velvetjo 0 #1 June 25, 2009 I'm working on setting up a fast-turnaround editing station for tandem video based on a PC similar to ArsTechnica's Hot Rod. So I went searching for software and found this deal on Vegas Pro 9, Production Assistant, Training, and Cinescore. $649 after the rebate looks pretty good - anybody seen anything comparable? Also, there appears to be some overlap in features between Production Assistant and VASST Ultimate S Pro 4.1. Is it worth having both of these add-ons for streamlined workflow? Any preference for one over the other? On a side note, here's an interesting keyboard for Vegas. Stumbled across it and thought you all might be interested in knowing it's out there. Looking for feedback from folks who have actually used these applications. Thanks! Lance PS - DSE, hope you're healing well. Great advice on here, and nice work on Tandem Videos Made Easy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
parachutist 1 #2 June 25, 2009 Some changes would need to be made to that Hot Rod style to make it really efficient for editing. 2D video is all that matters for Vegas editing, so onboard video is just as good as the pricey video cards. I'd get a motherboard that has 2x video outputs and an onboard RAID controller. The Hotrod only shows 1 hard drive. That's going to be a choke point for editing... a good idea would be take the money you saved on the vid card and invest in multiple hard drives. Set those up in RAID 0 or 10 using onboard RAID controller. Production Assistant is what you'd need for pushing tandem vids through fast, because it provides a scripting feature that lets you drop video clips directly into a pre-made template. Ultimate S has some nice features as you noticed, such as quick creation of photo/video montages that work great for wedding videos, but US doesn't have the scripting feature mentioned above. Ultimate S is good to have in addition to PA if you're venturing further into video production than cookie-cutter tandem template vids. That bundle price you found looks like a deal. I haven't seen better. Chris Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DSE 3 #3 June 25, 2009 for tandem vids/skydiving work, Ultimate S doesn't bring much to the table. Production Assistant is a task-oriented production tool without a lot of creative options. Ultimate S is a creative tool with a few task-oriented options. Thanks for the kind words. I wish I was healing well; we just discovered this morning that I also have a fractured talus, fib, and compressed peroneal nerve. Seems like the shit just doesn't stop. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
velvetjo 0 #4 June 25, 2009 Chris, I was thinking of very similar mods to what you mention for the Hot Rod. Do you think that a mid-sized drive for boot/OS with a larger drive for raw capture and another mid-sized drive for rendering output sounds reasonable? It seems like the third drive could be smaller, since there isn't too much point in keeping the rendered version of the DVD. I'll probably keep a decent video card in the setup for gaming on cloudy/windy days at the DZ, but that's another issue entirely... Good deal on the Production Assistant vs. Ultimate S advice - that's all new territory for me. I'll probably hold off on Ultimate S for now, but it looks like a nice tool to pick up eventually. Appreciate the price feedback too. Nice work to you as well on the VASST video! I just got it yesterday, and it's chocked full of good info. Thanks, Lance Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
velvetjo 0 #5 June 25, 2009 DSE, As above, appreciate the advice on Production assistant vs. Ultimate S. Looks like Ultimate S would be cool for end-of-the-year videos, commemorative jumps, etc. where I could take more time for a custom edit. Sorry to hear that the injuries are more complicated - that sucks. Haven't managed to wreck myself jumping (yet), but can definitely relate from some old whitewater injuries. Take your time and listen to the docs and PT's, it's worth it in the long run. Hang in there, Lance Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
parachutist 1 #6 June 26, 2009 Lance, I'm glad you liked the video! I would suggest - one mid-size internal drive for OS and raw footage/photos - one mid-size internal drive for rendered videos - one external drive for permanent storage (I move the raw footage/photos/.veg files over to this external drive at the end of every day). This external drive is easy and cheap to replace when it gets full. You could swap the purposes of the two internal drives without noticing much if any change in performance... as long as the raw footage is on a different drive from the rendered video. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baronn 111 #7 June 28, 2009 Hey DSE, You'll learn to stop letting the quacks look @ ya', they'll just continue to find something to fix. I split my pelvis when my toggle line came undone(my fault, what a dummy). Believe it or not, an almost no pain free injury, just uncomfortable. The fix , however was pretty uncomfortable. But, I healed and have no ramifications from it. With that fine Indian blood flowing thru you, you'll probably heal faster than me. Best advice is to get up and going ASAP. keep the fine advice coming and get back up again. Thanx from all of us. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DSE 3 #8 June 28, 2009 I wish mine was merely "uncomfortable." My pelvis wasn't just cracked, it separated approx 4" on the top and 2" on the bottom. My left leg ended up 5" shorter than my right leg. that's not to mention the perf'd bladder and other organ damage. I feel the same way about dropping my toggle, "what a dumbass." I'll be glad when it's pain-free. Having friends from the DZ visit and the posts/PM's here really do help keep a positive attitude. As far as Vegas...anything I can do to help, I will. For the next few weeks, I'm just lying in bed doing almost nothing. Have laptop, will type. :-) BTW, for the OP. When you get your 'puter, it'll probably have anti-virus installed. Make sure you disable antivirus before trying to edit video. Video and antivirus don't go together very well. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
velvetjo 0 #9 June 30, 2009 Appreciate the advice on the drives, that sounds like a good plan, Chris. DSE, I'm "rolling my own" PC, but do plan to put ESET on it since it won't be an edit-only station. Will definitely disable that during editing though! Lance Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baronn 111 #10 July 1, 2009 Sounds nasty. Definitely sucks to be you right now. Again, you'll heal. Did your nuts swell? Mine were fucking HUGE. Too bad my unit didn't match them. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DSE 3 #11 July 1, 2009 Quote Sounds nasty. Definitely sucks to be you right now. Again, you'll heal. Did your nuts swell? Mine were fucking HUGE. Too bad my unit didn't match them. Strange, it was the first time in my life that my ball finally matched the size of my unit. At one point, it weighed 11 lbs all by itself. It was an impressive sight. Yes, we took lotsa photos in case I ever have the ball to post em'. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
