Steinberg Nuendo - 3.0 Getting Started

Getting Started

Original Manual: Synkron Revision and Quality Control for Nuendo 3: Cristina Bachmann, Heiko Bischoff, Sabine Pfeifer, Claudia 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 XP is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. The Mac logo is a trademark used under license. Macintosh and Power Macintosh are registered trademarks.

Table of Contents

7 Introduction

63 Basic Methods

8 Welcome 9 About the manuals and the

Help

13 How you can reach us

15 Installation and

Requirements for Windows

16 About this chapter 16 Requirements 20 Hardware installation 22 Installing Nuendo

27 Installation and

Requirements for Mac OS X

28 About this chapter 28 Requirements 31 Hardware installation 32 Installing Nuendo

35 Setting up your

system

36 Setting up audio 47 Setting up MIDI 51 Connecting a synchronizer 52 Setting up video 53 Optimizing audio perfor-

mance

57 Basic Nuendo

concepts

58 About this chapter 58 The project 60 Audio terminology 62 MIDI terminology 62 Video terminology

64 About this chapter 64 Using menus 66 Using tools 68 Changing values 72 Selecting objects 73 Zoom and view techniques 76 Window handling 79 Undo

83 Guided Tour

84 The main windows in

Nuendo

95 Tutorial 1:

Recording and playing back audio

96 About this tutorial 97 Creating a new project 99 Preparing to record 108 Recording 108 Playing back what you just

recorded

109 Recording more events 110 Playing back in a cycle

111 Tutorial 2:

Recording and

playing back MIDI

112 About this tutorial 113 Setting up for recording

MIDI

116 Recording MIDI 116 Playing back what you just

recorded

117 Playing back in a cycle 118 Transposing the MIDI track

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4Table of Contents

121 Tutorial 3: Mixing

122 About this tutorial 122 Preparations 124 Setting levels 125 Setting pan 126 Using Mute and Solo 127 Adding EQ to an audio

channel

131 Audio effects 137 Automation

139 Tutorial 4: Creating a

surround mix

140 About this tutorial 140 Preparations 140 Creating a Project 144 Creating a surround bus 146 Setting up a surround mix 153 Exporting to a surround

audio file

173 Adding another instrument 175 Playing a VST Instrument in

real time

177 Recording 178 Making parameter settings 180 Automating the changes

181 Tutorial 7: Tempo

matching audio loops

182 About this tutorial 183 Setting up 187 Activating Musical Mode

191 Tutorial 8: Arranging

with the play order

function

192 About this tutorial 193 Setting up 194 Creating play order parts 197 Creating a play order list

157 Tutorial 5: Editing in

the Project window

158 About this tutorial 158 Preparations 159 Overview 160 Moving and copying events 162 Muting and erasing events 163 Splitting and resizing events 165 Adding a fade

167 Tutorial 6: Using VST

Instruments

168 About this tutorial 168 Preparations 169 Activating a VST Instrument 171 Routing 172 Playing back

201 Tutorial 9:

Editing audio

202 About this tutorial 202 The Sample Editor 205 Processing audio 206 Applying an effect plug-in 207 Using the Offline Process

History dialog

209 Tutorial 10:

Editing MIDI

210 About this tutorial 210 Opening the Key Editor 211 Drawing events in the Key

Editor

212 Selecting and moving

events

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Table of Contents 5

213 About quantize 215 Editing velocity in the

controller display

217 Tutorial 11:

Customizing

218 About this tutorial 219 Hiding menu items 221 Setting preferences 224 Setting up Key Commands 228 Changing the look of the

toolbar

230 Changing the appearance

of the program

231 Applying track colors 235 Creating a template 239 Setting up Zoom presets 240 Setting up workspaces

243 Shortcuts &

key commands

244 About this chapter 244 The default key commands

253 Index

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6Table of Contents

Introduction

Welcome

Congratulations and thank you for choosing Nuendo 3. This new ver-

sion of the Media Production System continues the successful devel-

opment of the software and will further strengthen the already excellent

reputation of Nuendo. It is this reputation that is trusted by studios for

audio post production, surround mixing and music recording around

the world. Nuendo 3 is built on the same concepts of platform inde-

pendence, native processing and openness that have always been the

foundation of Nuendo’s success.

Nuendo continues to support both Windows XP and Mac OS X, the

two most important platforms for audio workstations. For both these

platforms, processor manufacturers have continuously supplied more

and more performance, and naturally, since the release of Nuendo 2

18 months ago, Nuendo’s performance has multiplied as a conse-

quence. In terms of openness, Nuendo meets all expectations with its

support of data exchange formats like AAF and X-Send, as well as the

integration of Yamaha Studio Manager 2. Furthermore, external effect

devices can be integrated directly into the Nuendo signal path and ed-

ited via custom device panels. But these features for integration into

existing studio setups are of course not all that Nuendo 3 has to offer.

Managing your media data is now easier than ever thanks to enhanced

search functions, freely definable user attributes in the Pool and a new

time-saving dialog for renaming objects. In Nuendo 3, the auditioning

path has been separated from the object that you are mixing, giving you

real AFL/PFL functionality besides the existing solo-in-place method.

And to meet the requirements of all those who use Nuendo for sur-

round sound production, the MixConvert plug-in, a high-performance

tool for multi-channel applications, has been added. MixConvert de-

tects the current number of channels and provides target formats for

downmixing. Conversion of 5.1 to 6.1 is handled just as efficiently as

checks for mono or stereo compatibility. And finally, Nuendo 3 offers

Warp to Picture – it’s probably best to simply wish you lots of fun and

leave you to use these innovative new features: using the Warp tools,

you can move any position within your audio material or on the timeline

to the correct picture, and the Nuendo Realtime Processing functions

will do the rest for you.

Enjoy working with Nuendo 3.

The Steinberg Nuendo Team

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1 – 8 Introduction

About the manuals and the Help

The Nuendo documentation is divided into several sections, as listed below. Most of the documents are in Adobe Acrobat format (extension “.pdf”) - these can be accessed in the following ways:

• You can open the pdf documents from the Help menu in the program.

• Under Windows you can also open these documents from the Nuendo Documentation subfolder on the Windows Start menu.

• Under Mac OS X the pdf documents are located in the folder “/Library/Documentation/Steinberg/Nuendo 3” or in the Nuendo program folder under “/Contents/Documentation/”.

• To read the pdf documents you need to have the Acrobat Reader application installed on your computer.

An Acrobat installer is provided on the program DVD.

The Getting Started book

This is the book you are reading now. The Getting Started book covers the following areas:

• Computer requirements.

• Installation issues.

• Setting up your system for audio, MIDI and/or video work.

•A guided tour of the main Nuendo windows.

• Tutorials describing the most common procedures for recording, playing back, mixing and editing in Nuendo.

• Basic concepts and terminology.

•A description of the general methods used when working in Nuendo.

In other words, this book does not go into detail on any Nuendo windows, functions or procedures. The Getting Started book comes as a printed book but is also available as a pdf document.

The Operation Manual

The Operation Manual is the main Nuendo reference documentation, with detailed descriptions of Nuendo operations, parameters, functions and techniques. You should be familiar with the concepts and methods described in the Getting Started book before moving on to the Operation Manual.

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Introduction 1 – 9

Working with MIDI

Describes MIDI editing in Nuendo, e.g. the MIDI editors, MIDI processing functions and effect handling and contains descriptions of the included MIDI effect plug-ins; how to manage MIDI Devices and device panels; how to work with MIDI System Exclusive messages and how to use the Logical Editor and Input Transformer.

Audio Effects and VST Instruments

Describes the features and parameters of the included VST plug-ins (real-time audio effects and VST instruments).

Networking

This pdf document describes how you can use Nuendo’s project sharing and networking features to collaborate with other users of Nuendo (version 2.0 or later) in a TCP/IP based peer-to-peer network.

Remote Control Devices

This pdf document lists the supported MIDI remote control devices and describes how to set them up and use them with Nuendo.

Score Layout and Printing

Describes the score editing features in Nuendo.

Using Nuendo with DSP Factory (Windows only)

Describes how to set up and use a Yamaha DSP Factory audio card with Nuendo.

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1 – 10 Introduction

The Help System

Nuendo comes with a detailed help system, making it easy to look up procedures and descriptions from within the program. The contents of the help basically mirror the complete Operation Manual text. The help systems are slightly different depending on which operating system you use, Windows or Mac OS X:

HTML Help (Windows)

You use the HTML Help in the following way:

• To open the HTML Help for browsing, select “HTML Help” from the Help menu in the program.

This brings up the HTML Help browser in which you can browse the help table of contents, search the index or perform a free text search.

• To get information about the active window or a dialog, press [F1] on the computer keyboard or click the Help button in the actual dialog.

Within a topic, related topics are sometimes directly accessible via clickable links.

Apple Help (Mac OS X)

You use the Apple Help in the following way:

• To open the Apple Help for browsing, select “Nuendo Help” from the Help menu in the program.

This brings up the Apple Help Viewer window. There, you can either browse the help table of contents, use the index or type any words into the Search field at the top of the window.

• To get information about the active window or a dialog, press [F1] on the computer keyboard or click the Help button in the actual dialog.

Within a topic, related topics are sometimes directly accessible via clickable links.

Please note that when you have started the program once, you can open the Nuendo Help even when the program isn’t running:

Select “Mac Help” from the Help menu in the Finder.

From the Library menu, select “Nuendo Help”.

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Introduction 1 – 11

About the program versions

The documentation covers two different operating systems or “platforms”; Windows and Mac OS X.

Some features and settings are specific to one of the platforms, Windows or Mac OS X. This is clearly stated in the applicable cases. In other words:

• If nothing else is said, all descriptions and procedures in the documentation are valid for both Windows and Mac OS X.

The screenshots are taken from the Windows version.

Key command conventions

Many of the default key commands in Nuendo use modifier keys, some of which are different depending on the operating system. For example, the default key command for Undo is [Ctrl]-[Z] under Windows and [Command]-[Z] under Mac OS X.

When key commands with modifier keys are described in this manual, they are shown with the Windows modifier key first, in the following way:

[Win modifier key]/[Mac modifier key]-[key]

For example, [Ctrl]/[Command]-[Z] means “press [Ctrl] under Windows or [Command] under Mac OS X, then press [Z]”.

Similarly, [Alt]/[Option]-[X] means “press [Alt] under Windows or [Option] under Mac OS X, then press [X]”.

