Steinberg Nuendo - 2.0 Operation Manual

Operation Manual

Manual by Ludvig Carlson, Anders Nordmark, Roger Wiklander Quality Control: C. Bachmann, H. Bischoff, S. Pfeifer, C. Schomburg

The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH. The software described by this document is subject to a License Agreement and may not be copied to other media except as speciﬁcally allowed in the License Agreement. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or otherwise transmitted or recorded, for any purpose, without prior written permission by Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.

All product and company names are ™ or ® trademarks of their respective owners. Windows 2000 and Windows XP are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. The Mac logo is a trademark used under license. Macintosh and Power Macintosh are registered trademarks.

Table of Contents

9 About this manual

149 Using markers

10 Welcome!

13 VST Connections:

Setting up input and output busses

14 About this chapter 14 Setting up busses 20 Using the busses

25 Playback and the

Transport panel

26 Background 30 Operations 34 Options and Settings

37 Recording

38 Background 39 Basic recording methods 43 Audio recording specifics 64 MIDI Recording Specifics 76 Options and Settings

81 The Project window

82 Background 84 Window Overview 97 Operations 137 Options

141 Folder tracks

142 About folder tracks 143 Handling folder tracks 145 Working with folder parts

150 About markers 150 The Marker window 154 Using the Marker track 159 Marker key commands 160 Editing markers in the

Project Browser

161 Fades and crossfades

162 Creating fades 165 The Fade dialogs 168 Creating crossfades 170 The Crossfade dialog 178 Auto Fades and Crossfades

181 The mixer

182 About this chapter 183 Overview 187 Configuring the mixer 194 The audio channel strips 196 The MIDI channel strips 197 The common panel 198 The input & output channels 199 Basic mixing procedures 207 Audio specific procedures 221 MIDI specific procedures 223 Utilities

229 Audio effects

230 About this chapter 230 Overview 232 Insert effects 242 Send effects 253 Making settings for the

effects

256 Installing and managing

effect plug-ins

NUENDO

4 Table of contents

263 VST Instruments

264 Introduction 265 Activating and using VST

Instruments

271 The Instrument Freeze

function

275 Surround sound

276 Background 279 Window overview 281 Operations

360 Detect Silence 363 The Spectrum Analyzer 366 Statistics

367 The Sample Editor

368 Background 368 Opening the Sample Editor 369 Window overview 374 Operations 386 Options and settings

389 The Audio Part Editor

293 Automation

294 Background 297 Automation track operations 303 Using Write/Read

automation

309 Working with automation

curves

315 Tips and common methods 316 Options and Settings

317 Remote controlling

the mixer

318 About this chapter 318 Setting Up 320 Operations 322 The Generic Remote device

327 Audio processing and

functions

328 Background 329 Audio processing 351 Applying plug-ins 354 The Offline Process History

dialog

356 Batch Processing 359 Freeze Edits

390 Background 390 Opening the Audio Part

Editor

391 Window overview 396 Operations 398 Common methods 400 Options and Settings

401 Working with

hitpoints and slices

402 Background 403 Using hitpoints 409 Editing hitpoints 416 Creating slices 417 Creating groove quantize

maps

418 Other Advanced submenu

items

421 The Pool

422 Background 424 Window Overview 428 Operations 447 Options and Settings

Table of contents 5

NUENDO

449 MIDI realtime para-

meters and effects

549 The Tempo Track

Editor

450 Introduction 451 The Inspector – General

handling

452 Basic track settings 455 Track parameters 459 MIDI effects 465 Merge MIDI in Loop

467 MIDI processing and

quantizing

468 Introduction 469 Quantizing 479 Other MIDI menu functions 484 Dissolve Part

487 The MIDI editors

488 About editing MIDI 489 Opening a MIDI editor 492 The Key Editor – Overview 498 Key Editor operations 523 The Drum Editor – Overview 526 Drum Editor operations 529 Working with drum maps 537 Using drum name lists 538 The List Editor – Overview 540 List Editor operations 547 Common MIDI editor op-

tions and settings

550 Background 551 Window overview 554 Operations 560 Options and settings 561 The Beat Calculator 563 Merge Tempo From Tapping 564 The Time Warp tool

575 The Project Browser

576 Background 576 Opening the Project

Browser

576 Window Overview 577 Navigating in the Browser 578 Customizing the View 578 About the Sync Selection

option

579 Editing audio tracks 582 Editing MIDI tracks 585 Editing Automation tracks 585 Editing the Video track 586 Editing the Marker track 587 Editing the Tempo track 587 Editing Time Signatures 588 Deleting Events

589 The Track Sheet

590 Overview 594 Printing the Track Sheet

NUENDO

6 Table of contents

595 Export Audio

Mixdown

596 Introduction 597 Mixing down to an audio file 599 File format specifics

613 Synchronization

614 Background 622 Window Overview 623 Operations 637 Options

639 VST System Link

640 Introduction 641 Preparations 646 Activating VST System Link 653 Application examples

657 Video

658 Background 659 Operations 665 Options 666 The Edit Mode

669 ReWire

677 File handling

678 File Operations 702 Options and Settings

705 Customizing

706 Background 707 Working with window

layouts

710 Customizing the Transport

panel

712 Customizing the toolbars 714 Customizing track controls 719 Configuring the main menu

items

722 About preference presets 724 Appearance 724 Where are the settings

stored?

727 Key commands

728 Background 729 Setting up Key Commands 742 Setting up tool modifier keys

743 Index

670 Introduction 671 Launching and quitting 672 Activating ReWire channels 673 Using the transport and

tempo controls

674 How the ReWire channels

are handled in Nuendo

675 Routing MIDI via ReWire2 676 Considerations and limita-

tions

NUENDO

Table of contents 7

NUENDO

8 Table of contents

About this manual

Welcome!

This is the Operation Manual for Steinberg’s Nuendo 2.1. Here you will find detailed information about virtually all features and functions in the program.

How to use the manuals and the Help

When it comes to manuals, different users look for information in different ways, depending on their previous knowledge and personal preferences. You may be looking for a complete description of a procedure, you may just be trying to find a certain function in the program, you may have found a function in the program and want it explained – or you may simply want to learn it all!

Therefore, there are several ways to enter the documentation and get help:

•

Use the Table of Contents to browse the manual or the Help and find the section you need to know more about.

In the pdf version of the Operation Manual (and in the help) you can click directly on a chapter or section to go there.

•

Use the Index to look up specific features and functions.

Again, in the pdf (and the help) you can click directly on the page number for an index entry to go to there. The help also allows you to perform a free search of any term.

•

In the program you will find Help buttons in most dialogs – click to get information about that specific dialog.

Similarly, you can press [F1] to get information about the current window.

•

If you want information about a specific menu item, use the Menu Reference section in the Help.

All main menu items in Nuendo are listed and explained there.

•

Finally, you could read the manuals from start to end if you like.

See below for a description of all parts of the Nuendo documentation package.

NUENDO

1 – 10 About this manual

About this chapter

As described in the Getting Started book, Nuendo uses a system of input and output busses to transfer audio between the program and

the audio hardware.

• Input busses let you route audio from the inputs on your audio hardware into the program. This means that when you record audio, you will always do this through one or several input busses.

• Output busses let you route audio from the program to the outputs on your audio hardware. When you play back audio, you will always do this through one or several output busses.

As you can see, the input and output busses are vital when you work with Nuendo. That’s the reason why you find this chapter in the beginning of the Operation Manual – once you understand the bus system and set up the busses properly, it will be easy to go on with recording, playing back, mixing and doing surround work.

Setting up busses

Strategies

You can create any number of busses in Nuendo, in virtually any channel configuration – mono, stereo or a number of surround formats.

• The bus configuration is saved with the projects – therefore it’s a good idea to add and set up the busses you need and save these in a template project (see page 682).

When you start working on new projects, you start from this template. That way you get your standard bus configuration without having to make new bus settings for each new project. If you need to work with different bus configurations in different projects, you could either create several different templates or store your configurations as presets (see page 19). The templates can of course also contain other settings that you regularly use – sample rate, record format, a basic track layout, etc.

NUENDO

2 – 14 VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses

So, which type of busses do you need? This depends on your audio hardware, your general audio setup (e.g. surround speaker setup) and what kind of projects you work with. Here’s an example:

Let’s say you are using audio hardware with eight analog inputs and outputs and digital stereo connections (10 inputs and outputs all in all). Furthermore, you work with a surround speaker setup in 5.1 format. Here’s a list of busses you may wish to add:

Input busses

• Most likely you need at least one stereo input bus assigned to an analog input pair. This would let you record stereo material. If you want to be able to record in stereo from other analog input pairs as well, you could add stereo input busses for these too.

• Although you can record mono tracks from one side of a stereo input, it may be a good idea to add a dedicated mono input bus. This could be assigned to an analog input to which you have connected a dedicated microphone preamp for example. Again, you could have several different mono busses.

• You probably want a dedicated stereo input bus assigned to the digital stereo input, for digital transfers.

• If you want to transfer surround material directly to a surround track in Nuendo (e.g. from surround-configured location recording equipment) you need an input bus in that surround format (here, this would be a 5.1 input bus).

Output busses

• You probably want one or several stereo output busses for monitoring and listening to stereo mixes.

• For digital transfers, you need a stereo bus assigned to the digital stereo output as well.

• You need a surround bus in the format of your speaker configuration (here,

5.1) assigned to the correct outputs (which in turn are connected to the correct speakers).

• You may want additional surround busses if you tend to work in different surround formats.

❐

Different busses can use the same inputs/outputs on the audio hardware! You may for example want a stereo output bus assigned to the same outputs as the front stereo channels in your surround bus – this makes it easy to listen to stereo mixes without having to reconnect.

NUENDO

VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses 2 – 15

Preparations

Before you set up busses, you should name the inputs and outputs on your audio hardware. For example, if you are using a 5.1 surround speaker setup, you should name the outputs according to which speaker they are connected to (Left, Right, Center and so on).

The reason for this is compatibility – it makes it easier to transfer projects between different computers and setups. For example, if you move your project to another studio, the audio hardware may be of a different model. But if both you and the other studio owner have given your inputs and outputs names according to the surround setup (rather than names based on the audio hardware model), Nuendo will automatically find the correct inputs and outputs for your busses and you will be able to play and record without changing the settings.

You name your inputs and outputs in the Device Setup dialog:

Open the Device Setup dialog from the Devices menu.

Select the VST Output Ports device in the list to the left and make sure the Setup tab is selected.

The available output ports on your audio hardware are listed.

To rename a port, click its name in the list and type a new name.

•

If needed, you can also disable ports by clicking in the “Visible” column (so that it says “No”).

Disabled ports won’t show up in the VST Connections window when you are making bus settings. If you attempt to disable a port that is already used by a bus, you will be asked whether that is really what you want – note that this will remove the port from the bus!

Select the VST Input Ports and name them in the same way.

Click OK to close the Device Setup dialog.

• If you open a project created on another computer and the port names don’t match (or the port configuration isn’t the same – e.g. the project is created on a system with multi-channel i/o and you open it on a stereo in/out system), a Pending Connections dialog will appear.

This allows you to manually re-route ports used in the project to ports available in your system.

NUENDO

2 – 16 VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses

The VST Connections window

You add and set up busses in the VST Connections window, opened from the Devices menu.

There are two tabs in the window, for viewing input busses or output busses. Depending on which tab you have selected, the window lists the current input or output busses, with the following three columns:

Column Description

Bus Name Lists the busses. You can select busses and rename them by clicking

on them in this column.

Speakers Indicates the speaker configuration (mono, stereo, surround formats)

of each bus.

ASIO Device Port

When you have “opened” a bus (by clicking its + button in the Bus Name column) this column shows which physical input/output on your audio hardware is used by the bus.

NUENDO

VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses 2 – 17

Adding a bus

Click the Inputs or Outputs tab depending on which type of bus you want to add.

Click the Add Bus button.

