Steinberg Nuendo 4 Getting Started Manual

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Working with video
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Working with video
Introduction
In this chapter we are going to show you how to use video 
files and video tape machines with Nuendo. Nuendo is a 
full-featured post production media tool that is capable of 
dealing with video content in several ways. You can work 
with video and create complete soundtracks from within 
Nuendo. The soundtrack can then be rendered into a 
video file, recorded onto video tape or exported as an au-
dio file that can be married to the video or film later.
Virtual video playback
The most common method of working with video in Nu-
endo is using video files within the software to play video 
images in sync with audio and MIDI. Nuendo has its own 
window to display video (opened by pressing [F8]). This 
window can be resized to fit an entire screen or be very 
small and unobtrusive.
To open the video playback window, select “Video” from 
the devices menu or press [F8]. A blank video window will 
appear. Once you have imported a video file and placed it 
in the project window, the video can be viewed in this win-
dow.
To resize the window, simply click and drag the lower right 
hand corner of the window to your preferred size. How-
ever, when using the DirectShow playback engine, there 
are only three choices for the window size; tiny, small and 
big. The size of the DirectShow window can be changed 
by accessing the Device Setup dialog from the Devices 
menu. Select Video Player to see the choices of window 
size.
The DirectShow window size options in the Device Setup dialog.
Video playback engines
There are three different playback engines that Nuendo 
can use to play video files.
 QuickTime (Mac and PC)
 DirectShow (PC only)
 DirectX Video (PC only)
Which one to choose depends on your computer configu-
ration and working preferences. The available video play-
back engines are accessed from the Device Setup dialog.
Typically, PC users can use the native Windows video en-
gines DirectX and DirectShow without installing any addi-
tional software. QuickTime requires installation of the 
QuickTime software in Windows.
For Apple OS X computers, QuickTime is the only avail-
able playback engine. It is installed with the operating sys-
tem.
Video file compatibility
With so many types of video files, determining if one will 
work on your system can be confusing. The simple test for 
this is to open the video file with the native media player 
on your computer. 
 For windows systems, open the video file with Windows Me-
dia Player and see if it will play. 
 For Apple OS X systems open the file with QuickTime and see 
if it will play.
!If the native media player is able to play the video file 
back properly then Nuendo should also be able to 
use the video file in a project. If there is a problem 
playing the video file with the native player, you must 
either convert the file to a compatible type or install 
the necessary software on your computer to play that 
file type on your system.
A great deal of confusion arises when trying to figure 
out why a video file will not play properly on a given 
computer. Understanding video files and how they 
work can alleviate much of this and lead to better use 
of your computer’s video capabilities.
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Working with video
Container formats
Video and other multi-media files come in a container for-
mat. This container holds various streams of information 
including video and audio but also metadata such as syn-
chronization information used to play back audio and 
video together. Data regarding creation date, authors, 
chapter markings and more can also be held within the 
container format.
 AVI (Microsoft’s standard container format)
 MOV (QuickTime’s standard format)
 MPEG-2 (used for DVD authoring, can contain AC3 multi-
channel audio as well)
 DV (used by camcorders, high resolution)
These container formats are cross-platform compatible. 
They can be used on both Mac (OS X) and PC systems. 
Problems arise when the computer does not have the cor-
rect software to decode compressed video and audio 
streams within the container file. You must also know the 
type of codec used to create the video file.
Codecs
Codecs are methods of data compression used to make 
video (and audio) files smaller and more manageable for 
computers. In order to play a video file, your computer 
must have the correct codec installed in the operating 
system to decode the video stream. 
Here are some of the most commonly used video codecs:
 MPEG-2 (often used for DVD encoding, also a container for-
mat)

 DV (native to OS X computers, hi resolution)
 H.264 (for streaming Hi-Def video over the Internet)
 WMV (Windows video compression)
If your computer does not have the right codec to play a 
particular video file, you will most likely be able to down-
load the necessary software to install the codec onto your 
system. To find available codecs, visit Microsoft’s or Ap-
ple’s web site and search for video codecs.
Adding a video file to a project
Adding a video file to your project is very straight forward 
once you know that you have a compatible video file. It is 
advisable to store you video files on a separate hard drive 
from your audio files if possible. This can help prevent data 
streaming problems when using hi-res video with many 
audio tracks.
