Steinberg Nuendo 4 Manual
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21 VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses About the “plug-in could not be found” message When you open a project that uses an external effect/in- strument, you may get a “plug-in could not be found” mes- sage. This will happen when you remove an external device from the VST Connections window although it is used in a saved project, or when transferring a project to another computer on which the external device is not de- fined. You may also see this message when opening a project last saved with version 3.0 of Nuendo. In the VST Connections window, the broken connection to the external device is indicated by an icon in the Bus Name column. To reestablish the broken connection to the external de- vice, simply right-click the entry for the device in the Bus Name column and select “Connect External Effect”. The icon is removed, and you can use the external device within your project as before. Freezing external effects/instruments Just as when working with regular VST instruments and effects, you can also choose to freeze external effects and instruments. The general procedure is described in detail in the chapters “Audio effects” on page 168 and “VST In- struments and Instrument tracks” on page 189. When freezing external instruments or effects, you can ad- just the corresponding tail value in the Freeze Channel Options dialog:Use the arrow buttons next to the Tail Size value field to set the desired Tail length, i.e. the range after the part boundary that should also be included for the freeze. You can also click directly in the value field and enter the de- sired value manually (the maximum value being 60 s). When the Tail Size is set to 0 s (default), the freezing will only take into account the data within the Part boundaries. !Note that busses set up for external effects or exter- nal instruments are saved “globally”, i.e. for your par- ticular computer setup. !Note that you have to perform Freeze in realtime. Oth- erwise external effects will not be taken into account.
23 The Project window Background The Project window is the main window in Nuendo. This provides you with an overview of the project, allowing you to navigate and perform large scale editing. Each project has one Project window. About tracks The Project window is divided vertically into tracks, with a timeline running horizontally from left to right. The follow- ing track types are available: About parts and events Events are the basic building blocks in Nuendo. Different event types are handled differently in the Project window: Video events and automation events (curve points) are always viewed and rearranged directly in the Project window. MIDI events are always gathered in MIDI parts, containers for one or more MIDI events. MIDI parts are rearranged and ma- nipulated in the Project window. To edit the individual MIDI events in a part, you have to open the part in a MIDI editor (see “About editing MIDI” on page 364). Audio events can be displayed and edited directly in the Project window, but you can also work with audio parts containing sev- eral events. This is useful if you have a number of events which you want to treat as one unit in the project. Audio parts also contain information about the time position in the project. An audio event and an audio part. Track type Description Audio For recording and playing back audio events and audio parts. Each audio track has a corresponding audio chan- nel in the mixer. An audio track can have any number of automation “sub- tracks” for automating mixer channel parameters, insert effect settings etc. Folder Folder tracks function as containers for other tracks, making it easier to organize and manage the track struc- ture. They also allow you to edit several tracks at the same time. See “Folder tracks” on page 105. FX Channel FX channel tracks are used for adding send effects. Each FX channel can contain up to eight effect processors – by routing effect sends from an audio channel to an FX channel, you send audio from the audio channel to the ef- fect(s) on the FX channel. Each FX channel has a corre- sponding channel strip in the mixer – in essence an effect return channel. See the chapter “Audio effects” on page 168. An FX channel can also have any number of automation subtracks for automating mixer channel parameters, ef- fect settings etc. All FX channel tracks are automatically placed in a special FX channel folder in the Track list, for easy management. Group Channel By routing several audio channels to a Group channel, you can submix them, apply the same effects to them, etc. (see “Using group channels” on page 142). A Group channel track contains no events as such, but displays settings and automation curves for the corre- sponding Group channel. Each Group channel track has a corresponding channel strip in the mixer. In the Project window, Group channels are organized as subtracks in a special Group Tracks folder. Instrument This allows you to create a track for a dedicated instru- ment, making e.g. VST instrument handling easier and more intuitive. Instrument tracks have a corresponding channel strip in the mixer. Each instrument track can have any number of automation subtracks in the Project win- dow. However, Volume and Pan are automated from within the mixer. It is possible to edit Instrument tracks di- rectly in the Project window, using the Edit In-Place func- tion (see “Edit In-Place” on page 381). For more information on instrument tracks, see “VST Instruments and Instrument tracks” on page 189. MIDI For recording and playing back MIDI parts. Each MIDI track has a corresponding MIDI channel strip in the mixer. It’s possible to edit MIDI tracks directly in the Project win- dow, using the Edit In-Place function (see “Edit In-Place” on page 381). A MIDI track can have any number of automation “sub- tracks” for automating mixer channel parameters, insert and send effect