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1 – 12 Introduction

How you can reach us

On the Help menu in Nuendo, you will find items for registering online, getting additional information and help:

•

On the “Steinberg on the Web” submenu you can find links to various Steinberg websites. Selecting one will automatically launch your browser application and open the page.

You can find support and compatibility information, answers to frequently asked questions, links for downloading new drivers, etc. This requires that you have a web browser application installed on your computer, and a working Internet connection.

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Introduction 1 – 13

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1 – 14 Introduction

Installation and Requirements

for Windows

About this chapter

This chapter describes the system requirements and installation procedures for Nuendo for Windows. Installing Nuendo for Mac OS X is described on page 28.

Requirements

To use Nuendo, you need the following:

•

A PC with Windows XP installed.

A USB Port is also required.

For more details about the computer requirements, see below.

•

Compatible audio hardware.

By audio hardware we mean a card capable of recording and playing back digital audio using your hard disk as a storage medium. It must also have an appropriate ASIO driver (see page 18) or be Windows Multimedia compatible. Also, to take full advantage of Nuendo’s channel i/o bus architecture and surround features, audio hardware with multiple inputs and outputs is required.

For MIDI

•

At least one MIDI interface.

•

At least one MIDI instrument.

•

Any audio equipment necessary to listen to the sound from your MIDI devices.

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2 – 16 Installation and Requirements for Windows

Computer requirements

Hardware – PC

The minimum requirements for running Nuendo on a PC are:

•A 1.6 GHz Pentium or Athlon processor

• Windows XP Home or Windows XP Professional.

• 512 MB of RAM.

• Monitor and graphics card supporting 1024 x 768 resolution.

•A free USB drive for the copy protection key.

•A DVD ROM drive.

• Please note that Nuendo is proven to run on less powerful computers with less RAM and slower CPUs. However, these system requirements are meant to provide system specifications which allow for working in a reasonably professional manner.

For optimum performance we recommend the following:

• Pentium or Athlon processor at 2 GHz or faster.

• 1024 MB of RAM.

•A dual monitor setup with 1152 x 864 pixels display resolution or higher.

RAM

Audio work requires a lot of RAM! In fact, there is a direct relation between the amount of available RAM and the number of audio channels that you can have running. As specified earlier, 512 MB is the minimum requirement, but as a general rule “the more the better” applies.

Hard disk size

•

The size of the hard disk determines how many minutes of audio you will be able to record.

Recording one minute of stereo CD quality audio, requires 10 MB of hard disk space. That is, eight stereo tracks in Nuendo use up at least 80 MB of disk space per recording minute.

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Installation and Requirements for Windows 2 – 17

Hard disk speed

The speed of the hard drive also determines the number of audio tracks you can run. That is the quantity of information that the disk can read, usually expressed as “sustained transfer rate”. Again, “the more the better” applies.

Wheel mouse

Although a regular mouse will work fine with Nuendo, we recommend that you use a wheel mouse, as this will speed up value editing and scrolling considerably. See page 68 and page 73.

Audio hardware

Nuendo will run with audio hardware that meets the following basic specifications:

• Stereo.

• 16 bit.

• Support of at least the 44.1kHz sampling rate.

• Is supplied with a special ASIO driver, or a DirectX or Windows Multimedia compatible driver as described below.

About drivers

A driver is a piece of software that allows a program to communicate with a certain piece of hardware. In this case, the driver allows Nuendo to use the audio hardware. For audio hardware, there are three different cases, requiring different driver configurations:

If the audio hardware has a specific ASIO driver

Professional audio cards often come with an ASIO driver written especially for the card. This allows for communication directly between Nuendo and the audio card. As a result, audio cards with specific ASIO drivers can provide lower latency (input-output delay), which is crucial when monitoring audio via Nuendo or using VST Instruments. The ASIO driver may also provide special support for multiple inputs and outputs, routing, synchronization, etc.

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2 – 18 Installation and Requirements for Windows

Audio card-specific ASIO drivers are provided by the card manufacturers. Make sure to check the manufacturer’s web site for the latest driver versions.

If your audio hardware comes with a specific ASIO driver we strongly recommend that you use this.

If the audio card communicates via DirectX

DirectX is a Microsoft “package” for handling various types of Multimedia under Windows. Nuendo supports DirectX, or to be more precise, DirectSound, which is a part of DirectX used for playing back and recording audio. This requires two types of drivers:

•A DirectX driver for the audio card, allowing it to communicate with DirectX. If the audio card supports DirectX, this driver should be supplied by the audio card manufacturer. If it isn’t installed with the audio card, please check the manufacturer’s web site for more information.

• The ASIO DirectX Full Duplex driver, allowing Nuendo to communicate with DirectX. This driver is included with Nuendo, and does not require any special installation.

If the audio card communicates via the Windows Multimedia system

If the card is Windows compatible, it can be used in Nuendo. The card then communicates with the Windows Multimedia system, which in turn communicates with Nuendo. This requires two types of drivers:

•A Windows Multimedia driver for the audio card, allowing it to communicate with the Windows Multimedia system. This driver should be supplied by the audio card manufacturer, and is normally installed when you install the audio card.

• The ASIO Multimedia driver, allowing Nuendo to communicate with the Windows Multimedia system. This driver is included with Nuendo, and does not require any special installation.

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Installation and Requirements for Windows 2 – 19

Hardware installation

Installing the copy protection key – please read!

New users

Included with the Nuendo package, you will find a hardware key (sometimes referred to as a “dongle”) that is part of the Nuendo copy protection scheme. Nuendo will not run if this key isn’t installed properly.

• The copy protection key should be plugged into the computer’s USB port after installing Nuendo and restarting the computer!

When the copy protection key is plugged into the USB port, Windows will automatically register it as a new hardware device and will attempt to find drivers for it – these necessary drivers won’t be there until Nuendo has been installed and the computer restarted.

If you’re upgrading from a previous version of Nuendo

In this case you already have a copy protection key – all you need to do is activate that key for use with your new Nuendo version.

This is done by means of the Activation Code included in the upgrade package, after installing the program, see page 24.

Installing the audio hardware and its driver

1. Install the audio card and related equipment in the computer, as described in the card’s documentation.

2. Install the driver for the card.

There are three types of drivers that could apply: card-specific ASIO drivers, DirectX drivers and Windows Multimedia drivers:

Specific ASIO driver

If your audio card has a specific ASIO driver it may be included with the audio card, but you should always make sure to check the audio card manufacturer’s web site for the most recent drivers. For details on how to install the driver, refer to the manufacturer’s instructions.

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2 – 20 Installation and Requirements for Windows

DirectX driver

If your audio card is DirectX compatible, its DirectX drivers will most likely be installed when you install the card (as with the Windows Multimedia driver). If you have downloaded special DirectX drivers for the audio card, you should follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions.

Windows Multimedia driver

These drivers are normally included with all types of regular PC audio cards. Some are even included with Windows itself. Depending on whether the audio card is “Plug’n’Play compatible” or not, the installation of the card is done differently:

• If the card is “Plug’n’Play compatible”, Windows will detect the card once it is plugged in, and ask for the necessary driver disks.

• If not, you need to use the “Add New Hardware” feature in the Control Panel to install the card and its drivers.

Refer to the documentation that comes with the card.

Should you have an audio card but no driver, please check the manufacturer’s web site, or ask your music or computer dealer for help.

Testing the card

To make sure the audio card will work as expected, perform the following two tests:

• Use any software included with the audio card to make sure you can record and play back audio without problems.

• If the card is accessed via a standard Windows driver, use the Media Player application (included with Windows) to play back audio.

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Installation and Requirements for Windows 2 – 21

Installing a MIDI interface/synthesizer card

Installation instructions for a MIDI interface should be included with the product. However, here’s an outline of the necessary steps:

1. Install the interface (or MIDI synthesizer card) inside your computer or connect it to a “port” (connector) on the computer.

Which is right for you depends on which type of interface you have.

2. If the interface has a power supply and/or a power switch, turn it on.

3. Install the driver for the interface, as described in the documentation

that comes with the interface.

You should also make sure to check the manufacturer’s web site for the latest driver updates.

Installing Nuendo

Defragment the hard disk

If you plan to record audio on a hard disk where you have already stored other files, now is the time to defragment it. Defragmentation reorganizes the physical allocation of space on the hard disk in order to optimize its performance. It is done with a special defragmentation program. Under Windows, look for the “Disk Defragmenter” utility.

It is crucial to the audio recording performance that your hard disk is optimized (defragmented). You should make sure to defragment regularly.

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2 – 22 Installation and Requirements for Windows

Installing the files from the DVD-ROM

The installation procedure puts all files in the right places, automatically.

1. Insert the Nuendo DVD-ROM.

2. A pop-up dialog appears automatically, containing three items for in-

stalling, browsing the DVD and exiting.

3. To start the installation process, select “Install”.

This starts the installation procedure for the Syncrosoft License Control Center.

4. Remove all copy protection keys (if plugged) and click the “Next” button to continue.

5. You will be asked to read and confirm the license agreement (shown on screen).

This is required for the installation to proceed.

6. Install the drivers for the copy protection key and click the “Next” button to continue.

7. Click the “Finish” button to finish the installation of the License Control Center.

Now you are ready to proceed with the installation of Nuendo:

1. In the “Nuendo 3” dialog that appears, fill in your name and the serial number of your Nuendo copy, and click OK.

You will find the serial number on the DVD sleeve. Check the name and number in the confirmation dialog and click “Yes” if they are correct. Clicking “No” brings back the previous dialog.

2. You will be asked to read and confirm the license agreement (shown on screen).

This is required for the installation to proceed.

3. At one point you will be asked whether Nuendo should be available to all users of the computer or just to you.

Choose the option that suits you best.

4. Finally, a dialog box informs you that the installation was successful and recommends that you restart your computer.

Remove the DVD-ROM and store it in a safe place.

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Installation and Requirements for Windows 2 – 23

Setting up the protection key

If you are a new Nuendo user:

1. After restarting the computer, plug in the hardware protection key into the USB port.

If you are unsure which port this is, consult the computer’s documentation.

2. The first time the copy protection device is plugged in, it will be registered as a new hardware device, and a dialog will appear asking you whether you would like to find drivers for the device manually or automatically.

3. Choose to find drivers automatically.

The dialog closes.

4. You are now ready to launch Nuendo!

If you are upgrading from a previous Nuendo version and have a working internet connection:

Before launching the program you need to activate the protection key for use with your new Nuendo version.

