In Madison, the state capital of Wisconsin, a group of developers work day in and day out to improve the video editing software at VEGAS Creative Software. More than just the collection of their ones and zeros, we’d like to take the opportunity to introduce the team that makes your software.
Gary Rebholz
What is your background in working on VEGAS and other video tools and what is your current role on the VEGAS team?
I’m the VEGAS Product Owner. I have been working with VEGAS Pro for almost 19 years. In fact, I hold the honor of completing the first project ever edited in the software. Over the years I have created many written training documents and hours of video training, as well as having spent many hours personally training users how to make the best of VEGAS.
What is your favorite feature in VEGAS, and why is it your favorite?
Wow; tough question! Ripple Editing is great. Split and Delete is super handy. The extensive audio busing is amazingly powerful, especially for video editing software. But the ability to set the project tempo and then edit to measures and beats is probably the most unique and cool feature for me because I tend to edit musically even if I’m not working on a musical project specifically. It makes it so easy to cut video to the music that it almost feels like cheating!
What do you do for fun when you’re not working on VEGAS?
I love music. I write songs and in my home studio I record as many of my original songs as I can get to (which is not enough!) I sing and play the guitar and several other instruments–some pretty well, others well enough to record simple parts, and others only well enough to annoy my family. I have five children, four of whom currently play football (Fußball, not that silly American sport), so I spend a lot of time watching games and running kids to practices. I was a youth Fußball coach for 20 years and was named Youth Coach of the Year for the state of Wisconsin in 2012.
Eric Dettman
What is your background in working on VEGAS and other video tools and what is your current role on the VEGAS team?
I was employed by Sony Creative Software (the former owner of the product) for 9 years in the customer service department and became the technical support lead and point of contact escalation for all audio and video editing applications. I am the Support manager for the VEGAS team in the MAGIX office in Madison Wisconsin.
What is your favorite feature in VEGAS, and why is it your favorite?
The audio mixing console. I have not experienced another video NLE that has the audio editing capabilities Vegas has. The mixing console allows for audio routing schemes similar to how an audio engineer would route a signal in a professional studio, to maximize access to software plug-ins as well as outboard hardware for producing a mix correctly – in a video editing app? woah…
What do you do for fun when you’re not working on VEGAS?
I create and produce various styles of House Music. Original and remixes.
Bruce Buttel
What is your background in working on VEGAS and other video tools and what is your current role on the VEGAS team?
I’m responsible for the VEGAS QA/testing. In addition to QA engineering support of video products, I’ve provided QA support for audio mastering products (Sound Forge for PC and Mac, and Audio Studio).
What is your favorite feature in VEGAS, and why is it your favorite?
I have recently started performing as a singer/guitar player with a small group in Madison, and enjoy using the audio recording and mixing capabilities in VEGAS Pro to prepare new songs, and share the multi-track projects with other band members. I share VEGAS multi-track projects with them so they can learn their parts and record new vocals or instruments on their own time.
What do you do for fun when you’re not working on VEGAS?
I spent my spare time with photography, playing guitar, or biking/running/hiking. Once winter arrives in Wisconsin I’ll be cross country skiing. Also, I’ve just started brewing my own beer, and will be happy to share it with Madison visitors!
Derek Blume
What is your background in working on VEGAS and other video tools and what is your current role on the VEGAS team?
I started working on VEGAS five years ago. My initial role on the project was in the scripting API and updates to the user interface. I have done a significant amount of work in these areas for VEGAS Pro 12 and 13. My current role is a general problem solver for the VEGAS code base. I have my hands in many different areas of the code.
What is your favorite feature in VEGAS, and why is it your favorite?
My favorite feature in VEGAS is the scripting API. I feel it is one of the most distinguishing features for our application, making it more flexible to use and, really, infinitely expandable for our customers. It excites me that we have been given the opportunity to actually move this feature forward again in future releases.