A dialog appears.

Select the desired (channel) configuration.

The pop-up menu contains Mono and Stereo options as well as the most common surround formats. To select another surround format, use the “More...” submenu.

•

Alternatively you can right-click (Win) or [Ctrl]-click (Mac) in the VST Connections window and add a bus in the desired format directly from the context menu that appears.

The new bus appears with the ports visible.

Click in the ASIO Device Port to select an input/output port for a channel in the bus.

The pop-up menu that appears lists the ports with the names you have given them in the Device Setup dialog. Repeat this for all channels in the bus.

Adding a child bus

A surround bus is essentially a set of mono channels – 6 channels in the case of 5.1 format. If you have a mono track in the project, you can route it to a separate speaker channel in the bus (or route it to the whole surround bus and use the surround panner to position it in the surround image). But what if you have a stereo track that you simply want to route to a stereo channel pair within the bus (Left and Right or Left Surround and Right Surround for example)? For this you need to create a

NUENDO

2 – 18 VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses

child bus

1. Select the surround bus in the list and right-click (Win) or [Ctrl]-click

(Mac) it.

A pop-up menu appears.

2. Select a channel configuration from the “Add Child Bus” submenu.

As you can see, you can create stereo child busses (routed to various speaker channel pairs in the surround bus) or other surround bus formats (with fewer channels than the “parent bus”).

The child bus you created will be available for direct routing in the mixer. It’s a part of the parent surround bus, which means there will be no separate channel strip for it.

Although child busses are probably most useful in output busses, you could also create child busses within a surround input bus – for example if you want to record a stereo channel pair (e.g. front left-right) in the surround bus to a separate stereo track.

Other bus operations

• To change the port assignment for a bus you proceed as when you

added it – make sure the channels are visible (by clicking the + button next to the bus, or by clicking the “+ All” button at the top of the window) and click in the ASIO Device Port column to select ports.

• To remove a bus you don’t need, select it in the list, right-click (Win) or

[Ctrl]-click (Mac) and select “Remove Bus” from the pop-up menu.

• You can store and recall bus Presets with the pop-up menu at the top

of the window.

To store the current configuration as a preset, click the store (+) button and enter a name for the preset. You can then select the stored configuration directly from the Presets popup menu at any time. To remove a stored preset, select it and click the (-) button.

NUENDO

VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses 2 – 19

Using the busses

This section describes briefly how to use the input and output busses you have created. This is described in more detail in the chapters “Re-

cording” and “The mixer”.

Routing

When you play back an audio track (or any other audio channel in the mixer – VST Instrument channels, ReWire channels, etc.), you route it to an output bus. In the same way, when you record on an audio track you select from which input bus the audio should be sent.

• For audio tracks, you can select input and output busses in the Inspector, using the “In” and “Out” pop-up menus.

• For all audio-type channels, you select busses in the Input and Output Settings panel at the top of each channel strip in the mixer.

For VST Instrument channels, ReWire channels, Group channels and FX channels you will only be able to select output busses.

NUENDO

2 – 20 VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses

• If the Input and Output Settings panel isn’t shown, click the Show Input and Output Settings field in the common panel to the left in the mixer.

When selecting an input bus for a track you can only select busses that correspond to the track’s channel configuration. Here are the details:

• Mono tracks can be routed to mono busses or individual channels within a stereo or surround bus (input or output). You can also route a mono track to the “whole” stereo or surround output bus, in which case a pan control (stereo pan or surround panner) will be used to position the sound.

• Stereo tracks can be routed to stereo busses or stereo child busses within a surround bus (input or output).

• Surround tracks can be routed to busses with the same number of speaker channels as the track (or to corresponding child busses within a “larger” surround bus).

Viewing the busses in the mixer

In the mixer, busses are represented by input and output channels (shown in separate panes to the left and right in the window). You can show or hide the input and output channels independently by clicking the buttons Hide Input Channels and Hide Output Channels in the mixer’s common panel to the left:

Hide Input Channels

Hide Output Channels

NUENDO

VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses 2 – 21

Input channels

The input channels are shown to the left in the mixer. As you can see, each input channel resembles a regular mixer channel strip. Here you can do the following:

• Check and adjust the recording level using the Input Gain knobs and/or the level fader.

See page 47.

• Change the phase of the input signal.

This is done by clicking the Input Phase button next to the Input Gain control.

• Add effects or EQ to the input bus.

See page 60 for an example of how to add effects to your recording at the input bus stage.

❐

The settings you make in the input channel strip will be a permanent part of the recorded audio file!

NUENDO

2 – 22 VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses

Output channels

The output channels are shown to the right in the mixer. Here you can do the following:

• Adjust the total output level for the busses with the faders.

For stereo output busses you can also adjust the stereo balance with the pan control.

• Add effects or EQ.

These will affect the whole bus. Examples of effects you may want to add here include compressors, limiters and dithering. See page 239.

NUENDO

VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses 2 – 23

NUENDO

2 – 24 VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses

Playback and the Transport

panel

Background

This chapter describes the various methods available for controlling Playback and Transport functions in Nuendo.

The Transport panel

Below you can find a brief description of each item on the Transport panel.

• You can customize the look of the Transport panel, hiding unneeded controls and moving controls as desired – see page 710.

The pictures below show the Transport panel with all controls visible and in their default position. The Transport panel is divided into sections, from left to right.

Record mode pop-up

Cycle Record mode pop-up

CPU load and Disk Cache meters

Left locator: record start point, punch in point and beginning of Cycle

Activates punch in

Activates punch out

Right locator: punch out point and end of Cycle

Primary Time Display and format pop-up

Nudge position right/left

Position slider

Go to previous marker or project start

NUENDO

3 – 26 Playback and the Transport panel

Rewind Stop

Fast forward

Go to next marker or project end

Activates Auto Quantize

Preroll setting and on/off switch

Nudge +/- 1 Frame

Jog Wheel (project scrubbing)

Shuttle speed

Postroll setting and on/off switch

Exchange time formats

Cycle on/off

Secondary position display and format pop-up

Record

Play

Precount on/off

Metronome click on/off

Tempo follows Tempo track on/off

Synchronization on/off The tempo and time signature display

MIDI In (left meter)/ MIDI Out activity

Show Markers (opens Marker window)

Jump to Marker

Level Control (Output bus 1)

Audio activity (Output bus 1)Audio input activity (Input bus 1)

• The main Transport functions (Cycle/Stop/Play/Record) can also be

shown on the toolbar.

In addition, various play options are available on the Transport menu.

Hiding and showing

The Transport panel is shown by default when you launch a new project. To hide or show it, select the “Transport Panel” item from the Transport menu (or use a key command - by default [F2]).

About Preroll and Postroll

These items are described in the chapter “Recording” – see page 77.

NUENDO

Playback and the Transport panel 3 – 27

Customizing the Transport panel

You can customize the appearance of the Transport panel by rightclicking (Win) or [Ctrl]-clicking (Mac) anywhere on the panel and making selections on the pop-up menu that appears.

• On the upper half of the pop-up menu you can hide or show elements on the panel by activating or deactivating the corresponding menu items.

• Selecting the Show All item displays all sections of the Transport panel.

• Selecting Default shows all sections in their default positions on the panel.

• The items in the lower half of the pop-up menu are preset configurations for the Transport panel. You will also find your own stored presets here, for quick selection.

• Selecting Setup brings up a dialog where you can set show/hide status for the separate sections, configure where the sections should be placed on the panel and store different Transport panel layouts as presets for instant recall.

For more about customizing the Transport panel, see page 710.

NUENDO

3 – 28 Playback and the Transport panel

The numeric keypad

In the default Key Command settings, the numeric keypad on the computer keyboard is assigned various Transport panel operations The keypads are slightly different on PC and Macintosh computers:

PC:

Cycle On/Off

Go to Marker number 3-9

Go to right locator

Go to left locator

Stop

Mac:

Cycle On/Off

Go to Marker number 3-9

Num Lock

x —

7 8 9

4 5 6+

1 2 3

num lock

= / *

Enter

7 8 9 –

Record

Rewind

Fast Forward

Play

Return to Zero

Record

Rewind

Fast Forward

Go to right locator

Go to left locator

Stop

4 5 6 +

1 2 3

enter

Playback and the Transport panel 3 – 29

Play

Return to Zero

NUENDO

Operations

Setting the project cursor position

There are several ways to move the project cursor position:

• By using Fast Forward and Rewind.

• By using the Jog/Shuttle/Nudge control on the Transport panel (see page 33).

• By dragging the project cursor in the lower part of the ruler.

• By clicking in the ruler.

Double clicking in the ruler will start or stop playback, moving the cursor at the same time.

• If the option “Locate when Clicked in Empty Space” is activated in the Preferences dialog (Transport page) you can click anywhere in an empty section of the Project window to move the cursor position.

• By changing the value in any of the position displays.

• By using the position slider above the transport buttons.

The range of the slider relates to the Length setting in the Project Setup dialog. Hence, moving the slider all the way to the right will take you to the end of the project.

• By using markers (see page 150).

• By using playback options (see page 35).

• By using functions on the Transport menu.

The following functions are available:

Function Description

Locate Selection Moves the project cursor to the beginning of the current se-

lection. For this to be available, you must have selected one or more events or parts, or made a selection range.

Locate Next/Previous Marker

Locate Next/Previous Event

This moves the project cursor to the closest marker to the right or left (see page 150).

This moves the project cursor forwards or backwards respectively, to the closest beginning or end of any event on the selected track(s).

• If Snap is activated when dragging the project cursor, the Snap value is taken into account. This can be helpful for finding exact positions quickly.

• There are also numerous key commands available for moving the project cursor (in the Transport category in the Key Commands dialog).

For example, you can assign key commands to the “Step Bar” and “Step Back Bar” functions, allowing you to move the project cursor in steps of one bar, backwards and forwards.

NUENDO

3 – 30 Playback and the Transport panel

About the Transport panel display formats

Primary time display (left) and secondary time display (right).

The time unit shown in the ruler can be independent from the time unit shown in the main time display on the Transport panel. This means that you can display timecode in the transport position display and bars and beats in the ruler, for example. In addition, there is a secondary time display to the right of the primary time display which is also independent, giving you three different time units shown at the same time (in the Project window, you can also create additional ruler tracks – see page 95).

The following rules apply:

• If you change the time format from the primary time display on the

Transport panel, this will apply to the ruler as well.

This is the same as changing the display format in the Project Setup. Therefore, to have different display formats in the ruler and the main time display you should change the format in the ruler.

• The primary time display format is set on the pop-up menu to the right

in the main position display.

• The setting here also determines the time format displayed for the left

and right locators.

• The secondary time display is completely independent, and the display

format is set on the pop-up menu to the right in the secondary position display.

• You can swap time formats between the primary and secondary time

displays by clicking the double arrow symbol between them.

NUENDO

Playback and the Transport panel 3 – 31

The left and right locators

The left and right locators are a pair of position markers used for specifying punch-in and punch-out positions during recording, and as boundaries for cycle playback and recording.

• When cycle mode is activated on the Transport panel, the area between the left and right locator will be repeated (cycled) on playback.

However, if the right locator is positioned before the left, this will work as a “jump” or “skip mode” – when the project cursor reaches the right locator it will immediately jump to the left locator position and continue playback from there.

There are several ways to set locator positions:

• To set the left locator, press [Ctrl]/[Command] and click at the desired position in the ruler.

Similarly, pressing [Alt]/[Option] and clicking in the ruler sets the right locator. You can also drag the locator “handles” directly in the ruler.

The locators are indicated by the “flags” in the ruler. The area between the locators is highlighted in the ruler and in the Project window (see page 724). Note that if the right locator is before the left locator the area will be red in the ruler to indicate this.

• Click and drag in the upper half of the ruler to “draw” a locator range.

If you click on an existing locator range, you can drag to move it.

