Sony Vegas 5 Manual

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Sync tab
These preferences are used to set up Vegas software to generate or trigger from MIDI timecode from external 
MIDI devices. For more information, see Synchronizing MIDI timecode on page 164.
Note: When Sync is active (Vegas software is triggering 
from MTC), media files are not closed (i.e., cannot be edited 
outside of Vegas software) when Vegas software is not the 
active application. You will also not be prompted to rename 
or delete recorded takes as this may interrupt the 
synchronization.
Setting advanced Sync preferences
From the Sync tab, you can access advanced settings by clicking Advanced. The Advanced Sync Preferences 
dialog has three tabs: 
MTC Input, MTC Output, and MIDI Clock Output. The display of these tabs is dependent on 
your selections in the Sync tab. See the following sections on each tab for more information.
MTC Input
This tab displays only if you choose a device in the Trigger from MIDI Timecodes settings drop-down list on the 
Sync tab.
MTC Output
This tab displays only if you choose a device in the Generate MIDI Timecode settings drop-down list on the 
Sync tab.
Preference Description
Generate MIDI Timecode settings Sets the output device and frame rate used when generating MIDI timecode.
Generate MIDI Clock settingsSets the output device used when generating MIDI Clock information. You can choose the same device that you 
chose for Generate MIDI Timecode settings.
Trigger from MIDI Timecode 
settingsSets the input software or device and frame rate used when triggering from MIDI timecode.
Preference Description
Free-wheel for timecode loss When selected, Vegas software continues to play for a specified period of time without chasing if timecode is 
lost. Enabling this option can compensate for infrequent losses in timecode monitoring. If losses in timecode are 
frequent, troubleshooting should be done on your hardware to find the cause of the problem.
Free-wheel slack time (seconds)Specifies the amount of time that timecode can be lost before the Free-wheel playback time starts. A longer 
time is more tolerant of losses in the incoming timecode.
Free-wheel playback time 
(seconds)Specifies the amount of time that Vegas software plays back after the Free-wheel slack time has been exceeded.
Synchronization delay time 
(seconds)Specifies the amount of time required for Vegas software to synchronize itself to incoming timecode. On slower 
computers, this time should be set to around two seconds. On faster computers, it may be set lower.
Offset adjust (quarter frames) If Vegas software is consistently behind or ahead of the MTC generator, enter a value to adjust a 
synchronization offset with quarter-frame accuracy.
If Vegas software is behind the MTC generator, enter a negative number such as -4. If Vegas software is ahead 
of the MTC generator, enter a positive number such as 4.
Preference Description
Full-frame message generation Specifies when Vegas software sends full-frame timecode messages. Full-frame messages are used by some 
external audio synchronizers to seek a proper location prior to synchronization. For example, tape-based 
recorders benefit from seeking to full-frame messages because of the time required to move the transport to 
the proper location. However, full-frame messages are ignored by some devices and may actually cause 
unexpected behavior in other devices. Check your hardware documentation to find out if it supports full-frame 
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MIDI Clock Output
This tab displays only if you choose a device in the Generate MIDI Clock Settings drop-down list on the Sync 
tab.
Keyboard tab
From the Options menu, choose Preferences and select the Keyboard tab to customize the keyboard shortcuts 
available in the Vegas interface.
The 
Current Key Bindings box displays the currently assigned shortcut keys. Choose a setting from the Context 
drop-down list to choose which shortcuts you want to see.
Editing shortcuts
1.
Select a command in the Available commands box.
Choose 
Global from the Context drop-down list to display all commands in the Available commands box, or 
choose a different command to filter the list.
You can type a word in the 
Show only commands containing box to filter the list of commands to display only 
commands that contain the word you typed.
2.Click the Press new shortcut keys box and press the key combination you want to assign to the selected 
command.
3.Click the Assign button to assign the key combination in the Press new shortcut keys box to the command 
selected in the 
Available commands box.
Importing a keyboard map 
Click the Import button and browse to a Vegas Keyboard Map File (.ini) file to load an existing keyboard 
map.
Exporting a keyboard map 
Click the Export button and specify a file name and location to save your current keyboard shortcuts to a file 
that you can use as a backup or to share your keyboard shortcuts with other Vegas users.
Resetting the default keyboard map
Click the Default All button to restore the default configuration.
Preference Description
Send Start instead of Continue 
when beginning playbackWhen selected, Vegas software sends a Start command rather than a Continue command. Normally, Vegas 
software sends a Continue command to allow the chasing device to start at a specific time. However, some 
older MIDI sequencers do not support the Continue command and must start from the beginning every time.
Song Position Pointer generationSpecifies when Vegas software sends Song Position Pointer messages. Song Position Pointer messages are used 
by MIDI applications and devices to seek to a proper location prior to starting the synchronization process. 
						