1. After restarting the computer, plug in your Nuendo key into the USB port.

2. Make sure that your computer has a working internet connection.

3. Locate the Activation Code in the upgrade package and keep it at

hand.

4. Launch the “License Control Center” application (found under “Syncrosoft” on the Start menu).

This application allows you to view your USB protection keys and activate them for new applications by downloading licenses.

5. Use the License Control Center “Wizard” function to download a license for your new program version to your protection key.

This requires that you enter your Activation Code – just follow the directions on screen. If you are uncertain about how to proceed, consult the help for LCC.

6. When the activation is complete, you are ready to launch Nuendo!

This completes the installation of your Nuendo program!

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2 – 24 Installation and Requirements for Windows

For information about product updates, you should check the Steinberg website regularly. Open the “Steinberg on the Web” submenu on the Help menu and select “Product Updates”. The website that opens contains a list with the recent updates.

If you are upgrading from a previous Nuendo version and have no working internet connection:

Before launching the program you need to activate the protection key for use with your new Nuendo version.

1. Insert your program DVD into a second computer with internet connection or go to an internet cafe.

2. Open the folder “Additional Content/Copy Protection Driver” on the program DVD and double click on the file “Copy Protection Driver Installer.exe”.

The application “License Control Center” will be installed.

3. Plug in your Nuendo key into the USB port and let Windows install the corresponding drivers.

4. Connect to the internet.

5. Launch the application “License Control Center”.

This application allows you to view your USB protection keys and activate them for new applications by downloading licenses.

6. Use the License Control Center “Wizard” function to download a license for your new program version to your protection key.

This requires that you enter your Activation Code – just follow the directions on screen. If you are uncertain about how to proceed, consult the help for LCC.

7. When the activation is complete, you can disconnect your copy protection key and plug it into the USB port of your audio computer.

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Installation and Requirements for Windows 2 – 25

Registering your software will make sure you are entitled to technical support and kept aware of updates and other news regarding Nuendo. For full support services, you need to register both online and by sending in you registration card.

For online registration, you need a working internet connection. From the Help menu of Nuendo, select “Register Online…” and follow the instructions. If your computer does not have a working Internet connection, you can also register from another computer.

The items on the start menu

If you open the Windows Start menu, you will find a Nuendo group on the “Programs” submenu. This contains the following items:

• Documentation.

On this submenu you can access the various Nuendo documentation files in the Acrobat pdf format. These documents are also available on the Help menu from within the program.

• ASIO DirectX Full Duplex Setup.

This is where you make settings if your audio hardware uses DirectX for audio playback and recording.

• ASIO Multimedia Setup.

This opens a dialog with settings for the ASIO (Audio Stream Input Output) system, which handles audio recording and playback in Nuendo, if you are using the ASIO MME driver. This dialog can also be opened from within Nuendo. See the chapter

“Setting up your system” in this book.

• Nuendo.

This launches the actual program.

• Nuendo 3 application data folder.

This opens the application data folder, where your Nuendo settings are stored.

On the “Programs” submenu you will also find an item called Syncrosoft (License Control Center). This item shows all Syncrosoft protection devices and valid licenses currently installed and allows you to download new licenses to your protection key.

There may also be additional items (such as Readme files) available on the Start menu. Please read all such files before launching Nuendo, since they may contain late information not included in the manuals.

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2 – 26 Installation and Requirements for Windows

Installation and Requirements

for Mac OS X

About this chapter

This chapter describes the system requirements and installation procedures for Nuendo for Mac OS X. Installing Nuendo for Windows is described on page 16.

Requirements

To use Nuendo, you need the following:

• A Macintosh computer running Mac OS X 10.3.3 or later.

A USB Port is also required.

For more details about the computer requirements, see below.

• Mac OS X compatible audio hardware.

While the built-in audio hardware of the Macintosh may be adequate for basic audio playback, we strongly recommend audio hardware that is specifically designed for audio recording and music applications. Also, to take full advantage of Nuendo’s multi-channel i/o bus architecture and surround features, audio hardware with multiple inputs and outputs is required.

For MIDI

• At least one MIDI interface.

• At least one MIDI instrument.

• Any audio equipment necessary to listen to the sound from your MIDI

devices.

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3 – 28 Installation and Requirements for Mac OS X

Computer requirements

Hardware – Mac

The absolute minimum requirements for running Nuendo on a Macintosh are as follows:

•A Power Mac G4 dual processor with 1 GHz and OS X 10.3.3 or later.

• 512 MB RAM.

• Monitor and graphics card supporting 1024 x 768 resolution.

•A free USB drive for the copy protection key.

•A DVD ROM drive.

For optimum performance we recommend the following:

•A Power Mac G5 dual processor with 2 GHz or faster.

• 1024 MB RAM.

•A dual monitor setup with 1152 x 864 pixels display resolution or higher.

RAM

Audio work requires a lot of RAM! In fact, there is a direct relation between the amount of available RAM and the number of audio channels that you can have running. As specified earlier, 512MB is the minimum requirement, but as a general rule “the more the better” applies.

Hard disk size

• The size of the hard disk determines how many minutes of audio you will be able to record.

Recording one minute of stereo CD quality audio, requires 10MB of hard disk space. That is, eight stereo tracks in Nuendo use up at least 80MB of disk space per recording minute.

Hard disk speed

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Installation and Requirements for Mac OS X 3 – 29

Mouse

Although a regular mouse will work fine with Nuendo, we recommend that you use a wheel mouse with two mouse buttons.

• Having a wheel mouse will speed up value editing and scrolling considerably.

• If your mouse has two mouse buttons you should program the right mouse button to generate a [Ctrl]-click (this is typically the default behavior of the right mouse button).

This will allow you to bring up context menus by right clicking (see page 65).

Audio hardware

Nuendo will run with audio hardware that meets the following basic specifications:

• Stereo.

• 16 bit.

• Support of at least the 44.1kHz sampling rate.

• Is supplied with proper Mac OS X (Core Audio) drivers.

A basic rule of thumb is: if the hardware works under Mac OS X, you can use it in Nuendo.

• Nuendo also supports audio hardware with Mac OS X compliant ASIO drivers.

ASIO drivers may provide special support for routing, monitoring, synchronization, etc. Note that the ASIO drivers must be written specifically for Mac OS X – Mac OS 9.X ASIO drivers cannot be used.

Using the built-in audio hardware of the Macintosh

Although Nuendo is designed with multi-channel input and output in mind, it’s of course possible to use the program with “basic” stereo inputs and outputs. As of this writing, all current Macintosh models have built-in 16 bit stereo audio hardware. Depending on your preferences and requirements, this may be sufficient for use with Nuendo. The builtin audio hardware is always available for selection in Nuendo – you don’t need to install any additional drivers.

Some Macintosh models have audio outputs but no inputs. This means that you can only play back audio – recording is not possible without additional audio hardware.

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3 – 30 Installation and Requirements for Mac OS X

Hardware installation

About the copy protection key – please read!

New users

• You should first install the program (and any necessary hardware, see below), then insert the protection key and finally launch the program.

This is because the necessary drivers for the key are installed when you install the program.

If you’re upgrading from a previous version of Nuendo

In this case you already have a copy protection key – all you need to do is activate that key for use with your new Nuendo version.

This is done by means of the Activation Code included in the upgrade package, after installing the program – see page 32.

Installing the audio hardware and its driver

1. Make sure you have the latest Mac OS X drivers for the audio hardware!

Please check the manufacturer’s web site for the latest versions.

2. Install the driver(s) for the audio hardware.

This is usually done by running an installer application.

3. Install or connect the audio interface, as described in the card’s documentation.

Installing a MIDI interface

1. Make sure you have the latest Mac OS X drivers for the MIDI interface!

Please check the manufacturer’s web site for the latest versions.

2. Install the driver(s) for the interface.

This is usually done by running an installer application.

3. Connect the MIDI interface to the computer, as described in the interface documentation.

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Installation and Requirements for Mac OS X 3 – 31

Installing Nuendo

Defragment the hard disk

It is crucial to the audio recording performance that your hard disk is optimized (defragmented). You should make sure to defragment regularly.

Installing the files from the DVD-ROM

The installation procedure puts all files in the right places, automatically.

1. Insert the Nuendo DVD-ROM.

2. Locate the Nuendo installer and run it.

The installation procedure starts. This will create a Nuendo folder in your Applications folder and add various required files to your system.

3. At one point during the installation you will need to fill in your name and the serial number of your Nuendo copy.

You will find the serial number on the DVD sleeve.

4. You will be asked to read and confirm the license agreement (shown on screen).

This is required for the installation to proceed.

Finally, a dialog box informs you that the installation was successful.

Setting up the protection key

If you are a new Nuendo user:

1. After restarting the computer, plug in the hardware protection key into the USB port.

If you are unsure which port this is, consult the computer’s documentation.

2. You are now ready to launch Nuendo!

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3 – 32 Installation and Requirements for Mac OS X

If you are upgrading from a previous Nuendo version and have a working internet connection:

Before launching the program you need to activate the protection key for use with your new Nuendo version.

1. After restarting the computer, plug in your Nuendo key into the USB port.

2. Make sure that your computer has a working internet connection.

3. Locate the Activation Code in the upgrade package and keep it at

hand.

4. Launch the “License Control Center” application (found in the Applications folder).

This application allows you to view your USB protection keys and activate them for new applications by downloading licenses.

5. Use the License Control Center “Wizard” functions to download a license for your new program version to your protection key.

This requires that you enter your Activation Code – just follow the directions on screen. If you are uncertain about how to proceed, consult the help for LCC.

6. When the activation is complete, you are ready to launch Nuendo!

This completes the installation of your Nuendo program!

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Installation and Requirements for Mac OS X 3 – 33

If you are upgrading from a previous Nuendo version and have no working internet connection:

Before launching the program you need to activate the protection key for use with your new Nuendo version.

1. Insert your program DVD into a second computer with internet connection or go to an internet cafe.

2. Open the folder “Additional Content/Copy Protection Driver” on the program DVD and double click on the file “SyncrosoftLicenseControl.pkg”.

The application “License Control Center” will be installed.

3. Plug in your Nuendo key into the USB port.

4. Connect to the internet.

5. Launch the application “License Control Center”.

This application allows you to view your USB protection keys and activate them for new applications by downloading licenses.