• Pressing [Ctrl]/[Command] and pressing [1] or [2] on the numeric keypad sets the left or right locator to the project cursor position.

Similarly, you can press [1] or [2] on the numeric keypad (without [Ctrl]/[Command]) to set the project cursor position to the left or right locator position. Note that these are default key commands – you can change these if you like.

• By creating cycle markers you can store any number of left and right locator positions, which can be recalled by simply double clicking on the corresponding marker (see page 154).

• The “Locators to Selection” item on the Transport menu (default key command [P]) sets the locators to encompass the current selection.

This is available if you have selected one or several events or made a selection range.

• You can also adjust the locators numerically in the Transport panel.

Clicking the L/R buttons in the locator section on the Transport panel will move the project cursor to the respective locator. If you press [Alt]/[Option] and click the L or R button, the corresponding locator will be set to the current project cursor position.

NUENDO

3 – 32 Playback and the Transport panel

The Shuttle Speed control

The shuttle speed control (the outer wheel on the Transport panel) allows you to play the project at any playback speed, forwards or backwards. This provides a quick way to locate or “cue” to any position in the project.

• Turn the shuttle speed wheel to the right to start playback.

The further to the right you move the wheel, the faster the playback speed. You don’t have to keep the mouse button pressed – playback will continue until you stop it.

• If you turn the wheel to the left instead, the project will play back-

wards.

Similarly, the playback speed depends on how far to the left you turn the wheel.

• To stop playback, click Stop as usual or turn the shuttle speed wheel

to the middle position.

Project scrubbing – the Jog Wheel

The middle wheel on the Transport panel serves as a jog wheel. By clicking and dragging it to the right or left you will move the playback position manually forwards or backwards – much like scrubbing on a tape deck. This helps you pinpoint exact locations in the project.

• Note that the jog wheel is an “endless dial” – you can turn it as many

times as needed to move to the desired location.

The faster you turn the wheel, the faster the playback speed.

• If you click the jog wheel during playback, playback will automatically

stop.

NUENDO

Playback and the Transport panel 3 – 33

The nudge position buttons

The + and – buttons in the middle of the Shuttle/Jog Wheel allows you to nudge the project cursor position to the right or left, respectively. Each time you click a nudge button, the project cursor is moved by one frame.

Options and Settings

The “Return to Start Position on Stop” preference

This setting is found on the Transport page in the Preferences dialog (found on the File menu under Windows, on the Nuendo menu under Mac OS X).

• If “Return to Start Position on Stop” is activated when you stop playback, the project cursor will automatically return to the position where recording or playback last started.

• If “Return to Start Position on Stop” is deactivated, the project cursor will remain at the position where you stop playback.

Pressing Stop again will return the project cursor to the position where recording or playback last started.

About track disable/enable

For audio tracks, the track context menu contains an item named “Disable Track”. This shuts down all disk activity for the track, as opposed to using Mute, which merely turns down the output volume for a track. For example, if you often record “alternative takes” you can easily build up a large number of takes on different tracks. Even though these tracks are muted, they are actually still “playing back” from the hard disk during playback. This puts an unnecessary load on your disk system, so using “Disable Track” is recommended for such situations.

• Select “Disable Track” for tracks that you want to keep in the project for later use (but don’t want to play back now).

Select “Enable Track” from the track context menu to re-enable disabled tracks.

NUENDO

3 – 34 Playback and the Transport panel

Playback functions

Apart from the standard transport controls on the Transport panel, you can also find a number of functions that can be used to control playback on the Transport menu. The items have the following functionality:

Option Description

Play from Selection Start This activates playback from the beginning of the currently

selected range.

Play from Selection End This activates playback from the end of the currently se-

lected range.

Play until Selection Start This activates playback two seconds before the start of the

currently selected range and stops at the selection start.

Play until Selection End This activates playback two seconds before the end of the

selected range and stops at the selection end.

Play until Next Marker This activates playback from the project cursor and stops at

the next marker.

Play Selection Range This activates playback from the start of the selected range

and stops at the selection end.

Loop Selection This activates playback from the start of the selected range

and continuously starts over again upon reaching the selection end.

❐

The functions listed above (except “Play until Next Marker”) are only available if you have selected one or more events or made a selection range.

NUENDO

Playback and the Transport panel 3 – 35

About Chase

Chase is basically a function that makes sure your MIDI instruments sound as they should when you locate to a new position and start playback. This is accomplished by having the program transmitting a number of MIDI messages to your instruments each time you move to a new position in the project, making sure all MIDI devices are set up correctly with regard to program change, controller messages (such as MIDI Volume) etc.

For example, let’s say you have a MIDI track with a program change event inserted at the beginning. This event makes a synth switch to a piano sound.

In the beginning of the first chorus you have another program change event which makes the same synth switch to a string sound.

You now play back the song. It begins with the piano sound and then switches to the string sound. In the middle of the chorus you stop and rewind to some point between the beginning and the second program change. The synth will now still play the string sound although in this section it really should be a piano!

The Chase function takes care of that. If program change events are set to be chased, Nuendo will track the music back to the beginning, find the first program change and send this out, so that the synth is set to the right sound.

The same thing can apply to other event types as well. The Chase Events settings in the Preferences dialog–MIDI page determine which event types will be chased when you locate to a new position and start playback.

• Event types for which the checkbox is activated here will be chased.

NUENDO

3 – 36 Playback and the Transport panel

Recording

Background

This chapter describes the various recording methods that you can use in Nuendo. As it is possible to record both audio and MIDI tracks in Nuendo, both these recording methods are covered in this chapter.

Before you start

This chapter assumes that you are reasonably familiar with certain basic recording concepts, and that the following initial preparations have

been made:

• You have properly set up, connected and calibrated your audio hardware.

This is described in the Getting Started book.

• You have opened a project and set the project setup parameters to your specifications.

Project setup parameters determine the record format, sample rate, project length etc. that affect the audio recordings you make during the course of the project. See page 97.

• If you plan to record MIDI, your MIDI equipment should be set up and connected correctly.

See the Getting Started book.

NUENDO

4 – 38 Recording

Basic recording methods

This section describes the general methods used for recording. However, there are additional preparations and procedures that are specific to audio and MIDI recording respectively. Make sure to read these sections before you start recording (see page 43 and page 64).

Record enabling a track

Nuendo can record on a single track or on several tracks (audio and/ or MIDI) simultaneously. To make a track ready for recording, click the Record Enable button for the track in the Track list, in the Inspector or in the mixer. When activated, the button(s) turn red, indicating record ready mode.

Record Enable in the Inspector, Track list and mixer.

• If the option “Enable Record on Selected Track” is activated in the Preferences dialog (Editing page), tracks are automatically record enabled when you select them in the Track list.

• The exact number of audio tracks you can record simultaneously depends on your computer CPU and hard disk performance.

NUENDO

Recording 4 – 39

Manually activating recording

You activate recording by clicking the Record button on the Transport panel or toolbar, or by using the corresponding key command (by default [*] on the numeric keypad).

Recording can be activated from Stop mode (from the current cursor position or from the left locator) or during playback:

• If you activate recording from Stop mode, and the option “Start Record at Left Locator” is activated on the Transport menu, recording will start from the left locator.

The preroll setting or the metronome count-in will be applied (see page 77).

• If you activate recording from Stop mode, and “Start Record at Left Locator” is deactivated, recording will start from the current project cursor position.

• If you activate recording during playback, Nuendo will immediately enter Record mode and start recording at the current project cursor position.

This is known as “manual punch in”.

Activating recording in Sync mode

If you are synchronizing the Nuendo transport to external equipment (Sync is activated on the Transport panel) and you activate recording, the program will go into “record ready” mode (the record button on the Transport panel will light up). Recording then starts when a valid timecode signal is received (or when you manually click the Play button). See page 614 for more information about synchronization.

NUENDO

4 – 40 Recording

Automatically activating recording

Nuendo can automatically switch from playback to recording at a given position. This is known as “automatic punch in”. A typical use for this would be if you need to replace a section of a recording, and want to listen to what is already recorded, up to the recording start position.

1. Set the left locator to the position where you want recording to start.

2. Activate the Punch In button on the Transport panel.

Punch In activated.

3. Activate playback from some position before the left locator.

When the project cursor reaches the left locator, recording is automatically activated.

Stopping recording

Again, this can be done automatically or manually:

• If you click the Stop button on the Transport panel (or use the corre-

sponding key command, by default [0] on the numeric keypad), recording is deactivated and Nuendo goes to Stop mode.

• If you click the Record button or use the key command for recording,

by default [*], recording is deactivated but playback continues.

This is known as “manual punch out”.

• If the Punch Out button is activated on the Transport panel, recording

will be deactivated when the project cursor reaches the right locator.

This is known as “automatic punch out”. By combining this with automatic punch in, you can set up a specific section to record – again very useful if you want to replace a certain part of a recording. See also page 76.

Punch In and Out activated.

NUENDO

Recording 4 – 41

Cycle recording

Nuendo can record and play back in a cycle – a loop. You specify where the cycle starts and ends by setting the left and right locators. When the cycle is active, the selected section is seamlessly repeated until you hit Stop or deactivate cycle mode.

• To activate cycle mode, click the cycle button on the Transport panel.

If you now start playback, the section between the left and right locator is repeated indefinitely until you stop.

Cycle activated

• To record in cycle mode, you can start recording from the left locator, from before the locators or from within the cycle, from Stop mode or during playback.

As soon as the project cursor reaches the right locator, it will jump back to the left locator and continue recording a new lap.

• The results of cycle recording depend on the selected cycle record mode and are different for audio (see page 54) and MIDI (see page 69).

NUENDO

4 – 42 Recording

Audio recording specifics

Selecting a recording file format

The format of recorded files is set in the Project Setup dialog on the Project menu. There are three settings: sample rate, record format (bit depth) and record file type. While the sample rate is set once and for all when you start working on a new project, the bit depth and file type can be changed at any time.

Record file type

The Record File Type setting determines which type of files will be created when you record:

File type Description

Wave File Wave files have the extension “.wav” and are the most common file for-

mat on the PC platform.

Wave 64 File Wave64 is a proprietary format developed by Sonic Foundry Inc. Audio-

wise it is identical to the Wave format, but the internal file structure makes much larger file sizes possible. This is useful e.g. for long live recordings in surround format, where the audio files could become huge.

Broadcast Wave File

AIFF File Audio Interchange File Format, a standard defined by Apple Computer

In terms of audio content, the same as regular Wave files, but with embedded text strings for supplying additional information about the file (see below).

Inc. AIFF files have the extension “.aif” and are used on most computer platforms. Like Broadcast Wave files, AIFF files can contain embedded text strings (see below).

• If you select Broadcast Wave File or AIFF format, you can specify

Author, Description and Reference text strings that will be embedded in the recorded file.

This is done on the Record–Broadcast Wave page in the Preferences dialog.

NUENDO

Recording 4 – 43

Record format (bit depth)

The available options are 16 bit, 24 bit and 32 bit float. Use the following guidelines:

• Normally, select the record format according to the bit depth delivered by your audio hardware.

For example, if your audio hardware has 20 bit A/D converters (inputs), you may want to record at 24 bit resolution, to capture the full bit depth. On the other hand, if your hardware has 16 bit inputs, it’s pointless to record with a higher bit depth – this will only make the audio files larger, with no difference in audio quality. The exception is if you record with effects – see page 60 for an example of this.

• The higher the bit depth, the larger the files and the more strain is put on the disk system.

If this is an issue, you may want to lower the record format setting.

Setting up the track

Creating a track and selecting the channel configuration

In Nuendo, audio tracks can be configured as mono, stereo or surround tracks, with almost any combination of channels (LCRS, 5.1,

7.1, 10.2 etc.). This allows you to record or import a file containing multiple channels and treat it as one entity, with no need to split it up into several mono files etc. The signal path for an audio track maintains its channel configuration all the way from the input bus, via EQ, level and other mixer settings to the output bus.

