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Steinberg Nuendo 4 Operation Manual

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    Surround sound
    Additional parameters (Standard mode)
    Center Level.
    This determines how center source signals should be reproduced by the 
    front speakers. With a value of 100%, the center speaker will provide the 
    center source. With a value of 0%, the center source will be provided by 
    the ghost image created by the left and right speakers. Other values will 
    produce a mix between these two methods.
    Divergence Controls.
    The three divergence controls determine the attenuation curves used 
    when positioning sound sources, for X-axis front, X-axis back and Y-axis 
    (front/rear), respectively. If all three Divergence values are 0% (default), 
    positioning a sound source on a speaker will set all other speakers to 
    zero level (-×) (except for the center speaker which depends on the cen-
    ter level). With higher values, the other speakers will receive a percent-
    age of the sound source.
    Additional parameters (Position and Angle mode)
    Attenuate.
    Attenuate can be used to amplify or weaken the source. Exactly what effect 
    this has on the level in each speaker can be determined by the level read-
    outs, the concentric circle (Position mode) and the arc (Angle mode).
    Normalize.
    Normalize is a function for controlling the overall loudness from all speak-
    ers. When this is set to 1.0 (full normalization), the level from all speakers 
    together is always exactly 0dB. The individual levels will then be boosted 
    or attenuated accordingly.
    Automation
    All parameters in the SurroundPan plug-in can be auto-
    mated, just as with any other plug-in. See “Enabling and 
    disabling the writing of automation data” on page 214.
    Mixconvert
    Mixconvert is a special plug-in that converts one multi-
    channel audio source into another multi-channel destina-
    tion. It is most frequently used to “downmix” a multi-chan-
    nel surround mix into another format with less channels (a 
    5.1 surround mix into a stereo mix for example).
    This plug-in can be used as an insert effect in the mixer 
    like other plug-ins but it also has special functions. Nu-
    endo will automatically insert Mixconvert in place of the 
    surround panner in cases where the channel (audio track, 
    group channel etc…) is being routed to a destination that 
    has fewer audio paths. Mixconvert will also be inserted in 
    place of any aux send panner when the destination has a 
    different audio path than the source. The surround pan-
    ner’s displays and controls will be replaced by Mixcon-
    vert’s.
    Please refer to the separate manual “Nuendo Expansion 
    Kit – Cubase Music Tools for Nuendo 4” for detailed infor-
    mation on the operation of Mixconvert.
    ÖThere is one exception to this behavior. When a stereo 
    channel is routed to a mono destination through the chan-
    nel routing or an aux send routing, a normal panner will ap-
    pear. However, this panner will control the balance of the 
    left and right channels as they are blended into the mono 
    destination. The center position blends both channels to-
    gether equally. With the pan set all the way to the left, only 
    the left channel will be heard. With the pan set all the way 
    to the right, only the right channel will be heard.
    Exporting a Surround mix
    When you have set up a surround mix you can choose to 
    export it with the Export Audio Mixdown function. This 
    function exports a single selected output bus – this means 
    that all channels that you want to be part of the mix must 
    be routed to the surround output bus.
    You have the following export options when doing sur-
    round work:
    Export to “split” format, resulting in one mono audio file 
    for each surround channel.
    Export to interleaved format, resulting in a single multi-
    channel audio file (e.g. a 5.1 file, containing all six sur-
    round channels).
    !Please note that this is not a dynamic feature, like 
    compression or limiting. It is instead just a tool for 
    scaling the nominal output levels from the surround 
    channels. 
    						