6. Use the License Control Center “Wizard” function to download a license for your new program version to your protection key.

This requires that you enter your Activation Code – just follow the directions on screen. If you are uncertain about how to proceed, consult the help for LCC.

7. When the activation is complete, you can disconnect your copy protection key and plug it into the USB port of your audio computer.

For online registration, you need a working internet connection. Launch Nuendo, select “Register Online…” from the Nuendo menu and follow the instructions. If your computer does not have a working Internet connection, you can also register from another computer.

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Setting up your system

Setting up audio

Always make all connections with all equipment turned off!

Connecting audio

Exactly how to set up your system is a very personal matter – the following connection diagrams should be taken as examples.

The audio connections below may be digital or analog, it doesn’t matter.

Stereo input and output – the simplest connection

If you only use a stereo input and output from Nuendo, you can connect your audio hardware directly to the input source, a mixer for example, and the outputs to a power amplifier and speaker.

Audio card outputs

Audio card inputs

A simple stereo audio setup.

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Source to be recorded

Amplifier and speakers

Multi-channel input and output

Most likely however, you will have other audio equipment that you want to integrate with Nuendo. This will require a mixer, preferably one with a group or bus system that can be used for feeding inputs on the audio hardware.

In the example below, four buses are used for feeding signals to the audio hardware’s inputs. The four outputs are connected back to the mixer for monitoring and playback. Remaining mixer inputs can be used for connecting audio sources like microphones, instruments, etc.

Audio card outputs

Audio card inputs

Inputs

1 to 4

A multi-channel audio setup.

Bus

1 to 4

Amplifier and speakersMixer

• When connecting an input source (like a mixer) to the audio hardware, you should use output buses, sends or similar that are separate from the mixer’s master output to avoid recording what you are playing back.

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Setting up your system 4 – 37

Connecting for surround sound

If you plan to mix for surround sound, you could connect the audio outputs to a multi-channel power amplifier, driving a set of surround channels.

Audio card outputs

Audio card inputs

Source to be recorded

A surround sound playback configuration.

Ls/S

Amplifier and speakers

LFE

Nuendo supports a number of surround formats. The example connection above will work for mixing both LRCS (ProLogic for example) and

5.1, in which case the two surround speakers will be playing the same material (from the single surround channel). The difference between the two formats is the LFE channel, which is not used with LRCS.

Connecting external effect processors

You can connect external effects and use these as Send or Insert effects in Nuendo. This is done by configuring External FX Send/Return buses in the VST Connections window. Connected effects are selectable from the effect pop-up menus just like internal effects.

USB/FireWire

Multichannel audio interface

Inputs

Outputs

RCL

Rs/S

Return Bus (from effect output)

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Send Bus (to effect input)

Effect processor

Recording from a CD player

Most computers come with a CD-ROM drive that can also be used as a regular CD player. In some cases the CD player is internally connected to the audio hardware so that you can record the output of the CD player directly into Nuendo (consult the audio hardware documentation if you are uncertain).

• All routing and level adjustments for recording from a CD (if available) are done in the audio hardware setup application (see page 40).

• You can also grab audio tracks directly from a CD in Nuendo (see the Operation Manual).

Word Clock connections

If you are using a digital audio connection you may also need a word clock connection between the audio hardware and external devices. Please refer to the documentation that came with the audio hardware for details.

It is very important that word clock synchronization is done correctly or there might be clicks and crackles in recordings that you make!

About recording levels and inputs

When you connect your equipment, you should make sure that the impedance and levels of the audio sources and inputs are matched. Typically, different inputs may be designed for use with microphones, consumer line level (-10 dBV) or professional line level (+4 dBV), or you may be able to adjust input characteristics on the audio interface or in its control panel. Please check the audio hardware documentation for details.

Using the correct types of input is important to avoid distortion or noisy recordings. For more information about checking input levels, see page 102.

Nuendo does not provide any input level adjustments for the signals coming in to your audio hardware, since these are handled differently for each card. Adjusting input levels is either done in a special application included with the hardware or from its control panel (see below).

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Setting up your system 4 – 39

Making settings for the audio hardware

Most audio cards come with one or more small applications that allow you to configure the inputs of the hardware to your liking. This includes:

• Selecting which inputs/outputs are active.

• Setting up word clock synchronization (if available).

• Turning monitoring via the hardware on/off (see page 46).

• Setting levels for each input. This is very important!

• Setting levels for the outputs, so that they match the equipment you use for monitoring.

• Selecting digital input and output formats.

• Making settings for the audio buffers.

In many cases all available settings for the audio hardware are gathered in a control panel, which can be opened from within Nuendo as described below (or opened separately, when Nuendo isn’t running). In some cases there may be several different applications and panels – please refer to the audio hardware documentation for details.

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Selecting a driver and making audio settings in Nuendo

The first thing you need to do is select the correct driver in Nuendo to make sure that the program can communicate with the audio hardware:

1. Launch Nuendo, select Device Setup from the Devices menu and click on VST Audiobay in the list.

The VST Audiobay panel in the Device Setup dialog.

2. Select your audio hardware driver from the Master ASIO Driver menu.

There may be several options here that all refer to the same audio hardware. When you have selected a driver, it is added to the Devices list.

Under Windows, we strongly recommend that you access your hardware via an ASIO driver written specifically for the hardware, if available. If no ASIO driver is installed we recommend that you check with your audio hardware manufacturer if they have an ASIO driver available, for example for download via the Internet.

3. Select the driver in the Devices list to open the Driver settings for your

audio hardware.

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Setting up your system 4 – 41

4. Bring up the control panel for the audio hardware and adjust the settings as recommended by the audio hardware manufacturer.

• Under Windows, you can open the control panel by clicking the Control Panel button.

The control panel that appears when you click this button is provided by the audio hardware manufacturer and not Nuendo (unless you use DirectX or MME, see below). Hence it will be different for each audio card brand and model. The Control panels for the ASIO Multimedia and ASIO DirectX drivers are an exception, as they are provided by Steinberg. They are described in the HTML Help, opened by clicking the Help button in the respective dialog. See also the notes below.

• Under Mac OS X, you will find the control panel for your audio hardware in the System Preferences (“Other” section), opened from the Apple menu or from the Dock.

If you are using the built-in audio hardware of the Macintosh, you use the “Sound” control panel in the System Preferences to set levels, balance, etc. If you are using ASIO audio hardware, you can click the Control Panel button to bring up its panel.

5. If you plan to use several audio applications simultaneously, you may want to activate the option “Release ASIO Driver in Background” on the VST Audiobay page. This will allow another application to play back via your audio hardware even though Nuendo is running.

The application that is currently active (i.e. the “top window” on the desktop), will get access to the audio hardware. Make sure that any other audio application accessing the audio hardware is also set to release the ASIO (or Mac OS X) driver so Nuendo can use it when it becomes the active application again.

6. If your audio hardware and its driver support ASIO Direct Monitoring, you may want to activate the Direct Monitoring checkbox.

Read more about monitoring later in this chapter and in the Recording chapter in the Operation Manual.

7. Click Apply and then OK to close the dialog.

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If you are using audio hardware with a DirectX driver (Windows only)

If your Windows audio hardware doesn’t have a specific ASIO driver, a DirectX driver is the next best option.

Nuendo comes with a driver called ASIO DirectX Full Duplex, available for selection on the Master ASIO Driver pop-up menu (VST Audiobay page).

• To be able to take full advantage of DirectX Full Duplex, the audio hardware must support WDM (Windows Driver Model) in combination with DirectX version 8.1 or higher.

In all other cases, the audio inputs will be emulated by DirectX (see the HTML Help for the ASIO DirectX Full Duplex Setup dialog for details about how this is reported). Since using emulated inputs will result in higher latency, you may want to use the ASIO Multimedia driver instead, as this gives you more possibilities to fine-tune the settings.

• During the installation of Nuendo, the latest DirectX will be installed on your computer.

When the ASIO DirectX Full Duplex driver is selected in the Device Setup dialog, you can open the ASIO Control Panel and adjust the following settings (for more details, click the Help button in the control panel):

• Direct Sound Output and Input Ports

In the list to the left in the window, all available Direct Sound Output and Input Ports are listed. In many cases, there will only be one Port in each list. To activate or deactivate a Port in the list, click the checkbox in the left column. If the checkbox is ticked, the port is activated.

• You can edit the Buffer Size settings in this list if necessary, by double clicking on the value and typing in a new value.

In most cases the default settings will work fine. Audio buffers are used when audio data is transferred between Nuendo and the audio card. While larger buffers ensure that playback will occur without glitches, the latency (the time between the moment Nuendo sends out the data and when it actually reaches the output) will be higher.

• Offset

If a constant offset is audible during playback of Audio and MIDI recordings, you can adjust the output or input latency time using this value.

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Setting up your system 4 – 43

If you are using audio hardware with a Windows Multimedia (MME) driver

When you select the ASIO Multimedia Driver for the first time, the system will ask you whether you want to test the configuration. We strongly recommend that you perform this test. If it fails, or if you for other reasons need to make adjustments to your ASIO Multimedia configuration, click the Control Panel button to open the ASIO Multimedia Setup control panel included with Nuendo. This control panel comes with an HTML Help describing the features and procedures.

Setting up the input and output ports

Once you have selected the driver and made the settings as described above, you need to specify which inputs and outputs should be used and name these:

1. In the Device Setup dialog, select VST Outputs in the list to the left.

All output ports on the audio hardware are listed.

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2. To hide an output port, click in the “Visible” column for the port (so that it says “No”).

Ports that aren’t visible cannot be selected in the VST Connections window where you set up your input and output busses – see page 99.

If you attempt to hide a port that is already used by a bus you will be asked whether this is really what you want – note that this will disable the output port!

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

• It is a good idea to give your ports generic names that are related to the channel configuration (rather than to the actual hardware model)!

For example, if you are using a 5.1 surround audio setup, you could name the six ports Left, Right, Center, Lfe, Left Surround and Right Surround. This makes it easier to transfer your projects between different computers, e.g. in different studios – if the same port names are used on both computers, Nuendo will automatically handle the bus connections properly when you open the project on the other computer.

4. Select VST Inputs in the list to the left and set up the input ports in the same way.

5. Click OK to close the Device Setup dialog and apply your changes.

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Setting up your system 4 – 45

About monitoring

In Nuendo, monitoring means listening to the input signal while preparing to record or while recording. There are basically three ways to monitor:

External monitoring

External monitoring (listening to the input signal before it goes into Nuendo) requires an external mixer for mixing the audio playback with the input signal. This mixer could 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).

