use a program that'll sync for you to find out what the length of the song is when it is the correct speed you want it to be... then just go to that exact spot and set a marker... then holding down the control key (which will timestretch whatever file you have in vegas) adjust it to that marker... assuming you got the times correct, you beatmatched the songs!

+1

I use Virtual DJ for the figures, it's very accurate.

Once you've matched the time in Vegas, you can render the videos audio as an MP3 (very quickly) and scan the BPM to make sure it's dead on.

If it's slightly out it'll drift, or if the track has been recorded live it will drift in any case. look at the waveforms and make cuts (as many as is needed), re-align each segment of the video so no frames are visibly out of sync. This obviously creates small gaps (usually less than a frame), these can be filled by stretching small clips (perhaps clips that aren't lip synced).

@Bren:
Wouldnt it be easier to go into the clip properties under classic and extend/shorten the total time of the clip? Still seems like a ton more work than in ACID.

Yea because it's a video editing app BPM is out of the window.

Do whatever is easiest for you. It doesn't take me 10 minutes to set up a projects properties, crop (if needed), and sync the video up.

In time you'll find yourself getting quicker, although video in essence is time consuming.

here's my advice. don't stretch audio in vegas.

use a program that does this better.

it sounds like you know how to use acid. i'd recommend you use that.

I do, but it cant mix videos. Im workin on a demo and for some transitions id like to work on them multitracked, and add in the parts I record from VSL.

Can Premiere do this maybe?

I always make the video match my audio. If' its some remix of 100 bpm and the video is at 98 96 or whatever, I stretch that video/audio.

A-swift is right, a proper audio editing program will do better at adjusting pitch instead of vegas.

I thought about that.
You mean recording the entire audio portion of the video mix and then trying to line up the videos in vegas so they are synced up.

Way way way too hard. I'd rather not make a demo or go out and buy a dvd recorder for a couple hundred. it's gonna take hours to do that, plus if you adjust the pitch in teh middle of the track it's going to throw everything off.

Well, how I was planning on recording it was like this: say I play a track, scratch in another, then let that beat stay under the next song (for example). So I record that whole output out of VSL and take it and do an intro in Vegas, and then maybe beatmix another song in vegas after that, or before it, or sew together 10 different 3 song sets. See what Im saying?

Ah I see what you mean now...

I didn't mean stretch the audio to fit the video (only the audio within the video), I meant stretch the video to fit the audio..., as that's what Vegas is about: video, forget audio mixing in Vegas I tried it before out of interest and it didn't work out.

these guys sound like they know what they are talking about. make the audio in an audio program. bring it into your video editor completed already.

This will work great for some videos, or graphics or whatever, but in original videos where the artist is singing and you have to guess how long to stretch the video, or line up a stutter, or heaven for big a scratch --- just seems impossible.

Like how did Jordan Laws do that mix, it seems like a lot of it was multitracked?

yea, i NEVER stretch audio in vegas.
here's what works for me.
i am sure there is waaaaaay easier and better ways to do this.
im self taught so i had to figure this on my own. it's pretty much what Bren does.

normally i am setting a video to an audio remix ( normally mp3).
so i use mixmeister's beat analyzer or acid to get the bpm of the mp3.
in vegas i set the measure bar to whatever the bpm of the mp3 track is.
i import the vid track including audio and set the first beat to the start of a measure.
then i import the mp3 remix and set it to the start of a measure.
if you zoom in you can see the waveforms and beats, you can tell by sight, and hearing, if they are off beat
then stretch the vid using the audio as a reference with the cntrl button and mouse.
for me it's best to do it in small segments, 32 or less beats.
when rendering i usually mute the original audio track.


anyway, that works for me.
you would think that since acid has a bpm wizard/analyzer that vegas could do the same.
how hard could it be to put an audio reader?? especially since sony makes both products.

you just proved my point. this is why you fix the audio first so it's all set and ready to go. take it into your video editor and fit the video around the audio that is already fixed.

you can either take our word for it or learn the hard way. either way, you'll eventually agree that you don't want to be making big audio changes in your video editing program. especially stretching and bpm changes. the stretch algorithms in the video programs isn't nearly as good as a real audio program.