    							212
    Surround sound
    Under Windows you can also export a 5.1 surround mix 
    to a file in Windows Media Audio Pro format.
    This is an encoding format tailored for 5.1 surround – see “Windows 
    Media Audio Pro files (Windows only)” on page 442.
    You can also export a surround mix to a Dolby Digital 
    AC3 file or a DTS file, if you have the Steinberg Dolby Dig-
    ital Encoder or the Steinberg DTS Encoder (both optional, 
    separate plug-ins) installed in your system.
    Please go to www.steinberg.net for details.
    For more about exporting to files, see the chapter “Export 
    Audio Mixdown” on page 437.
    Using effects in surround configurations
    Nuendo introduces a special surround format for VST 
    plug-ins, that is plug-ins that can process more than two 
    channels. Mix8to2 is an example of such a plug-in.
    Applying a Surround-aware plug-in
    This is not different from applying a regular plug-in. The 
    only difference is that the plug-in panel may have controls 
    for more than two channels.
    Using a stereo plug-in in a surround configuration
    Normally, when you apply a stereo insert effect to a sur-
    round configuration, the first two speaker channels (often 
    L and R) are routed through the plug-in and other chan-
    nels are left unprocessed. 
    However, you may want to use the plug-in on other speaker 
    channels. This is described in the chapter “Audio effects” 
    on page 168. 
    						
    							16
    Automation 
    						
    							214
    Automation
    Introduction
    In essence, automation means finding and recording, for 
    each and every moment of your project, the right values for 
    a particular mixer parameter. When you create your final 
    mix, you won’t have to worry about having to adjust this 
    particular parameter control yourself – Nuendo will do it 
    for you.
    Automation is a key feature when mixing audio data in 
    complex, multi-track projects. Whether you want to mix a 
    music project or if you are performing a feature-film re-re-
    cording – without comprehensive automation features 
    your task would be impossible. Nuendo provides very 
    powerful and yet intuitive automation of virtually every 
    mixer and effect parameter.
    The following sections provide detailed descriptions of the 
    Nuendo automation features:
    The section following below describes how to activate 
    automation Write mode and how the automation data is 
    displayed.
    What can and what cannot be automated is briefly ex-
    plained in “What can be automated?” on page 216.
    “The Automation panel” on page 217 provides a first 
    look at the Automation panel and its features.
    Make sure you read and understand “Virgin territory vs. 
    the initial value” on page 217!
    The various automation punch-out modes are explained 
    in detail in the section “Automation modes” on page 219.
    The Nuendo automation features become truly powerful 
    thanks to the automation performance utilities, as ex-
    plained in the section “Automation performance utilities” 
    on page 222.
    “The Settings section” on page 229 describes the glo-
    bal options and settings available on the Automation 
    panel.
    “Hints and further options” on page 230 gives you gen-
    eral information on how the automation features interact 
    with other Nuendo features.
    The section “Automation track operations” on page 231 
    describes how to open and manipulate automation tracks.
    Finally, the section “Working with automation curves” 
    on page 235 explains how to edit automation curves.
    Enabling and disabling the writing 
    of automation data
    Tracks and mixer channels in Nuendo can be “automation 
    enabled” by activating their automation Write (W) buttons.
    All track types except arranger, folder, marker, transpose, 
    video and ruler tracks feature Write (W) and Read (R) but-
    tons in the mixer, in the Track list and in the Channel Set-
    tings window. Furthermore, the control panels for all plug-
    in effects and VST Instruments also feature Write and 
    Read buttons.
    The Write and Read buttons for a channel in the mixer and for an auto-
    mation track in the Track list.
    If you activate Write for a channel, virtually all mixer pa-
    rameters you adjust during playback for that specific 
    channel will be recorded as automation events.
    If Read is activated for a channel, all your recorded 
    mixer actions for that channel will be performed during 
    playback, just like you performed them in Write mode.
    The W and R buttons for a track in the Track list are mir-
    rors of the W and R buttons in the corresponding channel 
    strip in the mixer.
    ÖNote that the Read button is automatically enabled 
    when you enable the Write button. This allows Nuendo to 
    read existing automation data at any time.
    You can separately deactivate Write, if you want to only read existing 
    data. There is no status Write on/Read off.
    There are also global Read and Write indicator buttons 
    (“All Automation to Read/Write Status”) in the common 
    panel of the mixer and at the top of the Track list:
    The “All Automation to Read/Write Status” buttons in the mixer, and in 
    the Track list. 
    						