You specify the channel configuration for a track when you create it:

1. Select Add Audio Track from the Track list context menu or the Project menu (or double click in an empty area of the Track list when an audio track is selected – when a MIDI track is selected, double clicking in the Track list creates a new MIDI track).

A dialog appears with a channel configuration pop-up menu.

2. Select the desired format from the pop-up menu.

The most common formats are listed directly on the pop-up menu; the remaining surround formats are listed on the “More...” submenu. For a list of the available surround formats, see page 281.

3. Click OK.

A track appears, set to the specified channel configuration. In the mixer, a corresponding channel strip appears. Note that you cannot change the channel configuration for a track.

NUENDO

4 – 44 Recording

Selecting an input bus for a track

Here we assume that you have added and set up the required input busses (see the chapter “VST Connections: Setting up input and out-

put busses”). Before you record you need to specify from which input

bus the track should record. You can do this in the Inspector or in the mixer:

• In the Inspector you select an input bus on the “in” pop-up menu in the

top section.

As described on page 86, the Inspector shows the settings for the selected track. You show or hide the Inspector using the Inspector icon on the Project window toolbar.

Click here to show/hide the Inspector.

Click here to select an input bus for the track.

• In the mixer you select an input bus on the Input Routing pop-up menu

at the top of the track’s channel strip.

If this pop-up menu isn’t shown, you need to click the Show Input and Output Settings field in the common panel to the left. See page 183 for more about the mixer.

Click here to show or hide the input and output settings.

Click here to select an input bus for the track.

NUENDO

Recording 4 – 45

Selecting a folder for the recorded audio files

As described in the Getting Started book, each Nuendo project has a project folder containing (among other things) an “Audio” folder. By default, this is where recorded audio files are stored. However, you can select record folders independently for each audio track if needed:

1. To select the same record folder for several audio tracks, you need to select them by [Shift]- or [Ctrl]/[Command]-clicking in the Track list.

2. Right-click (Win) or [Ctrl]-click (Mac) in the Track list for one of the tracks to bring up the track context menu.

3. Select “Set Record Folder”.

4. Use the file dialog that appears to navigate to the desired folder (or

create a new folder with the Create button).

Tip: if you want to have separate folders for different types of material (speech, ambient sounds, music, etc.) you can create subfolders within the Project’s “Audio” folder and assign different tracks to different subfolders. This way, all audio files will still reside within the project folder which will make managing the Project easier.

• It’s fully possible to have different tracks record to totally different locations, on different disks if you like. However, if you need to move or archive the Project, there is a risk of missing some files. The solution is to use the Prepare Archive function in the Pool to gather all external files into the project folder first – see page 444.

NUENDO

4 – 46 Recording

Setting input levels

When recording digital sound, it’s important to set the input levels correctly – loud enough to ensure low noise and high audio quality, but not so loud that clipping (digital distortion) occurs. When you record, clipping can occur in two places in the signal path:

• In the audio hardware, when an analog input signal is converted to digital format.

If the analog signal is too loud, it cannot be represented properly in a digital format (there will be no headroom). The result is clipping.

• When the audio signal is written to an audio file after passing through the input busses.

Since you can adjust levels, add EQ or effects in the input busses, it’s possible to make the signal too loud at that stage. Again, the result will be clipping.

For this reason, you may need to check the input levels “in two steps”:

Checking the signal level coming into the audio hardware

To check the level of the “unprocessed” signal coming into the audio hardware you need to switch the level meters to “Input VU”. In this mode the input channel level meters will show the level of the signal at the input of the bus, before any adjustments such as input gain, EQ, effects, level or pan:

1. Right-click (Win) or [Ctrl]-click (Mac) in the Mixer window.

The Mixer context menu appears.

2. Select the VU-Meter Settings submenu and make sure “Input VU” is activated.

3. Play back the audio and check the level meter for the input channel.

The signal should be as loud as possible without exceeding 0 dB (the Clipping indicator for the input bus should not light up).

The Clipping indicator.

NUENDO

Recording 4 – 47

4. If necessary, adjust the input level in one of the following ways:

• Adjust the output level of the sound source or external mixer.

• Use the audio hardware’s own application program to set the input

levels, if this possibility is provided.

See the documentation for the audio hardware.

• If your audio hardware supports the ASIO Control Panel function, it

may be possible to make input level settings.

To open the ASIO control panel, open the Device Setup dialog on the Devices menu and click the Control Panel button on the Setup tab for the VST Multitrack device.

Instead of switching the level meter mode you can add an extra input bus using the same audio inputs (see page 17) and use this bus solely as a signal level meter (with “Post-Fader VU” mode always selected). This bus should then always be “zeroed” (gain and level set to

0.0 dB, no effects or EQ added) to show the level of the input signal.

Checking the signal level after the input bus

Internally, Nuendo processes audio at 32 bit float resolution, which makes it virtually impossible for clipping to occur. However, when the signal is written to a file on disk clipping can occur, depending on the selected record format (bit depth):

• If you record in 32 bit float format the bit depth will not be reduced –

which means there’s no risk of clipping at this stage.

Also, this preserves the signal quality perfectly. Therefore, you should consider using 32 bit float format when you are recording with effects (see page 60).

• If you record in 16 or 24 bit format the available headroom is lower

which means clipping can occur if the signal is too loud.

To avoid this, set the signal level in the following way:

1. Bring up the mixer context menu and select “Post-Fader VU” from the

VU-Meter Settings submenu.

2. Set up the input channel, adding EQ and/or effects as desired.

With some effects you may want to adjust the level of the signal going into the effect – use the Input Gain knob for this (note that you need to press [Shift] or [Alt]/[Option] to adjust the Input Gain).

NUENDO

4 – 48 Recording

3. Play back the audio and check the level meter of the input channel.

The signal should be as loud as possible without exceeding 0 dB (the Clipping indicator for the input bus should not light up).

4. If necessary, use the input channel fader to adjust the signal level.

Monitoring

In this context, “monitoring” means listening to the input signal during recording. There are three fundamentally different ways to do this: via Nuendo, externally (by listening to the signal before it reaches Nuendo) or by using ASIO Direct Monitoring (which is a combination of both of the other methods – see page 51).

Monitoring via Nuendo

If you monitor via Nuendo, the input signal is mixed in with the audio playback. The advantage of this is that you can adjust the monitoring level and panning in the mixer, and add effects and EQ to the monitor signal just as during playback (using the track’s channel strip – not the input bus!). The disadvantage of monitoring via Nuendo is that the monitored signal will be delayed according to the latency value (which depends on your audio hardware and drivers). Therefore, monitoring via Nuendo requires an audio hardware configuration with a low latency value (see the Getting Started book).

• You can check the latency of your audio hardware in the Device Setup dialog (VST Multitrack page).

• If you are using plug-in effects with large inherent delays, the automatic delay compensation function in Nuendo will increase the latency.

If this is a problem you can use the Constrain Delay Compensation function while recording - see page 268.

NUENDO

Recording 4 – 49

When monitoring via Nuendo, you can select one of four modes in the Preferences dialog (VST page):

• Manual.

This option allows you to turn input monitoring on or off by clicking the Monitor button in the Inspector, the Track list or in the mixer.

• While Record Enabled.

With this option you will hear the audio source connected to the channel input whenever the track is record enabled.

• While Record Running.

This option switches to input monitoring only during recording.

• Tapemachine Style.

This option emulates standard tapemachine behavior: input monitoring in Stop mode and during recording, but not during playback.

External monitoring

External monitoring (listening to the input signal before it goes into Nuendo) requires some sort of external mixer for mixing the audio playback with the input signal. This can be a stand-alone physical mixer or a mixer application for your audio hardware, if this has a mode in which the input audio is sent back out again (usually called “Thru”, “Direct Thru” or similar).

When using external monitoring, you cannot control the level of the monitor signal from within Nuendo, or add VST effects or EQ to the monitor signal. The latency value of the audio hardware configuration does not affect the monitor signal in this mode.

• If you want to use external monitoring, you need to make sure that monitoring via Nuendo isn’t activated as well.

Select the “Manual” monitoring mode in the Preferences dialog (VST page) and simply don’t activate the Monitor buttons.

NUENDO

4 – 50 Recording

ASIO Direct Monitoring

If your audio hardware is ASIO 2.0 compatible, it may support ASIO Direct Monitoring. In this mode, the actual monitoring is done in the audio hardware, by sending the input signal back out again. However, monitoring is controlled from Nuendo. This means that the audio hardware’s direct monitoring feature can be turned on or off automatically by Nuendo, just as when using internal monitoring.

• To activate ASIO Direct Monitoring, open the Device Setup dialog on

the Devices menu and use the Direct Monitoring checkbox on the Setup tab for the VST Multitrack device.

If the checkbox is greyed out, your audio hardware (or its driver) doesn’t support ASIO Direct Monitoring. Consult the audio hardware manufacturer for details.

• When ASIO Direct Monitoring is activated, you can select a monitor-

ing mode in the Preferences dialog (VST page), as when monitoring via Nuendo (see page 49).

• Depending on the audio hardware, it may also be possible to adjust

monitoring level and panning from the mixer.

Consult the documentation of the audio hardware if in doubt.

• VST effects and EQ cannot be applied to the monitor signal in this

mode, since the monitor signal doesn’t pass through Nuendo.

• Depending on the audio hardware, there may be special restrictions

as to which audio outputs can be used for direct monitoring.

For details on the routing of the audio hardware, see its documentation.

• The latency value of the audio hardware configuration does not affect

the monitor signal when using ASIO Direct Monitoring.

NUENDO

Recording 4 – 51

Recording

Recording is done using any of the general recording methods (see

page 39). After you finish recording, an audio file has been created in

the Audio folder within the project folder. In the Pool, an audio clip is created for the audio file, and an audio event that plays the whole clip appears on the recording track. Finally, a waveform image is calculated for the audio event. If the recording was very long, this may take a while.

• If the option “Create Audio Images During Record” is activated in the Preferences dialog (Record page), the waveform image will be calculated and displayed during the actual recording process.

This real-time calculation uses some processing power – if your processor is slow or you are working on a CPU-intensive project you should consider turning this option off.

Undoing recording

If you decide that you don’t like what you just recorded, you can delete it by selecting Undo from the Edit menu. The following will happen:

• The event(s) you just created will be removed from the Project window.

• The audio clip(s) in the Pool will be moved to the Trash folder.

• The recorded audio file(s) will not be removed from the hard disk.

However, since their corresponding clips are moved to the Trash folder, you can delete the files by opening the Pool and selecting “Empty Trash” from the Pool menu.

NUENDO

4 – 52 Recording

Recording overlapping events

The basic rule for audio tracks is that each track can play back a single audio event at a time. This means that if two or more events are overlapping, only one of them will be heard at any given time.

What happens when you record overlapping events (record in an area where there’s already events on the track) depends on the Linear Record Mode setting on the Transport panel:

• In “Normal” or “Merge” mode, recording where something has already

been recorded creates a new audio event that overlaps the previous one(s).

When you record audio there is no difference between “Normal” and “Merge” mode – the difference only applies to MIDI recording (see page 68).

• In “Replace” mode, existing events (or portions of events) that are

overlapped by the new recording will be removed.

This means that if you record a section in the middle of a longer existing recording, that original event will be cut into two events with a gap for the new event.

Which event will be heard?

If two or more events are overlapping, you will only hear the events (or portions of events) that are actually visible. Overlapped (hidden) events or sections are not played back.

• The functions “Move to Front” and “Move to Back” on the Edit menu

(see page 118) are useful for managing overlapping events, as is the “To Front” function (see below).

NUENDO

Recording 4 – 53

Recording audio in cycle mode

If you are recording audio in cycle mode, the result depends on two factors:

• The Cycle Record Mode setting on the Transport panel.

• The “Audio Cycle Record Mode” setting in the Preferences dialog

(Record page).

