How Vegas Pro rocked the NLE world
By Jim Bask
For many it is the best NLE that ever existed. For years it lead the way with innovative features, and arguably it could even have influenced the design of FCP X with its elimination of the source/record style interface. It is of course Vegas Pro. Michael Bryant takes us through the origins of this unique, and popular software.
So, the conversation usually went something like this:
Me: “Hey, have you checked out Vegas Pro?”
Them: “Oh, yeah, last time I was at NAB (or CES ) I got hit on by a couple of those working gals.”
Me: “No, I mean the software.”
Them: “Oh, no, I don’t do online gambling.”
Me: “No, no, I mean the video editing software.”
Them: “Oh, yeah, some of my friends use that and just rave about it. They tell me it’s a well-kept industry secret. Why’d they call it Vegas Pro?”
And then I would launch into the same story I had to tell over and over again for years to explain the backstory behind the name. I agree video editing, audio production and DVD/Blu-ray authoring are not the first things that come to mind when you hear Vegas Pro. But that’s what it does and that’s the name we ended up with and here’s why.
Vegas was the code name the developers used when referring to this new secret project they were working on in a little funky building on the corner of Willy (Williamson) and Livingston in Madison Wisconsin. Candy Factory; that’s what it said on the side of the building. And to a guy like me, musician and audio dude who was eager to get my hands on some cool new software like Sound Forge and ACID Pro, that’s exactly what it was, a creativity candy factory. Apparently, somewhere in the past, that building actually was a candy factory, but now it housed a bunch of very creative, very energetic young kids who were out to turn the production world upside down with some crazy new ideas on how to make music and video… with just a computer! No external gear needed. Do you have a PC? You can use these tools. That was one of their prime directives. Make it work and work well on the hardware available to the average Joe or Josee. So, why name it Vegas? It was something to aim for, a target…[continue reading]