Beat Detection

*new since VEGAS Pro 22*

The Beat Detection tool analyzes a music file (or music in a video file) and marks highlights, syncopated hits, drum rolls, or any “interesting” events in the low-mid and low-end of the audio frequency range. The markers serve as snap objects, so when you add the file to your timeline you can easily edit your video to the musical beats.

The Beat Detection tool works on any audio file, not just music. It can be used to locate significant audio events in a video file, such as a door slam or an explosion. The tool analyzes the mid- to low-frequency audio spectrum, detecting and marking any audio that provides extra energy in those frequency ranges.

USE CASES

  • Editing a music video to sync with the beat of the music.

  • Highlighting significant audio events in a video clip for precise editing.

  • Identifying and marking significant moments in any audio file.

Using the Beat Detection Tool

  1. Add a Music File to Your Timeline. This can be a stand-alone audio file or a video file with music in the audio portion.

  2. Right-click the timeline clip event that holds the music file.

  3. Choose Beat Detection from the menu.

    The media file opens in the Trimmer window along with a Sensitivity dialog box. Markers appear in the Trimmer, indicating detected beats

  4. If there are too many markers, adjust the Sensitivity slider to control the number of markers.

    Increase Sensitivity to reduce the number of markers.

  5. Click OK once the desired sensitivity is achieved.

    The markers from the Trimmer now appear in the timeline clip event.

NOTE

These markers can be used as snap objects for precise editing.

Trim the edges of the timeline clip event to snap to these markers. Events on other tracks in your project will also snap to these markers, aiding in synchronized editing.

TIP You can configure your trimmer toolbar to have a shortcut for the beat detection. For more information, see Trimmer Transport Tool Bar

Save markers for use in another project

Use markers to synchronize video clips precisely with the beats of a music track.

Markers are not automatically saved with the media file. Save markers if you plan to reuse the same audio file in different projects to avoid rerunning beat detection.

  1. In the Trimmer window, click the More Buttons button.

  2. Select Save Markers/Regions from the list.

VEGAS Pro embeds the marker metadata into the file if the file type supports it. If the file type does not support metadata, VEGAS Pro creates a sidecar file that holds the metadata.