Cycle Record Modes on the Transport panel

There are four different modes on the Transport panel, but the differences between two of the modes only apply to MIDI recording. For audio cycle recording, the following applies:

• If “Keep Last” is selected, the last complete “take” (the last completely recorded lap) is kept as an audio event.

In reality, all laps you recorded are saved in one audio file divided into regions – one region for each take. You can easily select a previous take for playback – this is done as when recording in “Create Regions” mode (see page 56).

• If “Stacked” is selected, each take will appear as an event on a separate “lane” on the track.

This is useful when you want to view and edit the different takes and eventually combine them to one recording. In this mode, the Audio Cycle Record Mode preference doesn’t matter. See page 58.

• If any of the other cycle recording modes is selected, the result depends entirely on the Audio Cycle Record Mode setting in the Preferences.

These options are described below.

NUENDO

4 – 54 Recording

Create Events mode (Preferences)

When Audio Cycle Record Mode (Preferences–Record page) is set to “Create Events”, the following will happen when you record audio in cycle mode:

• One continuous audio file is created during the entire recording process.

• For each recorded lap of the cycle, one audio event is created.

The events will have the name of the audio file plus the text “Take *”, where “*” indicates the number of the take.

• The last take (the last recorded lap) will be on top (and will thus be the one you hear when you activate playback).

To select another take for playback, proceed a follows:

1. Right-click (Win) or [Ctrl]-click (Mac) the event and select “To Front” from the pop-up menu that appears.

A submenu appears, listing all the other (obscured) events.

2. Select the desired take.

The corresponding event is brought to front.

NUENDO

Recording 4 – 55

This method allows you to quickly combine the best parts of each take, in the following way:

1. Use the Scissors tool to split the events in several sections, one for

each part of the take.

For example, if you recorded four lines of vocals (in each take), you can split the events so that each line gets a separate event.

The events after splitting. Note that since the original take events overlap each other, clicking with the Scissors tool will split all takes at the same position.

2. For each section of the take, use the “To Front” function to bring the

best take to the front.

This way, you can quickly combine the best sections of each take, using the first vocal line from one take, the second line from another take and so on.

You can also compile a “perfect” take in the Audio Part Editor, as described on page 398.

Create Regions mode (Preferences)

When Audio Cycle Record Mode (Preferences–Record page) is set to “Create Regions”, the following will happen when you record audio in cycle mode:

• One continuous audio file is created during the entire recording process.

• The audio event in the Project window shows the name of the audio file plus the text “Take *” (with “*” being the number of the last completed cycle lap).

• If you play back the recorded event, you will only hear what was recorded during the last lap of the cycle recording.

The previous “takes” recorded in the cycle are still available, however.

• The audio clip is divided into regions (called takes), one for each lap of the cycle that was recorded.

If you locate the audio file you just recorded in the Pool, and click on the plus sign beside it, you can see the regions that have been created, one for each lap of the cycle that was completed during recording.

NUENDO

4 – 56 Recording

“Take” regions in the Pool window.

To play back the different “takes”, proceed as follows:

1. In the Project window, right-click (Win) or [Ctrl]-click (Mac) the event

that was created during cycle recording.

The Quick menu appears.

2. Select the “Set To Region” menu item.

A submenu appears with the takes you recorded during cycle record.

3. Now you can freely select any of the takes from the submenu and it

will replace the previous take event in the Project window.

Use this method to listen through the various takes. Select the best single take, or compile a “perfect” take by cutting out the best bits from each take and putting them together (see page 398).

Create Events + Regions mode (Preferences)

In this mode, both events and regions are created. If you work with the takes as events in this mode, you can edit the events freely (e.g. splitting them as described on page 55). However, in case you want to go back to the original takes, they are still available as regions (on the “Set To Region” submenu, in the Pool or in the Sample Editor).

NUENDO

Recording 4 – 57

Recording audio in Stacked mode

When you record audio in cycle mode and the “Stacked” Cycle Record Mode is selected on the Transport panel, the following happens:

• Each complete recorded cycle lap is turned into a separate audio event.

• The track is divided into “lanes”, one for each cycle lap.

• The events are stacked above each other, each on a different lane.

This makes it easy to create a “perfect take” by combining the best parts from the different cycle laps:

1. Zoom in so you can work comfortably with the stacked events.

If you play back the recorded section, only the lowest (last) take will be heard.

2. To audition another take, either mute the lower take(s) with the Mute tool or move the takes between the lanes.

This can be done by dragging or by using the functions Move to Next Lane/Previous Lane on the Quick menu or Edit menu.

NUENDO

4 – 58 Recording

3. Edit the takes so that only the parts you want to keep can be heard.

You can cut events with the Scissors tool, resize them, mute them or delete them.

The sections that will be heard are indicated in green.

4. When you are satisfied with the result, select all events on all lanes

and select “Delete Overlaps” from the Advanced submenu on the Audio menu.

This puts all events back on a single lane and resizes events so that overlapped sections are removed.

5. To turn off the lane display mode for the track, click the Lane Display

Type button in the track list and select “Lanes Off”.

If the button is hidden, you can bring it to view in the Track Controls Settings dialog – see page 714.

The Lane Display Type button.

NUENDO

Recording 4 – 59

Recording with effects

Normally you record the audio signals “dry” and add effects non-destructively during playback as described in the chapter “Audio effects”. However, Nuendo also allows you to add effects (and/or EQ) directly while you are recording. This is done by adding insert effects and/or making EQ settings for the input channel in the mixer. Note:

• This will make the effects become part of the audio file itself – you cannot change the effect settings after recording.

About the record format

When you record with effects you should consider setting the record format (bit depth) to 32 Bit Float. This is done in the Project Setup dialog on the Project menu. Note that this isn’t required in any way – you can record with effects in 24 or 16 Bit format should you so like. However, there are two advantages to 32 Bit Float format:

• With 32 Bit Float recording you don’t risk clipping (digital distortion) in the recorded files.

This can of course be avoided with 24 or 16 Bit recording as well, but requires more care with the levels.

• Nuendo processes audio internally in 32 Bit Float format – recording in the same format means the audio quality will be kept absolutely pristine.

The reason is that the effect processing in the input channel (as well as any level or EQ settings you make there) is done in 32 Bit Float format. If you record at 16 or 24 Bit, the audio will be converted to this lower resolution when it’s written to file – with possible signal degradation as a result.

Note also that it doesn’t matter at which actual resolution your audio hardware works. Even if the signal from the audio hardware is in 16 Bit resolution, the signal will be 32 Bit Float after the effects are added in the input channel.

NUENDO

4 – 60 Recording

An example

This example shows how to apply the DeNoiser noise reduction effect while recording. This could be useful if you are recording noisy material (e.g. from an old tape or vinyl record). Note that this is only an example – you could add any effect (or any combination of effects) to a recording in the same way.

1. Set up an audio track for recording and select the desired input bus.

Also, for best results you should activate monitoring as this allows you to hear and try out your settings before actually recording. See page 49 for a description of monitoring via Nuendo.

2. Open the Mixer and make sure the full extended view is shown.

Click here to show the extended panel.

3. Locate the input channel (bus) from which you record.

If the input channels are hidden, click on the Show/Hide Input Channels button to the left.

4. Check the input level (of the signal coming into the audio hardware)

as described on page 47 and adjust the level of the source audio if necessary.

NUENDO

Recording 4 – 61

5. Pull down the View Options pop-up menu for the input channel and select “Inserts”.

The View Options pop-up menu is opened by clicking the arrow button between the fader panel and the extended panel.

Now the extended panel for the input channel shows the insert slots.

6. Click on an insert slot and select an effect from the pop-up menu that appears.

As you see, the included effects are sorted into submenus – you will find the DeNoiser effect on the “Restoration” submenu.

The effect is loaded and activated and its control panel is automatically opened.

7. Play back a bit of your source audio to let the DeNoiser analyze the material and “learn” the signal.

NUENDO

4 – 62 Recording

8. Use the Offset slider to set the light green line in the display just

above the yellow noise floor graph.

9. Play back the source audio and use the Reduction and Ambience slid-

ers to set the optimum noise reduction.

The Reduction slider governs the amount of noise reduction – lower it to remove more noise. The Ambience slider helps restoring the natural ambience in the audio which can otherwise be lost in the noise reduction process – raise this a bit if you find the sound lifeless or sterile. For more on the DeNoiser parameters, see the separate Audio Effects pdf.

10.When the effect is set up as desired, you should check the level of the

input channel (by setting the VU Meters to post-fader, see page 48).

Use the input channel fader to adjust the level if needed.

11.Activate recording.

12.When you’re finished you can play back the recorded audio track.

As you can hear, the noise reduction you applied is now a part of the actual audio file.

13.If you don’t want to record more with the same plug-in, you should de-

activate it by clicking in the insert slot and selecting “No Effect”.

NUENDO

Recording 4 – 63

MIDI Recording Specifics

Activating MIDI Thru

As described in the Getting Started book, the normal way to work with MIDI is to have MIDI Thru activated in Nuendo, and Local Off selected in your MIDI Instrument(s). In this mode, everything you play during recording will be “echoed” back out again on the MIDI output and channel selected for the recording track.

1. Make sure the option “MIDI Thru Active” is activated in the Preferences dialog (MIDI page).

2. Record enable the track(s) on which you want to record.

Now, incoming MIDI is “echoed” back out again, for all record enabled MIDI tracks.

Record Enable button. Monitor button.

• If you just want to use the Thru function for a MIDI track without recording, activate the monitor button for the track instead.

This is useful e.g. if you want to try out different sounds or play a VST instrument in real time without recording your playing.

Setting MIDI channel, input and output

Setting the MIDI channel in the instrument

Most MIDI synthesizers can play several sounds at the same time, each on a different MIDI channel. This is the key to playing back several sounds (bass, piano etc.) from the same instrument. Some devices (such as General MIDI compatible sound modules) always receive on all 16 MIDI channels. If you have such an instrument, there’s no specific setting you need to make in the instrument. On other instruments you will have to use the front panel controls to set up a number of “Parts”, “Timbres” or similar so that they receive on one MIDI channel each. See the manual that came with your instrument for more information.

NUENDO

4 – 64 Recording

Naming MIDI ports in Nuendo

MIDI inputs and outputs can often be shown with unnecessarily long and complicated names. If you wish, you can rename your MIDI ports to more descriptive names:

1. Open the Device Setup dialog from the Devices menu.

2. Select the Windows MIDI or DirectMusic (Win) or MIDI System (Mac)

device in the Device list.

The available MIDI inputs and outputs are listed on the Setup tab. Under Windows, which device to choose depends on your system.

3. To change the name of a MIDI port, click in the Device column and

type in a new name.

After closing the dialog, the new names will appear on the MIDI “in:” and “out:” pop-ups.

Setting the MIDI input in the Inspector

You select MIDI inputs for tracks in the Inspector – the area to the left of the Track list in the Project window:

1. If the Inspector is hidden, click the Show Inspector button on the tool-

bar.

2. Select the track by clicking in the Track list.

The Inspector shows the settings for the selected track (for details, see page 86).

3. Click the icon in the upper right corner of the Inspector to make sure

the topmost section is shown.

NUENDO

Recording 4 – 65

4. Pull down the “in” pop-up menu and select an input.

The available MIDI inputs are shown. The items on the menu depend on the type of MIDI interface you are using etc.

• If you select the “All MIDI Inputs” option, the track will receive MIDI data from all available MIDI inputs.

• If you hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] and select a MIDI input, this is selected for all MIDI tracks.

Setting the MIDI channel and output

The MIDI channel and output settings determine where the recorded MIDI is routed during playback, but are also relevant for MIDI Thru in Nuendo. Channel and output can be selected in the Track list or in the Inspector. The procedure below describes how to make the settings in the Inspector, but it can be done in largely the same manner in the Track list as well.

1. To show the settings in the Inspector, proceed as when selecting a MIDI input (see above).

2. Pull down the “out:” pop-up menu and select an output.

The available MIDI outputs are shown. The items on the menu depend on what type of MIDI interface you are using etc.