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External Control & Automation tab
Use the External Control and Automation tab to set up and customize control surfaces. To display this tab, 
choose 
Preferences from the Options menu, then click the External Control & Automation tab.
Connecting a control surface
You can use one Mackie® Control Universal or up to five generic control surfaces with Vegas software. 
Perform the following steps for each device.
1.Connect the MIDI Out port on your MIDI interface to the MIDI In port on your control surface.
2.Connect the MIDI In port on your MIDI interface to the MIDI Out port on your control surface.
3.Configure Vegas software to use your control surface
4.Use the MIDI tab in the Preferences dialog to select the device to which your control surface is 
connected. For more information, see MIDI Tab on page 297.
5.Add your device on the External Control & Automation tab.
Note: For information about your specific device, please 
refer to the manufacturers documentation.
Configuring a Mackie Control Universal
The Mackie Control Universal is fully supported by Vegas software. An overlay is available from Mackie 
that you can use to label the buttons and controls with their mapped functions in Vegas software.
The overlay identifies the default control mapping. You can also customize the buttons and controls on the 
Mackie Control Universal. When you use the default mapping, the Mackie Control is divided into several 
functional areas. 
1.From the Options menu, choose Preferences to display the Preferences dialog.
2.Select the External Control & Automation tab.
3.Double-click your Mackie Control Unversal in the Active devices list to display the Configure Mackie 
Control dialog.
4.To add or change a function do the following:
a.Select an item in the User defined surface control mappings list.
b.Select an item in the Available host functions list.
c.Click the Assign button.
Preference Description
Smooth and thin automation 
data after recordingWhen recording automation, Vegas software creates as many envelope points or keyframes as possible to 
represent your control movements. 
Select this check box if you want to reduce the number of envelope points/keyframes after recording is finished. 
For more information, see Recording automation settings on page 130.
Set controls to default values 
when automation is turned offSelect this check box if you want controls to return to their default values when set the tracks automation 
recording mode to Automation Off. Automated effect parameters do not have default settings and will retain 
their last-set values when you turn automation off.
When the check box is cleared, controls will retain their last-set values when you turn automation off.
Available devices Choose a device from the drop-down list and click Add to choose the control surfaces that will be available to 
Vegas software. Adding a device loads its default profile.
Active control devicesLists the control devices that you’ve added. Double-click a device name to customize its behavior.
Default all Restores all control surface preferences to the default settings. 
						

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5.To remove a function, select an item in the User defined surface control mappings list and click the Clear 
button.
6.To remove all functions, click the Clear All button.
7.To replace all custom functions with the default settings, click the Default All button.
Configuring a generic MIDI controller
If you have a MIDI control surface, you can configure it to work with the Vegas interface.
1.From the Options menu, choose Preferences to display the Preferences dialog.
2.Select the External Control & Automation tab.
3.Double-click the Generic Control entry in the Active control devices list to display the Configure Generic 
Control dialog.
4.To load a configuration from a file, click the Open button and browse to the mapping file you want to use.
5.To add or change a function do the following:
a.Choose a setting from the View function group drop-down list.
b.Select the Learn check box.
c.Select an command in the Host Command list and activate the control on your control surface.
d.You can click the Edit button to fine-tune the MIDI message settings. 
6.Repeat steps 3 and 4 for each command you want to make available on your control surface.
7.To remove a function, select an item in the Host Command list and click the Reset button.
8.To remove all functions, click the Reset All button.
9.Click the Save As button to save your updated configuration file. 
						