1.On the File menu–Import submenu, select “Video 
File…”.
You may also open the Pool and click the Import button.
2.Locate and select the desired video file on your com-
puter.
3.Activate “Extract Audio” if you wish to also import any 
embedded audio streams.
If this is activated and there is no audio stream within the container file, 
you will get an error message, “No compatible audio stream found…”. 
Click OK and the video stream will continue to be imported. You may 
also extract the audio from any video file by selecting “Extract Audio from 
Video File” from the Media menu.
4.Activate “Generate Thumbnail Cache” if you wish to 
create thumbnails during the import process.
This may also be done after a video file is imported by selecting “Gener-
ate Thumbnail Cache” from the Media menu. Be aware that displaying 
video thumbnails may use significant CPU resources.
5.Select the video file inside the Pool’s Video folder.
You may have multiple video files of various formats in the Pool.
6.Drag the video file into the Project window.
If you drag the video file into the Project window and a video track has 
not yet been added to the project, Nuendo will automatically create one 
for you and place the video file in the timeline at the insertion point.
7.Select one of the “Insert into Project” options from the 
Media menu.
You can choose to insert the video at the cursor position, at the left loca-
tor, at a specific timecode number or at the origin time of the video file. 
The origin time can also be referred to as the timestamp of the video file. 
Most video files have a timestamp of 00:00:00:00. The use of a time-
code burn-in window in the video can help place the file at the proper lo-
cation. See “Tips” on page 98.
Now that your video file is placed in the Project window’s 
timeline, you may play it along with other audio and MIDI 
data in the project. When you enter Play, and the cursor is 
within the boundaries of the video file, video will be dis-
played in the video window ([F8]) and via other video hard-
ware devices you may have configured in your system.
!Part of the confusion lies in the names of both co-
decs and container formats. Since many container 
formats have the same names as the codecs they 
use within the file, make sure to differentiate the con-
tainer format or file type (.wmv, .mov, .dv etc.) from 
the codec used within it.
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When stopped, the current frame of video is displayed. If 
the cursor is to the left of the start of the video file, the first 
frame of the video will be displayed. If the cursor is to the 
right of the video file end point, the last frame of the video 
will be displayed.
Video output devices
Viewing video files on-screen in the video window may 
work just fine for many applications but often it is neces-
sary to display video in a large format for viewing small de-
tails and so others involved in the session can also see the 
video. Nuendo provides the ability to use several types of 
video output devices in order to accomplish this. The type 
of devices you can use depends on the configuration of 
you system and what platform you use.
Multi-head graphics cards
One of the most common methods available to both Mac 
and PC platforms is the use of multi-head graphics cards 
installed in the computer. Multi-head graphics cards allow 
more than one computer monitor to be connected to the 
card, in some cases up to four monitors on one card. The 
video output of Nuendo can be directed to one of these 
outputs and then displayed full screen on a computer 
monitor or HD television screen. 
ÖInstead of a single multi-head graphics card, it is pos-
sible to use more than one graphics card to achieve the 
same results. The use of two dual display cards in one 
system (a total of four monitors) is a very common setup 
for film post-production systems. One output is dedicated 
to video only and the other three can be used for Nuendo 
and other applications.
Different graphics cards support different types of outputs 
including standard VGA, DVI, S-Video and component 
video. These options allow you to choose the type of mon-
itor you use for video. HD televisions and digital projectors 
provide the largest viewing screens but a normal com-
puter monitor can function as a very high-quality video 
monitor as well.
Dedicated video cards
The use of a dedicated video capture and playback card is 
also supported in Nuendo. These cards are normally used 
in video editing systems to capture video to disk and dis-
play it while editing. They usually have a high resolution 
and take some strain off the host CPU by providing video 
compression and decompression processing on the card. 
ÖThe Decklink cards by Blackmagic Design are auto-
matically recognized by Nuendo. Video will be sent di-
rectly to its output.
FireWire DV Output (Mac OS X only)
On Mac OS X systems, you have the option to use FireWire 
ports on the computer to output DV video streams to exter-
nal converters such as various camcorders and standalone 
FireWire to DV conversion units. These units can be con-
nected to a television or projector for large format viewing.