    							215
    Automation
    These buttons light up as soon as there is a single en-
    abled Read or Write button on any channel/track within 
    your project.
    When “All Automation to Read/Write Status” is dis-
    abled and you click on one of these buttons, all Read/
    Write buttons on all tracks/channels are enabled.
    When “All Automation to Read/Write Status” is enabled, this means that 
    at least one of the Read/Write buttons on one of the channels of your 
    project is enabled.
    When “All Automation to Read/Write Status” is enabled 
    and you click on one of these buttons, any enabled Read/
    Write buttons on the tracks/channels of your project are 
    disabled.
    ÖYou will also find global Read/Write buttons on the 
    Automation panel. See the section “The Read/Write but-
    tons in the Mode section” on page 221.
    MIDI Controller Input to Automation Tracks
    If you set up a remote device to control parameters and 
    settings in Nuendo, you can record automation with that 
    remote device – just activate Write as usual. However, if 
    you are recording a MIDI track and want to record auto-
    mation at the same time, the controller data sent by the re-
    mote device will be recorded “twice” – as automation and 
    as MIDI controller data on the MIDI track.
    To avoid this, activate the “MIDI Controller Input to Auto-
    mation Tracks” option in the Preferences (MIDI page). 
    When this is activated, the controllers will be recorded as 
    automation only, not as MIDI controller data on the re-
    corded MIDI track.
    Creating automation data
    Within a Nuendo project, the changes in a parameter 
    value over time are reflected as curves on so-called auto-
    mation tracks. The curves are drawn in real-time while you 
    write the automation data. Most of the tracks in your 
    project have automation tracks, one for each automated 
    parameter.
    ÖNote that automation tracks are hidden by default. You 
    can display all automated parameters and the corre-
    sponding automation tracks at the same time.
    See the section “Automation track operations” on page 231 for details on 
    how to show, hide or remove automation tracks. “Working with automation 
    curves” on page 235 explains what you can do with automation curves.
    There are two approaches you can use to create automa-
    tion curves:
    “Offline”, by manually drawing the curves on automation 
    tracks in the Project window.
    See “Editing automation events” on page 235.
    “Online”, by enabling the Write/Read buttons and ad-
    justing parameters in the mixer or channel settings win-
    dow while rolling through the project in real-time. The 
    value settings are recorded and displayed as a curve on 
    the automation track.
    In the following sections, this online writing of automation data is also re-
    ferred to as an “automation pass”. See “Enabling and disabling the writ-
    ing of automation data” on page 214.
    The methods are not different in terms of how the automa-
    tion data is applied. They only differ in the way the automa-
    tion events are created – manually drawing them or 
    recording them during automation passes. Any applied 
    automation data will be reflected in both the mixer (a fader 
    will move for example) and in a corresponding automation 
    track curve. 
    There are no hard and fast rules regarding which method 
    you should use. For example, you can create your automa-
    tion data online without ever even opening an automation 
    track. Or you can stick to drawing automation curves off-
    line. Every method has its advantages, but of course it is 
    up to you to decide what to use and when. 
    						
    							216
    Automation
    Editing curves on automation tracks offers a graphical 
    overview in relation to the track contents and the time po-
    sition.
    This makes it easy to quickly change parameter values at specific points, 
    without having to activate playback. For example, this method gives you a 
    good overview if you have a voice-over or a dialog on one track and a 
    music bed on another track, the level of which needs to be lowered by a 
    specific amount every time the dialog occurs.
    By using write automation in the mixer you don’t have to 
    manually select parameters from the Add Parameter list.
    You can work much like you would using a “real” physical mixer. Every 
    action you perform is automatically recorded on automation tracks which 
    you can later open for viewing and editing of the parameters you changed.
    The automation tracks themselves indicate the writing of 
    automation data:
    While writing automation data, the color of the automa-
    tion track in the track list changes to red.
    The delta indicator in the automation track shows the 
    relative amount by which the new parameter setting devi-
    ates from any previously automated value.
    This is an additional visual aid when writing new automation data.
    What can be automated?
    You can automate virtually every parameter in the Nuendo 
    mixer. 
    To find out which parameters can be automated for a 
    particular track, click in the Parameter display of the auto-
    mation track to open a pop-up menu. Select “More…” to 
    open the Add Parameter dialog.
    This dialog lists all automatable parameters for a particular track type. It is 
    described in detail in the section “Assigning a parameter to an automa-
    tion track” on page 232.
    The following actions CANNOT be automated, even 
    though they are features of the Nuendo mixer:
     Changing the input phase
     Changing the input gain
     Changing of routing settings
     Inserting a plug-in
     Moving of plug-ins to different insert slots
     Copying insert settings
     Changing the stereo panner mode
     Changing Control Room settings
    The delta indicator 
    						