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CHP. 18BURNING CDS
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Burning CDs
You created your project in Vegas® software, and now you are ready to write the project to a CD. With the 
CD-burning capabilities of Vegas software, you can place and arrange audio files to produce professional 
audio CDs. You can burn CDs for multiple- or single-track projects and build audio CD layouts 
automatically or manually. You can also create video CDs that can be played in many home DVD players 
and on computers with a CD-ROM drive and VCD player software, and multimedia CDs that can be played 
in any computer with the appropriate player.
CD burning is only available in the full version of Vegas software.
Understanding track-at-once and disc-at-once
Two ways are provided for recording audio to a CD-R disc: track-at-once and disc-at-once.
Track-at-once
Track-at-once writing records individual tracks to the disc and results in a partially recorded disc. However, 
the CD-R disc remains unplayable on most systems until you close the disc. The advantage of track-at-once 
writing is that you can record tracks onto the disc as you finish them versus waiting until you have finished 
your whole album. Track-at-once writing burns the entire project as a single track.
Disc-at-once (Single Session or Red Book)
Disc-at-once writing is the most common burning method in the music industry. This writing mode is used 
when creating a master disc to be sent to a disc manufacturer for mass replication. Disc-at-once works just as 
it sounds. Multiple tracks of audio are written to the CD in one recording session.
Understanding tracks and indices
You are ready to burn a CD. If you plan to use track-at-once to record a single track, you can proceed right 
on to writing the entire project to a CD. However, you are more likely to set up tracks—and perhaps 
indices—within your project and burn several tracks at once. 
Tr a c k s distinguish songs in the project and have a starting and ending point. Tracks are used to indicate to 
the CD-R device where to mark the beginning and ending of a track during the writing process.
Indices are single markers that subdivide a track. Indices are useful for navigating to specific areas within a 
track. For example, a sound effects CD may have one track of breaking glass. The track is then indexed to 
allow navigation to a specific glass-breaking effect within the track. However, be aware that not all CD 
players allow navigation to indices.
Tracks and indices are identified in a track list, which is a chronological text list of all tracks and indices 
defined in the audio CD project. 
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Setting up to burn audio CDs
CD burning is only available in the full version of Vegas software.
You can set the project properties and adjust preferences to better accommodate writing audio CDs. The 
ruler and time display are set up for you automatically. 
Viewing the ruler and time display
The ruler and time display are automatically changed to audio CD time for you when you mark CD tracks in 
a project. 
Audio CD time formats are as follows:
Setting project properties
Click the Properties button ( ) to access project properties. On the Audio CD tab, you can set the Universal 
Product Code/Media Catalog Number (UPC/MCN) or set the number for the first track on the CD. For 
more information, see Audio CD tab on page 290.
Setting preferences
From the Options menu, choose Preferences to access the Preferences dialog. On the CD Settings tab, you can 
select the CD drive or set the speed at which you will burn the CD. For more information, see CD Settings tab 
on page 298.
You can also enter the number of seconds added between tracks when adding Media Pool files as CD tracks. 
In the same Preferences dialog, click the 
Editing tab, and enter a value in the Default time between CD tracks 
box.
Finally, you may want to turn off the 
Quantize to Frames command in the Options menu. When quantizing 
to frames is active, your edits are limited to the starting edge of frame boundaries. In a CD layout project, you 
can turn this feature off to allow greater precision in editing and track placement. For more information, see 
Quantizing to frames on page 89.
Importing CD Architect files
You can use Vegas software to open projects created in CD Architect™ version 4.0 software.
1.From the File menu, choose Open. The Open dialog appears. 
2.Browse to the location of the project file.
3.In the Files of type drop-down list, select CD Architect Project Files (.cdp).
4.Select the file.
5.Click Open.
Display Format
Ruler hh:mm:ss (hours:minutes:seconds) or 
hh:mm:ss:ff (hours:minutes:seconds:frames, with fps=75) when zoomed in tightly
Time display  tt+mm:ss:ff (track number +/- minutes:seconds:frames, with fps=75) 
						

