Steinberg Nuendo 5 Manual
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541 Audio editing to picture Adjusting events to picture Once audio events have been placed to picture, their fades, durations and positions can be fine-tuned. Nuendo’s nudge features are designed just for this type of use. As the nudge buttons are not displayed on the tool - bar by default, you have to right-click on the toolbar and select “Nudge Palette” from the context menu to access them. Using the nudge buttons you can incrementally adjust the position (move) and size (trim) of your events. Depending on Arrow tool mode, the nudge buttons will trim the events by moving the boundaries (Normal Sizing) or moving the contents inside the event (Sizing moves contents). The size of the nudge increment is determined by the grid settings in the Project window. A typical nudge setting for picture editing would be 1 frame. However, even though the video’s resolution might be no more than one frame, half-frame or even quarter-frame amounts could be nec - essary to accurately time events to picture. Edit Mode is extremely helpful for fine-tuning event place- ment to picture. Since the video follows each edit you make with the mouse, you can instantly see where in the video your edit is taking place, whether that be the start position of an event, snap point or fade duration. This makes editing to picture fluid and more creative. The Range Selection tool offers additional methods of ed- iting including Cut Head, Cut Tail, Crop and Adjust Fades to Range. In Edit Mode, creating and adjusting the range will chase video so defining a range can be done visually to picture. Conforming to picture changes During the postproduction process, it is often necessary to make changes to the overall timeline of a project. When any change is made to the video, i. e. when video is cut or inserted, those changes must be reflected in the audio as well. This can be achieved with the Range Selection tool. The key is to retain the relative positions of every event in the project after the edit is performed. For example, if a portion of video is removed, removal of events on all tracks includ - ing markers, MIDI, automation, and tempo tracks is neces- sary for everything to remain in sync after the edit point. Picture cut To make a picture change involving the removal of existing video, proceed as follows: 1.Determine the starting point and duration of the sec- tion to be removed. This information should come from the video editor in the form of timecode values specifying the start point and duration of each cut. When several changes are made to a video, information about those changes comes in the form of a “change list”. Reference video and audio can also be used to figure this out and also double check the edit once it is complete. 2.Select the Range Selection tool and on the Edit menu–Select submenu, choose “Select All”. This automatically selects all different types of tracks in your project in- cluding MIDI, Marker, Tempo, and Video. 3.Deselect the video track with the new edited version and lock this and any other reference track. This prevents accidental editing. 4.In the Range Start field in the info line, enter the start- ing frame of the video change edit. This is the first video frame to be removed. You can also locate the cur- sor to the starting frame and press [E] (“Left Selection Side to Cursor”). Make sure that Snap is active, Snap Type is set to “Grid” and Grid Type is set to “1 frame”.
542 Audio editing to picture 5.In the Range Length field in the info line, enter the du- ration of the cut. Now the range selection encompasses all the events in the project that are to be removed together with the old video. The range has been defined for the cut on all tracks. 6.On the Edit menu–Range submenu, select “Cut Time”. This will remove the selected area and move all the following events to the left by the same amount, filling the gap. The audio should now play in sync with the new video from the edit point on to the end. The edit is complete. All events to the right have been moved to fill the gap. Once the edit is complete, import the new video file and check the sync of audio to video through the edit point. Reference audio from the new video can be useful for checking your edits. Picture insert To make a picture change involving the addition of video material, proceed as follows: 1.Locate the insertion point where the video has been added. This information comes from the video editor’s change notes. 2.Select the Range Selection tool and on the Edit menu–Select submenu, choose “Select All”. This automatically selects all tracks in your project. 3.In the Range Start field in the info line, enter the start- ing frame of the insertion. You can also locate the cursor to the starting frame and press [E] (“Left Selection Side to Cursor”). 4.In the Range Length field in the info line, enter the du- ration of the inserted video. This creates a selection of the same size as the inserted video. 5.On the Edit menu–Range submenu select “Insert Si- lence”. Blank space is inserted and all events will be moved to the right to make room. Synchronize tempo maps to picture You can use the Time Warp feature in Nuendo to create tempo maps that are synchronized with video for use in scoring music to picture. When scoring to picture, tempo changes in the music often need to follow specific visual elements on screen. Using the Time Warp feature with Edit Mode allows you to make these changes easily while viewing video. For further information, see “Matching a musical score to video” on page 461. !Once the new video and reference audio have been placed in the Project window, you may lock those tracks to prevent inadvertent editing later.