Via Nuendo

In this case, the audio passes from the input into Nuendo, possibly through Nuendo effects and EQ and then back to the output. You then control monitoring via settings in Nuendo.

This allows you to control the monitoring level from Nuendo and add effects to the monitored signal only.

ASIO Direct Monitoring

If your audio hardware is ASIO 2.0 compatible, it may support ASIO Direct Monitoring (this feature may also be available for audio hardware with Mac OS X drivers). 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.

Monitoring is described in detail in the Recording chapter in the Operation Manual. However, when setting up, there’s one thing to note:

• If you want to use the external monitoring via your audio hardware, make sure the corresponding functions are activated in the card’s mixer application.

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Setting up MIDI

Always make all connections with all equipment turned off!

This section describes how to connect and set up MIDI equipment. If you have no MIDI equipment you can skip this section.

Connecting the MIDI equipment

Below follows a description of a typical but small setup example. You might need or want to hook things up differently!

In this example we assume that you have a MIDI keyboard and an external MIDI sound module. The keyboard is used both for feeding the computer with MIDI messages for recording and for playing back MIDI tracks. The sound module is used for playback only. Using Nuendo’s MIDI Thru feature (described later) you will be able to hear the correct sound from the sound module while playing the keyboard or recording.

MIDI Interface

MIDI

A typical MIDI Setup.

Out

OutIn

Thru

MIDI In

MIDI Sound Module

MIDI Keyboard

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Setting up your system 4 – 47

You might want to use even more instruments for playback. If you do, simply connect MIDI Thru on the sound module to MIDI In on the next instrument, and so on. In this hook-up, you will always play the first keyboard when recording. But you can still use all your devices for providing sounds on playback.

If you plan to use more than three sound sources we recommend that you either use an interface with more than one output, or a separate MIDI Thru box instead of the Thru jacks on each unit.

Setting MIDI Thru and Local On/Off

In the “MIDI” section in the Preferences dialog (located on the File menu under Windows and on the Nuendo menu under Mac OS X), you will find a setting called “MIDI Thru Active” which can be enabled or not. This is related to a setting in your instrument called “Local On/Off” or “Local Control On/Off”.

• If you use a MIDI keyboard instrument, as described earlier in this chapter, MIDI Thru should be activated and that instrument should be set to Local Off (sometimes called Local Control Off – see the instrument’s operation manual for details). This will let the MIDI signal from the keyboard get recorded into Nuendo and at the same time re-routed back to the instrument so that you hear what you are playing, without the keyboard “triggering” its own sounds.

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MIDI

MIDI Interface

OutIn

When “MIDI Thru” is active in Nuendo, MIDI data received is immediately “echoed” back out.

MIDI data coming in to the instrument is played by the “Synth” inside it.

MIDI In

MIDI

When you press a key, it is sent out via MIDI to Nuendo.

Out

Thru

MIDI Sound Module

“Synth”

MIDI Keyboard

When Local Control is turned on in the instrument, the keys you press will be played by the “Synth” inside the Instrument. When Local Control is turned off, this connection is cut off.

• If you use a separate MIDI keyboard – one that does not produce any sounds itself – MIDI Thru in Nuendo should also be activated, but you don’t need to look for any Local On/Off setting in your instruments.

• The only case where MIDI Thru should be deactivated is if you use Nuendo with only one keyboard instrument and that instrument cannot be set to Local Off mode.

• Note that MIDI Thru will only be active for MIDI tracks that are record enabled and/or have the monitor button activated. See the Recording chapter in the Operation Manual for more information.

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Setting up MIDI ports in Nuendo

The Device Setup dialog lets you set up your MIDI system in the following ways:

• Note: After changing a setting in the Device Setup dialog, you should click Apply and then click OK to close the dialog.

Showing or hiding MIDI Ports

Under Windows, the MIDI ports are listed in the Device Setup dialog on the DirectMusic page and/or the Windows MIDI page (depending on your system). By clicking in the “Show” column for a MIDI input or output, you can specify whether or not it should be listed on the MIDI pop-up menus in the program.

Under Mac OS X, you can hide or show MIDI ports on the MIDI System page in the Device Setup dialog.

• Hiding a MIDI port from view does not turn it off if it is already selected for a track or a MIDI device.

Setting up the “All MIDI Inputs” option

When you record MIDI in Nuendo, you can specify which MIDI input each recording MIDI track should use. However, you can also select the “All MIDI Inputs” option, which causes any MIDI data from any MIDI input to be recorded.

The All MIDI Inputs page in the Device Setup dialog allows you to specify which inputs should be included when you select All MIDI Inputs for a MIDI track. This can be especially useful if your system provides several instances of the same physical MIDI input – by deactivating the duplicates you make sure only the desired MIDI data is recorded.

• If you have a MIDI remote control unit connected you should also make sure to deactivate that MIDI input on the All MIDI Inputs page.

This is to avoid accidentally recording the data from the remote control when the “All MIDI Inputs” option is selected as input for a MIDI track.

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Setting up a default MIDI input and output

The Default MIDI Ports page in the Device Setup dialog allows you to select which MIDI ports should be selected by default when you create a new MIDI track. In other words, newly created tracks will always use the input and output specified on this page. However, you can later change this setting for each individual track in the Project window.

Connecting a synchronizer

Always make all connections with all equipment turned off!

When using Nuendo with external tape transports you will most likely need to add a synchronizer to your system. All connections and setup procedures for synchronization are described in the Synchronization chapter in the Operation Manual.

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Setting up video

Always make all connections with all equipment turned off!

Nuendo plays back video films in AVI, Quicktime or MPEG formats. Under Windows, video playback can be done using the playback engines DirectX, DirectShow or Quicktime. Under Mac OS X, Quicktime is used as playback engine.

There are several ways to play back video:

• Without any special hardware.

While this will be fine in many situations it does put a limit on the size of the internal video window as well as the quality of the image.

• Using FireWire (Mac OS X).

Using a FireWire port, you can play back video on an external monitor using a DV-toanalog converter or a DV camera (see also the Video chapter in the Operation Manual). This is valid for DV video and QuickTime is used for playback.

• Using Graphics cards (Windows).

Multi-head graphics cards which support overlay functionality can be used to display the video picture on an external monitor. As of this writing, the following manufacturers have working solutions available: nVIDIA and Matrox.

• Using Video cards.

Video cards can also be used to display the video on an external monitor. As of this writing, the following cards can be used: Mac OS X: Decklink (Blackmagic) Windows: Liquid Chrome (Pinnacle Systems) and Decklink (Blackmagic).

If you plan to use special video hardware, install it and set it up as recommended by the manufacturer.

Before you use the video hardware with Nuendo, we recommend that you test the hardware installation with the utility applications that came with the hardware and/or the Windows Media Player or Quicktime Player (Mac OS X) applications.

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Optimizing audio performance

This section gives you some hints and tips on how to get the most out of your Nuendo system, performance-wise. Some of this text refers to hardware properties and can be used as a guide when upgrading your system. This text is very brief. Look for details and current information on the Nuendo web site (see page 13)!

Two aspects of performance

There are two distinct aspects of performance in respect to Nuendo:

Tracks and effects

Simply put: the faster your computer, the more tracks, effects and EQ you will be able to play. Exactly what constitutes a “fast computer” is almost a science in itself, but some hints are given below.

Short response times (latency)

Another aspect of performance is response times. Latency is a phenomenon based on the fact that in a computer, audio has to be “buffered” (stored) in small chunks during various steps of the recording and playback process. The more and larger those chunks, the higher the latency.

High latency is most troublesome when playing VST Instruments and when monitoring through the computer, that is when listening to a live audio source via the Nuendo Mixer and effects. However, very long latency times (several hundred milliseconds) can hamper other processes like mixing, since e.g. a fader movement will affect the audio noticeably late.

While Direct Monitoring and other techniques reduce the problems associated with very long latency times, a system that responds fast will always be more convenient to work with.

• Depending on your audio hardware, it may be possible to “trim” your latency times, usually by lowering the size and number of buffers.

For details, refer to the audio hardware documentation, or, if you are using a DirectX or MME driver under Windows, the HTML Help.

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System factors that affect performance

CPU and processor cache

It goes without saying that the faster the computer processor, the better. But there are a number of factors that affect the apparent speed of a computer: the bus speed and type (PCI is strongly recommended), the processor cache size and of course, the processor type and brand. Nuendo relies heavily on floating point calculations. When shopping for a processor, please make sure you get one that is powerful in calculating floating point arithmetics.

Note also that Nuendo features full support for multi-processor systems. So if you own a computer system with more than one processor, Nuendo can take advantage of the total capacity and evenly distribute the processing load to all available processors. See page 55.

Hard disk and controller

The number of hard disk tracks you can record and play back at the same time also depends on the speed of your hard disk and hard disk controller. If you use E-IDE disks and controllers, make sure that the transfer mode is DMA Busmaster. Under Windows, you can check the current mode by launching the Windows Device Manager and looking for properties of the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controller’s primary and secondary channel. DMA transfer mode is enabled by default, but may be turned off by the system should hardware problems occur.

Audio hardware and driver

The hardware and its driver can have some effect on regular performance. A badly written driver can reduce the performance of your computer. But where the hardware driver design makes the most difference is with latency.

Again, we strongly recommend that you use audio hardware for which there is a specific ASIO driver!

This is especially true when using Nuendo for Windows:

• Under Windows, ASIO drivers written specifically for the hardware are more efficient than MME or DirectX drivers and produce shorter latency times.

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• Under Mac OS X, audio hardware with properly written Mac OS X (Core Audio) drivers can be very efficient and produce very low latency times.

However, there are additional features currently only available with ASIO drivers, such as the ASIO Positioning Protocol.

Making settings that affect performance

Choosing a driver for your audio hardware

As described on page 41, it is recommended to install and use a standard ASIO driver if available for your specific hardware. Check the manufacturers web site for the latest drivers etc.

Making audio buffer settings

Audio buffers affect how audio is sent to and from the audio hardware. The size of the audio buffers affects both the latency and the audio performance. Generally, the smaller the buffer size, the lower the latency. On the other hand, working with small buffers can be demanding for the computer. If the audio buffers are too small, you may get clicks, pops or other audio playback problems.

• Under Mac OS X, you can adjust the size of the buffers on the VST Audiobay page in the Device Setup dialog.

