Proxy-Based Editing, Plug-Ins & iPad Compatibility: Putting Sony Vegas Pro 13 Through Its Paces

Creative Planet by Oliver Peters

Vegas Pro 13 is an easy-to-use, fast and efficient editing tool that includes Blu-ray Disc authoring.

If you are looking for an easy-to-use editing application that?s optimized for a Windows workstation, one option is the Vegas Pro family from Sony Creative Software. Configurations include Vegas Pro 13 Edit, Vegas Pro 13 and Vegas Pro 13 Suite. The big differences among these is the selection of Sony and third-party tools that come with the bundle.

The Edit version is mainly the NLE software.

The standard Vegas Pro 13 package includes a Dolby Digital Professional encoder, DVD Architect Pro 6, the NewBlueFX Video Essentials VI plug-in collection and Nectar Elements from iZotope. All three products include CALM Act-compliant loudness metering and the HitFilm video plug-in collection from FXHOME.

Vegas Pro is a 64-bit application that requires a 64-bit version of Windows 7, 8 or 8.1. In my testing, I installed it on a Xeon-powered HP Z1 G2 configured with Windows 8.1, an NVIDIA K4100M GPU and 16 GB of RAM. I didn?t have any video I/O devices connected, so I wasn?t able to test that functionality, but Vegas Pro will support AJA hardware and various external control surfaces.

If you?ve ever used a version of Vegas Pro in the past, then Vegas Pro 13 will feel comfortable and familiar. For those who?ve never used it, the layout might be a bit of a surprise compared to other NLE software. Vegas is definitely a niche product in the market, despite its power, but fans of the software are as loyal to it as those on the Mac side who love Final Cut Pro X. read more...