settings etc. Marker The Marker track displays markers which can be moved and renamed directly in the Project window (see “Using the Marker track” on page 111). A project can have only one marker track. Arranger The Arranger track is used for arranging your project, by marking out sections in the project and determining in which order they should be played back. See “The Arran- ger track” on page 98. Ruler Ruler tracks contain additional rulers, displaying the time- line from left to right. You can use any number of ruler tracks, each with a different display format if you wish. See “The ruler” on page 31 for more information about the ruler and the display formats. Transpose The Transpose track allows you to set global key changes. A project can only have one transpose track. See “The Transpose functions” on page 114. Video For playing back video events. A project can only have one video track. Track type Description
24 The Project window Audio handling When you work with audio files, it is crucial to understand how audio is handled in Nuendo: When you edit or process audio in the project window, you always work with an audio clip that is automatically created on import or when you record audio. This audio clip refers to the audio file on the hard disk that remains untouched. This means, that audio editing and processing is “non-destructive”, in the sense that you can always undo changes or revert to the original versions. The audio clip does not necessarily refer to just one orig- inal audio file! If you apply e.g. some processing to a sec- tion of an audio clip, this will actually create a new audio file that contains only the section in question. The pro- cessing 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 play- back, 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 pro- cessing at a later stage, and to apply different processing to different audio clips that refer to the same original file. The audio event is the object that you place on a time po- sition 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 au- dio 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 au- dio event, you will just change its start and/or end position in the audio clip – the clip itself will not be affected. An audio region is a section within a clip with a length value, a start time, and a snap point. Audio regions are shown in the pool and are best created and edited in the Sample Editor. ÖIf you want to use one audio file in different contexts, or if you want to create several loops from one audio file, you should convert the corresponding regions of the audio clip to events and bounce them into separate audio files. This is necessary since different events that refer to the same clip access the same clip information.
25 The Project window Window Overview The Track list The Track list displays all the tracks used in a project. It contains name fields and settings for the tracks. Different track types have different controls in the Track list. To see all the controls you may have to resize the track in the Track list (see “Resizing tracks in the Track list” on page 35).The Track list area for an audio track: The Project overview The event display, showing audio parts and events, MIDI parts, automation, markers, etc. The InspectorThe ruler The info lineThe toolbar The Track list with various track types Mute & SoloRecord Enable Monitor buttons Track name Lane Dis- play Type Show/hide automation Indicates whether effect sends, EQ or insert effects are activated for the track. Click to bypass. Musical/Linear time baseLock track button Automation Read/Write buttons Edit chan- nel settings Track activity indicator Freeze Audio Track
26 The Project window The Track list area for an automation subtrack (opened by clicking the Show/Hide Automation button on a track): The Track list area for a MIDI track: The Inspector The area to the left of the Track list is called the Inspector. This shows additional controls and parameters for the track you have selected in the Track list. If several tracks are se- lected (see “Handling tracks” on page 38), the Inspector shows the setting for the first (topmost) selected track. To hide or show the Inspector, click the Inspector icon in the toolbar. The Inspector icon. For most track classes, the Inspector is divided into a number of sections, each containing different controls for the track. You can hide or show sections by clicking on their respective names. Clicking the name for a hidden section brings it into view and hides the other sections. [Ctrl]/[Command]-clicking the section name allows you to hide or show a section without affecting the other sections. Finally, [Alt]/[Option]-clicking a section name shows or hides all sections in the Inspector. You can also use key commands to show different In- spector sections. These are set up in the Key Commands dialog, see “Setting up key com- mands” on page 518. ÖHiding a section does not affect its functionality. In other words, if you have set up a track parameter or activated an effect for example, your settings will still be active even if you hide the respec- tive Inspector section. Which sections are available in the Inspector depends on the selected track. ÖPlease note that not all Inspector tabs are shown by default. You can show/hide Inspector sections by right- clicking on an Inspector tab and activating/deactivating the desired option(s). Make sure you right-click on an inspector tab and not on the empty area below the Inspector, as this will open the Quick context menu instead. The Inspector Setup context menu. Automation Read/Write buttons Automation parameter (click to select parameter) Append automation track MuteLock track button Record Enable & Monitor buttons Track name MIDI Output Bank Patch MIDI channel Drum map (Nuendo Expansion Kit only), Lock track and Lane display type Read/Write buttons Edit channel settings Mute & Solo Effect sends and insert effects indicators and bypass Edit In-Place Track activity indicator