You may also find buffer settings in the control panel for the audio hardware.

• Under Windows, you adjust the buffer size settings in the control panel for the audio hardware (opened by clicking the Control Panel button on the driver page in the Device Setup dialog).

The Expert settings

On the VST Audiobay page you will find a button called “Expert…”. This opens a dialog with advanced settings for the VST Engine, including a Multi Processing option. When this is activated (default setting if you have a hyper-threading or multiple-CPU system – in a single-CPU system, this option is greyed out) and there is more than one CPU in your system, the processing load is distributed evenly to all available CPUs, allowing Nuendo to make full use of the combined power of the multiple processors. See the Online Help for details.

Activating the “Lower Latency” option will basically disable the CPU overload protection, but allow for lower latencies. See the Online Help for details.

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Optimizing processor scheduling (Windows only)

To get the lowest possible latencies when using ASIO under Windows XP (on a single CPU system), the “system performance” has to be optimized for background tasks:

1. Open the Control Panel from the Start menu and select System.

2. Select the Advanced tab and click the Settings button in the Perfor-

mance section.

The Performance Options dialog appears.

3. Select the Advanced tab.

4. In the Processor Scheduling section, select “Adjust for best perfor-

mance of: Background services”

5. Click OK to close the dialogs.

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Basic Nuendo concepts

About this chapter

This chapter describes the basic “building blocks” and terminology in Nuendo. Please take your time to read this chapter thoroughly before moving on!

The project

The native document format of Nuendo is called a project. Before you can start recording, playing back or editing you always have to create a new project, or open a saved project file from disk. There can be several projects open at the same time, but one is always the active project.

Two Project windows in Nuendo. Here, the project “on top” is the active project, as indicated by the lit blue indicator in the upper left corner of the window.

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About the file and folder structure

A project file (file extension “.npr” under Windows) is always associated with a project folder on your hard disk. Several projects can share the same project folder (which is practical if you have several versions of your project, for example).

• The Audio folder contains audio files referenced by the project.

It is also possible for the project to refer to audio files elsewhere on your disk(s) – you can even specify different folders for different audio tracks when recording. However, having all audio files in the project’s Audio folder makes the project easy to move and archive, and is a good safety measure.

• The Edits folder contains audio files created automatically by editing and processing operations in Nuendo.

As a rule, you shouldn’t touch the files in this folder. To remove unused edit files, it is better to use the Cleanup function, as described in the Operation Manual.

• The Images folder contains waveform images for the audio files in the project.

• The Network folder contains information and settings for Nuendo’s networking features.

This folder will appear when you have set up a network project – see the separate Networking document.

• The Freeze folder contains audio files generated by the Track and Instrument Freeze function.

This function (described in the separate document “Working with MIDI”) renders the output of audio tracks and VST Instruments to temporary audio files, allowing you to conserve processor power. You shouldn’t touch these files.

• The project file itself contains all references to audio and video files, along with playback information, MIDI data and settings for the project (such as sample rate, frame rate, etc.).

• Video files are never automatically copied to the project folder.

This is because video files are often very large, and it doesn’t make sense to copy them into different project folders. However, nothing stops you from creating a Video folder inside the project folder and storing your video files there.

• You may also find additional files in the project folder.

For example, Nuendo’s Auto Save feature stores backup copies of the project file in its project folder.

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Audio terminology

When you record audio in Nuendo, this is what happens:

• An audio file is created on the hard disk.

• In Nuendo, an audio clip is created. The audio clip refers to the audio file on disk.

• An audio event is also created in Nuendo. This plays back the audio clip.

There are good reasons for this long chain of references:

• The audio event is the object that you place on a time position in Nuendo. If you make copies of an audio event and move them to different positions in the project, they will still all refer to the same audio clip. Furthermore, each audio event has an Offset value and a Length value. These determine at which positions in the clip the event will start and end, i.e. which section of the audio clip will be played back by the audio event. For example, if you resize the audio event, you will just change its start and/or end position in the audio clip – the clip itself will not be affected.

• The audio clip does not necessarily refer to just one original recorded file! For example, if you apply some processing to a section of an audio clip, this will actually create a new audio file that contains only the section in question. The processing will then be applied to the new audio file only, leaving the original audio file unchanged. Finally, the audio clip is automatically adjusted, so that it refers both to the original file and to the new, processed file. During playback, the program will switch between the original file and the processed file at the correct positions. You will hear this as a single recording, with processing applied to one section only. This feature makes it possible to undo processing at a later stage, and to apply different processing to different audio clips that refer to the same original file.

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Audio tracks, parts and channels

For an audio event to be played back in Nuendo, it has to be placed on an

audio track

. This is similar to a track on a multi-track tape recorder, and allows you to view the event and move it along the timeline. You can place any number of audio events on an audio track, but only one at a time can be played back. You can have a virtually unlimited number of audio tracks, although the number of tracks you can play back at the same time depends on your computer performance.

Even though audio events can be placed directly on audio tracks, sometimes it is convenient to gather several audio events into an

audio part

This is simply a “container”, allowing you to move and duplicate several audio events as one.

An event and a part.

Each audio track has a corresponding

audio channel

in the mixer. This is much like a channel on a hardware mixer, allowing you to set levels and panning, add EQ and effects, etc.

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MIDI terminology

When you are recording MIDI (or entering MIDI data manually in an editor), separate MIDI event, and if you record the movement of a modulation wheel or other controller, a large number of densely spaced events are created.

MIDI events

are created. For example, each note you record is a

MIDI events are always placed in lowing you to move or copy a number of MIDI events (e.g. a recorded MIDI melody line) as one item.

MIDI parts are placed on MIDI tracks. For each MIDI track you can specify on which MIDI output and MIDI channel its MIDI events should be played back. This allows you to have different tracks play back different sounds, in the same or different MIDI instruments.

A MIDI part on a MIDI track. The black lines in the part indicate MIDI events.

MIDI parts

. These are “containers”, al-

Video terminology

• When you import a video file from disk into a Nuendo project, a video clip is created that refers to the file.

•A video event is then created, referring to the video clip. Video events can be moved, copied and resized without affecting their video clips.

• For a video event to be played back, it has to be placed on the video track. There can only be one video track in a Nuendo project.

The video support in Nuendo is described in its own chapter in the Operation Manual.

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Basic Methods

About this chapter

This chapter contains descriptions of the general methods and procedures used in Nuendo. As this information applies to all parts of the program and all ways of working, please take time to read this chapter before continuing with the Operation Manual.

Using menus

Main menus

The menus in the main Nuendo menu bar are available regardless of which window is active. You select items from the main menus following the standard procedure for the operating system.

However, note the following:

• Menu items that are not relevant in the current window may be greyed out.

• It is possible to customize the Nuendo interface so that menu items and/or entire menus are hidden.

See page 219.

Pop-up menus

Pop-up menus can be found throughout the program and are often used for selecting options or values. A pop-up menu is indicated by a small arrow in a field showing the currently selected option/value.

• To bring up the pop-up menu, click the arrow.

Selecting is done as with regular menus.

Selecting from the Snap pop-up menu.

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The Quick menu

In Nuendo, clicking the right mouse button will bring up a contextual pop-up menu (under Mac OS X you need to press [Ctrl] and click, or preferably use a two-button mouse set up so that the right mouse button generates a [Ctrl]-click). Some areas have special context menus with functions or settings that only apply to the corresponding area (for example, right-clicking in a ruler brings up a pop-up menu with display format options).

However, right-clicking in the main area of a window brings up the Quick menu. As a rule, the Quick menu contains:

• The tools (provided that the window has tools), see page 66.

• The most relevant menu items from the main Nuendo menus.

Note that if you customize Nuendo so that some menu items are hidden, these will not be available on the Quick menu either.

• Settings that are specific for the window.

For example, in the Sample Editor the Quick menu contains settings determining which elements should be shown in the waveform display.

The Quick menu in the Sample Editor.

• If the option “Popup toolbox on right click” is activated in the Preferences dialog (Editing page), right-clicking (or [Ctrl]-clicking under Mac OS X) will instead bring up a dedicated toolbox, containing the tools only.

In that case you can bring up the Quick menu by pressing a modifier key (e.g. [Shift]) and right-clicking/[Ctrl]-clicking.

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Using tools

Editing in Nuendo is largely done with the various tools. Typical examples are selecting and moving events with the Arrow (Object Selection) tool, drawing with the Pencil tool, deleting with the Eraser tool, etc. There are different tools for different windows.

Tools can be selected in four ways:

• By clicking the corresponding tool icon on the toolbar.

When you click a tool icon, the pointer takes on the shape of the corresponding tool.

• By using the Quick menu.

As described on page 65, right-clicking (Win) or [Ctrl]-clicking (Mac) in the main area of a window brings up the Quick menu. The tools will be listed (along with their corresponding icons) at the top of the menu – to select a tool, simply select it from the menu.

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• By using the dedicated toolbox.

If the option “Popup toolbox on right click” is activated in the Preferences dialog (Editing page), right-clicking (or [Ctrl]-clicking under Mac OS X) will bring up the toolbox instead. This shows the tools only and you select tools as if from a menu.

Note that you can still bring up the Quick menu in this mode by pressing a modifier key (e.g. [Shift]) and right-clicking/[Ctrl]-clicking. Similarly, if the option isn’t activated in the Preferences dialog, you can bring up the toolbox in that way.

• By using key commands.

By default, the keys [1] - [9] on the alphanumeric part of the keyboard are used, so that pressing [1] selects the leftmost tool and so on. You can also use key commands to step between the tools on the toolbar. By default, pressing [F9] selects the previous tool and pressing [F10] selects the next tool.

The uses and purposes of the tools in the different windows are described in the corresponding chapters of the Operation Manual.

About tool tips

If you position the pointer over a tool icon (or any other icon or button in Nuendo), a label will appear after a moment, informing you of the function of the icon or button.

• This feature can be turned off by deactivating the option “Show Tips” on the General page in the Preferences dialog (found on the File menu under Windows and on the Nuendo menu under Mac OS X).

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Changing values

Throughout the program you will encounter various value fields that can be edited. These can be divided into three categories: position values, regular numeric values and names.

Editing position values

Depending on the selected display format (see the Operation Manual), position values in Nuendo are usually divided into several “segments” (the exception being the “Samples” display format, in which values are edited as regular numeric values). Two examples:

If the “Seconds” display format is selected, positions are shown as “hours:minutes:seconds.milliseconds”.