No, I wasnt disagreeing, no doubt you're right.....but say you mangle the audio up quite a bit....change tempos, loop parts, etc etc.

Do you do all the video syncing manually by hand? Seems like it could get so complicated that it would be impossible

make your completed master audio file in an outside editor. then make it the top layer which you will be fitting the video to. Since your music video's have audio attached to them too, you can use that audio to help you match up the video to your completed audio. don't use vegas to tempo change the audio, but that doesn't mean you can't use it to help guide you... then once the video's all matched up, just mute the original music video's audio track and use your mastered one. viola

yes, you do it all by hand (at least i do). if there is another way to do it i would looove to know.
no, it is not impossible.

you guys are all correct. you have to match the video by hand,

It's not even that hard. I do it all the time. I don't measure any bpm. I just line up the two beats together and pick a spot down towards the end of the video and adjust the video's audio to match the new audio by holding ctrl and sliding it along the timeline.
i then listen have both audios unmuted and make sure I hear them exactly on beat at different spots throughout the video.

Also when doing crazy video edits, don't make the mistake I first made by chopping up teh video before syncing everything up first, it's easier to sync on file than 5 or 6.

you know, that's a good idea. i will have to try that, puma.
it will make it easier too when you rearrange the video segments to line up for differences in vocals or extra measures.

can't believe i never thought of that.

sexy +1

Or just move to final cut and chck out fit to fill ( no j laws)
I hope Vegas 9 has stolen I mean implemented that feature

i have final cut, opened it about 3 times, went "????. how the heck do you work this?", closed it and took a nap.

i would absolutely love to use fcp. i need to take a class, get a book or find some tutorials.

on to more advanced topics, like i've ranted before. i think a proper video that is re-timed to extreme speed ups, should only have the video clips with vocal or dancing sped up.

too often i see people who speed up the ENTIRE video. i guess it's easier but it looks like crap if the speed up is extreme.

if you only speed up the vocal and dancing parts, you end up with dozens, maybe even 60 or more clips to match to audio.

here's a tip. do like puma says and adjust the whole video track once. now the entire video is synced from start to finish. cut everywhere there is a break between parts that should be stretched and parts that shouldn't be.

duplicate that whole chopped track to another track above (or below if you prefer). this will be your track that will run at 100%. there is no need to run these clips super sped up. remove all the vocal and dancing parts from this track.

remove all the non vocal and dancing parts from the stretched video track.

fit the parts from the top track to the bottom track but run the non vocal clips at 100%. it may be easier to do this on a topmost 3rd track.

use your slip tool and razor blade to aid in getting the cuts just right. if you are hard cutting, keep them on separate tracks. if you need to transition between the clips, make a 3rd track.

you've seen the swift session and you're still confused?

umm no, but i have heard of it.
where it be?

www.vjaswift.com

Download it and keep it on your desktop for reference!

Still waiting for the Vegas tips and tricks session.
Basics are done. I need some after effects looking stuff now.

yea, i need to work on learning effects as well.
altho, i really like having clean/smooth vids.

Regarding speed - I've done both kinds, slowing down the video on non vocal/synced parts, and I've also used whole videos at matched speed. IMO both kinds can work, it depends on the style of the video, the exact speed change, and the intensity of the music.

For example I've done 4 edits of love game, 3 of them were house (from 124-128bpm), for 2 of them i used lots of slow downs because the remixes themselves were not heavy or intense on the breaks, so having a speeding video to calm audio doesn't look right.

The latest edit I did was 124bpm and pretty much the whole video runs at this speed (minus the outro beats) - this is because the audio was intense and deserved a video at full speed (IMO).

Editing is like remixing, if you gave 10 editors the same job each one would do it differently, and usually it's not one way or the high way.

i was specifically thinking of the promo only house edit of umbrella. pushed from 87bpm to 125bpm. that's extreme. while the audio sounds fine, they haven't figured out how to push motion from 87bpm to 125bpm and have it look natural.

although i do know some tricks that will help.

Oh I see - well I might give promo a call then ;).