27 The Project window Sections The Inspector contains the controls that can be found on the Track list, plus some additional buttons and parame- ters. In the table below, these additional settings and the available sections are listed. Which sections are available for which track type is described in the following sections. Parameter Description Auto Fades Settings buttonOpens a dialog in which you can make separate Auto Fade settings for the track. See “Making Auto Fade set- tings for a separate track” on page 97. Edit Channel settingsOpens the Channel Settings window for the track, allow- ing you to view and adjust effect and EQ settings, etc. See “Using Channel Settings” on page 137. Volume Use this to adjust the level for the track. Changing this setting will move the track’s fader in the mixer window, and vice versa. See “Setting volume in the mixer” on page 132 to learn more about setting levels. Pan Use this to adjust the panning of the track. As with the Volume setting, this corresponds to the Pan setting in the mixer. Delay This adjusts the playback timing of the audio track. Posi- tive values delay the playback while negative values cause the track to play earlier. The values are set in milli- seconds. Input Routing This lets you specify which Input bus or MIDI input the track should use (see “Setting up busses” on page 11 for information about Input busses). Output Routing Here you decide to which output the track should be routed. For audio tracks you select an output bus (see “Setting up busses” on page 11) or Group channel, for MIDI tracks you select a MIDI output. Inserts section Allows you to add insert effects to the track, see the chapter “Audio effects” on page 168. The Edit button at the top of the section opens the control panels for the added insert effects. Equalizers sectionLets you adjust the EQs for the track. You can have up to four bands of EQ for each track, see “Making EQ set- tings” on page 138. The Edit button at the top of the sec- tion opens the Channel Settings window for the track. Equalizer Curve sectionLets you adjust the EQs for the track graphically, by click- ing and dragging points in a curve display. Sends section Allows you to route an audio track to one or several FX channels (up to eight), see the chapter “Audio effects” on page 168. For MIDI tracks, this is where you assign MIDI send effects. The Edit button at the top of the section opens the control panel for the first effect in each FX channel. Studio Sends The Studio Sends are used to route cue mixes to Control Room Studios. For a detailed description of Studios and Studio Sends, see the chapter “Control Room” on page 151. Surround Pan When the Surround Panner is used for a track, this is also available in the Inspector. For further information, see “Using the Surround Panner” on page 208. Channel section Shows a duplicate of the corresponding mixer channel strip. The channel overview strip to the left lets you acti- vate and deactivate insert effects, EQs and sends. Notepad section This is a standard text notepad, allowing you to jot down notes about the track. If you have entered any notes about a track, the icon next to the “Notepad” heading will light up to indicate this. Moving the pointer over the icon will display the Notepad text in a tool tip. Network sectionThis contains controls related to the Network functions of the program. For further information, see the separate PDF document “Networking”. User Panel Here you can display device panels, e.g. for external MIDI devices, audio track panels or VST insert effect panels. For information on how to create or import MIDI device setups, see the separate PDF document “MIDI Devices”. Quick Controls Here you can configure quick controls, e.g. to use remote devices. See the chapter “Track Quick Controls” on page 338. Parameter Description
28 The Project window Audio tracks For audio tracks, all settings and sections listed above are available. User Panels for audio tracks can display panels for channel controls (such as input phase or the linked panner option) or for VST effects currently inserted in the channel. User Panels for audio tracks are accessed by clicking the Open Device Panels button (found in the topmost In- spector section, next to the Read/Write buttons). This opens up a menu listing all the device panels available for the audio track. If panels have not been created yet, you will see “Setup” panels in the menu. Double-cicking on one of these will open the Device window for that audio track. Here you will be able to create user panels for any parameter of the audio track, including VST effects that have been in- serted. For more information on how to create device and user panels, see the separate PDF document “MIDI Devices”. The device panel browser. Once panels have been created, they are available from the User Panel section of the Inspector. Click on the arrow button at the top right of the User Panel section to view the available panels. The User Panel menu in the Inspector MIDI tracks When a MIDI track is selected, the Inspector contains a number of additional sections and parameters, affecting the MIDI events in real time (e.g. on playback). Which sections are available for MIDI tracks is described in the chapter “MIDI realtime parameters and effects” on page 342. Marker tracks When the marker track is selected, the Inspector shows the marker list. See “The Marker window” on page 110. Video tracks When a video track is selected, the Inspector contains a lock button for locking the track (see “Locking events” on page 50), a Mute button for interrupting video playback and two settings for how the video thumbnails are shown: Show Frame Numbers and Snap Thumbnails (see “Playing back a video file” on page 472). Video tracks make use of the Notepad and Network In- spector tabs. !The Inspector can only display inspector sized user panels. Panels of larger sizes will not be available in the Inspector.