What do you do for fun when you’re not working on VEGAS?
My passions outside of work are running, baseball, cooking and gardening. I have been a dedicated runner for most of my life and I find it as my way to relax. I am a die-hard fan of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. I torment my coworkers by listening to the games while we work. I love trying to find new recipes to cook using ingredients I grow in my vegetable garden next to my home. I also have two dachshunds, who along with my kids, keep me on the move constantly.
DeLosse Fussell
What is your background in working on VEGAS and other video tools and what is your current role on the VEGAS team?
I’m a Senior Staff Software Engineer on the VEGAS team and have been working on this product since its audio origins with Vegas Pro 1.0, released in 1999. Actually, my nineteen year history with this code base goes back further to 1997 when I started, at what was then a little known startup called Sonic Foundry (SOFO), and worked on the original ACID 1.0 release. My work on Vegas versions 1.0 through 4.0, was mainly focused on UI, engine, and audio/video capture technologies. Then SOFO sold their desktop software to Sony in 2003, whereupon I stayed with SOFO continuing to advance audio/video capture for the new Mediasite recording and streaming media platform using .NET in addition to C++. Fast forward to 2011, where I rejoined my former coworkers at Sony, to again work on Vegas versions 12.0 and 13.0. I worked in many areas including file I/O, timeline and trimmer editing and UI, video engine, and OFX plug-ins. Prior to MAGIX acquiring Sony’s desktop multimedia software, I had been working on the new Catalyst Edit editor (using QT, Javascript, and C++), and VEGAS 14.0. Along the way, there were other interesting products that I had my hands in including Soft Encode, Siren, Sound Forge, DVD Architect, and VEGAS Video Capture. I have very much enjoyed working on and advancing multimedia products for SOFO, Sony, and now MAGIX!
What is your favorite feature in VEGAS, and why is it your favorite?
That’s a tough one…as I’ve worked in many areas…however, I still really like the Expanded Edit Mode feature that I implemented as part of the Vegas 12.0 release to address a major deficiency in the application. Around that time, Apple Final Cut Pro X was released and provided a new Precision Editor that would allow users to do very precise frame edits in an efficient and nice UX workflow. VEGAS has long been known for doing great rough cut editing, but lacked a good workflow to address exact edits. After reviewing this, and working with a UX designer at Sony, we came up with an innovative and unique workflow to address this that combined a 2-up video preview, Expand Track Layers functionality for A/B roll, Edge-trimming via the keyboard, and displaying unused video frames. That said, I also really like VEGAS Video Capture’s DV auto-scene detection capture, timecode-based batch capture utilizing a proprietary DV device search algorithm I wrote, and multi-DV file print to tape.
What do you do for fun when you’re not working on VEGAS?
I enjoy spending time with my wife, kids, and our Aussie dog named Bruno. Beyond that a bit of fishing and golfing, but mostly training for triathlons with having finished IRONMAN WI 140.6 in 2013 and two Half IRONMAN 70.3 races in 2016. With any “free time” I can find, I try to learn and keep up with newer software technologies (including mobil, web, and OSes).
Neal Granroth
What is your background in working on VEGAS and other video tools and what is your current role on the VEGAS team?
Software development for VEGAS Pro and related products has been my focus for several years. In the past I took part projects for the preparation and presentation of broadcast news programs.
In my current role with the VEGAS team at MAGIX, I deal with aspects of the user presentation and the underlying logic that makes everything happen.
What is your favorite feature in VEGAS, and why is it your favorite?
Pan/Crop is my favorite. It is so flexible and is essential for creative visual alterations for many projects.
What do you do for fun when you’re not working on VEGAS?
Camping out and hiking the wild countryside is my favorite pastime. I’ve hiked the hills and forests of many areas of the United States, as well as parts of the UK and Europe.
Heman Gala
What is your background in working on VEGAS and other video tools and what is your current role on the VEGAS team?
