HitFilm Express - Best (Free) Editor Ever!

If you haven't heard of HitFilm, well, I don't blame you. I didn't hear about it either until very recently. I was tasked with creating certain samples (or previz) for a video, but I had to create it using free tools. Enter HitFilm.

What is HitFilm?

HitFilm Express is a free video editing software for Windows and Mac. There are many on the market, but this particular editor just so happens to be professionally built. That's what makes it stand out from the rest of the market. It's not just an editor, but an editor and compositor combined! As you're editing your video, if you happen to need motion graphics, just create a new composition, fiddle around until you're happy, and insert it directly into your editing timeline! It's that simple!

Interface

The interface looks very familiar to the Adobe collection, a combination of Premiere and After Effects, to be precise. In fact, several of the keyboard shortcuts are exactly the same (like v for the Move Tool). 

Pricing

What I really like about HitFilm is that they have various different pricing options:

• HitFilm Express: Free + optional paid plugins
• HitFilm Ignite: $199 for over 140 plugins (for use in your favorite NLE)
• HitFilm Pro: $349 for software + HitFilm Ignite
• HitFilm Studio: $649 for software + HitFilm Ignite + Stock content (31.8 GB)

The optional paid plugins for HitFilm Express can be purchased from within the software, or online. There are 14 different add-ons available, with prices ranging from as low as $10 (for the starter pack) to $100 (for Particle Simulators, or 3D Model Toolkit).

HitFilm Ignite basically a large collection of (140+) plugins (created by HitFilm) for you to use in your favorite software. It's compatible with Ae, Premiere, FCP, Motion, Vegas, DaVinci, and Nuke.

HitFilm Pro comes with the basic software, HitFilm Ignite, as well as some extra plugins, like Mocha hitfilm.

Hitfilm Studio is a big package. It contains HitFilm Pro, Hitfilm Ignite, Sony Catalyst Production Suite, and a collection of stock content. The stock content contains gunfire, flame throwers, ground hits, and more, and is available in 4K, HD, and 120fps. 

Sony Catalyst Production Suite contains Catalyst Prepare and Catalyst Edit. The Catalyst Production Suite is used for preparing, organizing, and ingesting video into your NLE workflow. This package can be purchased separately from HitFilm for $399 if needed, or as a part of HitFilm Studio.

Who is it for?

From amateurs and enthusiasts to professionals on a budget, HitFilm is suitable for everyone! If you're just getting started with videography, and want to try our your skills, this is a perfect place to start! It provides a professional interface and platform, free of cost. As your requirements grow, you can purchase add-ons as needed. If you're a professional, and need to edit on a system that doesn't have a professional NLE (like I had to), then this is a wonderful substitute. If you're a professional indie filmmaker, considering HitFilm for your production, HitFilm Pro / Studio have amazing functionality. HitFilm truly is for everyone.

Now, if this is your first time using an NLE, then there might be a steep learning curve, but that's true for any professional editing software. Personally, I don't have to worry about that.

Personal Experience

If you're used to working with Adobe Dynamic Link, you're going to love HitFilm. You can edit and composite within the same software! Just fire up a new composition, do what you need to, and throw it onto a timeline! Not what you were looking for? Go back in, make the changes, and get back to the timeline! The integration is just brilliant!

I had a wonderful time working with HitFilm Express. I fired it up, and the interface looked instantly familiar (I'm used to an Adobe post-production workflow). I took a while rearranging my workspace the way I liked, looked through the manual for a few critical shortcuts, and that's it! Within half an hour, I felt very much at ease, and was working like a pro!

visit hitfilm.com for more information

Musical Maturity 05: Time (or) Meter

It's' been 5 and 1/2 months since my previous post in this series, (sorry) so I'll need some time to get back on track. Okay....(for my older blogs in this series, visit nkmaudio.weebly.com)

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What is Time?

In 9th grade, my physics teacher told me that time is something that could never be clearly defined. Wikipedia defines it as a measure in which events can be ordered from the past through the present into the future, and also the measure of durations of events and the intervals between them.....perhaps a bit confusing.

In music, time  refers to the time signature, or meter of a song. Despite the large number of time signatures in existence, there are only 2 meters: duple and triple.
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Duple: DOWN, up, DOWN, up
Triple: DOWN, up, up, DOWN, up upAll time signatures are derived from, or variations of, these 2 meters.

Time signatures define how many beats are in a measure (or taala), and the notational duration of each beat. In western music, it's represented as a fraction:

3/4

This time signature signifies that there are 3 beats per measure, where each beat has the duration of a quarter note. This is an example of triple meter.

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Why do we need it?

Time signatures do more than just indicate the structure of the song. Each time signature has certain rhythms associated with it. For example, 3/4 indicates waltz time. 6/8 is commonly used for fasterdance music. My point is, time and rhythm go hand in hand.