29 The Project window Folder tracks When a folder track is selected, the Inspector shows the folder and its underlying tracks, much like a folder struc- ture in the Windows Explorer or Mac OS X Finder. ÖYou can click one of the tracks shown under the folder in the Inspector to have the Inspector show the settings for that track. This way, you don’t have to “open” a folder track to make settings for tracks within it. Here, an audio track within the folder is selected. FX channel tracks When an FX channel track is selected, the following con- trols and sections are available: Edit button. Volume control. Pan control. Output routing pop-up menu. Inserts section. Equalizers section. Equalizer Curve section. Sends section. Studio Sends section. Surround Pan section. Channel section. Notepad section. FX channel folder tracks FX channel tracks are automatically placed in a special folder, for easier management. When this folder track is selected, the Inspector shows the folder and the FX chan- nels it contains. You can click one of the FX channels shown in the folder to have the Inspector show the set- tings for that FX channel – this way you don’t have to “open” a folder track to access the settings for the FX channels in it. Group channel tracks When a Group channel track is selected, the following controls and sections are available: Edit button. Volume control. Output routing pop-up menu. Inserts section. Equalizers section. Equalizer Curve section. Sends section. Studio Sends section. Surround Pan section. Channel section. Notepad section. Group channel folder tracks Just like FX channel tracks, all Group channel tracks are placed in a separate folder – when this is selected, the In- spector shows the folder and the Group channels it con- tains. You can click one of the Group channels shown in the folder to have the Inspector show the settings for that Group channel – this way, you don’t have to “open” a folder track to access the settings for the Group channels in it. Ruler tracks For ruler tracks, the Inspector isn’t used. Transpose track When the transpose track is selected, the following con- trols and sections are available: Mute button. Keep Transpose in Octave range. Toggle Timebase button. Lock button. Notepad section. Network section. The Transpose track controls are described in detail in the chapter “The Transpose functions” on page 114.
30 The Project window The toolbar The toolbar contains tools and shortcuts for opening other windows and various project settings and functions: ÖIn addition to these, the toolbar can contain a number of other tools and shortcuts, not visible by default. How to set up the toolbar and specify which tools should be dis- played or hidden is described in the section “The Setup dialogs” on page 506. The info line The info line shows information about the currently se- lected event or part in the Project window. You can edit al- most all values on the info line using regular value editing. Length and position values are displayed in the format cur- rently selected for the ruler (see “The ruler” on page 31). To hide or show the info line, click the Show Event Info- line button on the toolbar. The following elements can be selected for display and editing on the info line: Audio events. MIDI parts. Video events. Automation curve points. Transpose events. Arranger events. When several elements are selected If you have several elements selected, the info line will show information about the first item in the selection. The values will be shown in yellow to indicate that several ele- ments are selected. If you edit a value on the info line, the value change is applied to all selected elements, relatively to the current values. If you have two audio events selected and the first is one bar long and the other two bars long, the info line shows the length of the first event (one bar). If you now edit this value to 3 bars in the info line, the other event will be resized by the same amount – and will thus be 4 bars long. If you press [Ctrl]/[Command] and edit on the info line, the values will be absolute instead. In our example above, both events would be resized to 3 bars. Note that [Ctrl]/ [Command] is the default modifier key for this – you can change this in the Preferences (Editing–Tool Modifiers page, under the Info Line category). Active project indicatorShow/hide Inspector Show/hide info lineShow/hide Overview Open Mixer Open PoolAutomation mode Constrain delay compensation (see the chapter “VST Instruments and Instrument tracks” on page 189). Project window tools Transport controls (Previous/Next Marker, Cycle, Stop, Play, and Record) Snap on/off Snap modeGrid pop- up menuQuantize value Color pop- up menu Autoscroll on/off Snap to Zero CrossingsProject Root key