    							217
    Automation
    The Automation panel
    The Automation panel is a floating window, similar to the 
    Mixer and Transport panel. You can leave it open while 
    you work – the Project window will always have the focus.
    To open the Automation panel, open the Project menu and 
    select the Automation Panel option or click the Automa-
    tion Panel button on the Nuendo toolbar.
    The Automation panel gives you access to all automation 
    options in Nuendo. By default, all seven sections are dis-
    played.
    You can change the panel configuration using the Setup 
    dialog – see “The Setup dialogs” on page 506. The fol-
    lowing sections will explain all options and functions.Virgin territory vs. the initial value
    Before we go into detail about the various modes and op-
    tions available through the Automation panel, we need to 
    explain how Nuendo handles those sections of your project 
    in which you have not yet performed an automation pass. 
    For parameter automation, Nuendo works either with an 
    initial value (see below) or with “virgin territory” (see “Vir-
    gin territory” on page 218). 
    It is very important that you understand the difference be-
    tween these two concepts and their individual advantages 
    and disadvantages before continuing.
    The initial value
    An initial value is always used when “Use Virgin Territory” is 
    disabled on the Automation panel.
    Use Virgin Territory is disabled.
    Click here… …to open the Automation panel.
    !When we speak of “touching a control” in the follow-
    ing sections, we mean both clicking a parameter 
    control on the Nuendo program interface and physi-
    cally touching a fader or other control on a remote 
    control device. 
    						
    							218
    Automation
    When no automation data exists for a particular parame-
    ter, and you perform an automation pass for this parame-
    ter, its value at the moment when you start the automation 
    pass is saved as the initial value. When you punch-out of 
    the automation pass, it is this initial value to which the pa-
    rameter will return.
    This has one very important consequence: As soon as the 
    initial value is set, the corresponding parameter is fully au-
    tomated, on this track, at any given timecode position of 
    the project – even if your automation pass lasted only 2 
    seconds.
    The straight line after the last automation event indicates the initial value.
    This is reflected in the curve on the automation track – it is 
    visible right through to the end of the project that the initial 
    value is kept. As long as the track is in Read mode, the pa-
    rameter control will follow this curve – it will either take 
    values set during an automation pass, or it will return to its 
    initial value.
    You may touch the parameter control and force it to a dif-
    ferent value manually. But as you let go of the control, it 
    will return to the value defined by the automation curve – 
    even when in Stop mode.
    Virgin territory
    Think of virgin territory as the “state” of the automation 
    track before performing the first automation pass. When 
    you enable the “Use Virgin Territory” option, no automa-
    tion curve is displayed on the automation track, and you 
    have full manual control of the parameter.
    Use Virgin Territory is enabled.
    The idea here is that you find automation only where you 
    actually perform an automation pass – there is no initial 
    value to which the parameter can return.
    Outside a section with automated values, you always have 
    full manual control of the parameter.
    Gaps
    After an automation pass you will find virgin territory only 
    to the right of the last automation event. “Empty” sections 
    between two automation curves are referred to as “gaps” 
    in the following sections. 
    Only the dynamic change in the parameter is automated.
    You can create gaps inside a section with automated val-
    ues. This is useful if you want to have full manual control:
    1.Make sure that “Use Virgin Territory” is enabled.
    2.Select the Range Selection tool.
    3.On an automation track with existing automation data, 
    select a range and press [Delete] or [Backspace].
    A gap is created.
    A new break-point at the position where the selected 
    range started marks the end point of the automation curve 
    to the left. A second new break-point can now be found at 
    the position where the selected range ended, marking the 
    start of the automation curve to the right of the gap. 
    						
