VSX4 takes a long time to save

[John]

Is it normal for VSX4 to take a long time to save a project? I am finding that it is taking about 20 minutes for X4 to save my project each time, which has a running time of about 45 minutes. This is an excessive amount of time wasted in waiting for it to do its thing, as I can't proceed with anything else while it is saving. This doesn't encourage one to save very often. John

[Ken Berry]

That is definitely not normal, and in fact I would have to say that this is the first time in the about 7 years I have been on this Board that I have heard of such a problem. Normally, a save will take a couple of seconds at most.

However, you don't tell us anything about the project in question: what is the format of the video you are using in it? What edits have you done to it?

[Ron P.]

Are you referring to saving as File>Save project, or Share>Create Video file?

[John]

I am saving the whole project. I have laid all my video, which is a combination of DV, HDV and Jpeg stills with their transitions. I have laid music tracks and am in the process of trying to lay narration tracks. I had no problem with saving until I started laying my sound tracks. John.

[Ken Berry]

Were the music tracks by any chance from the SmartSound QuickTracks included in the program? These have been known to cause problems/delays unless you actually export the music as a .wav file and insert that.

[John]

Thanks Ken. The music tracks are from the Auto music included with the program. If this is the problem how do I go about exporting the track as a wav file? I can't find anything about doing that in the user guide. John.

[Ken Berry]

I thought that might have been the case! What you do, once you have selected your SmartSound music and trimmed it to the length you want, is to click the "Add to Timeline" button on the AutoMusic control panel interface -- as I think you have already done. But then, as you would if wanting to create a sound file, say, of the soundtrack of your main video, you left click on the SmartSound track in the music timeline to highlight it. Then you select Share > Create Sound File. A dialogue box will appear giving you the option to save it as a WAV file (recommended) or else an mp4 of WMP file. You give it a name and save it to wherever you want. A thumbnail of the new WAV file will appear in the library window.

Once that is done, you go back to the music timeline and delete the Smart Sound track. Then you simply insert the new WAV file in its place. Easy peasy!! Though I admit it's "when you know how..."!!!

Anyway, try that, and hopefully your Saves will now be near instantaneous as they should be.

[Trevor Andrew]

Hi Ken / John

When you create the sound file it will represent the full length of the project, not the length of the auto music. It will include all audio available in the project.

If you want to create one of the sound clip then you have a few options.

1 / Knowing the length and type of your Auto Music, start a new project and create your auto music, (your project only contains the auto music) then Create the sound file –thumbnail saved to library.
Open your working project and add your wav.

2 / Create the Auto Music- move the auto music clip to the end of the project so its free of other clips. (or create another at the end of project) Set the project/preview playback range across the auto music. (the dreaded red/orange line.)
Then Share-create the sound file-options-preview range
Clip in library
Deleting the Auto music at end of project will reset the preview range.

Add Wav from library.

[Ken Berry]

I confess that in testing this out, my "project" consisted of only one short video clip plus a 15 sec SmartSound clip. I usually do not use the SmartSound Quicktracks option, preferring its 'big brother' Sonic Fire Pro which allows you, among many other things, to export the SmartSound edited track directly to .wav format...

[John]

Hello Ken & Trevor. Thank you for trying to help me, but I am very new to this game and am getting very confused. When you say save to library, I presume you mean to VS audio library, but I don't know how to do that. I tried what Ken suggested, but because I couldn't save into the VS audio library, I saved the wav files in the Microsoft sample music library and now can't get them into the VS audio library. What you are suggesting Trevor sounds very complicated, especially option 2. Your option 1 sounds very like what Ken suggested. When you say 'start a new project', I hope you mean a new music track, meaning I delete the old music tracks and lay new ones. Ken you mention a program that you use for laying music tracks, which sounds very much more user friendly. How can I get hold of that? John.

[Ken Berry]

When you save an audio clip the way described above in X4, a new icon should appear in the library window, with all the other thumbnails of both video and audio (and images) already there. Hopefully it will have a name you should readily recognise. You then just drag it down into the audio timeline to replace the Quicktrack which had been there.

By start a new project, Trevor means precisely that: File > New Project. It will have a completely empty timeline -- both video and audio. You lay down the edited Quicktrack audio into the audio timeline and then save it as a .wav file -- noting where it is being saved to. Then you close that project (don't bother saving it) and reopen your existing project and substitute the Quicktrack you had inserted there with the new wav file -- or if you hadn't already inserted a Quicktrack, then simply drag the new wav file into the place you want it.

If your new wav file is in the MS sample music library, it should still only be a matter of right clicking in the VS audio timeline, selecting Insert Audio, and navigating to the sample music library, then selecting the clip you want. Does that not work?

Trevor's second suggested method is probably easier overall as it keeps you in the same project at all times. But I would say that for a newbie, it might seem more daunting. So try the first method first, but bear this second one in mind when you are more confident about the program as a whole.

As for Sonic Fire Pro, it is not a cheap program, nor are the SmartSound discs... though they have sales from time to time. You can find more information at http://www.smartsound.com/

[John]

Thanks very much Ken. I did what you said and everything works fine. I will know what to do from now on. John.

[Ken Berry]

Great -- I am glad it works... though in fact the kudos go to Trevor for his correct instructions!!

[Trevor Andrew]

Hi Ken

Thanks for the expanded explanation, joint effort………….
Navigating the timelines has become second nature, I think we sometimes forget this expecting new users to be as fast
John its just practice, I have a web page describing the Blue Bar, it mentions the dreaded “red line”, project preview used in the second option…maybe worth a read.
http://lata.me.uk/corel_guide/Blue%20Bar.htm