• If you hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] and select a MIDI output, this is selected for all MIDI tracks.

NUENDO

4 – 66 Recording

3. Use the “chn” pop-up menu to select a MIDI channel for the track.

• If you set the track to MIDI channel “Any”, each MIDI event on the track

will be sent out on the channel stored in the event itself.

In other words, the MIDI material will be played back on the channel(s) used by the MIDI input device (the MIDI instrument you play during recording).

Selecting a sound

You can select sounds from within Nuendo, by instructing the program to send Program Change and Bank Select messages to your MIDI device. This is done using the “prg” and “bnk” value fields in the Inspector or Track list.

Program Change messages give access to 128 different program locations. If your MIDI instruments have more than 128 programs, Bank Select messages (set in the “bnk” value field) allow you to select different banks, each containing 128 programs.

• Bank Select messages are recognized differently by different MIDI instruments. Also, the structure and numbering of banks and programs may vary. Consult the documentation of your MIDI instruments for details.

• Note that it is also possible to select sounds by name. For descriptions of how to set this up, see the separate “MIDI devices and features” pdf document.

NUENDO

Recording 4 – 67

Recording

Recording MIDI is done according to the basic recording methods (see page 39). When you finish recording, a part containing MIDI events is created in the Project window.

About overlap and the Rec Mode setting

MIDI tracks are different from audio tracks when it comes to overlapping parts:

• All events in overlapping parts are always played back.

If you record several parts at the same locations (or move parts so that they overlap), you will hear the events in all parts on playback, even though some of the parts are obscured in the Project window.

When recording overlapping parts, the result depends on the Rec Mode setting on the Transport panel:

• If Rec Mode is set to “Normal”, overdub recording works as with audio tracks, i.e. if you record again where something has already been recorded, you get a new part that overlaps the previous one(s).

• If Rec Mode is set to “Merge”, the overdubbed events are added to the existing part.

• If Rec Mode is set to “Replace”, the new recording replaces any existing events in the area on that track.

About punch in and out on MIDI tracks

Performing and setting up manual and automatic punch in/out recording for MIDI tracks is done in exactly the same way as for audio tracks. There is one thing to note, however:

• Punching in and out on recordings with Pitch Bend or controller data (modulation wheel, sustain pedal, volume etc.) may lead to strange effects (apparently hanging notes, constant vibrato etc.).

If this happens, you may need to use the Reset item on the MIDI menu (see page 72).

About the Auto Quantize function

If Auto Quantize is activated on the Transport panel (the “Auto Q” button), the notes you record are automatically quantized according to the current Quantize settings. For more information about quantizing, see page 469.

NUENDO

4 – 68 Recording

Recording MIDI in cycle mode

When you record MIDI in cycle mode, the result depends on which Cycle Record mode is selected on the Transport panel:

Cycle Rec mode: Mix (MIDI)

For each completed lap, everything you record is added to what was previously recorded, in the same part. This is useful for building up rhythm patterns, for example. Record a hi-hat part on the first lap, the bass drum part on the second lap etc.

Cycle Rec mode: Overwrite (MIDI)

As soon as you play a MIDI note (or send any MIDI message) all MIDI you have recorded on previous laps is overwritten – from that point on in the part. An example:

1. You start recording in an eight bar cycle.

2. The first take wasn’t good enough – you start directly with a new take

on the next cycle lap and overwrite the first take.

3. After recording the second take you let the recording roll on and lis-

ten, without playing anything.

You find that the take was good up until bar seven, for example.

4. On the next lap, you wait until bar seven and start playing.

This way you will overwrite the last two bars only.

5. Make sure you stop playing before the next lap begins – otherwise

you will overwrite the entire take.

Cycle Rec mode: Keep Last

Each completed lap replaces the previously recorded lap. Note:

• The cycle lap must be completed – if you deactivate recording or

press Stop before the cursor reaches the right locator, the previous take will be kept.

• If you don’t play or input any MIDI during a lap, nothing happens (the

previous take will be kept).

NUENDO

Recording 4 – 69

Cycle Rec mode: Stacked

In this mode, the following happens:

• Each recorded cycle lap is turned into a separate MIDI part.

• The track is divided into “lanes”, one for each cycle lap.

• The parts are stacked above each other, each on a different lane.

• All takes but the last one are muted.

This makes it easy to create a “perfect take” by combining the best parts from the different cycle laps. You can edit the parts in the Project window (by cutting, resizing and deleting) or you can use a MIDI editor as in the following example:

1. Unmute the muted takes by clicking the parts with the Mute tool.

2. Select all takes (parts) and open them in the Key Editor for example.

3. Use the part list pop-up menu on the toolbar to select which part to

edit.

See page 490.

4. Remove or edit notes as desired.

5. When you are happy with the result, close the editor.

6. To turn it all into a single MIDI part (containing your “perfect take”), se-

lect all parts and select Merge MIDI in Loop from the MIDI menu.

7. In the dialog that appears, activate the Erase Destination option and click OK.

The remaining events in the parts are merged together into a single part.

NUENDO

4 – 70 Recording

Recording different types of MIDI messages

❐

You can decide exactly which event types should be recorded by using the MIDI filters – see page 75.

Notes

With MIDI, when you press and release a key on your synth or other MIDI keyboard, a Note On (key down) and a Note Off (key up) message are sent out. The MIDI note message also contains the information which MIDI channel was used. Normally, this information is overridden by the MIDI channel setting for the track, but if you set the track to MIDI channel “Any”, the notes will be played back on their original channels.

Continuous messages

Pitch bend, aftertouch and controllers (like modulation wheel, sustain pedal, volume etc.) are considered as MIDI continuous events (as opposed to the momentary key down and key up messages). If you move the Pitch bend wheel on your synthesizer while recording, this movement is recorded together with the key (Note On and Note Off messages), just as you’d expect. But the continuous messages can also be recorded after the notes have been recorded (or even before). They can also be recorded on their own tracks, separately from the notes to which they belong.

Say for instance that you record one or several bass parts on track 2. If you now set another track, like track 55, to the same output and MIDI channel as track 2 you can make a separate recording of just pitch bends for the bass parts. This means that you activate recording as usual and only move the pitch bend wheel during the take. As long as the two tracks are set to the same output and MIDI channel it will appear to the MIDI instrument as if the two recordings were made at the same time.

NUENDO

Recording 4 – 71

Program Change messages

Normally, when you switch from one program to another on your keyboard (or whatever you use to record), a number corresponding to that program is sent out via MIDI as a Program Change message. These can be recorded on the fly with the music, recorded afterwards on a separate track, or manually entered in the Key or List Editors.

System Exclusive messages

System Exclusive (SysEx) is a special type of MIDI message used to send data that only makes sense to a unit of a certain make and type. Every major MIDI manufacturer has its own SysEx identity code and these are part of practically all SysEx messages. SysEx can be used to transmit a list of the numbers that make up the settings of one or more sounds in a synth. For more about viewing and editing SysEx messages, see the separate “MIDI devices and features” document.

The Reset function

The Reset function on the MIDI menu sends out note-off messages and resets controllers on all MIDI channels. This is sometimes necessary if you experience hanging notes, constant vibrato, etc.

• Nuendo can also automatically perform a MIDI reset during playback (after each part) and/or on stop.

You turn these functions on or off in the Preferences dialog (MIDI page).

NUENDO

4 – 72 Recording

Retrospective Record

This feature allows you to capture any MIDI notes you play in Stop mode or during playback and turn them into a MIDI part “after the fact”. This is possible due to the fact that Nuendo can capture MIDI input in buffer memory, even when not recording.

Proceed as follows:

1. Enable the Retrospective Record function in the Preferences dialog

(Record page).

This activates the buffering of MIDI input, making Retrospective Record possible.

2. Make sure a MIDI track is record enabled.

3. When you have played some MIDI material you want to capture (either

in Stop mode or during playback), select Retrospective Record from the Transport menu (or use the key command, by default [Shift]-[Pad*]).

The contents of the MIDI buffer (i.e. what you just played) is turned into a MIDI part on the record enabled track. The part will appear where the project cursor was when you started playing – this means that if you played along during playback, the captured notes will end up exactly where you played them in relation to the project.

• The Retrospective Record Buffer Size setting in the Preferences dia-

log (Record page) determines how much data can be captured.

NUENDO

Recording 4 – 73

MIDI Preferences

The following options and settings in the Preferences dialog affect MIDI recording and playback:

MIDI page

• Length Adjustment

Adjusts the length of notes so that there always is a short time between the end of one note and the start of another (of the same pitch and on the same MIDI channel). You set the time in ticks. By default there are 120 ticks per 1/16 note, but you can adjust this with the MIDI Display Resolution setting on the same page.

Record page

• Snap MIDI Parts to Bars

When this is activated, recorded MIDI parts will automatically be lengthened to start and end at whole bar positions. If you are working in a Bars+Beats-based context, this can make editing (moving, duplicating, repeating, etc.) easier.

• Solo Record in MIDI Editors

If this is activated and you open a part for editing in a MIDI editor, its track is automatically record enabled. Furthermore, Record Enable is deactivated for all other MIDI tracks until you close the editor again. This makes it easier to record MIDI data when you’re editing a part – you will always be sure the recorded data ends up in the edited part and not on any other track.

• MIDI Record Catch Range in ms

When you record starting at the left locator, this setting helps you make sure the very start of the recording is included. A very annoying scenario is when you have recorded a perfect MIDI take, only to find out that the very first note wasn’t included – because you started playing a little bit too early! If you raise the Record Catch Range, Nuendo will catch the events played just before the recording start point, eliminating this problem.

NUENDO

4 – 74 Recording

Filtering MIDI

The MIDI–MIDI Filter page in the Preferences dialog allows you to prevent certain MIDI messages from being recorded and/or “thruput” (echoed by the MIDI Thru function).

The dialog is divided into four sections:

Section Description

Record Activating any of these options prevents that type of MIDI message from

being recorded. It will, however, be thruput, and if already recorded, it will play back normally.

Thru Activating any of these options prevents that type of MIDI message from

being thruput. It will, however, be recorded and played back normally.

Channels If you activate a channel button, no MIDI messages on that MIDI channel

will be recorded or thruput. Already recorded messages will, however, be played back normally.

Controller Allows you to prevent certain MIDI controller types from being recorded

or thruput. To filter out a controller type, select it from the list at the top of the Controller section and click “Add”. It will appear on the list below. To remove a controller type from the list (allow it to be recorded and thruput), select it in the lower list and click “Remove”.

NUENDO

Recording 4 – 75

Options and Settings

Recording-related Preferences

A couple of settings in the Preferences dialog (Transport page) are relevant for recording. Set these according to your preferred method of work:

Deactivate Punch In on Stop

If this is activated, punch in on the Transport panel is automatically deactivated whenever you enter Stop mode.

Stop after Automatic Punch Out

If this is activated, playback will automatically stop after automatic punch out (when the project cursor reaches the right locator and punch out is activated on the Transport panel). If the postroll value on the Transport panel is set to a value other than zero, playback will continue for the set time before stopping (see below).

NUENDO

4 – 76 Recording

About Preroll and Postroll

Preroll value field and on/off switch.

Postroll value field and on/off switch.

The preroll and postroll value fields (below the left/right locator fields) on the Transport panel have the following functionality:

• By setting a preroll value, you instruct Nuendo to “roll back” a short section whenever playback is activated.

This applies whenever you start playback, but is perhaps most relevant when recording from the left locator (punch in activated on the Transport panel) as described below.

• By setting a postroll value, you instruct Nuendo to play back a short section after automatic punch out, before stopping.

This is only relevant when punch out is activated on the Transport panel and “Stop after Automatic Punchout” is activated in the Preferences dialog (Transport page).

• To turn pre- or postroll on or off, click the corresponding button on the Transport panel (next to the pre/postroll value) or use the “Use Preroll” and “Use Postroll” options on the Transport menu.