543 Audio editing to picture Using standard Nuendo tools for postproduction purposes In this section the Nuendo editing tools related to video postproduction techniques are described. Inserting audio into the project The options listed below can be used with video to place audio events precisely at the video frame you choose. Select your audio events in the Pool and use the “Insert into Project” options from the Media menu to place them in the Project window. These options are described in detail in the section “In- serting clips into a project” on page 325. Using the Marker window as a spotting list In the following section we will describe how to add mark- ers and use the Marker window to position your audio events. A spotting list is created by viewing a film or video and de- termining where certain sound effects and other audio el- ements will go during postproduction. The list consists of timecode values and descriptions of the sounds that will go there. For example: In this list, there are three timecode locations and various sounds that are needed at those points in the video. Dur - ing editing, sound effects could simply be placed using these timecode values and be relatively close to final posi - tion without much effort. To make it even faster, use the Marker window as a spotting list. As you view a video in Nuendo, have the Marker window open, and as you “spot” places where sound effects need to be inserted, add a marker. With the Marker window open, you will see the newly created marker in the list. Once you complete the description and enter it, you can create another marker instantly, making it possible to cre - ate an entire spotting list on-the-fly in Nuendo. After importing sound effects from a library or field record- ings, they can be placed in the project using the Insert at Cursor option, moving the cursor to each marker by dou - ble-clicking in the very left column of the Marker window next to the desired number. The Marker window used as a built-in spotting list While the positioning of the audio events in this case might not be exact, it will quickly get audio in close proximity to the needed position. Fine tuning can be done later with other editing tools and features. For further information, please refer to the chapter “Using markers” on page 136. Event handles The event handles (fade in, fade out, and volume) are ex- tremely useful for working with picture since their functions are tied to the event itself. When the event moves, so do the fades and volume level. Since the event fades and volume are handled in real time, you can hear the results of your edits instantly. As long as you let go of the event handle before the cursor reaches the event during playback, you hear the result of your edit. Being able to edit while playback continues gives you more time and freedom to work while others are still listen - ing to the playback. For further information, please refer to the chapter “Fades, crossfades and envelopes” on page 112. TimecodeDescription 01:07:36:15Footsteps on concrete 01:07:53:02Telephone rings 01:08:06:07Explosion outside
544 Audio editing to picture Event envelopes For even more control, the event envelope provides an- other type of volume control over the audio event. Instead of controlling only fade ins and outs or the overall volume of the event, envelopes can alter the volume of audio any - where within the event. To access the event envelope, select the Pencil tool and simply click within any audio event. A volume envelope line appears with a new curve point. Unity gain (no change) is where the envelope line is at the very top of the event. Any curve points below indicate gain reduction at that point. The waveform display reflects the change in volume for vi - sual feedback as you edit. You can add as many curve points as you like by clicking again with the Pencil tool, giving you the ability to contour the volume of the event very precisely. To remove a curve point, drag it with the Pencil tool outside the event. An event envelope with several curve points. Notice that the volume curve with fades and the overall volume is still displayed. The combination of the envelope and volume curve will determine the final audio level for each event. For further information, please refer to the chapter “Fades, crossfades and envelopes” on page 112. Range selection Using the Range selection tool to edit audio to picture opens up many other possibilities and functionality. When you make selections with the Range selection tool, the info line displays the start, end and length of the selection. The length indication is a handy timecode calculator when the project timeline is viewed in timecode. The start and end track numbers are also shown, outlining the top and bottom of the selection. All the values in the info line are editable. • Altering the start moves the selection without changing its length. • Altering the end changes the length of the selection. • Altering the length changes the end time to match the desired length. • Altering the first track number will change the number of the topmost track in the selection. • Altering the last track will change the number of the bottom track in the selection. All tracks in between these two will be included in the selection. The info line while using the Range selection tool. Notice the top and bottom track numbers at the right of the display. It is also possible to select non-contiguous tracks in a range selection by [Alt]/[Option]-clicking within the bor - ders of the selection on the track you wish to add to the range. Only that track area will be added. This can be re - peated to add other tracks to the range. Non-contiguous range selection. The track placement of this data is retained in the clipboard. !One advantage to both the event handles (volume curve) and the event envelope is that their effects oc- cur prior to the audio signal entering the mix engine of Nuendo. For example, if you have a compressor plug- in on a track in Nuendo and you increase the volume of an event on that track by using the volume handle, the compressor plug-in will see a greater input signal, altering its gain reduction accordingly. This can be very advantageous, e. g. when evening out levels in di- alog tracks.