If the “Bars+Beats” display format is selected, positions are shown as “bars.beats.sixteenth notes.ticks” (with 120 ticks per sixteenth note, by default).

Each value segment can be edited separately, in one of the following ways:

• Point at the upper or lower edge of the segment and click.

Clicking at the upper edge will raise the value of the segment one step, clicking at the lower edge will lower the value.

• Click directly on the value segment, type in a new value and press [Return].

• If you are using a wheel mouse, point at the value segment and use the wheel to raise or lower its value.

Generally, we recommend that you use a wheel mouse, as this speeds up editing in many areas in Nuendo.

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You can also edit the whole value (all segments) by double clicking and typing in a new value. Note:

• To separate the value segments, you can use spaces, dots, colons or any other character that isn’t a number.

• If the “Bars+Beats” display format is selected, and you enter a value with less than four segments, the largest position value segments will be affected and the program will set the lesser segments to their lowest values.

For example, if you enter “5.3”, the position will be set to “5.3.1.0”.

• If one of the frame based display formats is selected and you enter a value with less than four segments, the smallest position value segments will be affected and the program will set the larger segments to their lowest values.

For example, if you enter “2:5”, the position will be set to “0:0:2:5”.

• If the “Seconds” display format is selected, value editing works as with the frame based formats, with one addition: The smallest value segment (milliseconds) is considered to be the decimal part of the seconds segment.

This means that if you enter “2:50”, the position will be set to “0:0:2:500”, rather than “0:0:2:050”.

Editing regular numeric values

Numeric values other than positions are edited by clicking the value and editing numerically from the computer keyboard.

In the Preferences dialog (Editing–Controls page) you can specify what should happen when you click on a value field. The “Value Box/

Time Control Mode” item contains the following options:

Option Description

Text Input on Left-Click In this mode, clicking a value box will open it for editing by

typing.

Increment/Decrement on Left/Right-Click

Increment/Decrement on Left-Click and Drag

In this mode you can click with the left or right mouse button to decrease or increase the value, respectively. To edit values by typing in this mode, please double-click.

In this mode, you can click and drag up or down to adjust the value (much like dragging a vertical fader). To edit values by typing in this mode, please double-click.

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• In the Inspector and elsewhere in the program you can find value sliders that may be blue or green – click and drag to adjust the value.

• For some values, you can hold down [Alt]/[Option], click on the value and keep the mouse button pressed to display a value slider.

This allows you to scroll the value by dragging up or down with the mouse button pressed. When you release the mouse button, the value slider is hidden again.

Adjusting the event volume setting on the info line.

• Most values can also be edited using a wheel mouse: point at the value and use the wheel to raise or lower it.

Editing names

To edit a name, click on it, type a new name and press [Return] (or click outside the name field).

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Using knobs and sliders

In the VST audio windows, most parameters are shown as knobs, sliders and buttons, emulating hardware interfaces. For knobs and sliders, you can select the desired way of making adjustments in the Preferences dialog (Editing–Controls page):

Knobs

The Knob Mode pop-up menu contains the following options:

Option Description

Circular To move a knob, you click on it and drag in a circular motion, much like

turning a “real” knob. When you click anywhere along the knob’s edge, the setting is immediately changed.

Relative Circular

Linear To move a knob, you click on it and drag up or down with the mouse but-

Works like the “Circular” option, but clicking does not automatically change the setting. This means you can make adjustments to the current setting by clicking anywhere on a knob and dragging, without having to click on the exact current position.

ton pressed – as if the knob were a vertical slider.

Sliders

The Slider Mode pop-up menu contains the following options:

Option Description

Jump In this mode, clicking anywhere on a slider will make the slider handle

instantly move to that position.

Touch In this mode, you have to click on the actual slider handle to adjust the

parameter. This reduces the risk of accidentally moving sliders.

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Option Description

Ramp In this mode, clicking anywhere on a slider (but not on the handle) and

keeping the mouse button pressed, will cause the handle to move smoothly to the new position.

Relative In this mode, clicking anywhere on a slider does not automatically change

the setting, but you can make adjustments to the current setting by clicking anywhere on a slider and dragging, without having to click on the exact current position.

Selecting objects

Selecting Nuendo objects such as audio and MIDI events is generally done with the Arrow tool, according to standard selection procedures.

• Clicking on an object selects it (and deselects any previously selected objects).

• Holding down [Shift] and clicking on an object selects it without deselecting any other objects.

• You can also create a selection rectangle by clicking in an empty area and dragging with the mouse button pressed.

All objects partially or totally enclosed by the rectangle will be selected.

• If an object is already selected, you can use the left and right arrow key on the computer keyboard to select the previous or next object, respectively.

Holding down [Shift] and using the arrow keys allows you to select the previous/next object without deselecting the current object.

There are several additional ways to make selections in the different Nuendo windows. These are described in the corresponding Operation Manual chapters.

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Zoom and view techniques

Scrolling the view

If the active window isn’t large enough to show all its contents, you can scroll the view by using the standard window scroll bars. However, if you are using a wheel mouse, there are two additional ways to scroll:

• Rolling the wheel will scroll the view vertically.

If you hold down [Shift] and use the wheel, the view will be scrolled horizontally. Just make sure not to point at a value field, as this will edit the value instead.

• If you aim in the main area of a window, click the wheel and keep it pressed, the pointer takes on the shape of a hand. You can now scroll the view freely by dragging the mouse horizontally and/or vertically.

Zooming

All windows that contain graphical displays can be zoomed horizontally and vertically. While some windows have special zoom functions (see the respective chapters in the Operation Manual), a few methods are commonly available:

Using the zoom sliders

In the lower right corner of all zoomable displays, you will find two zoom sliders.

• To zoom in horizontally, drag the horizontal zoom slider handle to the right.

• To zoom in vertically, drag the vertical zoom slider upwards.

There is one exception to this: in the Project window, dragging the vertical zoom slider upwards will decrease the height of Tracks (in effect, zooming out). See the chapter “The Project Window” in the Operation Manual.

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• Clicking on a zoom slider will move the handle to the click position, instantly changing the magnification.

If the project cursor is visible when you zoom in or out horizontally, the magnification will be “centered on the cursor”. In other words: if possible, the project cursor will remain in the same position on screen.

Using the Magnifying Glass tool

You can use the Magnifying Glass tool to zoom in and out horizontally, using the following methods:

• Click once to zoom in one step.

Zooming will be centered on the click position.

• Double click (or press [Alt]/[Option] and click) to zoom out one step.

• Draw a zoom rectangle by pressing the mouse button, dragging the

pointer and releasing the mouse button.

The view will zoom in horizontally, so that only the area enclosed in the zoom rectangle is visible.

Using the Zoom submenu

At the bottom of the Edit menu, you will find a Zoom submenu with various zoom functions. Exactly which items on the submenu are available depends on the currently active window.

• The Zoom submenu is also available as a separate menu item on the Quick menu.

• As with any menu item, you can specify key commands for the functions on the Zoom submenu, for quick access.

Key commands are set up in the Key Commands dialog on the File menu. This is described in a separate chapter in the Operation Manual.

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Zooming in the ruler

If the option “Zoom while Locating in Time Scale” is activated in the Preferences dialog (Transport page), you can use the rulers for zooming. This allows you to quickly zoom in or out on a certain position, without having to select a special tool:

1. Click in the ruler and keep the mouse button pressed.

The project cursor is automatically moved to the click position. If you don’t want to move the cursor, press [Shift] and click in the ruler instead.

2. Drag down to zoom in (horizontally) or drag up to zoom out.

Zooming will be centered on the project cursor.

Zooming in the overview

By clicking the Show Overview button on the toolbar, an extra pane appears under the toolbar: the project overview line.

The Show Overview button.

In the overview line, events and parts on all tracks are displayed as boxes. You can use the overview line to zoom in or out, and for navigating to other sections of the project. This is done by moving and resizing the track view rectangle in the overview line:

• The track view rectangle indicates the section of the project currently displayed in the event display.

• You can zoom in or out vertically by resizing the track view rectangle.

Resizing is done by dragging the edges of the rectangle.

• You can drag the track view rectangle to view other sections of the project.

The number of tracks shown will not change.

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Window handling

Generally, Nuendo windows are handled according to the standard procedures. However, the Window menu contains some functions that make work quicker and easier:

Menu item Description

Close Closes the currently active window. If this is a Project

window, you will close the current project.

Close All Closes all windows, including all open projects.

Minimize All Minimizes all windows.

Restore All Restores all minimized Nuendo windows.

Tile Horizontally/Vertically (Windows version only)

Arranges the open windows next to each other on screen.

Cascade (Windows version only)

Workspaces Allows you to set up different window combinations and

Windows… See below.

The open windows list Selecting a window from the list at the bottom of the menu

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Arranges the open windows in a partially overlapping pattern.

store these for instant recall. See page 240 and the Operation Manual.

brings it to front.

The Windows dialog

By selecting “Windows…” from the Window menu, you open the Windows dialog. This allows you to manage the open windows in various ways.

The display to the left lists all open windows, hierarchically arranged (so that editors and other windows that belong to a certain project are listed under the corresponding Project window). To the right are various window functions. To use one of the functions, proceed as follows:

1. Click in the field below the OK button to select one of the selection modes:

Mode Description

Selected Only the windows selected in the list will be affected.

Cascaded The selected windows will be affected, along with all their “sub-win-

dows”. Typically, if a Project window is selected in the list, all open windows belonging to that project will be affected.

All All windows will be affected, regardless of the selection.

2. If you chose the “Selected” or “Cascaded” modes, select the desired windows by clicking in the list.

As usual, you can select multiple items by holding [Shift] or [Ctrl]/[Command] and clicking.

3. Use the buttons to the right to activate (bring to front), minimize, restore or close the specified window(s).

Closing a window will also remove it from the list.

4. When you are done, click OK to close the dialog.

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The Devices panel

If you like, you can manage devices from a central Devices panel:

1. Pull down the Devices menu and select “Show Panel”.

The Devices Panel appears.

2. To display a closed or hidden window, click on its button in the Devices panel.

3. Clicking the button again will close the window.

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Undo

There are two ways to undo operations in Nuendo: by using “regular Undo” and by using the Offline Process History.

• The regular Undo can be applied to virtually all actions you perform, in multiple levels.

It is accessed by using the “Undo”, “Redo” and “History” items on the Edit menu, as described below.

