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Jimco Software Reviews - Ultimate S 2.1 (continued)
Audit
Vegas users have been asking for the ability to quickly remove unused items from the media library for as long as I've been using it. The Audit tab in Ultimate S (figure 10) gives you that ability and much more. The way that VASST implemented this feature is great because you can quickly find unused media and then sweep it (remove it from your project) or sweep it and remove it from your hard drive.
Vegas provides the ability to cleanup unsued media from your project, but Ultimate S vastly improves on Vegas's functionality by giving you the ability to view unused media as well as deleting unused media files from your computer in one fell swoop. Now that's the way the feature should have been implemented in Vegas! Great job again, VASST.
Figure 10 - The Audit Tab
The Ultimate S Archive Nested Projects feature is one that is welcomed by any Vegas user. You see, Ultimate S fixes a shortcoming in Vegas by trimming nested projects.
The Audit features in Ultimate S can also check for other common types of problems in Vegas and can also backup your project file for you.
Setup
The Setup tab (figure 11) provides you with the ability to configure default settings for your projects in Vegas. Not only can you specify what tracks you want added by default, but you can also configure the busses that you want.
If you are using Vegas 6, Ultimate S can automatically import nested .veg files for you when new projects are created. When you use this feature, Ultimate S will pull in all of the markers with the imported .veg file, saving you the effort and wasted time of adding them all over again on the new timeline.
Figure 11 - The Setup Tab
Rating
Usability : 5/5
Ultimate S has several qualities that lend to its usability. While it is accessible by default only via the Scripting menu in Vegas, VASST has included the ability to add buttons to the toolbar for all of the tools included in Ultimate S. For users of the Contour Design ShuttlePRO V.2, usability is even simpler thanks to downloadable configuration files for that device available at the VASST Web site.
Interface : 5/5
The Ultimate S interface is simple to use. VASST has added the ability to save presets on several tabs. When they did, they followed the Vegas UI design, making it feel even more intertwined with Vegas. The Film Looks tab includes a helpful preview image so that you can see what each setting looks like in advance, and the Lower Thirds tab grabs a frame from your actual production and uses it in the preview. Great job, VASST.
Intuitiveness : 5/5
Ultimate S has the feel of Vegas itself, perhaps because it's really a UI front-end to some complex scripts. When you launch the interface, you know exactly what everything is because you're used to using those same features in Vegas. For example, VASST has used the Vegas Media Bins extensively in Ultimate S. These traits, in addition to a logically designed interface, make Ultimate S quite intuitive.
Features : 5/5
Ultimate S overflows with great features. I think the past 5 pages speak well to this category.
Documentation : 4/5
The documentation for Ultimate S is great, including some tutorials on the VASST Web site. The lack of context-sensitive Help detracts one point from this score. The Help for Ultimate S is in the form of an HTML file. When you click the Help button, you are taken to the top of the file. I'd like to have seen some HTML bookmarks so that a click of the Help button would direct you to help on the tab that is currently active. That's my only gripe with any part of Ultimate S, and it took me a bit to come up with that!
 The Film Looks, Quad-CAM, Lower Thirds, or Audio Tools feature alone would be worth the price of this product. You need to hurry and get Ultimate S now before VASST comes to their senses and starts charging more for it! 
Price vs. Value Ratio : 5/5
The Film Looks, Quad-CAM, Lower Thirds, or Audio Tools feature alone would be worth the price of this product. I've said it before in this review, but it's worth repeating. You need to hurry and get Ultimate S now before VASST comes to their senses and starts charging more for it!
Reviewer's Tilt : 0/5
No previous experience with this product.
Overall : 5/5
Ultimate S is highly recommended to any Vegas user. It will quickly become one of your "must have" tools for Vegas.
VASST Ultimate S 2.1
 Web Site
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