I have spent pretty much all of my working career dealing with video & graphics software, and a big chunk of it was with other teams in Sony on a variety of projects such as Film Compositors / other Video Editors / Effects Programmings for GPUs and similar hardware, such as the Cell Processors. I joined the VEGAS team fairly late compared to my colleagues, and I am currently focused on improving the overall performance of the product.
What is your favorite feature in VEGAS, and why is it your favorite?
I briefly worked on porting some of the VEGAS Effects for GPU support back in 2011-2012, and at that time VEGAS was considered a class-leader in terms of utilizing the GPU. Sadly, it’s now lagging, and I would like to work with both my German and US colleagues to reclaim that spot.
What do you do for fun when you’re not working on VEGAS?
I like to spend as much time away from computers as possible when not working – whether it’s hiking with my dogs, or gardening, or tinkering around with model trains (I am a big Marklin fan!!).
Dave Sutton
What is your background in working on VEGAS and other video tools and what is your current role on the VEGAS team?
I’ve been working on various releases of VEGAS for over 16 years. This includes being on the QA team for when we added video support to the original Vegas Audio 1.0 for Vegas Video 2.0, and being the Engineering Project Manager for Vegas Pro 10 when we added 3D support. My current role with the team is Scrum Master; generally that means I work to keep the trains running on time with respect to the schedule while supporting the development team.
What is your favorite feature in VEGAS, and why is it your favorite?
This is probably because I’ve worked on the product since Day #1, but I really think VEGAS DVD Architect is a wonderful companion application for VEGAS Pro. The output options it provides cover almost every delivery format you needs for disc authoring. The power provided by intelligent use of end-actions and DVD scripting, or multiple tracks, buttons on video, or playlists is immense and the user can basically do everything the disc specs allow.
What do you do for fun when you’re not working on VEGAS?
My family enjoys vacationing together; typically in Disney World. Personally I am an avid video gamer and a big fan of Philadelphia sports teams. I’ve been trying to learn the guitar for longer than I care to mention but I’m confident that one day I’ll have it “figured out.” I also have a love for studying American History, particularly when it relates to our presidents.
Shankara Subramanian
What is your background in working on VEGAS and other video tools and what is your current role on the VEGAS team?
I’m a File I/O guy in VEGAS. I help to get videos into VEGAS and get your movies out. In the past, I co-created a streaming platform called the MediaSite to capture and stream rich-media presentations.
What is your favorite feature in VEGAS, and why is it your favorite?
Video effects in VEGAS are my favorite, specially love the Velocity Envelope, a great way to capture kids in action. I like that the interface is simple enough to show young kids frame navigation and really how videos work.
What do you do for fun when you’re not working on VEGAS?
Outside of VEGAS, I love to play any kind of sports and follow news on sports. Lately, most of my time is spent pretend-playing with my two daughters.
Fengsheng Shu
What is your background in working on VEGAS and other video tools and what is your current role on the VEGAS team?
I just came to this team about two weeks ago. Currently I am working as a Chinese Software Support specialist in the Madison office. I am mostly focused on translating the English version of the software to Chinese.
What is your favorite feature in VEGAS, and why is it your favorite?
Actually, for me (as a beginner to video editing), it is really easy to use and understand. I can easily find the functions that I want from the simple version of VEGAS Movie Studio. Meanwhile, whenever I want to make any advanced modification to my video, I can easily change the mode to the advanced version and make the video look more professional and nicer.
What do you do for fun when you’re not working on VEGAS?
Since I am still a student at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, there is almost no “fun time” for me. I have to handle tons of coursework after finishing my work for the VEGAS team. However, I like to travel whenever I am free.
Thanks for stopping by! We hope you enjoyed this look behind the scenes at our Madison offices and our passion behind developing the VEGAS products.
To become more familiar with VEGAS software and its features, you can read one of our many magazine articles or join and contribute to the forum in our community.