An example:

1. Set the locators to where you want to start and end recording.

2. Activate punch in and punch out on the Transport panel.

3. Activate the option “Stop after Automatic Punchout” in the Preferences

dialog (Transport page).

4. Set suitable preroll and postroll times by clicking in the corresponding fields on the Transport panel and typing in time values.

5. Activate pre- and postroll by clicking the buttons next to the preroll and postroll times so that they light up.

6. Activate recording.

The project cursor “rolls back” by the time specified in the preroll field and playback starts. When the cursor reaches the left locator, recording is automatically activated. When the cursor reaches the right locator, recording is deactivated, but playback continues for the time set in the postroll field before stopping.

NUENDO

Recording 4 – 77

Using the metronome

The metronome will output a click that can be used as a timing reference. The two parameters that govern the timing of the metronome are tempo and time signature, and these are edited in the Tempo Track window (see page 554).

You can use the metronome for a click during recording and/or playback or for a precount (count-in) that will be heard when you start recording from Stop mode. Click and precount are activated separately:

• To activate the metronome, click the Click button on the Transport panel.

You can also select “Metronome On” from the Transport menu or use the corresponding key command (by default [C]).

• To activate the precount, click the Precount button on the Transport panel.

You can also select “Precount On” from the Transport menu or set up a key command for this.

Click on/off Precount on/off

Metronome settings

You make settings for the metronome in the Metronome Setup dialog, opened from the Transport menu.

The metronome can use either an audio click played back via the audio hardware, send MIDI data to a connected device which will play back the click or do both.

NUENDO

4 – 78 Recording

The following metronome settings can be made in the dialog:

Parameter Description

MIDI Click on/off Selects whether or not the metronome will sound via MIDI.

MIDI Output Use the pop-up to select a MIDI output for the metronome click.

Channel Selects the MIDI channel for the metronome click.

High Note Sets the MIDI note number for the “high note” (the first beat in a

bar).

High Velocity Sets the velocity value for the “high note” (the first beat in a bar).

Low Note Sets the MIDI note number for the “low note” (the other beats).

Low Velocity Sets the velocity value for the “low note” (the other beats).

Audio Click on/off Selects whether or not the metronome will sound via the audio

hardware.

Audio Click Volume slider

Click during Allows you to specify whether the metronome should be heard

Use Count Base If this option is activated, you use the field to the right to specify

Precount Bars Sets the number of bars the metronome will count in before it

From Tempo Track When this is activated, the precount will be in the time signature

Use Signature If “From Tempo Track” is deactivated, you can use these fields to

Adjusts the volume for the audio click.

during playback, recording or both (when Click is activated on the Transport panel).

the “rhythm” of the metronome. Normally, the metronome plays one click per beat, but setting this to e.g. “1/8” gives you eighth notes – two clicks per quarter note beat. It’s also possible to create unusual metronome rhythms such as triplets etc.

starts recording if precount is activated on the Transport panel.

set in the Tempo track. Furthermore, any tempo changes in the Tempo track during the precount will be applied.

set a time signature for the precount. In this mode, tempo changes in the Tempo track won’t affect the precount.

NUENDO

Recording 4 – 79

NUENDO

4 – 80 Recording

The Project window

Background

The Project window is the main window in Nuendo. This provides you with an overview of the project, allowing you to navigate and perform large scale editing. Each project has one Project window.

About tracks

The Project window is divided vertically into tracks, with a timeline running horizontally from left to right. The following track types are available:

Track type Description

Audio For recording and playing back audio events and audio parts. Each au-

dio track has a corresponding audio channel in the mixer. An audio track can have any number of automation “subtracks” for automating mixer channel parameters, insert effect settings etc.

Folder Folder tracks function as containers for other tracks, making it easier to

organize and manage the track structure. They also allow you to edit several tracks at the same time. See page 141.

FX Channel FX channel tracks are used for adding send effects. Each FX channel

can contain up to eight effect processors – by routing effect sends from an audio channel to an FX channel, you send audio from the audio channel to the effect(s) on the FX channel. Each FX channel has a corresponding channel strip in the mixer – in essence an effect return channel. See page 242 for more about FX Channel tracks and send effects. An FX channel can also have any number of automation subtracks for automating mixer channel parameters, effect settings etc. All FX channel tracks are automatically placed in a special FX channel folder in the Track list, for easy management.

Group Channel

MIDI For recording and playing back MIDI parts. Each MIDI track has a corre-

By routing several audio channels to a Group channel, you can submix them, apply the same effects to them, etc. (see page 219). A Group channel track contains no events as such, but displays settings and automation curves for the corresponding Group channel. Each Group channel track has a corresponding channel strip in the mixer. In the Project window, Group channels are organized as subtracks in a special Group Tracks folder.

sponding MIDI channel strip in the mixer. A MIDI track can have any number of automation “subtracks” for automating mixer channel parameters, insert and send effect settings etc.

NUENDO

5 – 82 The Project window

Track type Description

Marker The Marker track displays markers, and allows you to move and rename

them directly in the Project window (see page 154). There can only be one Marker track in the project.

Ruler Ruler tracks contain additional rulers, displaying the timeline from left to

right. You can use any number of ruler tracks, each with a different display format if you wish. See page 94 for more information about the ruler and the display formats.

Video For playing back video events. A project can only have one Video track.

About parts and events

Events are the basic building blocks in Nuendo. Different event types are handled differently in the Project window:

• Video events and automation events (curve points) are always viewed and rearranged directly in the Project window.

• MIDI events are always gathered in MIDI parts, containers for one or more MIDI events. MIDI parts are rearranged and manipulated in the Project window. To edit the individual MIDI events in a part, you have to open the part in a MIDI editor (see page 488).

• Audio events can be displayed and edited directly in the Project window, but you can also work with audio parts containing several events. This is useful if you have a number of events which you want to treat as one unit in the project.

An audio event and an audio part.

NUENDO

The Project window 5 – 83

Window Overview

The Inspector.

Project overview

Track list with various track types.

The toolbar.The info line.

The ruler.

The event display, showing audio parts and events, MIDI parts, automation, markers, etc.

NUENDO

5 – 84 The Project window

The Track list

The Track list is the area to the left in the Project window. It contains name fields and various settings for the tracks. Different track types have different controls in the Track list. To see all the controls you may have to resize the track in the Track list (see page 100):

• The Track list area for an audio track:

Mute & Solo

Track name

Show/hide automation

Edit channel settings

Indicates whether effect sends, EQ or insert effects are activated for the track. Click to bypass.

Record Enable

Monitoring on/off

Musical/Linear time base (see page 110)

Automation Read/ Write buttons

Output activity indicator

Lock track button

• The Track list area for an automation subtrack (revealed by clicking the + button on a track):

Expand automation track (show more parameters)

Mute Lock track button

Automation Read/Write buttons

Automation parameter (click to select parameter)

• The Track list area for a MIDI track:

Mute

Solo

Record Enable

Track name

Monitoring on/off

Drum map assign button

Lock track button

MIDI channel

MIDI Output Bank Program

Automation Read/ Write buttons

The Project window 5 – 85

Output activity indicator

NUENDO

The Inspector

The area to the left of the Track list is called the Inspector. This shows additional controls and parameters for the track you have selected in the Track list. If several tracks are selected (see page 106), the Inspector shows the setting for the first (topmost) selected track.

To hide or show the Inspector, click the Inspector icon in the toolbar.

The Inspector icon.

• For most track classes, the Inspector is divided into a number of sec-

tions, each containing different controls for the track. You can hide or show sections by clicking the tabs in their top right corner.

Clicking the tab for a hidden section brings it to view and hides the other sections. [Ctrl]/[Command]-clicking the tab allows you to hide or show a section without affecting other sections. Finally, [Alt]/[Option]-clicking a tab shows or hides all sections in the Inspector.

• Folding a section does not affect the functionality but merely hides the section from view.

In other words, if you have set up a track parameter or activated an effect for example, your settings will still be active even if you fold the Inspector section.

Which sections are available in the Inspector depends on the selected track’s class.

NUENDO

5 – 86 The Project window

Sections

In general, the Inspector contains the same controls as the Track list, but there are also some additional buttons and parameters. Below is a list of all common, possible settings and sections, their controls and usage, followed by descriptions of which sections are actually available for each type of track:

Parameter Description

Auto Fades Settings button

Edit button Opens the Channel Settings window for the track, allowing you to

Volume Use this to adjust the level for the track. Changing this setting will

Pan Use this to adjust the panning of the track. As with the Volume set-

Delay This adjusts the playback timing of the audio track. Positive values

In This lets you specify which Input bus the track should use (see page

Opens a dialog in which you can make separate Auto Fade settings for the track. See page 179.

view and adjust effect and EQ settings, etc. See page 209.

move the track’s fader in the mixer window, and vice versa. See page

199 to learn more about setting levels.

ting, this corresponds to the Pan setting in the mixer.

delay the playback while negative values cause the track to play earlier. The values are set in milliseconds.

14 for information about Input busses).

NUENDO

The Project window 5 – 87

Parameter Description

Out Here, you decide to which output bus (see page 14) the track should

be routed. Audio tracks can also be routed to a Group channel instead.

Inserts section Allows you to add insert effects to the track, see page 232. The Edit

button at the top of the section opens the control panels for the added insert effects.

Equalizers section

Equalizer Curve section

Sends section Allows you to route an audio track to one or several FX channels (up

Channel section Shows a duplicate of the corresponding mixer channel strip. The

Notepad section This is a standard text notepad, allowing you to jot down notes about

Network section This contains controls related to Nuendo’s Network functions. See

Lets you adjust the EQs for the track. You can have up to four bands of EQ for each track, see page 211. The Edit button at the top of the section opens the Channel Settings window for the track.

Lets you adjust the EQs for the track graphically, by clicking and dragging points in a curve display.

to eight), see page 242. For MIDI tracks, this is where you assign MIDI send effects. The Edit button at the top of the section opens the control panel for the first effect in each FX channel.

channel overview strip to the left lets you activate and deactivate insert effects, EQs and sends.

the track.

the Networking pdf document for information.

Audio tracks

For audio tracks, all settings and sections listed above are available.

MIDI tracks

When a MIDI track is selected, the Inspector contains a number of additional sections and parameters, affecting the MIDI events in real time (e.g. on playback). Which sections are available for MIDI tracks is described in a separate chapter, see page 451.

Marker tracks

When a marker track is selected, the Inspector shows the marker list. See page 150.

NUENDO

5 – 88 The Project window

Folder tracks

When a folder track is selected, the Inspector shows the folder and its underlying tracks, much like a folder structure in the Windows Explorer or Mac OS X Finder.

• You can click one of the tracks shown under the folder in the Inspector to have the Inspector show the settings for that track.

This way, you don’t have to “open” a folder track to make settings for tracks within it.

Here, an audio track within the folder is selected.

FX channel tracks

When an FX channel track is selected, the following controls and sections are available:

• Edit button.

• Volume control.

• Pan control.

• Output routing pop-up menu.

• Inserts section.

• Equalizers section.

• Channel section.

• Notepad section.

NUENDO

The Project window 5 – 89

FX channel folder tracks

FX channel tracks are automatically placed in a special folder, for easier management. When this folder track is selected, the Inspector shows the folder and the FX channels it contains. You can click one of the FX channels shown in the folder to have the Inspector show the settings for that FX channel – this way you don’t have to “open” a folder track to access the settings for the FX channels in it.

Group channel tracks

When a Group channel track is selected, the following controls and sections are available:

• Edit button.

• Volume control.

• Pan control.

• Output routing pop-up menu.

• Inserts section.

• Equalizers section.

• Sends section.

• Channel section.

• Notepad section.

Group channel folder tracks

Just like FX channel tracks, all Group channel tracks are placed in a separate folder – when this is selected, the Inspector shows the folder and the Group channels it contains. You can click one of the Group channels shown in the folder to have the Inspector show the settings for that Group channel – this way, you don’t have to “open” a folder track to access the settings for the Group channels in it.

