Comments

Tech44 wrote on 4/17/2001, 6:02 PM
Heh the question was just on the tip of my tongue. =)
Trying to decide whice of the two to go with... is MIDI a
plan for Vegas?
Dylan_W wrote on 4/18/2001, 4:16 PM
Yes, please add full MIDI support to Vegas 3! This would
make me the happiest man on the planet.

-Dylan
jthree wrote on 4/18/2001, 5:20 PM
I have Vegas but do not use midi, but I think it does
support midi. You can select input and output devices..if
deciding between Vegas Audio 2.0 and Acid Pro 2.0 I find
Vegas is superior in many many ways. The only thing is
ACID is alittle easier to use.
Dylan_W wrote on 4/18/2001, 6:19 PM
Vegas 2.0 and ACID 2.0 supports MIDI sync, but not MIDI
sequencing. Since ACID 3 now supports MIDI recording and
playback, it would be my hope that Vegas 3 would take this
one step further and incorporate extensive MIDI editing. It
would make life easier not having to switch back and forth
between a MIDI sequencer and simply use Vegas for
everything. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

-Dylan
timoheil wrote on 4/19/2001, 1:08 PM
I doubt that Vegas can replace a powerful MIDI-Sequenzer
like Cubase or Logic. SF would have to totally redesign it.
Just think of all the softsynth, MIDI-environment and score-
printing features.
SonyEPM wrote on 4/19/2001, 2:05 PM
Please don't get your hopes up for vastly expanded midi
features for Vegas 3.
timoheil wrote on 4/20/2001, 6:23 AM
>Please don't get your hopes up for vastly expanded midi
>features for Vegas 3.

Maybe you misunderstood me:
I actually meant to say that one should _not_ expect Vegas
to have MIDI features in the near future that could compete
with a dedicated MIDI-sequenzer. I've been using Logic
Audio for years and I'm really happy with it, i.e. there is
no need for me to have it replaced by Vegas (that's
regarding MIDI & "composing"-features......Logic
rules !!! :-)
Dylan_W wrote on 4/20/2001, 10:32 AM
I won't, but I guess that since ACID 3.0 now does MIDI
playback and recording that it I hoped that you guys might
add this as well as some basic editing into Vegas 3.0. I
respect that Vegas has always been a straight-ahead and
simple program, which is probably what I love it most about
it. Other traditional audio only apps (most notably
ProTools) have recently added basic MIDI support even when
the sequencer market was already very strong on the Mac
platform. Even if the MIDI support in Vegas was half of
what competing sequencers offered, it could still be a huge
benefit to many people like myself who don't need extensive
MIDI editing. Personally, I don't like having to swap
between my MIDI app and Vegas all of the time. I'd rather
have a single environment where I do the majority of my
work. Oh well, I'll keep my fingers crossed.

-Dylan
troven wrote on 4/20/2001, 11:38 AM
nuendo should be the model for vegas' midi implementation -
it's just enough to lay down some simple tracks but by no
means a full fledged midi sequencer. heck, even fruityloops
has a piano roll now. c'mon....pleeeeease?
Dylan_W wrote on 4/20/2001, 1:00 PM
Excellent comparison. A Neundo-like MIDI implementation is
exactly what I'd like to see in Vegas.

-Dylan
Avene wrote on 4/21/2001, 10:29 AM
And even the free version of Pro Tools has it. But midi is
slow, so it would only really be useful for virtual
instruments like VSTi plugins, or the new direct x
instruments.
timoheil wrote on 4/21/2001, 10:46 AM
>But midi is slow, so it would only really be useful for
>virtual instruments like VSTi plugins, or the new direct x
>instruments.

But that wouldn't be MIDI. Sequenzer do not use MIDI to
control internal VST-Instruments within the software.
trockman wrote on 4/21/2001, 11:59 AM
I'd be happy even if Vegas only had a single MIDI playback track like Samplitude used to. That way I wouldn't
have to run 2 computers every time I need to overdub my audio tracks to my completed MIDI track. I'm happy
with my external MIDI recording and editing program but I'd like to not have to sync it up every time I add or
play back audio tracks (and no, an integrated audio/MIDI program in the same PC or running my MIDI and
audio separate programs in the same PC is not acceptable due to timing and resource issues). Tony
Avene wrote on 4/22/2001, 11:48 PM
>But that wouldn't be MIDI. Sequenzer do not use MIDI to
>control internal VST-Instruments within the software.

That's kind of what I meant. Midi, as in controlling
external hardware synths and instruments is slow, but not
software synths because it's all internal. You still need
midi implementation to control software synths. Channels,
controllers and so on.
timoheil wrote on 4/23/2001, 3:51 AM
yes, you're right. softsynth can be controlled using MIDI.
Otherwise it wouldn't be possible to control a softsyth's
parameters using an external MIDI-controller.
dr_yo wrote on 4/24/2001, 3:25 PM
We need simple compatibility with MIDI hardware
controllers, i.e. fader boxes. Forget using Vegas as a
sequencer, that is a stupid idea when there is so much
competition out there. Sonic Foundry has wisely kept out of
the sequencer market, otherwise they would get their butts
kicked by Logic, Cakewalk, etc.