Listening to music and trying to identify the meter, time signature, and the rhythms are excellent ways of improving your sense of music. Later, think back and try to group certain rhythms with certain meters. You'll soon find patterns emerge, correlating these 3 elements. Unfortunately, this is something you need to experience for yourself. Listening to uncommon time signatures helps a lot. My personal favorite signature is 7/8

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How does this help compose?

Any rhythm that you play has to finally fit in your meter. Understanding how rhythm intertwines with time signatures can help you make "intelligent choices" in your music. For example, if you want your song to be interesting, the first thing you need is a catchy rhythm. Okay.........how do you get compose a catchy rhythm? Force yourself to use a catchy time signature, of course! 

For example, 5/4, 7/8, 11/8, 13/8, 15/16

I think you get the picture. Any signature with an odd number of beats, will easily churn out an interesting rhythm. Unfortunately, 3/4 can't make this category, because it's pretty much over used, and, a bit slow to form an intriguing rhythm. 

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Final Thoughts

I realize that this has been a rather ambiguous blog. There's really nothing here about how to come up with a complex rhythm. I'll delve into that a later time......hopefully. Until then, keep analyzing.

Neutron Player

For the past few months, I've been on a hunt for the ideal music app for android. What I primarily look for is:

Out of the box sound quality
Gapless playback
Good Interface
Decent EQ
Battery life

The first app I tried (after some searching online) was Neutron Player. Aaaah, neutron player! I still get shivers thinking about it! Amazing sound quality!! Drastic improvement transitioning from Samsung's player! True gapless playback! According to their specs, it analyzes your audio files to find out the exact SAMPLE at which the music ends! There's literally no way to detect the transition unless you're staring directly at your phone!

Regarding it's interface, I've read many people complaining about it's unintuitive complexity. In fact, a friend of mine actually asked me how to get it to play your music! Personally, I just love it! Yes, it's different, but that doesn't mean it's bad. Different people have different tastes; this just so happens to be mine.

Neutrons equalizer comes with a built in preamp, which is always useful for those pesky songs with low volume. Bonus points for displaying the sound spectrum of the file! It's not just for looks-it'll help you eq your song. I read a review on Google play, complaining that there's no option to apply separate eqs to the left and right channels! Apparently it's needed by those with a hearing problem.....I can honestly say I never even imagined such a feature.

This app comes with quite a few effects, but I prefer listening to music the way the composer intended. In fact, that's the only reason I eq my songs in the first place. But where this app shines is with its ability to enable 64-bit processing and dithering for higher quality output. Apart from that, I don't use any feature, nor do I intend to. 

The lock screen widget is very handy! When I'm sitting at work with with my headphones plugged in, a lot of the time, I just need to change something in my music app. Most apps these days have a lock screen widget, but none this efficient.  You can access the ENTIRE app without unlocking! So you can go in, change the song, EQ and other settings, all while your phone is locked!

A very important thing to note-Neutron guzzles up battery like a dense neuron star after its supernova (a.k.a: a black hole). Perhaps that's where it gets its name from :D Jokes aside, if you plan to use this app full time, be prepared to carry a power bank, or some other charging source.

Sadly, the trial app had a usage time limit, after which it prevents you from playing anything. But then again,  no one would buy the full version of it didn't.  Mine timed out over a month ago, so everything I've written is from my recollection of using it. On the bright side, they didn't lock out any features just because you're using a trial version. You have access to the entire app, throughout the trial.

As of now, I have to say my search isn't really to find a ideal app, but rather an app that compares to neutron player. That's how much I enjoyed the experience! *sigh* ....Well, gotta keep lookin!

Get Neutron Player

Price as of May 2015:   Rs.379

Hunt for the Ideal Music App

Alright, let's get straight to the point. For the past couple of months, I've been looking for the ideal music app on android. So far, I've used Neutron, DeadBeef, Jet Audio, Noozy, and now trying out n7. For the longest time, I was sticking to Samsung's default music app, until one day, it suddenly hit me! OMG! Why have I not tried other apps???

Sure enough, changing players provided superior audio quality. Surprisingly, many people don't know this! So here's how it works. The quality of your audio is determined by the following:

• Source File
• Sound Circuit & Amp
• Media Player
• Speakers

They say that the net quality is tied to the weakest of these 4. In my case, I simply want to ensure that it's not the music app. Personally, I use my Samsung android phone (and the in-ear buds that it came with) for music all the time. However, being an audiophile, I store 90% of my music in FLAC format. I've reached a point where even a 320kbps MP3 feels audibly low in quality. Trust me, it's a curse! So for those of you affected with this same curse, stick around while I explore and provide my personal thoughts on the "top of the line" music apps, as stated by people on the web.

-NKM: Your Audio Consultant