SmartSound SonicFire Plug-in for VEGAS

Tim Stannard wrote on 6/23/2014, 2:20 PM

From what I can see it's rather limited.

What it allows you to do:
Specify a time selection.
Run a script to fire up SmartSound
Do what you'd normally do in SmartSound re selecting music, modes etc
Send to Vegas.

What I do at present:
Make a time selection (to establish the time required)
Fire up Smartsound
Type in the time selection
Do what I'd normally do in Smartsound
Export the track
Import into Vegas

So it saves me two very minor steps - typing in the time and importing the music.

The one obvious thing it should do to make this much more attractive is to enable me to right-click on an already created "Smartsound" event and put me back into Smartsound editing that (as I seem to recall happened with CineScore) - in other words allow me to edit my Smartsound "composition" as I edit my video.

The other obvious thing that would be useful for many (though I probably wouldn't use it) is to send a proxy render of the video into Smartsound so that one can line up the beats/hits to the video.

What am I missing? Does my $50 really only save me a couple of clicks? Surely it's not that disappointing?

EDIT: OK one thing I missed is that it places any markers from your Vegas Timeline onto the SmartSound timeline - a genuinely useful facility, given that it doesn't create a proxy of the video. But a far cry from being worth $50.

vtxrocketeer wrote on 6/23/2014, 2:31 PM

As a long time SS user, I agree with you both: I've been waiting for a fully integrated plug-in, and this ain't it. Many years ago I first encountered SS as a 'module' of Pinnacle Studio, and despite my pulling hair out because of that horrid NLE, the music generation was very nicely and tightly integrated: stretch on timeline, scrub, pick variations, identify in/out points, etc. When I get to scoring now, I usually have Vegas and SS open on my dual monitors and proceed as Tim outlined.

I'll keep my $50.

Tim Stannard wrote on 6/23/2014, 2:55 PM

I've been out for a walk for a few minutessince my last post, and the more I think about it, the angrier I get. I've also used SmartSound for several years over which I've spent a few hundred pounds on music and the SonicFire software. I'm only a hobbyist, but i do this as I respect copyright and I've always considered the library has a fantastic selection and the software is excellent at what it does.

Maybe Smartsound and Sony cannot agree terms for proper integration (in the way some other products have - NewBlueFX, HitFilm - I don't know about Boris, I can't afford it so I don't like to get tempted by looking) or maybe the architectures are so different that better integration is not possible so maybe this is the best SmartSound can come up with.

Fair play, if that's the case, but this level of integration is the sort of thing I would have expected them to give away for free to Vegas users by way of an apology for not being able to integrate better - not charge half the price of the very good SonicFire Pro software which one needs to buy to make this work anyway.

Surely they make their money from the sale of music anyway and charging for this is more likely to be a barrier to entry for new customers.

If I haven't calmed down by tomorrow, i feel a letter to Kevin Klinger coming on.

TeetimeNC wrote on 6/23/2014, 3:25 PM

Tim, I too am a SmartSound user. I regularly render a very low res video to import into SonicFire, then output the tailored music for placement on the Vegas TL. I can't imagine paying anything for the current plugin. I would like to be able to cleanly "round trip" a sound track and video proxy between Vegas and SonicFire, and if it did this well it would probably be worth $50 to me.

Here is how I would hope it would work:
1. Create a selection in Vegas.
2. Automatically send the video proxy to SF (option to create new SF project, or replace in existing remembered project).
3. Create music track in SF and export back to Vegas timeline as new take.
4. Repeat 2-3 as required.

/jerry

Tim Stannard wrote on 6/23/2014, 3:39 PM

Jerry, that is EXACTLY how it should work.
If that's not possible for technical or legal reasons, then let us have the script for free (or include it for free with our next music purchase, maybe)

mark-woollard wrote on 6/23/2014, 4:35 PM

It seems that the Cold War between SCS and SS continues. Very disappointing because I love them both. How do we get them to love each other?

biggles wrote on 6/23/2014, 4:49 PM

I would have to agree wholeheartedly with everything already said. I too first 'met' Smartsound via Pinnacle and I too will hold on to my $50!

Kimberly wrote on 6/23/2014, 6:03 PM

+1 for SmartSound. I use the their New Age-y content in my scuba vids.

This plug-in is a step towards integration. Maybe future updates will add more functionality. I will buy it if I think it can save me a even a few minutes each day.

