Vegas is normally configured to close all the media files in the project (or maybe just on the timeline) when the program loses focus. So if you go do some work in photoshop and then come back to Vegas it has to reopen all the media it's using. If there's a lot of media to open, things will take longer. If the media's on a relatively slower drive, (like USB or 1394) I suppose it might take a few additional seconds too. And on top of all that, if Vegas itself got tucked away on the page file (and out of RAM) then there's another few seconds to get things going. With a bigger project file this can all add up.

You can configure Vegas to not close media files but then if you need to go edit a still or some audio then Vegas will prevent you from doing it. It's a trade off.

And on top of all of that, maybe your media drive had spun down. More seconds.

Rob Mack

I've got the exact same problem and it didn't do that prior to Vegas 8.

Vegas always did that (well, since 6 when I got it anyway). There is a setting you can change to prevent it from closing the media when it loses focus. Can't remember what the setting is off the top of my head.

I also have this problem, and started a thread earlier, without getting useful responses.

It's very frustrating, if for example I'm trying to decide on which royalty-free music clip or video to include at a specific part of a production (for example if I'm using the Juicer), make my decision during production, then have to wait 30 seconds for Vegas to "wake up" and be usable again when I click back on Vegas' window.

Any workarounds or fixes? This has always been an issue w/Vegas since earlier, and my other apps, eg C4D and AE and others don't have this major problem. What about Avid and PP - do they also have this problem or not? And of course all my drives are active all the time, it's a "Vegas doesn't wake back up fast enough" issue, which neither AE/C4D or other apps has. I get the feeling that other NLEs will outpace Vegas, and I'll need to switch later this year, which is too bad, since I like Vegas so much, despite all it's warts. Kind of like staying with a fat wife lol.

It's poor programming, like all the other issues w/Vegas we've had, and I hope they'll fix it this year. I kind of get the feeling that, though I've used Vegas nearly daily for years now, creating dozens of DVDs and online videos, the other competitor NLEs will outpace it's development and I'll have to go learn a new NLE, which I'd rather not have to do. It just feels like a thinly-supported platform, unlike PP or others in the market space.

Even the techs and programmers don't answer most of our questions here, and never have. This is starting more and more to feel like an NLE that's "behind the market" and not fully supported. This slow re-start/control issue of Vegas is just one of many that's been outstanding for years (like the titler was, and HD issues and dropped frames etc).

Does anyone (including Sony if you're listening) have a solution for this workflow issue? (other than, you have to never leave Vegas while in production? I don't have this problem with DVDA or Cinema 4D or After Effects or any other software, just vegas)

thx,

-k

Options - Preferences - and UNCHECK the option "Close media files when not the active application"

This will eliminate the delay when returning to Vegas but you will no longer be able to edit the files in other apps without closing them first in Vegas.

I've been following this forum daily for a long time and can't recall this ever rising to the level of a show stopper, but if it's now that big a problem you should definitely go submit a bug report, feature request, or ask for tech support, in addition to griping to the other users here.

Some other notes on this. I don't actually edit many projects so the first time I noticed a long wait to reload Vegas was with V6 (or was it 7?). The project probably had 8 or so reels and one nested Veg. The nested Veg seemed to really slow down the reload. This was on a machine that probably had 1GB of ram at the time.

In general usage when just using Vegas to pull stills (and this I do 5 days a week) I'll have maybe 4 hours of clips in a project with all of it on the timeline. I go back and forth between Vegas, Photoshop, Word, Flash, and Dreamweaver and the worst I ever see with Vegas is 3-4 seconds of delay. This is on an older 2GHz P4 HT with 2.5 GB RAM. I work fairly fast so Vegas doesn't sit idle very long, but the longer it sits the more time it takes to bring it back.

Given that the delay is longer when Vegas is idle longer, I think that more of it gets closed or moved off to the page file over time.

Anyway, there are lots of contributing factors that add up. (There's also a setting in windows to make the page file favor files or programs. I've not messed with that but maybe it'd make a difference)

Rob Mack

A big *thanks*! to you you, Ed, that did it! I wish I'd know that years ago... I need to start spending more time at http://www.jetdv.com to keep up with all the workflow tips. I'm very much indebted to you for this, as it was a huge frustration to me, for years.

Solved with a click! Kudos.

thanks,

Ken

Wow. It's been discussed in these forums a number of times.

Just as I said, but Ed was short and concise.

Rob

Thanks for all of the replies. It seems that it has been discussed many times on the forums, but Sony hasn't gotten on the top of it yet. It's still a problem.

The thing I don't get is that I have worked with Vegas since version 3, and use Vegas a lot. It had never done this with ANY other version. So it seems it is a problem with version 8. But others have had this same problem with version 6? I'll submit a bug report. I doubt they'll get to it, but we'll see. Maybe if everybody submits a report about it, they'll pay more attention....

*edit* Oh, and I unchecked that box that says to "close media files when not the active application". Thank you SOOOO much. That fixed it for now so at least I can work in Vegas 8.

decoydoyle, Vegas has always worked this way. However, some clips are easier to open than others. So you're probably using different types of files than you did in the past AND you may be using MORE files now than you did before. Vegas 8 Pro is working the same as Vegas 3 did for me in regard to this feature when using the same types of files and similar quantities.