User Manual

102 | CHAPTER 3

Using an external audio editing program

Vegas Pro software is a nondestructive editing environment, which means that the original source files remain unchanged by any

editing done in the software. Destructive (constructive) edits that modify the actual source media file can be done in a separate

application such as Sound Forge® software from Sony Creative Software Inc. By setting up a separate audio editor, you can quickly

access the program from Vegas Pro software via the Tools menu or by pressing Ctrl+E.

Setting up an audio editing program

If you already have Sound Forge software loaded on your computer when you installed Vegas Pro software, the installation should

have detected it and made it your default audio editing program. However, if you do not have Sound Forge software or want to

specify a different audio editor, you can do so in the Preferences dialog.

From the Options menu, choose Preferences. The Preferences dialog appears.

In the Preferences dialog, click the Audio tab.

Click the Browse button to the right of the Preferred audio editor box. The Preferred Audio Editor dialog appears.

From this dialog, navigate to the application to use for editing audio files.

Select the application’s executable icon (.exe) and click Open to set the application as your default audio editor.

The application’s path displays in the Preferred audio editor box.

Opening an audio editor from Vegas Pro software

All events in your project are references to media files on a storage device. When you edit an audio event in an audio editor, you can

choose to open the original media file or a copy of the file.

Opening a file in an audio editor

You can directly edit the media file to which an audio event is referenced. Any changes you make and save in the audio editor are

permanent and are reflected in the event in your project.

Select the event to be edited.

From the Tools menu, choose Audio, and choose Open in Audio Editor from the submenu.

Your selected audio editing application opens the event’s referenced media file. Make the necessary changes and save the file in the

audio editor. If you keep the media file’s name and location the same, its event is updated immediately in your project. However, if

you change the media file’s name or location (by using Save As), you must import the edited (new) file into Vegas Pro software.

Opening a copy of a file in an audio editor

You can also create a copy of an audio file and open it in an audio editor. Opening a copy of a file has the advantage of preserving

the original file unchanged. The modified copy is inserted into the event as a take and is automatically added to the Project Media

window.

Select the event to be edited.

From the Tools menu, choose Audio, and choose Open Copy in Audio Editor from the submenu.

When you are finished editing, save the file. “Take X” is added to the end of the file name to distinguish it from the original and adds

it to the project as a take. If you save it to a new file (by using Save As), you must manually add it as a take into the project. For more

information, see Using takes as alternate versions of events on page 108.