Ulead MediaStudio Pro 8 - SmartSound Quicktracks A Great Improvement!

[Jerry Jones]

Wow, I've been playing with the new SmartSound Quicktracks plug-in in Ulead MediaStudio Pro version 8.

Impressive!

This is a HUGE improvement over version 7.

Kudos, Ulead.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Jerry Jones]

Doc or Brian,

I'm puzzled by the SmartSound pop-up menu's reference to "scope."

In the "scope" drop-down list, I can choose "mounted" or "owned" or "local."

Please elaborate.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Brian Ellis]

I believe these make sense only if you download additional libraries, which are available in different formats and as trials, as well as full versions. You can access a trial without owning the file or having it on your local computer or on a server, as I understand it. Unfortunately, you cannot purchase a single track, as I understand it, only a library, at quite a cost, of which only a single track may be useful. I suggested to the authors of this software that one should be able to choose, say, 10 tracks, rather than a fixed library but got no answer.

What a lot of users don't realise is that the choice of variations available changes with the selected duration.

Unlike Smart Compositor, this is a feature I use all the time.

[Jerry Jones]

What a lot of users don't realise is that the choice of variations available changes with the selected duration.

Unlike Smart Compositor, this is a feature I use all the time.

Yes... for those who don't know... the SmartSound Quicktracks feature AUTOMATICALLY builds an audio soundtrack for your video project AND IT AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTS TO THE LENGTH OF YOUR PROJECT, which is VERY cool. So easy! The music ends - not abruptly - but instead as if the orchestra had planned to end at precisely that point in time. Amazing!

As for the Smart Compositor, I am much more excited about this feature than you seem to be, Brian. When I used BorisFX to create composites, I spent literally hours doing things that seemed to be so simple, but required endless tweaking. With Smart Compositor, much of the work has already been done - AUTOMATICALLY. Ulead has jumped out in front of APPLE on this one... and way out in front of Sony, Avid, and Adobe! Great job, Ulead! Great work, Charlie Chang and crew!

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Jerry Jones]

I'm still not sure what "mounted" means (in the drop-down list).

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Brian Ellis]

As I understand it, unmounted means that you have the clips available but not ready for immediate use (i.e. in the list, to keep the list of a manageable length). Mounted therefore shows a smaller list. However, I may be wrong.

SC does have some disadvantages but I agree that it is fine for the lazy or for those with really repetitive work, such as someone who does only wedding videos, where he could change just a couple of stills and the names each time. This is not my case and I find it just as easy to do my own composite title according to the subject, using three or four sub-timelines. I admit I was excited at first, but before I realised its limits. However, this is a very personal viewpoint.

But I agree that auto-music is GREAT. Have you discovered yet that you can stretch and/or shrink it in the timeline?

[Jerry Jones]

But I agree that auto-music is GREAT. Have you discovered yet that you can stretch and/or shrink it in the timeline?

Indeed - what was formerly a hassle is now EASY.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net