MS Pro 7 beta testers - How about an update?

[Hulk]

How often is a new revision released?

How many revisions have there been since you received the first beta?

How stable is the product at this point?

Any word on how much and upgrade will cost?

Do you know what the applications the bundle will include?

How is performance in general compared to 6.5?

Any significant issues still remaining?

Do you know if this was a complete recode of the previous version or more an update?

Is the handling of mp3 audio any better?


Any questions you can answer would be appreciated. It's been a while since we've heard anything!

-Mark

[Jerry Jones]

Mark,

These are all valid questions, but the answer is that none of the beta testers really knows.

Why?

Because the beta testing ended several weeks ago.

Since that time, Ulead has continued development on the product.

Version 7.0 of MediaStudio Pro will be the most *feature-packed* non-linear editor on the market in the sub-$1,000 price range.

Adobe's Premiere already seems to have lost some of its relevance to modern software video editing in view of MediaStudio Pro 7.0.

MediaStudio's chief advantage, besides FEATURES, is ease-of-use.

One can choose other video editors on the market and spend a lifetime trying to learn them and never get any real, productive work accomplished.

No so with MediaStudio Pro.

This program is still the easiest of all to learn and use.

I don't know what Ulead's upgrade price will be, but I would bet it will be similar to past upgrades.

I would warn you *not* to expect an interface re-design.

This is instead a major, under-the-hood upgrade in terms of new user options, speed, and functionality.

But the interface - with a few exceptions - will be very similar in terms of general appearance and workflow.

So I would not call it a complete 're-code,' but obviously a lot of new features have been added... primarily to the Video Editor module, the Video Capture module, and the Audio Editor module.

I am not a heavy user of MP3 audio so I can't answer that.

I think the next landmark in video editing will be 64-Bit processing.

I don't think *any* software is going to be completely bug-free on release.

But we worked as hard as we could to find them and make them known to Ulead.

In addition, Ulead employs people who do quality assurance who no doubt find things we miss.

Even with all of that... I wouldn't be surprised if some bugs slip through.

As I mentioned, no software is bug-free.

Just the other day, I tested a Sonic Foundry 'Video Factory' trial and it dropped frames like there was no tomorrow.

:-)

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Dr Mordrid]

1. Beta was done a while ago so they could put on the finishing touches and get the CD's burned for release.

2. I can't tell you that...NDA turf.

3. VERY. Haven't had it crash since early in the beta.

4. Nope.

5. Not sure if Ulead has announced the bundle, so it's covered by the NDA.

6. Disk rendering is a bit faster, but the fun starts when you do realtime.

7. Performance overall is much quicker. It's quite responsive.

8. NDA turf again.

9. Recode of the programs core to facilitate realtime, multi-threading, HT and dualies.

10. Can't say. I don't use *.mp3 audio in video projects....bad practice IMHO because of the recompression/remux issues inherent in the mix.

Dr. Mordrid

[Brian Ellis]

I don't believe that any software is completely recoded at a version change. That having been said, few of the dlls have not been modified or replaced.

I've found the product stable on beta4 and RC1. It has gone straight from RC1 to release, so that will give you an idea of the stability, although, as Jerry say, the gurus have done many modifs, which we have not seen, between the two.

Also as Jerry says, there is no such thing as a bug-free software. Using RC1, we (plurally) are still finding minor problems - nothing serious that affects the general functionality - even after release has been frozen. Ulead are still noting them and will issue a patch in due course.

The applications included will be the same as for 6.5 but the main ones have been much improved. In addition, there will be the usual freebie or so on the CD-ROM, such as DX9 (or so I've heard).

Performance, notably RT, has been greatly improved.

Don't know about MP3: I've never, ever, used it! More important is AC3 support.

[JackHu]

I am really sorry, guys. My heart just sank when I read the comments posted by our beta testers. I am trying to stay focused with a positive attitude.

My workload just increased exponentially due to certain unfortunate circumstances. I am trying to adjust to the environment that I am having at the moment, therfore there are a lot of issues I haven't been able to update.

My most humble apology to everyone.

Jack

[Dr Mordrid]

Jack,

Don't get down....the quality level of the project is very high. The guys were just ack'ing that nothing's perfect.

Dr. Mordrid

[Hulk]

Thanks for the update guys. I'm relieved that the interface has not been changed, the thing I love most about MS Pro is the user interface.