Regards,

Kimberly

Editguy43 wrote on 6/23/2014, 6:16 PM

I to have used Sonicfire for years and have many many albums, ( I love their sales )

I follow the same protocol as most of you to put music in Vegas I will have to investigate further to see if it will be worth the investment it is good to see the effort though.

Paul B

Tom Pauncz wrote on 6/23/2014, 6:46 PM

+1 Kimberley...

Been playing around with it and I quite like it. Once you get a clip on the Vegas t/l, you can select it again, invoke the script, edit the music and replace it on the t/l.

It's a great step forward, IMHO...

Tom

Kimberly wrote on 6/23/2014, 7:32 PM

+1 for Kevin Klinger at SmartSound too. I had some correspondence with him last fall and he was very responsive and seemed a nice guy as well.

Regards,

Kimberly

rstrong wrote on 6/23/2014, 11:37 PM

Well I activated In Sonic Fire Pro 5.8.5, but I can't get it to show up in the Vegas Pro scripting window. Anyone else have this issue ?

thanks,
robert

Tim Stannard wrote on 6/24/2014, 3:40 AM

@Tom Pauncz

Please clarify are you saying I can score a piece of music using SmartSound (via the script) and have it on my Vegas timeline and then later re-edit that piece of music without starting from scratch?

If so, then it indeed becomes genuinely useful and I take back my earlier criticism.

But that is not what the publicity material says - why on earth not?

JanL wrote on 6/24/2014, 4:55 AM

I have the same issue as Robert, can't find the Sonicfire script in Vegas. I have contacted Sonicfire support, waiting for them to respond.

Jan

TeetimeNC wrote on 6/24/2014, 8:09 AM

>It seems that the Cold War between SCS and SS continues. Very disappointing because I love them both. How do we get them to love each other?

Counseling?

/jerry

skeeter123 wrote on 6/24/2014, 10:38 PM

Working for me....

IN VP13 == Tools > Scripting > Add - Edit SmartSound Music

No workee for you guys?

I did have to restart VP13 and SFP 5.8.5.0 to get it to "take"...Also needed to update SonicFire Pro from 5.8 to 5.8.5.0...

Tom Pauncz wrote on 6/25/2014, 12:28 PM

@Tim Stannard

That's correct Tim.

I was waiting to reply to your post until after I heard back from Smartsound Support - was trying to clarify process.

Essentially, to edit a piece of SS music already on the Vegas t/l:
1. Select the music on the t/l
2. Invoke the "Add - Edit SmartSound Music" script.
This will open SFP and place the music on the SFP t/l
3. Edit/change whatever ... then in SFP
4. File -> Send to Plug-in Host and select SONY Vegas.

That's it..

Tom

rstrong wrote on 6/25/2014, 9:11 PM

Okay, it's showing up in Scripting now.............didn't install the Vegas plugin, just activated in SFP..... DUH!

TeetimeNC wrote on 6/26/2014, 8:51 AM

>Essentially, to edit a piece of SS music already on the Vegas t/l:

Tom, in my case most re-edits back in SFP result from changes to my video in Vegas. So I need to get the revised video over to SFP. Does the script place the updated video AND audio back in SFP, or just the music? If it does both I am definitely interested.

/jerry

Tim Stannard wrote on 6/26/2014, 9:53 AM

@Tom Pauncz
Thanks Tom - that's great. Much more useful. I take back my criticism of the add-on (but re-double my criticism of the marketing, which didn't explain this crucial point)

I don't work quite the same way as Jerry - uising video within SonicFire) but as a supplementary question, if one moves the markers on the Vegas timeline, will the SFP timeline show the position of the new markers?

Tom Pauncz wrote on 6/26/2014, 11:39 AM

Jerry,

It only places the music back in SFP. As fas I can see, you'd need to render out the section and then import that into SFP.

Tom

Tom Pauncz wrote on 6/26/2014, 11:46 AM

Tim,

My quick test shows that the marker is transferred to the SFP t/l when you first place the music, but after moving the marker in Vegas and then going to 'edit' the music in SFP, no marker is brought in.

Perhaps it's working as intended. I'll ask support.

Tom

Tim Stannard wrote on 6/26/2014, 12:33 PM

Much appreciated, Tom.

Tom Pauncz wrote on 6/27/2014, 1:40 PM

Tim,

Sorted this with support.

Instead of using the Express Track "Send", you "Insert" the clip to the SFP t/l and use "File -> Send to Plug-in Host".

If you do that, the markers will make the round-trip and appear back in the SFP t/l for editing.

I tried adding "Hits" to the music and they also made the round-trip fine.

Tom