Video tracks

When a Video track is selected, the Inspector shows the following sections:

• Notepad section

• Network section.

Ruler tracks

For ruler tracks, the Inspector isn’t used.

NUENDO

5 – 90 The Project window

The toolbar

The toolbar contains tools and shortcuts for opening other windows and various project settings and functions:

Constrain delay compensation (see page 268)

Active project indicator

Show/hide Inspector

Transport controls (Stop, Play, Record and Cycle)

Snap on/off

Snap mode

Show/hide info line

Show/hide Overview

Project window tools Autoscroll on/off

Grid pop-up menu

Open Pool

Automation mode

Open Mixer

Color pop-up menu

Quantize value

• In addition, the toolbar can contain a number of other tools and shortcuts, not visible by default. How to set up the toolbar and specify which tools should be displayed or hidden is described on page 712.

NUENDO

The Project window 5 – 91

The info line

The info line shows information about the currently selected event or part in the Project window. You can edit almost all values in the info line using regular value editing. Length and position values are displayed in the format currently selected for the ruler (see page 94).

• To hide or show the info line, click this icon on the toolbar:

The following elements can be selected for display and editing on the info line:

• Audio events.

• Audio parts.

• MIDI parts.

• Video events.

• Markers.

• Automation curve points.

When several elements are selected

• If you have several elements selected, the info line will show information about the first item in the selection. The values will be shown in yellow to indicate that several elements are selected.

• If you edit a value on the info line, the value change is applied to all selected elements, relatively to the current values.

An example: You have two audio events selected. The first is one bar long and the other two bars long. The info line shows the length of the first event (one bar). If you now edit this value to 3 bars in the info line, the other event will be resized by the same amount – and will thus be 4 bars long.

• If you press [Ctrl]/[Command] and edit on the info line, the values will be absolute instead. In our example above, both events would be resized to 3 bars. Note that [Ctrl]/[Command] is the default modifier key for this – you can change this in the Preferences dialog (Editing-Tool Modifiers page, under the Info Line category).

NUENDO

5 – 92 The Project window

Editing Transpose and Velocity for MIDI parts

When one or several MIDI parts are selected, the info line contains Transpose and Velocity fields.

• Adjusting the Transpose field transposes the selected parts in semi-

tone steps.

Note that this transposition doesn’t change the actual notes in the part – it’s just a “play parameter”, affecting the notes on playback. The transposition you specify for a part on the info line is added to the transposition set for the whole track with the Transpose track parameter in the Inspector (see page 456).

• Adjusting the Velocity field shifts the velocity for the selected parts –

the value you specify is added to the velocities of the notes in the parts.

Again, this velocity shift only affects the notes on playback, and again, the value you specify is added to the Vel.Shift. value set for the whole MIDI track in the Inspector (see page 456).

NUENDO

The Project window 5 – 93

The ruler

The ruler at the top of the event display shows the timeline. Initially, the Project window ruler uses the display format specified in the Project Setup dialog (see page 97), as do all other rulers and position displays in the project. However, you can select an independent display format for the ruler by clicking the arrow button to the right of it and selecting an option from the pop-up menu that appears (you can also bring up this pop-up menu by right-clicking anywhere in the ruler).

Option Positions and lengths displayed as

Bars+Beats Bars, beats, sixteenth notes and ticks. By default there are 120

ticks per sixteenth note but you can adjust this with the “MIDI Display Resolution” setting in the Preferences dialog (MIDI page).

Seconds Hours, minutes, seconds and milliseconds.

Timecode This format displays hours, minutes, seconds and frames. The

number of frames per second (fps) is set in the Project Setup dialog (see page 97). You can choose from 24, 25, 29.97 and 30 fps or 29.97 and 30 dfps (“drop frame”).

Feet+Frames 16mm Feet and frames, with 40 frames per foot.

Feet+Frames 35mm Feet, frames and 1/4 frames, with 16 frames per foot.

Samples Samples.

User Hours, minutes, seconds and frames, with a user definable num-

ber of frames per second. You set the desired number of fps in the Preferences dialog (Transport page). See page 97.

• The selection you make here affects the ruler, the info line and tool tip position values (appear when you drag an event in the Project window).

You can also select independent formats for other rulers and position displays.

• To set the display format globally (for all windows), use the primary display format pop-up on the Transport panel, or hold down [Ctrl]/ [Command] and select a display format in any ruler.

• If you use the “Timecode” or “User” options and the option “Show Timecode Subframes” is activated in the Preferences dialog (Transport page), the frames will also display subframes.

There are 80 subframes per frame.

NUENDO

5 – 94 The Project window

• For the “Feet+Frames” settings, there is an option in the Preferences

(Transport page) called “Feet’n’Frames Count from Project Start”.

When this is activated, time displays and rulers in Feet+Frames format will always start with 0’00 at the beginning of the project - regardless of any Start offset settings in the Project Setup dialog.

Using multiple rulers – ruler tracks

As described above, the Nuendo Project window contains a main ruler at the top of the event display, displaying the timeline from left to right.

If needed, you can have several rulers in the Project window, by adding ruler tracks to the project. Each ruler track contains an additional ruler.

• To add a ruler track, select “Add Track” from the Project menu and

from the submenu that appears, select “Ruler”.

A ruler track showing an additional ruler is added to the Track list.

A ruler track set to the display format “Seconds”.

You can add any number of ruler tracks to a project, and position them as needed by dragging them up or down in the list. Each one can show a separate display format:

• To select a display format for a ruler track, click the leftmost part of it

in the track list and select an option from the pop-up menu.

See the section “The ruler” above for descriptions of the different display formats.

NUENDO

The Project window 5 – 95

Note that ruler tracks are completely independent from the main event display ruler, as well as rulers and position displays in other windows. This means that:

• Ruler tracks can all have independent display formats.

• Ruler tracks are not affected by the display format setting in the Project Setup dialog (see page 97).

• Ruler tracks are not affected if you set the display format globally with the primary time display in the Transport panel.

• Ruler tracks are however affected by the option “Show Timecode Subframes” (described above) in the Preferences dialog.

NUENDO

5 – 96 The Project window

Operations

Creating a new project

You create a new project in the following way:

1. Select “New Project” from the File menu.

A dialog appears, listing a number of project templates, including any custom templates you may have created (see page 682).

2. Select a template and click OK.

A file dialog appears, allowing you to specify a location for the project folder. This will contain all files related to the project.

3. Select an existing folder or type the name of a new one. Click OK.

A Project window appears. The new project will be based on the selected template, and include tracks, events and settings from the template.

The Project Setup dialog

General settings for the project are made in the Project Setup dialog. This is opened by selecting “Project Setup...” from the Project menu.

NUENDO

The Project window 5 – 97

The following settings are available in the Project Setup dialog:

Setting Description

Start The start time of the project. Allows you to have the project start at

another time than zero. Also used for setting the sync start position when synchronizing Nuendo to external devices (see page 624). See also the note about “Feet’n’Frames Count from Project Start” on page 95.

Length The length of the project.

Frame Rate Used if you are synchronizing Nuendo with external equipment. If

Nuendo is the slave, this value is automatically set to the frame rate of the incoming sync signal. If Nuendo is the master, this determines the frame rate of the sent sync signal. See page 637.

Display Format This is the global display format used for all rulers and position dis-

plays in the program, except ruler tracks (see page 90). However, you can make independent display format selections for the individual rulers and displays if you like. For descriptions of the different display format options, see page 94.

Display Offset Offsets the time positions displayed in the ruler etc., allowing you to

compensate for the Start position setting. Typically, if you synchronize Nuendo to an external source starting at a frame other than zero, you set the Start position to this value. However, if you still want the display in Nuendo to start at zero, set the Display Offset to the same value too.

Bar Offset This works just like “Display Offset” described above, in that it off-

sets the time positions in the ruler by a number of bars, allowing you to compensate for the Start position setting. The difference is that Bar Offset is only used when the “Bars+Beats” display format is selected (see page 94).

Sample Rate The sample rate at which Nuendo records and plays back audio.

Record Format When you record audio files in Nuendo, they are recorded with this

resolution. See page 43.

Record File Type The file type that should be created when you record audio. See

page 43.

Stereo Pan Law Decides whether panning should use power compensation or not.

This is explained on page 206.

❐

While most settings in the Project Setup can be changed at any time, you should select a sample rate once and for all when starting with a new project! All audio files must be of this sample rate to play back correctly.

NUENDO

5 – 98 The Project window

Zoom and view options

Zooming in the Project window is done according to the standard zoom procedures (see the Getting Started book), with the following special notes:

• When you are using the Zoom tool (magnifying glass), the result de-

pends on the option “Zoom Tool Standard Mode: Horizontal Zooming Only” in the Preferences - Editing dialog.

If this is activated and you drag a selection rectangle with the Zoom tool, the window will only be zoomed horizontally (track height will not change). If the option is off, the window will be zoomed both horizontally and vertically.

• When using the vertical zoom sliders, the tracks are scaled relatively.

In other words, if you have made any individual track height adjustments (see below), the relative height differences are maintained.

You find the following options are available on the Zoom submenu on the Edit menu:

Option Description

Zoom In Zooms in one step, centering on the project cursor.

Zoom Out Zooms out one step, centering on the project cursor.

Zoom Full Zooms out so that the whole project is visible. “The whole project”

means the timeline from the project start to the length set in the Project Setup dialog (see above).

Zoom to Selection Zooms in horizontally and vertically so that the current selection

fills the screen.

Zoom to Selection (Horiz)

Zoom to Event This option is available only in the Sample Editor (see page 374).

Zoom In Vertical Zooms in one step vertically.

Zoom Out Vertical Zooms out one step vertically.

Zoom In Tracks Zooms in selected track(s) one step vertically.

Zoom Out Tracks Zooms out selected track(s) one step vertically.

Zoom Selected Tracks

Zooms in horizontally so that the current selection fills the screen.

This zooms in vertically on the selected track(s) and minimizes the height of all other tracks.

NUENDO

The Project window 5 – 99

• If the option “Zoom while Locating in Time Scale” is activated in the Preferences (Transport page), you can also zoom by clicking in the main ruler and dragging up or down with the mouse button pressed.

Drag up to zoom out; drag down to zoom in.

• You can zoom the contents of parts and events vertically, using the Waveform Zoom slider in the top right corner of the event display.

This can be useful to better view quiet audio passages.

❐

To get an approximate reading on the level of the audio events by viewing the waveforms, make sure the slider is all the way down. Otherwise, zoomed waveforms may be mistaken for clipped audio.

• If you activate the option Quick Zoom in the Preferences (Editing page),

the contents of parts and events will not be continuously redrawn when you zoom manually.

Instead, the contents are redrawn once you have stopped changing the zoom – activate this if screen redraws are slow on your system.

Resizing tracks in the Track list

• You can change the height of an individual track by clicking on its lower border in the Track list and dragging up or down.

To change the height of all tracks simultaneously, hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] and resize one of the tracks in this way. If “Snap Track Heights” is activated on the Track scale pop-up (see below), the track height will change in fixed increments when you resize it.

• You can also change the width of the Track list area, by dragging the border between the Track list and the event display.

• The controls shown for tracks in the Track list will by default adapt to the track size. This means that when resizing a track’s height or width some of the controls will be dynamically placed where they best “fit in”.

If you instead always want to have the controls in fixed positions, you can deactivate the option “Wrap Controls” in the Track Controls settings dialog (see page 714).

NUENDO

5 – 100 The Project window

Steinberg Nuendo - 2.0 Operation Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

About this manual

Welcome!

About this chapter

Setting up busses

Using the busses

Background

Operations

Options and Settings

Recording

Background

Basic recording methods

Audio recording specifics

MIDI Recording Specifics

Options and Settings

The Project window

Background

Window Overview

Operations