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The best thing about technology is that the more it advances, the less it costs.

Today you can get a 1TB 7200-rpm hard drive for under a hundred bucks. Ten years ago, that might’ve gotten you a 10GB hard drive. The same goes for memory. Today you can get 6GB of DDR3 RAM for about what 32MB of EDO RAM went for about 15 years ago. It’s incredible.

So what does this mean in terms of video production? In simple terms, video editing has not only gotten far more powerful, but it’s also become much more affordable.

So you’ve got some money to spend on a workstation. Let’s take a look at what’s out there. For the sake of things, I’m going to assume that you’re not a stockbroker or looking to break the bank. We’ll say you’re looking to spend $800-$1200. Obviously, if you’re a MAC person, this blog isn’t for you.

Motherboard/Processor

The first thing you need to do is decide if you want to build an Intel or AMD system. Generally, Intel systems cost a bit more to build. Decent AMD motherboards start around $70-$80, whereas decent Intel motherboards can start around $200.  Similarly, Intel processors tend to be a bit more than AMD processors. On the other side of things, it’s important to note that when it comes to multimedia, Intel systems have a track record of performing better than AMD systems.

Most benchmarks clearly show Intel systems outperforming AMD systems by a substantial margin. Whether or not this performance gain is worth the price difference is up to you, the buyer. You’ll definitely want to do some research before making your decision, and remember that this blog should only be used as a guideline.

Not much has changed in terms of building a solid editing workstation. You still want to put as much money into the processor and memory as possible, since that’s what editing software harnesses the most. Now when it comes to processors, quad-cores are where it’s at.

Most of the major NLEs (non-linear editors) take advance of multi-core processors, allowing for much faster render times and faster, higher quality previewing. With prices as affordable as they are, quad-core processors are really the way to go and that’s where the future is headed. You really don’t want to cut any corners here as the processor is really the heart of the workstation.

For example, the processor will directly affect render times, as well as the speed of encoding and decoding video. If you do any amount of compositing along using multiple effects, you’ll definitely see a difference here.

I recommend taking the fastest processor that’s at the top of the line, and buying the one that’s a couple steps below it. Usually that’s where the best price point is at. If you’re going for AMD, check out the Phenom II processors. For Intel, the Core i7 processors are fantastic.

That’s it for Part 1. If you can hold out for a week or so, in my next few posts I’ll cover memory, video cards and hard drives. By then end, you’ll have an overview of most crucial components for any editing workstation. So until next time…

I’m going to try to keep this blog as short and simple as possible. So what is the best video editing software out there? For those of you looking for that answer, you won’t find it here. It’s a trick question.

The truth of the matter is that most professional level NLEs, or non linear editors, do the exact same thing. Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere, Avid and Sony Vegas will all splice video, add dissolves, titles, and composite several layers of video and audio just fine. So the question is not so much “what’s the best NLE?”, but rather “what’s the best NLE for you?”

The easiest way to determine what NLE works best for you is to simply try them out. Almost all of the NLEs offer a trial version that you can download and test out before buying. I’d recommend doing this and getting a feel for how each of them function, how their graphical user interface works, how they manage the media, how simple tasks are accomplished, etc. Sooner or later you’ll find one that seems to fit your style.

For me, Sony Vegas suits me well. It has a fairly intuitive user interface and isn’t as keyboard based as say Final Cut Pro or Avid, since I’m more of a mouse guy. It also works really well with my Shuttle Express, a job/shuttle controller I use in conjunction with my mouse. I also like Vegas for its powerful set of audio tools. It’s extremely easy to edit audio in Vegas and for me, that’s a necessity when it comes to any NLE.

Now that’s just my personal preference. As I said before, every professional NLE will do the same thing and each carries its own perks. Final Cut Pro and Avid are commonly used in the film industry and considered by many to be the standard. Both NLEs revolve around keyboard shortcuts – in fact, special keyboards containing colored keys are available for serious editors.

Aside from those two, Adobe Premiere is another very solid NLE. Probably one of its greatest strengths, like all other Adobe products, is the ability to easily integrate with other Adobe software titles. For example, you can do some advanced compositing with After Effects, and then export your project and bring it into Premiere without having to render your project out. The ability to work between multiple software tools without the need to render is a tremendous asset to have. This type of integration is typical with all Adobe products and can really save a lot of time and headaches.

Now there are a ga-zillion other NLEs out there, especially for PC. Don’t let anyone tell you that one NLE is the best or better than another. It all comes down to the editor, not the software. Heck, you could make an award winning movie using iMovie. The point here is, download all of the trial versions, try them out and get a feel for which one fits you.

Here’s a few links to get you started:

• Final Cut Pro
• Adobe Premiere
• Avid
• Sony Vegas

Once you find it, you’ve got yourself the best NLE. It’s that simple. Good luck and happy editing!