VASST Absolute training for Vegas+DVD

[Murrelet]

Got this as a gift, all 7 DVD's. So far I'm into just the first disk but have finally got some explanations on preferences that were puzzling me. Douglas Spotted Eagle does a good job, can't wait to delve into the rest. I'll update this thread as I go through the disks. :hv20-smilie64:

[Murrelet]

I'm a complete newb with Vegas 7, have spent countless hours studying the manual. I have produced 15 DVD's, but struggled all the way. Some of Vegas has been fairly intuitive, other parts just plain frustrating, and disappointing. My fault, not the program's. As I don't have access to anyone that can set me straight, in person, I was interested in how this set of DVD's would help me out. I also looked at the lynda.com system but decided I would like my own DVD's to study and access, as I have lots of time at work (I'm on a ship), but no way to hook to lynda.com for hours on end. I also looked at other productions, but felt at ease choosing this package (mostly because of Douglas Spotted Eagle's involvement). It was very nice of my wife to actually order the set.

What I'll do is add and edit as I go through the set, my impressions. Like anything educational, it always takes me time to absorb and suddenly understand points that went completely over my head. It'll be that whole learning bell curve, from unconscious incompetent to master, so impressions will change. I feel this is as good a start as any, so on with the show.

Disk 1:
Opening, Setting Preferences, Preferences dialog, Video Tab, Display Tab, Audio Tab, Sync Tab, Editing Tab, Capture, Disk Management, Inserting Transitions, Insert New Video Track, Fade In/Out, Removing a Plug-In/Filter, Bypassing Effects, Audio Tools, Audio Edit Points, Audio Fades, Volume Controls, Pan Controls, Recording, and, Add-ons to Vegas.

I'll still need to review this DVD several more times, tend to fall asleep at key moments...lol (actually no joke)

Most of this disk is fairly basic, and I had already figured a good amount out, as Vegas is somewhat intuitive. But there are some gems in here that help clear up should I or shouldn't I turn this Preference on or off. If I had this info when I first got the program, I would have saved myself a lot of time and fruitless experimentation/disappointment.

Disk 2:

Trimmer, 4 Point Edit, Advanced Trimmer tools, Creating Subclips, Trackmotion uses, Keyframe attributes, Borders 'n Bugs, Creating Motion Using Pan/Crop,
Match Ratio Display, Adding Shadows, Multi-Track Montages, Event Opacity, More Filter Tools, Add Events to FX, Remove FX, Adding FX to a Track, Add Filters in the Media Pool, Understanding Keyframes, Keyframe attributes, Duplicating Keyframes, Rendering, Print to Tape, Batch Rendering, Output Formats, Rendering Format Summary, More Audio Tools, Equalization, Adjust Event Gain, Compression Settings, Setting Track Defaults, and, Master Control Bus.

This is where it gets really interesting. Most of these topics kept me awake. It's here that the power of Vegas becomes apparent. I wasn't impressed with the actual video he was using as an example, but what he was doing with it, did. And if it was intentional, it makes me feel better about what I've shot. Good stuff here, I'll be reviewing this disk many more times.

Disk 3: Getting Started with DVD Architect

The Gui, Docking Windows, Setting Preferences, Encoding to MPEG, AC3 Setup, Adding Media, Navigation of the GUI, Insert Scene Selection, Aligning Buttons, Preview Your Project, Inserting Submenus, Play All, Playlist Creation, Menu Transitions, Add a Button, Adjust Transition Length, Continuous Looping DVD, Building Slideshows, Manage Image Properties, Matching Slides to Music, Photo Editing, Progressive vs Interlaced, Creating Music/Video Compilations, Add Audio to Video, Replace Thumbnails, First Play File, and, Fit to Disc.

This was a key topic, finally getting a handle on what I've been doing wrong and didn't fully appreciate the power of Architect. I'll watch the Advanced disk today.

The Other Disks:

Disk 4: Colour Correction: Just excellent. I should mention here that the disks come with files for d/l'ing, Preset files, Plug-in files, etc.

Disk 5: Noise Reduction: Best yet! Removing Sibilance, Pulling Plosives, Zapping Glitches, Removing Hum, Reducing Subsonic Noises, Dealing with Reverbant Rooms, Noise Prevention Techniques, Using Noise Gates, Other Noise Reduction Tools, Building Background Noise Masks. Jeffrey P. Fisher took the mystery out of it all. I would never have figured any of this out with just the manual.

Disk 6: Advanced DVD Architect: The Advanced DVD Arch disk doesn't like my system, gets to a point (Chapter 15) and then freezes the system. Still, from what I saw, complex menu setups are possible. I liked the way the presenter went through the tasks, as it suddenly made clear why I was having some creation problems with broken links etc. (didn't understand how they worked).

Disk 7: Media Manager Demistified: Another very good vid about a low priority (for me) aspect of Vegas. Now that I've seen this I'll have to get busy and start tagging and filing all my media. For those that don't know, Media Manager is an in-house data base for all your media. This vid tells you how to get the whole thing to work for your benefit, lots of power here and as I start to collect hours of clips and tons of media "stuff" it gives me a place and a way to keep a record of it all, and then a way to search for it.

Well that concludes my first run through. Next week I'll sit down and begin a comprehensive review, that means real sloowww.......

[Murrelet]

I've finally managed to get through all 7 vids. Most are very good, a couple are excellent, and maybe one is....hhhmmm....kinda flat. That said, it just may be me, as a kind of overload set in towards the end.

They all really did put me to sleep. Turn one on and I'm zonked in about 5 minutes, they ought to sell them as sleeping pills. Of course software manuals do the same thing, that's why I keep a couple by the bed. Can't sleep? Open one to any page....zzzzzzz......

I'm convinced it's just me, not the vids themselves, because they present interesting aspects/components/how to's of Vegas and as my eyes start rolling back into my head my brain says, "Hey Captain Fantastic, follow this, it's important!", but it's too late. Of course, if I watched them in the morning instead of late evening........

There is so much information to ingest, seems I'll have to take my time to cram more into this over packed brain (yah, yah, I know, maybe I've got a small cabinet).

Now, which disk is this? Oh hey, this is good, watch this...zzzzz...."Brain calling Captain Fantastic..."

[mpgphoto]

Sounds like a cool training set...if you ever decide to sell it (or rent it) let me know. :)

[Murrelet]

Yes, I've already considered this, and I'm willing to loan them out to responsible HV20 Forum members when I'm done. I'll have to figure a way, so they just don't disappear or get abused.

Time wise, it's very tough to try and plan/find the time to view all the information. I hope they are going to do more volumes, as I'd like to see one dealing with all aspects of HDV production in Vegas, but I assume they'll need to upgrade first.

[Goose]

I would love to be able to go through these training DVD's but am in the UK :(

I might see how much they cost to import from VASST

[Murrelet]

I'll be coming over to visit the in-laws next March Goose, could bring 'em along.

[Goose]

I'll be coming over to visit the in-laws next March Goose, could bring 'em along.

That would be great :)