books! We use Vegas.

The best "book" is doing test projects and seeing how all the functions work by trying them out. Hands -on teaching. I just got Vegas 6 Editing Workshop (book) by Dougals Spotted Eagle, and it's very good.

I know several people who have come from Premiere to Vegas. Don't know a single person who has left Vegas for any other app (by preference). Many in here who cut as their day job have to work with other apps because that's what they have to use at work.

I began video production using Vegas (2 or 3), and one time downloaded Premiere because "everyone else used it so it must be that much better." A buddy of mine was a Premiere user. After he showed me how to create a transition in Premiere, I showed him how to do one in Vegas. He bought Vegas the next day and I deleted the Premiere demo from my system.

I think things are only going to get better for Vegas & Vegas users. Sony stepping in was certainly a good thing, cuz they had the resources to back it that Sonic Foundry didn't. Also, the efforts of DSE, Mannie, John, Jeff & all the others associated with VASST have certainly made quite an impact. You now see Vegas on the list. It may not be on the top, but there was a day when it wasn't there at all.

Obviously, I'm a big Vegas cheerleader - but that's because I've spent more time with this app over the past four years than I've spent with my wife. I've built a business around it. I've cut a feature movie on it. I've never had a single moment's reason to even consider moving to another app. (And, if I did, Premiere and Adobe's steep learning curve would be the last place I'd turn).

Check out the resources at VASST and stay on this side of the fence. Things only get better and better, from my perspective.

K

I'm just curious, but is Vegas Video just as good as Adobe Premiere? It seems like Adobe Premiere is 100x more popular (for example, my local book store has TONS of books on Premiere but not a single one on Vegas)

Vegas is 100x better than Premiere; on virtually every measurement you can devise.

Given that, why not more popular? Answer: Glaring errors and failures by Sony product management.

Ever notice how many plug-ins Adobe has for all its products? This doesn't happen by accident. Adobe has for over two decades courted third party developers to fill in holes in its product lines via plugins. Sony product management certainly supports people that develop plugins, but they do not court them, do not sponsor development forums, and do not aggressively help them market their products.

Adobe courts the trade press. In the old days, Warnock was everywhere (I know because as a few of you know, I was there with him). Quick, name one public figure at Sony who is associated with Vegas? Who gets quoted in reviews and industry overviews? Who is the face of Vegas? (OK, that would be Spot, but he doesn't work at Sony). Adobe also does a great job setting up and controlling product reviews. They also do a great job with their PR.

Obviously Sony has a huge advantage that it can exploit, since it makes cameras that sell to every level of the video market pyramid. Adobe can't counter that advantage. Every person that buys a Sony video camera should be inundated with marketing literature, emails, phone calls, magazines, and every other possible communications vehicle to make them aware of Vegas and make them desirous of owning it. However, Sony Mediasoftware fails to do this. I just purchased an FX1 three months ago and never received a single blip of information about Vegas. Unbelievable.

It just kills me, because despite all my persistent gripes, Vegas is still one of the software engineering marvels of our time and deserves to absolutely dominate its market. In addition, from my Boston Consulting days, I know that it is usually very difficult to dislodge an established competitor, but the one time where that "rule" can be overridden is when a technology shift changes the playing field. The switch to HD provides such an opportunity, and Vegas has an exploitable lead in this new technology. So far, however, the marketing has completely failed to take advantage of the opportunity. Discouraging.

to further expound on john's post, certain Sony branded gear such as cams or PC's that included a "freebie" video app never came with any flavor of Vegas. Instead, you would see Pinnacle Studio or possibly even Premiere, I'm not sure. I realize that Sony is a huge company and the divisions don't always know what the other is doing, but it should be a mistake that is not made more than once.

Download the demo of Vegas if you haven't already and play around with it. Visit vasst.com and grab some sample veg files and tutorials. It's one thing to compare bells and whistles, it's another to dig in with the app and do a couple of hours worth of cuts and dissolves editing. I remember seeing a demo of Pinnacle Edition (from a reseller) and I could not believe how clunky it was to do a simple dissolve!

Vegas is 100x better than Premiere; on virtually every measurement you can devise.

Uhm, except for job opportunities at any post house. It's Avid or FCP, depending on the size of the house, with the very occasional PP box. If you even mention the word Vegas you'll just get a puzzled look and ushered out the door...

But, if you're an independent filmmaker who plans to cut your own stuff, or a freelance editor who does start to finish on every job, Vegas can't be beat.

- jim

I agree with jtafferty, I've been using vegas for about 10 years, I was frustrated at the time with Cakewalk and when I got Vegas Pro (good old Sonic Foundry days) it blew my mind with the ease of use and speed at which I could get things done. An indi record label I worked for at the time tried to get me to use Cubase exclusively but why give up perfection, Cubase was very limited compared to Vegas at editing. Since then I've worked with most software programs on the market but Vegas has been a mainstay. I would suggest that you give it time and stay the course, I don't think you'll be dissapointed with your final product. I use Boris Red, w/AE plugins and Pixelan effects in conjunction with Vegas and love it. I also have books from vaast and CMP by D. Spotted Eagle to reinforce my ability to get a perticular job done. So in all my advice to you is, don't ride the popularity train if you don't have to, and go with what works, by the time they all find out about it you'll be an expert.

Stan