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Creating audio CD layout projects
Several ways are provided to create an audio CD layout project. If you have a set of audio files you wish to 
burn to a CD, you can add the files as tracks to a new audio CD layout project. Or, if you want to burn an 
audio CD from an existing project, you can mark the tracks in your project either automatically or manually.
Adding media as CD tracks to a new project
You have a collection of completed audio files that you want to write to a CD. An audio CD layout project 
can quickly be assembled from sound files in the Media Pool. You can add the tracks one at a time, or use the 
Media Pool to sort them into track order and add them all at once.
1.Create a new project.
2.Add all the media to be included in the project to the Media Pool. For more information, see Adding media 
to the Media Pool on page 41.
3.To add all tracks at once, use the following steps to sort the files into track order:
In the Media Pool, click the arrow on the 
Views button ( ) and choose Details from the menu. The 
Media Pool changes to Details view.
In the 
Comments column, enter the track number for each media file (01, 02, etc.).
Click the 
Comments column header to sort the list into track order.
Select the sorted files in the Media Pool.
4.Right-click a media file (or the selected media files) and choose Add as CD Track from the shortcut menu.
The files are added to a new track and the audio CD tracks are marked on the CD layout bar. The name of 
the media file is used to name each track. If necessary, you can edit the information for the new audio CD 
tracks using the markers on the CD layout bar or using the Edit Details window. For more information, see 
Working with tracks and indices on page 307.
CD layout bar Track markers
Right-click files in the Media Pool to add them as CD tracks to a audio CD layout project. 
						

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Marking tracks in an existing project
Once you have laid out your audio project with the appropriate pauses, you can mark tracks and indices 
either automatically or manually.
Note: In DAO CD burning, Vegas software burns from the 
beginning of the timeline to the last track marker, regardless of 
the location of the first track marker. Material before the first 
marker is included as a hidden track on the disc (if your drive 
supports burning this material).
Adding pauses
Each audio CD track in your project should have a two-second pause following it. This default setting is 
based on the Red Book specification for audio CDs. The exception to this standard is a continuous 
recording, such as a live concert CD. For a continuous recording, you can omit the pauses after tracks for 
continuous playback. For more information, see Red Book specification on page 335.
Note: The Red Book specification also requires a two-second 
pause at the beginning of an audio CD. If the first track in 
your project begins before the two-second mark, a ruler is 
added offset to ensure the project begins with the required 
two-second pause.
If you use the 
Add as CD Track command to add tracks from the Media Pool, the appropriate pauses are added 
automatically. However, if you are laying out your project manually, you must create these pauses between 
audio CD tracks.
1.Position the cursor where you want to insert the pause.
2.From the Insert menu, choose Time. The Insert Time dialog appears.
3.Enter two seconds in the Amount of time to insert box.
4.Click OK. Two seconds are inserted in the timeline at the cursor position.
Marking tracks automatically
Vegas software can examine the events in your project and mark the audio CD tracks for you. Once the 
tracks are marked, you can adjust them manually if necessary. For more information, see Moving track and index 
markers on page 307.
1.Lay out your project with two-second pauses between tracks.
2.From the Tools menu, choose Lay Out Audio CD from Events.
The new audio CD track markers appear on the CD layout bar above the timeline. The name of the media 
file for each event is used to name the tracks. 
Two-second pauses 
						