But if SF plans to compete with the big boys (Digidesign)
in the audio editing arena, they MUST have basic
functionality such as MIDI controller input.
nlamartina wrote on 4/24/2001, 8:38 PM
Yes, I've found it odd that Vegas doesn't currently accept
MIDI controllers, especially when Sound Forge DOES. Someone
obviously knows how to program this function. =) Why not
include the feature in Vegas or ACID too?

Nick LaMartina
nlamartina wrote on 4/24/2001, 11:55 PM
Actually, I forgot that ACID is getting MIDI trigger
capabilities in Pro 3. So yeah, Vegas would be the only one
left behind then. In noticing this trend, it would not be
suprising to see Vegas get the same treatment in the next
update. If that's not planned, it should be.

Nick LaMartina
edna6284 wrote on 5/17/2001, 11:50 AM
All I would ever need is a Nuendo-style Midi interface.
The scoring and all that can be left for another day as far
as I'm concerned.


chimpy wrote on 6/21/2001, 5:22 PM
Here's my 2 cents regarding the idea of a future version of Vegas with midi sequencing.

My experience as a Sound Forge and Vegas user, is that Sonic Foundry makes very reliable and extremely well-designed software, in terms of intuitiveness, and being able to use the program almost without ever having to look at a manual.

For midi sequencing, I have used Cakewalk in the past. While it looks good on paper and it's design is user-friendly, I have become very frustrated with it over the years, due to it's flakey performance (maybe Cakewalk's latest incarnation as "Sonar" is a big improvement?). So now, I've started searching for a replacement program.

I've tried Logic on the Mac. It may be a great and powerful program, but it's far too UNintuitive and user-UNfriendly to a mentally-handicapped person such as myself. The same goes for Director on the Mac (to be fair, my strong preferrence for PC's over Macs, may be coloring my view of Mac programs). I may have given up too easily on these programs, but I don't think users should have to work that hard to figure out how to to get around in a program. Maybe I've been spoiled by Sonic Foundry programs.

If Sonic Foundry made a version of Vegas to compete directly with Cakewalk, I'd be willing to bet it would kick the living bleep out of Cakewalk.

-C


RobSoul wrote on 6/25/2001, 2:48 PM
I, for one, hope there are no MIDI sequencing features in Vegas 3. I'd prefer you keep your creative and technological focus tightly aimed at audio and video features.

HOWEVER...

You would be absolutely insane if you were to fail to include simple MMC functions to support external transport control in VEGAS. And even though you're from Wisconsin, I know you guys aren't insane...

...Are you?

Rob
St. Paul, MN
PipelineAudio wrote on 6/25/2001, 5:27 PM
Not just MMC but midi control of faders, pans, fx sends and such.
MacMoney wrote on 6/25/2001, 7:57 PM
I second that!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would really like to control my mixes with something like a Mackie HUI

George Ware
stumacQ wrote on 7/19/2001, 1:32 AM
Hi ...

All of this talk about MIDI has forced me to put in my own 2 cents. It is EXTREMELY unlikely that Vegas (or any Sonic Foundry product, for that matter) will tread too deeply in the MIDI editing territory, as I believe they have some sort of strategic alliance with Cakewalk. Sonar got Acid-like features, and Acid got MIDI playback (to me, the SHORT end of the stick, but who's counting?)

I will side with EVERYONE who wants simple MIDI transport and even simple MIDI capabilities (like the latest Pro Tools or Nuendo). I have not ONCE used the groove quantize, MIDI Effects or scoring in programs like Cubase and Cakewalk. I personally believe that 90% of features in moderm DAW packages (Cubase, Logic, et al) go completely unused by 99% of customers. I use Cakewalk to sequence synth tracks from external gear, and record while I play. Let's break that down, shall we?

- Piano roll editing
- Simple quantizing
- Transposing
- Control changes and pitch/mod
- Event list editing (for tweaking sequences)
- Simultaneous MIDI playback & audio record

Wow, now even Cakewalk back in version 5.0 did all of that. Who cares about 960PPQN timing? What the hell? Who can tell the difference between that and 480? Or even 192? Give me a break -- all of my stuff is quantized to 16ths anyway!

All of my recordings in Cakewalk are exported to .wav files and imported into Vegas. I use NONE of the audio features of Cakewalk, and yet I have to PAY for all of those features.

In a perfect world, Vegas, in a forthcoming version, will have basic MIDI sequencing features. That way I can abandon Cakewalk entirely and do all of my multi-track editing and MIDI sequencing in the same piece of software.

There's a lot to be said for simplicity -- and you guys at Sonic Foundry should know all about that.

Thanks for listening,

-=(stu.macQuarrie)=-
I eagerly await Vegas 3.0 ...