Video playback speed
Nuendo supports adjustments to the playback speed of 
video files necessary to compensate for film that has been 
transferred to video via a telecine process. For detailed in-
formation on video pull up/down, please refer to the Video 
chapter in the Operation Manual.
Editing video
Nuendo supports simple cut and copy style editing of 
video tracks. You can take a single video and copy it many 
times for the creation of mix variations. A video file may be 
trimmed using the event handles to remove a count down 
for instance. You may also lock video events in the same 
way as other events in the project window. It is not possi-
ble to fade or crossfade video events.
ÖNote that this functionality is limited to the DirectX and 
QuickTime video players.
!You may have multiple video files of differing formats 
in the same video track of Nuendo. Assuming you 
have the proper codecs installed, they will all play to-
gether in one project. There can only be one video 
track per project.
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Rendering audio into video files
Once you have edited all audio and MIDI data to the video 
and created a final mix, you will need to put the new audio 
back with the video. This is described in detail in the chap-
ter “Audio editing to picture” on page 99. You can do this 
by embedding the new audio in another stream within the 
video container file. This requires rendering of the video 
file again with a new audio stream.
1.Export the audio file you wish to render into the video 
container file.
Nuendo treats the rendering process in a separate step. You must first 
have both the audio and video files prepared before rendering them to-
gether. Make sure you place the left locator at exactly the start of the 
video file in Nuendo before exporting the audio mixdown. This will ensure 
that your audio and video streams will be synchronized after rendering.
2.On the File menu, select “Replace Audio in Video 
File…”.
A navigation window will open prompting you to locate the video file.
3.Locate the video file you wish to render audio into.
Next, you will be prompted to locate the corresponding audio file. This 
should be the one you created in step 1.
4.Locate the audio file to be rendered.
A progress bar shows the status of the rendering.
5.Once rendering has completed, open the video file in 
a native media player and check for proper rendering and 
synchronization.
Video tape recorders
The second method of working with video and Nuendo is 
through the use of external video playback hardware such 
as video tape recorders (VTRs). Video hard disk recorders 
also fall into this category and function in much the same 
way as tape machines. With this in mind, “VTR” will also 
refer to hard disk recorders for the purpose of this chap-
ter.
Whenever you are interfacing Nuendo with external hard-
ware, some additional computer hardware may be neces-
sary. In the case of using VTRs with Nuendo, a device 
capable of dealing with SMPTE timecode, word clock, 
video reference clock, MIDI machine control and Sony 9-
Pin machine control protocols will be needed.Nuendo must be able to send and receive transport com-
mands to and from the VTR. Speed and position informa-
tion in the form of word clock, video reference clock and 
SMPTE must also be fed into Nuendo and the audio hard-
ware.
Synchronization and Machine 
Control
The most important aspect of working with VTRs is the 
ability to maintain the best possible synchronization be-
tween Nuendo and the tape machine.
Regardless of your hardware setup, Nuendo will have to 
be configured to synchronize with the VTR using the 
Project Synchronization Setup dialog.
1.On the Transport menu, select “Project Synchroniza-
tion Setup”.
This opens the Project Synchronization Setup dialog.
2.Select your timecode source.
In most cases, the VTR will supply the timecode. This can be read by de-
vices like Steinberg Timebase or via Sony 9-pin. Third party TC readers 
can convert incoming timecode in the form of LTC or VITC to MIDI time-
code (MTC) as well.
3.Select your Master Machine Control device.
This is the main external device you are synchronizing with.
4.Make settings for the VTR.
This includes selecting the correct ports. In order to record-enable 
tracks on the tape machine, you must configure how many audio tracks 
are available. Most professional VTRs have four audio tracks available.
5.Set the Master Machine Control Preferences.
There are several preferences to select that will determine how the ma-
chine control device will behave.
6.Click OK to close the Synchronization Setup dialog.
7.On the Project menu, select “Project Setup…”.
The Project Setup dialog is opened.
8.Set the Project SMPTE frame rate.
The frame rate should be the same for all devices in the synchronization 
setup. Mixing different frame rates may lead to unpredictable results.
9.Set the correct audio pull up/pull down setting.
Audio pull up/down controls are used to compensate for speed changes 
in the video that result from the transfer process from film. (See the Op-
eration Manual for more information)
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10.Adjust the Project start time and the time display op-
tions as needed.