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Marking tracks manually
You can make a time selection and then mark that selection as an audio CD track. 
1.Make a time selection that includes the audio for the new track. 
2.From the Insert menu, choose Audio CD Track Region. The markers for the new audio CD track appear on 
the CD layout bar.
Marking indices
You can create an index marker in much the same way as you create track markers.
1.Position the cursor where you want the index mark to appear.
2.From the Insert menu, choose Audio CD Track Index. The new index marker 
appears on the CD layout bar.
Working with tracks and indices
Once you have marked your tracks and indices, you can edit, move, rename, or delete them as needed.
Navigating to and selecting tracks and indices
Several shortcuts are provided for navigating to and selecting audio CD tracks on the CD layout bar. 
Double-click a track marker to select the track.
Press   (period) to jump the cursor to the next track or index marker. 
Press   (comma) to jump the cursor to the previous track or index marker. 
Press   (period) to jump the cursor to the next track marker (index markers are skipped). 
Press   (comma) to jump the cursor to the previous track marker (index markers are skipped). 
Add   to any of these keystrokes to select rather than jump. For example, press   
(period) to select from the cursor position to the next track marker.
The shortcut keystrokes can be used to jump the cursor while working on a project or during playback. 
Moving track and index markers
Track and index markers function just like markers and regions in Vegas software (pg. 78). You can drag a 
track or index marker to move it along the CD layout bar. Alternately, you can use the Edit Details window 
to make precise adjustments. 
Tip: Move both the starting and ending markers for a track 
by pressing  and dragging either of the markers.
Renaming track and index markers
1.Right-click a marker and choose Rename from the shortcut menu that appears. 
2.Type a new name for the marker and press  .
Deleting track and index markers
You can delete a single track or index marker by right-clicking it and choosing Delete from the shortcut 
menu. To delete all markers at once, right-click the CD layout bar and choose 
Delete All from the shortcut 
menu.
.
,
Ctrl+.
Ctrl
+,
Shift
Ctrl+Shift+.
Alt 
Enter 
						

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Editing markers using the Edit Details window
The Edit Details window provides a way to adjust the settings for a track or index. 
1.From the View menu, choose Edit Details. The Edit Details window displays.
2.From the Show drop-down list, choose Audio CD Track List. The track settings display.
3.Double-click a setting to edit it:
In the 
Po si t io n column, adjust the track starting position or index position.
In the 
End column, adjust the track ending position.
In the 
Length column, adjust the track length.
in the 
Name column, enter the name of the track or index.
In the 
Prot column, select the check box to apply copy protection to the track.
In the 
Emph column, select the check box to enable a simple noise reduction process that is 
implemented by a CD player. For more information, see Emphasis on page 330.
In the 
ISRC column, enter the ISRC number for the track (if used).
Copying a track list from the Edit Details window
You can use the Edit Details window to copy your track list and paste it into another application.
1.Click the gray box in the upper-left corner of the Edit 
Details window to select all the cells.
2.Press   to copy the cells.
3.Switch to another application and paste the information 
into a document or spreadsheet.
Burning audio CDs
CD burning is only available in the full version of Vegas software.
You can burn either single tracks (track-at-once) or the entire disc (disc-at-once).
Burning single tracks (track-at-once)
You can burn your Vegas project as a single track (track-at-once). Once you have burned all your tracks to 
the CD, you must close the disc before it can be played.
Burning a track-at-once CD
1.
From the Tools menu, choose Burn CD, and choose Track-at-Once Audio CD from the submenu. The Burn 
Track-at-Once Audio CD dialog displays the length of the current file and the amount of time remaining 
on the disc in your CD recorder. 
2.Choose a setting from the Action drop-down list:

Burn audio begins recording audio to your CD when you click the Start button. You will need to close the 
disc before it can be played in an audio CD player.

Test, then burn audio performs a test to determine whether your files can be written to the CD recorder 
without encountering buffer underruns. Recording begins after the test if it is successful.

Test only performs a test to determine whether your files can be written to the CD without encountering 
buffer underruns. No audio is recorded to the CD.

Close disc closes your disc without adding any audio when you click the Start button. Closing a disc 
allows your files to be played on an audio CD player.

Erase RW disc erases your rewritable CD when you click the Start button.
Ctrl+C