Vegas Pro is a worthy competitor for Adobe Premiere Pro and Apple Final Cut Pro X, but for one reason or another it doesn't seem to be on many industry professionals' radars. Sony hopes to change that with this update, with a range of new features aimed squarely at professional users.

One is a proxy-first workflow, where low-resolution copies of video are uploaded to the cloud immediately after capture. From there they can be downloaded to a computer and added to the Vegas timeline. These proxies are replaced with the original high-resolution footage when it arrives.

It makes perfect sense for large production teams working to tight deadlines. It could also be useful for reviewing footage on location without interrupting the capture workflow. However, it requires a Sony CBK-WA100 or CBK-WA101 wireless adapter, which only support XDCAM professional cameras, so that rather narrows its market.

A new Loudness Meters panel measures audio levels by sound-energy levels rather than waveform peaks, with various calibrated displays to help users follow guidelines set out by the European Broadcasting Union. It's far from self-explanatory, however, and likely to be useful only to a small number of users.

Sony Vegas Pro 13 review: iPad app

The new companion iPad app, Vegas Pro Connect, is more inclusive. It communicates with the desktop software via a local network, and serves as a wireless remote control and commenting system. It includes conventional transport buttons, but we got on better with the gesture-based controls, which let us keep our eyes on the monitor and navigate the timeline more precisely. Swiping left and right moves the playback bar at different speeds depending on whether one, two or three fingers are used.

The iPad app also allows you to drop markers onto the timeline. The gesture-based interface includes four marker labels – Check Color, Check Mix, Edit and SFX – while the transport controls add a Custom option, where you can type your own text.