If the video starts at 01:00:00:00, the project start time could be 
00:59:00:00. This eliminates much blank space before the start of the 
project but allows for things such as test tones and pre-roll of tape ma-
chines.
11.Click OK to apply your settings and close the dialog.
12.Activate Synchronization by clicking the Sync button 
in the Transport panel.
This changes the nature of the transport controls by having them send 
machine control commands to the tape machine which then will send 
timecode back to Nuendo and Nuendo will start playback in sync with in-
coming timecode.
This system is intelligent and is designed to appear trans-
parent to the user. When sync is activated, any transport 
moves you would normally make in Nuendo, such as mov-
ing the cursor around the Project window, pressing re-
wind or return to zero buttons, are immediately turned into 
machine control commands to locate the tape machine to 
specific positions. Even shuttle and scrub actions do this.
Once both Nuendo and the tape transport have located to 
the same position, playback can begin on the tape ma-
chine which then will send the corresponding timecode 
out for Nuendo to synchronize to.
ÖIn the Device Settings section for each 9-pin device in 
the Project Synchronization Setup dialog there is the op-
tion “Displays Follow Locating Device” which will make 
the cursor position follow the actual tape transport as it 
moves physically to the locate position. This gives you 
feedback about the tape transport and what it is doing 
and when it will be ready for playback. When tape ma-
chines are located remotely in a dedicated machine room 
of a studio facility, having this visual feedback can be very 
helpful.
Once the Project Synchronization Setup has been config-
ured, you should test the system to ensure that audio and 
video are properly in sync. A reference mix from the video 
can be helpful for this. Record the audio from the VTR into 
Nuendo. While listening to the original audio on the VTR 
and the recorded audio in Nuendo, playback the system 
and see if you notice any drifting in the audio between the 
two sources. This will give you an idea of how accurate 
the sync is. There should be no drift whatsoever in a prop-
erly configured system.
Layback to tape
Machine control also allows you to record-enable tracks 
of the remote machine. This allows you to record your final 
mix back on to video tape when you are finished. This pro-
cess is often referred to as “laying back to tape” or simply 
“layback”.
Two things are needed to perform a layback: 
1.Arming of the necessary audio tracks. 
This could be as simple as two tracks for stereo or eight tracks for a 5.1 
surround mix plus a stereo downmix on tracks 7 and 8. In film mixing it 
may be necessary to record 24 or more mixdown tracks known as 
“stems”. Any number is possible.
2.The timecode values to start and stop recording on 
the tape machine will need to be defined.
You could manually punch in and out on the remote machine but using 
specific timecode numbers allows more precision and even going back 
and punching in sections that need remixing later without disturbing the 
rest of the sound track.
VTRs have two basic record modes:

 Insert
Auto-Edit allows you to perform an automated punch-in 
and punch-out on selected tracks of the VTR. The VTR is 
played and using the left and right locators in Nuendo, will 
enter record at the left locator and go back to play (punch-
out) at the right locator.
Since VTRs need a certain amount of time to get up to 
proper speed for playback, the Auto-Edit function allows 
you to start playback prior to the desired punch-in point, 
allowing for pre-roll. Precise edit points make it possible 
to record only a specific portion of the program material if 
needed for a correction or alteration to the overall project. 
When working on a feature length film that takes over an 
hour to layback, a quick edit in the middle can save a lot of 
time in the studio.
!Insert mode records ALL tracks on a VTR at the 
same time (including the video and timecode tracks!) 
and is usually not used for audio layback.
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Preparing an audio layback
Once you have completed the editing and mixing of a 
soundtrack for a video or film, inserted any required test 
tones and 2-pop, you are ready to layback the mix to a 
tape machine. Depending on the type of machine control 
you are using (MMC or 9-pin) the steps required are 
slightly different.
1.Set the left and right locators at the start and end of the 
complete soundtrack.
If you need to record test tones of any sort, include these in this selec-
tion. Typically, program video (what the audience actually sees) starts at 
01:00:00:00. Any test tones or countdown audio would happen prior to 
that, yielding a start time of perhaps 00:59:00:00. You may wish to also 
leave some blank space at the very end of the program in order to avoid 
clipping any audio when the tape machine punches out.
2.Synchronize Nuendo to the tape machine using ma-
chine control.
