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The Sony Vegas Pro series is like a cross-country runner nearing the mid-point in a race. They started out a little slow, releasing Vegas as an audio-only editor. Then slowly, they began adding video features and other bundled applications to help build a stronger product. At this point in the race they have developed a strong product that can compete on the same level as star players like Avid Media Composer, Adobe Production Premium, and Apple Final Cut Studio. Sure, you can’t evenly compare any of these products. They all do a great job, just differently. But Sony Vegas is nipping at the heels of its competitors and we wouldn’t be surprised if in a few years, Sony Vegas Pro is at the very top of this short list of Hollywood worthy video editors.

If you are familiar with earlier versions of Vegas Pro, one of the first things you will notice upon opening version 9 is the darker user interface. As with many other high quality video editors, Vegas moved to the darker color scheme as a way to reduce the contrast between the interface and the video. This will assist editors in making precise adjustments to color grading and correction.

If you are new to Vegas Pro, you will find a much smaller learning curve when using the product, assuming you understanding the basics of post production video editing.

Features

Vegas Pro Production Assistant is a new tool that works with Vegas 8 and 9. It is an additional purchase and installation but considering the high speed world we live in it is awesome to see a tool that automates production processes and tedious tasks.

If you plan to work with multiple HD streams you will be happy to know that Vegas Pro 9 now supports 64-bit Windows Vista machines. Older 32-bit systems have memory limitations that prevent them from rendering complex timelines that include multiple HD clips.

One major complaint we have with Vegas Pro 9 is it lacks Bezier curves for keyframe automation.

If you plan on editing media from HD digirecorders like the Flip, the Sanyo Xacti series, Kodak, or Aiptek, you may have problems with slow processing speeds and even the occasional program crash. This has been a problem with Vegas Pro for years and we are a little surprised to not see any improvement (or a complete fix) in this version.

Vegas Pro 9 offers cool new workspace layouts specifically designed for audio mixing and color correction. Also, there are now 190 customizable video effects that include glints, rays, defocus, and fill lights.

What really places Vegas Pro 9 in the same category as the big boys is its ability to support pixel frame sizes up to 4096x4096, and even Giga-pixel images.

Audio Editing

Vegas started out as an audio-only application so naturally we expect a lot from the audio editing capabilities of this most recent release. You can adjust the volume and apply audio effects in three different places in Vegas Pro 9: per clip, per track, and at the master output. Also, the new Mixing Console shows audio track information in a format musicians will be comfortable with.

Exporting/Authoring

The Device Explorer allows you to browse and selectively import media directly into Vegas 9. This works great and saves time if you are importing from Sony devices like HDR, EX1, or EX2 camcorders. Native support is included for XDCAM EX and RED footage.

You can export files from Vegas Pro 9 to the Sony PSP, render to Apple iPod, and even publish to the web at ACIDplanet.com.

When you are ready to package your final product, DVD Architect 5 supports full Blu-ray authoring and allows you to burn high definition video on a plain DVD. You can also create plain-old DVD’s if you choose.

Support

Sony offers several interactive tutorials to help you become familiar with Vegas Pro 9. Telephone support is only available to U.S. customers who purchase a support plan. Packages range from $29.95 to $149.95.

The best way to get support or learn how to get around something in the program is to find a good user forum like this one.

Overall, Sony Vegas Pro 9 is a great product for a budget minded video production geek. Heck, this is a great product for just about anyone wanting to turn out impressive video projects. We look forward to seeing great things coming in the next version.

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