The mp3 audio thing is not a big deal. I often use background music for video I make for family and friends, I have many mp3 songs on my computer. I always convert to wave format and take the level to -16dB anyway so that all of my DVD's have the same audio level AND they are about the same level a normal tv when the volume of the tv remains at the same setting.

-Mark

[Dr Mordrid]

If you need to adjust audio levels a lot then the new mixer panel should make you smile. Very nice.

Dr. Mordrid

[johnpr98]

Jack

I've been playing with MSPro 7 since 7 January 29th 2003.

It's a great release & is a major milestone in Video editing.

Regards

John

http://www.johnpr98.com

[Jerry Jones]

Jack,

You've done an EXCELLENT JOB at Ulead.

I wrote a letter to Ulead's CEO to thank him for your efforts!

We know how hard you are working and we appreciate it.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Hulk]

Doc,

I'm a real stickler when it comes to audio since I used to own a recording studio. Eq, compression, limiting, levels, they all have to be right for the project to "flow." Actually, as you know, when audio is done right, you don't even notice it.

I'm sure I'll still need SF for most audio tasks. But any extra features in MS Pro would help to speed things along.

Two biggies are:

1. Real-time abilty to mix tracks and hear plug-ins while adjusting parameters.
2. Some good Metering.

I usually output my entire mixed audio track from the video project, bring it into SF, apply whatever corrections are needed and then back into MS Pro.

You'd be amazed how well the SF noise reduction plug-in can reduce camera motor noise with loud cameras. The wave hammer mastering plug-in is also very good to compress and limit the overall output level.

[Dr Mordrid]

Gotcha covered with the new Mixing panel;



You open it up, press the play button on its top/left and the video & audio plays. While it's playing you can adjust the sliders to get what you want while the meters reflect the track and master levels. You can also group tracks and have the option of either applying filters or not from the mixers control menu.

Since I have the RT.X100 and VV4 installed I also get to use their TC Works and SF filters on the MSPro timeline.

Well?

Dr. Mordrid

[Hulk]

Nice! That is definitely a HUGE improvement and a big step in the right direction for MS Pro audio-wise.

I assume each one of those tracks corresponds to Va, Vb, V1, V2, and V3?

Group tracks? I'm not exactly following you here. Do you mean submixes? As in, assigning tracks 1 and 2 to a subgroup with it's own fader?

Maybe in the next version Ulead will consider adding the ability to add plug-in chains to each of these faders.

There should also be a label at -16dB.

But yes! This is looking very good!!!

-Mark

[Dr Mordrid]

Yup...grouping puts the members on the same fader. You also can opt to not play the video...just the audio. All tracks in a group share the same audio settings.

The group tree looks like this;



and you can set the main panels view to show either all the tracks or just the groups. In the above example you would be presented with just 3 sliders and the master instead of 5 as in the first image.

The Options menu Help file says:

======
Layout

Group: The panel will display a specific number of Volume Faders depending on the number of groups made.

Track: This mode displays a specific number of Volume Faders for you to control audio tracks respectively. The default number of tracks is 5.

Auto Write

Default: Drag the Volume Fader and Pan/Balance controls to modify the stored settings. The recording/write process will take effect immediately after applying all new adjustments.

Dub: Select to modify the stored volume level and pan/balance data while Volume Fader and Pan/Balance controls are being dragged. The controls will return to their original position when the mouse button is released.

Replacement: Drag the Volume Fader and Pan/Balance controls to modify the stored settings. The controls remain in their adjusted position even if the mouse button is released.

Automation Mode

Pan and Volume: Allows you to write/record both Pan and Volume settings.

Pan Only: Allows you to write/record the Pan settings only.

Volume Only: Allows you to write/record the Volume settings only.

Rewind: Rewinds the audio file depending on the time selected.

Apply Audio Filter While Playing Select to include the audio filters applied to the audio clips while playing in the Audio Mixing Panel. Clearing this option temporarily disables the applied audio filter.

Play Audio Only Select this option to play the audio only in the Timeline while doing audio mixing.

Group Tree Setting Click to display the Group Tree dialog box. This option allows a group of tracks to share the same audio settings.
======

I'll mention the -16db marker to the guys at Ulead.

Dr. Mordrid

[Hulk]

Let me get this straight. If you set Aa and Ab to Group 1 as in your example, then can you change the native levels of those audio tracks within the group? Basically, the groups are submixes and my question is can you control the level of the source of the grouped track?

BTW, this is really great.

Thanks,

Mark