Amiga Computing - Commodore Is Awesome

fthough there's been a number of
video tutorial companies plying
their wares to the Amiga world
over the years, it must be said the overall
standard has been pretty poor Having
said that, there is one very notable example,
namely Desktop Images, a company
from across the pond who've made their
name via a range of highly acclaimed
Lightwave and Toaster-specific tutorials.
When it comes to professionalism, presentation
and overall quality, Desktop
Images quite literally set a standard others
rarely match. The question is, will that
tradition continue with their latest efforts?
Studio 16 pro Iludio for Video
Amidst the graphical euphoria that sometimes
dppears to completely engulf the Amiga, its
success in the sound department often gels
Dvertooked.
At the forefront of this success has been the
SunRize Industries AD1012 and A0516 directlo-disk
sampling systems. It's no exaggeration
!• place both alongside the very best on any
:omputer platform. As a result. Desktop
images have wisely set out to complement this
amazing hardware with a tutorial video hosted
by a professional Studio 16 demonstrator and
a three time Emmy Award winning dialogue
editor. Basically, the video is designed to offer
all the insider knowledge needed to master the
techniques required for pro-quality video post
production.
In the first section, our anchor man and professional
demonstrator, Tony Shannon. takes
you through a step-by-step guide to adding a
complete sound track to a movie trailer.
During the demo Tony adds sound effects,
hp synchs vocals from the original rushes and
narration, as well as a stereo musical backing
track. After adding and synching samples.
Tony moves on to the mix down process.
As mentioned eadier, Ligh!wave and
Toaster tutorials are what Desktop
Images are best known for, and in
an attempt to build on their existing
success they've now targeted a
specific, and often lucrative area for
many commercial animators.
Flying logos may lack the glamour of
Babylon5 or RoboCop but they're nevertheless
the bread and butler that
keep many an animator in business. As
a result, who better to take you through
the finer points than the maestro of the
flying logo Mr Tony Stutterheim.
During Tony's inside guide you're
shown some interesting tips on how to
make more effective use of the cameras
within layout. However, the
video's real strength has to be Tony's
explanation on how to create the kind
of effects that make the difference
between enthusiasts and professionals,
while avoiding the sort of mistakes and
production methods that can put hours,
Instant
PHOPiti5P
detailing all the necessary skills needs to link
tracks for automated lades and pans.
In short, after Tony's excellent introduction
- which takes up roughly 14 of the tape -
you should be well versed in the Timeline
Cuelist, Digital Waveform Editor, Automated
if not days on the job. As well as layout
hints, Tony also offers some essential
tips for making the most of modeller
when creating actual logos and adding
bevels. However it's back in layout
where most of the real points are
scored, with the most valuable information
being how to produce streak
effects, the use of null objects and the
creation of the ubiquitous moving
sheen effect.
Being an experienced Lightwave
user, I must admit to being slightly
disappointed with the overall content,
as the majority of the tape will almost
certainly run over familiar ground for
anyone who's been using Lightwave
regularly.
Having said that, there are some real
pearls in among the more obvious
examples - with the most notable
being the aforementioned moving
sheen effect. Like most, I've had a
bash at this effect and met with less
Product:
Studio 16 Pro Audio
for Video
Product:
Pro Flying Logo
Techniques
Supplier:
Premier Vision
Price:
5:38.95 each
Tel:
0171 721 7050
than favourable results. Fortunately,
Tony does have an easy solution which
I guarantee will leave many animators
slapping their foreheads in a 'why didn't
I think of that' manner
Like it's counterpart, the tape concludes
with a separate section, during
Torus dosing address attention turns,
rather ironically, to WaveMaker_
If you're a regular reader you may
recall that WaveMaker is a standalone
Lightwave add-on, designed by Tony,
in conjunction with Axiom software. For
those who are unfamiliar with the product,
WaveMaker is a highly automated
flying logo generator The irony is that
WaveMaker largely negates the need
for any practical modelling and design
skills when it comes to quality flying
logo animation.
Admittedly. WaveMaker couldn't
replicate the techniques covered in the
tape, but after Tony's guided tour it's
very tempting to put your new found
Amiga Computing
MAY 1995
a m Lqa
1715 month the 5potlight fd115 on
the aril latot 117 Well tuition
for lightulaue and Studio 16 —
Mixer, Sample List and of course the
Recorder. To put the icing, or rather the marketing
on the cake, Tony's efforts are followed
by a rather brief, but nevertheless
informative overview by David Scharf.
During Mr Scharf's section you're taken
through a basic tutorial on adding ambient
sound and removing unwanted elements in
the original rushes. In short, useful but not
exactly inspiring stuff.
However, overall, and primarily thanks to
Tony Shannon, the tape does offer some
excellent advice and tricks of the trade. I've
been running Studio16 for quite some time
and would still be happy to cough-up the
necessary cash for this kind of essential
information. Highly recommended.
knowledge aside and simply invest in a
copy ot WaveMaker.
Obviously, there's been some serious
horse trading when it comes to
content. Stilt it must be said the overall
package does deliver the goods, especially
for those who are either new to
Lightwave or make their money exclusively
from corporate and commercial
animation.