If the Project Synchronization Setup dialog has been properly config-
ured, this should be as simple as engaging the sync button in the Trans-
port panel. To accurately layback audio to an external tape machine, 
Nuendo must be synchronized to the tape machine via timecode and a 
clock source such as video sync or word clock from a hardware synchro-
nizer. This will ensure that audio remains in sync with the video on the 
tape machine throughout the layback process. Nuendo must be enabled 
to control the transport of the layback machine via MMC or 9-pin con-
nections.
ÖIn many cases, the only time you would need to syn-
chronize Nuendo with a tape machine is for audio layback. 
Editing usually goes much faster when using a reference 
video file within Nuendo. For this reason, make sure the 
synchronization settings are correct and working properly 
during this important step.
3.Position the Project cursor somewhere before the left 
locator.
Leave enough time for the tape machine to get up to speed (pre-roll) 
prior to the punch-in point at the left locator.
4.Using either the MMC or 9-pin machine control Trans-
port panels, record-enable the proper tracks on the tape 
machine.
Depending on the tape machine and mixdown format, you may need to 
enable six audio tracks or more for a surround mix and alternate down-
mixes. The machine control transport should have all available tracks 
shown on the left side.
The MMC Master control transport with six out of eight tracks record-
enabled, ready to layback a 5.1 surround mix.
5.For MMC machines, make sure to activate both the 
punch in and punch out buttons in the Transport panel.
When the cursor reaches the left locator, a record command will be sent 
to the MMC device, placing it in record on the enabled tracks. Once the 
right locator is reached, the deck will punch out.
The punch-in and punch-out functions are enabled on the Transport 
panel. It is not necessary to use pre-roll so long as you start with 
enough time for the tape transport to come up to speed before the 
punch-in point. A pre-roll would do the same thing though.
6.For 9-pin control, enable the Auto Edit function.
Many video tape machines that have 9-pin control use the Auto-Edit 
function as a way to punch-in on only certain tracks of the tape machine. 
Insert Edits will record on all tracks at the same time and will cause era-
sure of both video and timecode on the tape.
The Auto-Edit function has been turned on for this 9-pin device allow-
ing Nuendo to punch-in on selected tracks of the video tape machine.
7.Make sure the outputs of your sound card are routed 
to the inputs of the tape machine.
For those using the Control Room features, remember that the Main outs 
of Nuendo should be separate from the Control Room speaker outputs 
to avoid double-bussing and possible overload conditions. See the Con-
trol Room chapter in the Operation Manual for more information.
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8.Press play.
Nuendo will start playback on the machine control device which will then 
send timecode and clock data back to Nuendo. Nuendo will then play-
back in sync with the tape machine and at the left locator, the tape ma-
chine will enter record on the enabled tracks. At the right locator, 
recording will stop. You can then stop the transport at any time.
During the layback process, try to watch video coming di-
rectly from the tape machine while listening to the audio 
outputs of the tape machine to ensure that proper sync 
has been maintained. If that is not possible, make sure to 
view the video afterwards to double-check. Once the pro-
gram has been reviewed for errors, layback is done and 
the master can be delivered.
Nuendo has the capacity to have two 9-pin devices and 
up to 127 MMC devices connected at the same time, pro-
viding a multitude of options for tape machine control. 
Multiple transports may be synchronized with Nuendo at 
one time, allowing Nuendo to be the machine control hub 
in a complex system of tape machines typically found in 
film dub stages.
Since Nuendo may also function as a MMC slave device, 
it can be integrated into an existing machine control sys-
tem very easily. A second Nuendo system can take the 
place of a stem recorder. With an extremely large number 
of tracks available to even a modest Nuendo system, all 
the stem tracks of a feature film could be recorded to a 
second Nuendo system in one pass, given the right 
amount of IO on each system.
Tips
There are so many variables within the boundaries of a 
multi-media project that only years of experience can cope 
with all of them. However, here are a few tips and good 
ideas you can use to help eliminate some common issues.
Pre-production planning
The single most important tip for making post-production 
go smoothly for a TV commercial, feature film or even in-
ternet media creation is good use of pre-production plan-
ning. Try and meet with all the people involved in a project 
prior to starting in order to decide how the work will flow 
once you get into post-production. Determining frame 
rates for film and video, film transfer issues, what format 
the location audio will be recorded in, delivery formats and 
other details including a working copy of the script will be 
invaluable to any post-production audio professional.
