-
Considering going Avid
I got started editing on Vegas Pro 8.0, and upgraded to 9.0. I love program. It is so simple to use, and I love that you can throw just about anything up on the timeline, but it just seems like every time they come out with a new release, it fixes one problem, and raises another, so I am thinking about going Avid. (Actually, I have been thinking about it for a long time.)
I understand that Avid only supports certain pre-approved systems. My system is a Dell T3400 workstation with a CoreDuo Quad at 3.0GHz, 8MB RAM and an NVidia GTX260 video card. I shoot both AVCHD and 5D Mk II .mov, and convert using Cineform NeoScene. Are there any hardware or software issues I should be aware of?
Thanks for your help.
Norman Willis
http://www.nazareneisrael.org -
16 Replies
-
Norman,
Whilst Avid only approve certain systems for use with their products, that is only because those are the systems they have tested inside out for performance. I’ll think you’ll find that most half decent systems will run the software without issues. There are some AMD chips which will not work with Avid but whilst it would be better if you had a QuadroFX card, I think your system should work. Rather than using NeoScene, you can just import most video directly into Avid and it will convert it to an editable codec. For HD, their DNxHD codecs are amazing quality. Some codecs can be imported using AMA without a transcode, but AVCHD and H264 (from the 5d) are not supported as yet. They will be by version 5 I think.
Andy
-
The only two reasons to make that move would be client demand and markatability as a freelancer.
What you discribed with vegas bug fixes that only introduce new ones is exactly how Avid’s products are now that we pay to beta test them.
Sound like just going to Vegas 9 would be the best for your right now.
-
You do know there’s a 30-day free trial version? You could try and install that and see if it works for you (and if you like it).
Every release of every piece of software will fix one issue and raise another. So that’s less of an argument, I fear.
Although in my experience, every since MC v3, the release versions have been stable and reliable, and there are very few annoying bugs.
-
There are a GREAT many reasons for a move to Avid. Not the least of which is that you can actually preview your timeline properly with HD video on it. Even with effects applied.
I’ve been on Vegas since 2003. Avid MC4 trial blew me away. I was able to do things with ease that Vegas 9 was choking on. MC5 looks like it’s going to add even more to the equation.
Is Avid a panacea? No. Does Vegas make doing some things easier than Avid? Yes.
If I had to deliver a real product for money in 30 days and it was HD, which would I pick. Avid all day, every day. That’s my opinion and everyone has one.
I suggest the OP download a trial and give it a shot. Or if he can wait, download a trial of MC5 and try that since AMA will support his 5D then. AMA support for my XDCam stuff was worth the price of admission alone.
-
This post brings many points to light.
With Vegas (or any other NLE) ya pretty much know what yer gonna get. Now that Avid dabbles in what we’ll just call “creative marketing”, man ya just have no idea as ya roll the dice. All I can tell ya is I have a so-called Adrenaline HD and it cannot handle HD at all. Have things changed witht hat? Well yeah they have but the samke marketing practice continues.
I miss Avid. Wouldn’t it be cool if apple scooped em up or vice versa… they snag FCP from apple and run with it.
It comes down to if your clients feel comfy with an Avid house ya have to do it. If they don’t care, brother you can save a lot of money buying a cheaper solution that is more powerful. -
Actually, I beg to differ.
Vegas claims that it works with AVCHD. Yet unless you have an 8-core machine, it will not play back even a single stream of AVCHD in real time. Vegas claims it supports RED. But even on my 8-core, doing 2k timelines is difficult, and 4k is absolutely painful. Vegas claims wide compatibility, but it is unable to output a single EDL or other file on it’s own that is compatible with other NLEs.
As for Avid’s creative marketing, I downloaded the trial to “check out their claims”. I am happy to report that my editing experience in MC4.04 was EXACTLY as described in the marketing literature. Timeline performance was faster than anything I’d ever seen. And that includes FCP, Vegas, and Premiere. AMA worked as advertised. Sucking in my 16GB XDCam EX clips in under 4 seconds and showing them to me complete with metadata. I don’t deal in hype. I deal in performance. And I test things on my own.
If Apple buys Avid I’ll drop it like a hot potato. And Avid has no business thinking about buying FCP. Those two should stay far, far away from each other financially.
My clients don’t care what kind of “house” we have. They care about their final product. And going Avid is about half the price of going FCP for us. So to each their own.
It’s a brave new world out there man. You should check it out.
-
Thanks, guys.
I just got a fresh armload of stuff to work on, but when I get time for a new learning curve, I may try that free download.
I appreciate your help.
Norman Willis
http://www.nazareneisrael.org -
I will have to do that. Would love to find a capable Avid suite for less than a capable FCP suite. That’d keep us all happy, now wouldn’t it?
-
I just priced a Mac Pro tower at Best Buy here:
So $2500 with no monitor. Add $1000 for FCP and we’re at $3500. Add a single 24″ monitor and we’re at $4k.
The least expensive desktop that Avid certifies on the PC side is the Dell 3400 (sold now as the 3500). I was able to spec a model similar to the Mac Pro for about $1500. Add Media Composer from Videoguys for $2399 for $3899. The Mac would still need a quadro card, whereas that comes standard in the Dell.
So all in all, I’d say the PC comes in just a few hundred cheaper than the Mac option. If you add a Matrox MX02 to the Dell that’s an additional $450. So that is essentially a wash.
Going Avid or going FCP on pro level hardware costs about the same money. For us it was cheaper because we already have a very powerful (and Avid certified) PC so that wasn’t an expenditure we needed to make.
For someone just starting out, the costs are essentially the same to go either way.
-
I am in the opposite position – I have used AVID for 15 years, and am now moving to Vegas. The main reason? HD. With my AVID machine, I can’t preview HD. Regular Media Composer (not Adrenaline) cannot monitor HD natively. Many people don’t realize this. Media Composer cannot output HD to a monitor. Stop to think about that.
There are some user-generated work-arounds to combat this shortcoming, but they involve non-AVID approved methods. They want to sell you Adrenaline, and therefore cripple Media Composer.
Although I’ve only used Vegas for about a week, I can firmly tell you that it is a much more mature, comptetent platform for modern editing (again, not including Adrenaline which costs much, much more).Current AVID management has made decisions which are ruining this once-great company. I will now re-learn editing from scratch after 15 years with AVID. And I’m happy to do it. And I am not alone. AVID is dead. Don’t waste your time with them.
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up