Thread: How to avoid slowing down when loads of clips added?

Alo!

I am using Sony Vegas 9.0 and the problem is, that adding clips gets even slower the more you add them. Is there a way to avoid this?

Does the clips' video type have an affect on this, for I've mainly used .mov's? (Yeah, I know, but I'm a learning amateur!)

My PC:

Intel Celeron Core 2 Duo 2,4 GHz processor
2 GB Ram
GF 7950 GT 512 RAM
Windows XP Pro

What is getting slower? Playback in preview?
How are you adding clips? To the timeline on the same track? Different tracks?
The only thing that should cause it to slow down is adding clips on different tracks (if you have three clips under the cursor, it has to work on three timeas as many clips at once as if you have one) and effects/trasitions/changes to opacity/pans/crops/track motion)
BUT if you simply have one video track and use straight cuts with no effects adding more clips to the end will not slow vegas down.

On the other hand, if you don't have enough hard drive space or it's not defragmented you may get problems. Anything else accessing your files at the same time might cause problems (anti-virus). And I didn't think such a thing as a Celeron Core 2 Duo existed.

Originally Posted by TimStannard

What is getting slower? Playback in preview?
How are you adding clips? To the timeline on the same track? Different tracks?

I usually add a new clip to the timeline by dragging it from another folder window. Playback lags a bit, of course, but I know how to manage that. I use only one track for video clips and I use effects and other tracks when needed to.

The problem is, that when the video gets longer and longer, I need to wait even more time when a clip is inserted.

It's funny, because when I drag a clip to the timeline, it goes in there like it should. But when I click on the Sony Vegas wanting to get back in editing (folder window is of course activated for a second in order to choose a clip and drag it there), cursos changes to hourglass and in the worst cases, when the video is like 10 minutes long, I need to wait 2-3 minutes before I can continue.

I'm pretty sure my hard drive has enough empty space in it.

So, you're selecting clips in windows explorer and dragging them to the Vegas timeline.

What happens if you work this way - File | Import Media (browse to folder, select media) then drag from the Vegas project media folder to the timeline? [For clarification, the clip you "import" is placed in the Project Media Tab]

And what happens when you use the explorer within Vegas (rather tha the windows explorer) to locate and drag a clip? [Again, for clarification, you are using the tab labelled "Explorer" within Vegas to acomplish this]

I've no idea why your method is taking so long, nut I've always used the 2 methods I've described to add media. Try it and let us know.

The only thing I ever notice which takes time when adding a clip to the timeline is where it has to calculate and create the "peak file" for the audio.

DO you have a enough memory installed on your machine?
You can turn of images on the timeline in preferences does that help?
Are the clips on a network drive?

Dragging clips from explorer to V9 should make no difference to how the got there
and make no difference to the speed of the program.

Doing things via import media and project media tab actually helped, there isn't slowing down of any kind.

Thank you a lot!

I am surprised about that one, but then I do Use V8 pro

Originally Posted by Z Cheema

I am surprised about that one, but then I do Use V8 pro

Equally surprised (and also using V8Pro) but delighted my suggestion had the desired effect.

Even though Intel makes Celeron Duo-Core processors (not Core 2 Duo Celerons, though), that may be part of your problem. Video editing is CPU intensive and a Core 2 Duo is about minimum these days.

I only have a 3.0 P4 myself, but I just understand that my playback will be choppy most of the time (with lots of effects/overlays/eidts) but the final product will render just fine. Also, when I load a very long project (say 90 minutes with lots of stuff added), it takes quite a while for everything to load. Once it's loaded, though, it doesn't slow down all that much.