    							219
    Automation
    When you select one or more break-points of an auto-
    mation curve with the Arrow tool and press [Delete] or 
    [Backspace], no gap is created.
    Instead, the selected break-points are deleted. The curve between the 
    deleted points is replaced by a new line connecting the two points to the 
    left and right of the deleted points.
    The “Terminator” setting
    You can “force” any automation track into using virgin ter-
    ritory, by defining any automation break-point on the auto-
    mation curve as the “terminator” point of this part of the 
    curve. This will automatically delete the line between this 
    break-point and the next one, creating a gap – a section 
    on the automation track where you find no automation 
    data. The next break-point to the right of the terminator 
    point will automatically become the “start” point of the 
    next automated section.
    ÖNote that this is independent of the setting for “Use 
    Virgin Territory” – you can create gaps at any time.
    To define a break-point as the last point in an automa-
    tion curve, select it by clicking on it with the mouse 
    pointer, and in the Event info line above the Project win-
    dow, set “Terminator” to Yes.When you set the “Terminator” option for the last (right-
    most) automation break-point of an automation curve to 
    “Yes”, any automation data to the right of this point (as de-
    fined by an initial value) is deleted.
    Automation modes
    Nuendo provides three different punch-out modes for au-
    tomation, available on the Automation Mode pop-up menu 
    on the main toolbar and in the Mode section on the Auto-
    mation panel.
    Selecting the automation mode in the Automation panel and the Nu-
    endo toolbar
    The three modes available are Touch, Auto-Latch and 
    Cross-Over. In all three modes, automation data will be 
    written as soon as a parameter control is touched in play 
    mode. They differ in the way the writing of automation data 
    is ended, i. e. in their “punch-out” behavior. Which mode 
    to use depends on what is required in your particular 
    working situation.
    ÖNote that you can change the automation mode at any 
    time, i. e. in play or stop mode or during an automation 
    pass. You can also assign key commands to the automa-
    tion modes so you can quickly change between them.
    See “Automation key commands” on page 230.
    General punch-out conditions
    The current automation pass will always punch-out as 
    soon as one of the following conditions is met, indepen-
    dent of which automation mode is selected:
     If you Disable Write
     If you Stop playback
     If you activate Fast Forward/Rewind
     If the project cursor reaches the right locator in Cycle mode.
     If you click in the timeline to move the project cursor.
    Select a break-point…
    …and set “Terminator” to Yes.
    A gap is created. 
    						
    							220
    Automation
    Touch
    Typically, you would use Touch mode in situations where 
    you want to make a change lasting only a few seconds to 
    an already set up parameter.
    As the name implies, Touch will write automation data only 
    for as long as you actually touch a parameter control – 
    punch-out occurs as soon as you release the control.
    After punch-out, the control will return to the previously 
    set value. The Return Time setting (see “Return Time” on 
    page 229) determines how long it takes for the parameter 
    to reach the previously set value.
    Automation mode: Touch
    Auto-Latch
    In Auto-Latch mode, there is no specific punch-out condi-
    tion other than those valid in all modes – see “General 
    punch-out conditions” on page 219.
    Auto-Latch is probably the automation mode you will use 
    the most, in all situations where you want to keep a value 
    over a longer period of time – for example when making 
    EQ settings for a particular scene.
    Once your pass has started, the writing of automation 
    data continues for as long as playback lasts or Write is 
    enabled – if you wanted an adjustment that lasted for just 
    a few moments, you would use Touch mode. The last 
    value setting will be kept until you stop writing.
    Automation mode: Auto-Latch
    ÖThe automation mode for ON/OFF switches is always 
    Auto-Latch (even if another mode is selected globally or 
    for the track).
    Cross-Over
    Think of the Cross-Over mode as a kind of “manual return 
    time” option (see also “Return Time” on page 229). The 
    Cross-Over mode can be used in situations where you are 
    not happy with an already existing automation curve or 
    with the automatically applied return settings. Cross-Over 
    mode gives allows you to perform a “manual return” to en-
    sure smooth transitions between new and existing auto-
    mation settings.
    For Cross-Over, the punch-out condition is crossing over 
    an already existing automation curve after touching the 
    parameter for a second time.
    Look at the figure below: Like in Auto-Latch mode, once 
    the automation pass begins with the first touching of the 
    parameter control, automation data is written for as long 
    as playback lasts.
    When you have found the correct value setting, you can 
    release the fader – the automation pass continues, with 
    the value setting remaining the same. 
    						
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