• The Offline Process History allows you to remove and modify applied processing, and is different from the “regular” Undo in that you don’t have to undo processing functions in the order they were performed.

The Offline Process History is described in the chapter “Audio Processing” in the Operation Manual.

The Undo and Redo commands

Nuendo offers wide-ranging, multiple Undo, allowing you to undo virtually any action you perform.

• To undo the last performed action, select Undo from the Edit menu or use the corresponding key command (by default [Ctrl]/[Command]-[Z]).

If you select Undo again, the previously performed action will be undone, and so on.

• To redo the last undone action, select Redo from the Edit menu or use the corresponding key command (by default [Ctrl]/[Command]-[Shift]-[Z]).

Undone actions will be available for Redo until you perform another action (at which point the “Redo stack” is cleared – see below).

You can specify how many levels of Undo should be available with the “Maximum Undo” setting on the General page in the Preferences dialog on the File menu (Windows) or Nuendo menu (Mac).

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The Edit History window

Selecting “History…” from the Edit menu opens the Edit History window. This contains a graphic representation of the “Undo stack” (the performed actions, with the most recent action at the top of the stack) and the “Redo stack” (the undone actions, with the most recently undone action at the bottom of the stack). The two stacks are separated by a divider line.

The most recently undone action.

The most recently performed action.

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The Redo stack.

The Undo stack.

The Edit History dialog allows you to undo or redo several actions in one go, by moving the divider between the Undo stack and the Redo stack (in essence, moving actions from the Undo stack to the Redo stack, or vice versa):

1. Click on the divider line and drag it up or down.

Drag up to redo actions, drag down to undo them.

In this case, three more actions will be undone (and moved to the Redo stack).

• You can also click directly between two items in the list, instantly moving the divider line.

• When you move the divider line by dragging or clicking, the actions are immediately undone or redone.

The changes are reflected in all open Nuendo windows.

2. When you’re finished, click OK to close the dialog.

The Undo and Redo stacks are cleared when you close a project.

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Guided Tour

The main windows in Nuendo

The Project window

The Project window is the main window in Nuendo. This provides you with a graphic overview of the project, allowing you to navigate and perform large scale editing. The Project window is divided vertically into tracks and has a time line going from left to right. Each project has one Project window.

The project cursor.

The area with various track settings to the left is called the Inspector.

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The Track list with various track types.

The area to the right in the Project window is called the event display. This is where you view and edit audio and MIDI events, automation curves, etc.

The Project Browser

The Project Browser provides a list based representation of the project. This allows you to view and edit all events on all tracks by using regular value editing in a list.

The Transport panel

The Transport panel features transport controls, much like those found on a conventional tape recorder. It can also be used for locating Marker positions, setting tempo and time signature, etc.

Jog/shuttle controls

CPU/Disk meter

Recording modes and auto quantize

Position displays

The left and right locators define where to start and end recording and what section to cycle.

Tempo display and metronome settings

Transport controls

Sync display Level Control

MIDI/Audio Input/output activity meters

Marker section

• Note that you can customize the appearance of the Transport panel!

You can remove controls that you don’t need to use or even change the positions of the different sections on the panel. This is described in the Customizing chapter in the Operation Manual.

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The Pool

All files, audio or video, that belong to a project are listed in the Pool. There is a separate Pool for every project. In the Pool you can organize, convert and audition clips, amongst many other things.

Audio folder

Trash folder Video folder

Audio clips

Waveform image

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The Sample Editor

In the Sample Editor you can view and manipulate audio, by cutting and pasting, removing or drawing audio data. By using the Offline Process History, you can undo changes or revert to the original versions at any point.

Thumbnail overview

Waveform view A selected range

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The Audio Part Editor

The Audio Part editor allows you to edit the contents of an audio part, i.e. the individual events within the part. The editing you can do here is basically the same as when editing audio events directly in the Project window, but you have additional features for auditioning (editor solo, play and loop) and the option to place different events on different lanes, making it easier to discern and edit the events. Note that you can select several parts (on the same or different tracks) and open them together in the Audio Part editor.

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The MIDI editors

Editing MIDI data is done using the MIDI editors. The following editors are available:

Key Editor

The Key Editor shows the contents of one or several MIDI parts. The MIDI notes are represented by “boxes”, whose vertical position corresponds to their pitch.

This box represents a MIDI note.

This section is called the controller display. It shows “continuous” MIDI events (such as controllers) or as in this figure, the velocity values of notes.

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In-Place editing

The In-Place editing function allows you to edit events and parts directly in the Project window, in context with other tracks. It is very similar to the Key editor.

Score Editor

The Score Editor shows MIDI notes as a musical score and comes with advanced tools and functions for notation, layout and printing.

Full Score editing is described in the separate pdf document “Score Layout and Printing”. This can be accessed vie the Help menu in the program.

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List Editor

The List Editor shows MIDI events as a list, allowing you to view and edit their properties numerically.

Drum Editor

The Drum Editor is similar to the Key Editor, but takes advantage of the fact that with drum parts, each key corresponds to a separate drum sound.

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Tempo Track Editor

For each audio and MIDI track, you can specify whether it should use a musical or linear Time base. Tempo based tracks follow a tempo, which can either be fixed through the whole project or follow the Tempo Track. In the Tempo Track Editor you can draw curves that determine how the tempo will change over time or record tempo changes in real time.

Time signature events

The tempo curve

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The Mixer

The Mixer is where you mix your audio and MIDI channels, that is, adjust the levels (volume), panning, effect sends, EQ, etc. You will also find channel strips for the output busses here (as well as input busses and a dedicated bus for auditioning functions).

• There are different mixer windows that can be configured to show different views of the mixer.

This allows you to e.g. control all audio channels in one window and all VST Instrument channels in another.

• Each audio channel in the mixer can carry up to 12 speaker channels.

Surround sound is fully supported in Nuendo; from the input busses via audio mixer channels to the output busses.

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Channel Settings

The Channel Settings window is used for adding effects and EQ to individual channels. Each mixer channel has its own Channel Settings window.

Inserts section Equalizer section Sends section

VST Connections

This is where you set up input and output busses – the audio connections between Nuendo and the inputs and outputs on your audio hardware.

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Tutorial 1: Recording and

playing back audio

About this tutorial

This chapter contains a step-by-step description of how to make a simple audio recording and play it back. The purpose is for you to try out some of the most common recording and playback features. However, you should make sure to read the Recording chapter in the Operation Manual before doing any “serious” recording, as there are a lot of settings, options and methods that are not mentioned here.

Before you start

This chapter assumes that:

• You have installed and set up your audio hardware.

• Your audio source (a mixer or tape recorder, for example) is properly

connected to the inputs of the audio hardware.

• The outputs of the audio hardware are connected to some sort of listening equipment, allowing you to listen to the recorded audio during playback.

• You are monitoring your audio source through Nuendo.

This means that when you are recording, the audio source is sent into Nuendo and then back out again to your monitoring equipment. This way of monitoring allows you to adjust monitoring levels from within the program, add effects to the monitor signal, etc. However, it also requires audio hardware with low latency – otherwise the monitored signal will be noticeably delayed. Even if you find that the latency is too high for monitoring through Nuendo – please bear with us through this tutorial! In the Operation Manual you will find other methods for monitoring that may suit you better.

• You have launched Nuendo.

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Creating a new project

Before you can start recording, you need a working environment – a project:

1. Pull down the File menu and select “New Project”.

A dialog appears, listing a number of project templates for various purposes.

2. Select the “Empty” item in the list 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. Navigate to the desired location of the project folder, and select it by clicking OK, or click “Create” to create and name a new folder.

The project folder is created on disk, and an empty Project window appears.

At this point, you can make various settings for the project, such as sample rate, resolution, etc. However, to keep things simple we will use the default settings for now.

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The next step is to create an audio track to record on:

4. Pull down the Project menu and select “Add Track”.

A submenu appears, listing the various types of tracks available in Nuendo.

5. Select “Audio”.

In the dialog that appears, you can select the channel configuration for the track – mono, stereo or one of several different surround configurations.

6. In this example, set the track to stereo by selecting Stereo from the pop-up menu and clicking “OK”.

An empty audio track appears in the Project window.

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Preparing to record

Before you can start recording, there are some preparations to make:

Setting up input and output busses

When you record in Nuendo, the signal passes from the inputs on your audio hardware to an input bus in the program. This is where you check levels and adjust the sound to be recorded. From the input bus the signal is written to an audio file on your hard disk, and sent to the track’s channel in the mixer for monitoring etc.

Sound to be recorded

Audio Hardware

Input bus in Nuendo Mixer channel for

the audio track

Audio file on hard disk

You can have as many input busses as you like, but for this example we only need a stereo input bus:

1. Pull down the Devices menu and select “VST Connections”.

The VST Connections window appears. This is where you view, add and set up input and output busses.

2. Select the “Inputs” tab by clicking on it.

By default, there is a stereo bus present – if there wasn’t you could easily add one by clicking the Add Bus button.

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3. Click the “+” button to the left so that the individual inputs in the bus are shown.

The Device Port column shows the physical inputs on your audio hardware that are used by the bus.

4. Click in the Device Port column for the “Left” channel.

A pop-up menu appears, listing all inputs on your audio hardware.

5. Select the input you want to use for the left channel in the stereo bus.

6. Select the input for the right channel in the same way.

7. Click the “Outputs” tab and set up a stereo output bus in the same way.

This is not strictly required for recording – but you need it for monitoring and for playing back the recording afterwards.

8. Close the VST Connections window and open the Mixer from the Devices menu.

This is Nuendo’s Mixer window, used for setting levels, etc. The mixer contains channel strips for all tracks in the project and all busses.

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Steinberg Nuendo - 3.0 Getting Started

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Introduction

Welcome

About the manuals and the Help

How you can reach us

About this chapter

Requirements

Hardware installation

Installing Nuendo

About this chapter

Requirements

Hardware installation

Installing Nuendo

Setting up your system

Setting up audio

Setting up MIDI

Connecting a synchronizer

Setting up video

Optimizing audio performance

Basic Nuendo concepts

About this chapter

The project

Audio terminology

MIDI terminology

Video terminology

Basic Methods

About this chapter

Using menus

Using tools

Changing values

Selecting objects

Zoom and view techniques

Window handling

Undo

Guided Tour

The main windows in Nuendo

About this tutorial

Creating a new project

Preparing to record