TC Burn-In
The timecode burn-in window (BITC) is a section of the 
video image that contains timecode numbers for each 
frame of video from the original video editor. Using this, it 
is possible to align a video perfectly in Nuendo so that all 
the timecode numbers line up exactly. 
BITC is created by the video workstation and is perma-
nently rendered into the video. Certain hardware such as 
Steinberg’s Timebase have the capacity to insert a time-
code window into a video signal in real time. However, hav-
ing a permanent rendering of the original timecode from the 
video workstation is the most concrete reference possible. 
If there is any question regarding the timecode values of a 
particular video, the timecode burn-in eliminates the chance 
for error when editing audio to picture in Nuendo.
Timecode burn-in window in a video image.
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Audio editing to picture
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Audio editing to picture
Introduction
Nuendo has been designed from the ground up as a pro-
duction tool with features that are catered to working with 
video and film. The depth and versatility of Nuendo’s de-
sign allow you to work very precisely and yet retain the 
freedom and ease that allows greater creativity in creating 
music and sound design for film and video.
In this chapter, the editing tools in Nuendo will be dis-
cussed as they relate to video post-production techniques. 
In the section “Operations” on page 106, these tools will be 
applied in real world situations that you would encounter 
while working with video. Finally, there will be a quick dis-
cussion of how to use the Time Warp feature to create 
tempo maps that are synchronized with video for use in 
scoring music to picture.
Video timeline and the grid
When working with video, every audio event and part is 
synchronized to the picture. Unlike music editing with an 
even grid of bars and beats to work with, video uses a 
much smaller increment of time as a basic grid: video 
frames. Since there are a finite number of video frames in 
each video, the frame becomes the basic measuring block 
for editing.
Video frames are numbered using SMPTE timecode. De-
pending on the frame rate of the video, there will be a cer-
tain amount of frames per second and then 60 seconds 
per minute, and 60 minutes per hour. SMPTE is displayed 
using colons to separate each division of time.
The SMPTE display from the Time Display window showing 1 hour, 
3 minutes, 47 seconds, 12 frames and 25 subframes.
Film frames can be displayed as SMPTE numbers or in 
feet and frames (a traditional method used by film editors). 
Nuendo also offers a user-definable frame rate for special-
ized frame rates including vari-cam HD video. For more in-
formation on all the frame rates and time displays available, 
refer to the Operation Manual.
Subframes and days
Nuendo can also display the time between frames by us-
ing the subframe division which divides each frame into 
100 subframes. Subframes appear separated from frames 
by a period. In order to see subframes displayed you must 
activate “Show Timecode Subframes” in the Preferences 
dialog (Transport page). If this is activated, subframes will 
be displayed everywhere that timecode is shown including 
the Transport panel, Project window, dialogs, Project 
Browser, Pool and the SMPTE Generator plug-in.
In case a project crosses the 24 hour mark, Nuendo will au-
tomatically display a day number to the left of the SMPTE 
display separated by a space, no colon. It can be necessary 
to use days in timecode even when the project is shorter 
than 24 hours. For example, during live events that take 
place in the evening, if the central timecode generator for 
the event is running “time-of-day” SMPTE that correlates to 
the actual time on the clock, it can very easily cross the 24 
hour mark at midnight if the event goes that long. In that 
case, all timecode values after midnight will have a “1” dis-
played in the days position.
Time-of-day SMPTE that has crossed midnight or the 24 hour mark 
shows the day number “1” to the left of the SMPTE value. Note that 
subframes are not displayed in this image.
Drop-Frame SMPTE
Drop-frame timecode is used for the 29.97 frame rate 
used by the NTSC video standard. Since this frame rate 
does not correlate exactly to the actual time passing on the 
clock, a system has been devised that omits certain frame 
numbers in order to match the displayed time with the time 
of day. Nuendo distinguishes this frame count by separat-
ing the frame number with a semi-colon instead of a colon. !Make sure that the frame rate of the project matches 
that of the video you are using in the Project Setup 
dialog. It is possible for Nuendo to detect the video 
frame rate for you. See the Video chapter in the Op-
eration Manual.
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