545 Audio editing to picture There are also functions that let you alter the range selec- tion using the cursor, event boundaries, left and right loca- tors, and the start and end of the project. These functions are found in the Edit menu–Select submenu. When these operations are assigned to key commands, the increase in speed and efficiency for creating range se - lections can be considerable. The various options of the Select submenu are described in detail in the section “Range editing” on page 77. By using these commands in various combinations, it is possible to create range selections quickly based on event boundaries, cursor and locator positions, and on-the-fly “capturing” during playback. These workflow improvements can become indispensable for many postproduction tasks. For a description of the options on the Range submenu of the Edit menu, see “Editing selection ranges” on page 78. Range editing Once you have a range selection defined, there are many editing operations that can be performed to the selection. Some of these range edits have been designed expressly for postproduction in order to streamline workflow and in - crease efficiency and creativity. Others include the stan- dard editing functions cut, copy and paste along with mouse operations to move selected audio (see “Range editing” on page 77). You can also use the “Cut Head” and “Cut Tail” functions on the Edit menu for the editing of ranges and events, see “Using Cut Head and Cut Tail” on page 71. Furthermore you can use the “Adjust Fades to Range” command on the Audio menu, see “Creating and adjusting fades with the Range Selection tool” on page 113. Edit Mode When editing to video, it is always important to know how each edit relates to the exact frame of video where it oc - curs. Video playback follows the Nuendo transport, so that the video frame at the current project cursor position is shown, during playback and in Stop mode (e. g. if you move the project cursor manually or use fast forward/re - wind). However, if you perform event or range-based edit- ing tasks you will get no visual feedback. The special Edit Mode solves this problem, allowing you to edit audio while getting continuous visual feedback on the video display: •If you activate “Edit Mode” on the Transport menu, the project cursor will automatically follow when you make se - lections or perform editing operations (such as moving, resizing, adjusting fades, etc.). Because the video automatically follows the project cursor, you will in- stantly get a visual feedback when you edit! This makes it very easy to move an audio event to a certain spot in the video, for example. •To avoid obscuring the view, the project cursor is hid- den from the event display in Stop mode if Edit Mode is activated. However, it is always displayed in the ruler. Listed below are some examples of how you can use Nu- endo’s Edit Mode for matching audio and MIDI to video. Edit Mode: Arrow tool When editing events with the Arrow tool, Edit Mode causes the video to follow your motions as you drag events and event handles. For instance, when you click and drag one or more events, the video will follow the left edge of the first event while you drag, giving you visual feedback on the position in the video. This is very helpful while placing sound effects to picture since you can see things in the video as you move sounds around in the Project window. Lining up sound effects to their visual counterparts becomes quite easy and quick. Edit Mode follows the snap point of each audio event. If the snap point has not been modified, it remains at the start of the event. It can often be necessary to align a por - tion of audio in the middle of the event. Adjusting the snap point to a position in the audio event that is timing sensi - tive will allow you to use Edit Mode to visually line up that position to the video. For example, the sound of a car skidding to a stop might be easily timed to picture by lining up the end of the skid sound with the stopping of the car in the video. The car might come into the frame after the skidding had begun, thereby making it very difficult to align the sound quickly without a starting point reference. The snap point over - !Range editing can affect any type of event in the Project window including video, MIDI, markers, and automation data. When performing edits that affect the entire timeline (editing picture changes for in - stance) range edits can be very effective.
546 Audio editing to picture comes this problem by allowing you to reference another point in the audio event. By moving the snap point to the end of the skidding sound, Edit Mode can be used to line that point with the stopped car on screen. When adjusting fade handles, the video will follow the po- sition of the fade handle as you move it, allowing you to position fades exactly in time with the video. Edit Mode: Range Selection tool When making range selections, Edit Mode causes the video to follow the range as you make the selection. If you have a video section and an audio event for it that does not quite fit, you can use time stretch to change the length of the audio: 1.Position the start of the audio event at the correct po- sition according to the video. 2.In Edit Mode, select the Range Selection tool and double-click on the audio event. This creates a selection range that spans the whole audio event. 3.Click the right edge of the selection range and drag to adjust it to the desired length. While you are dragging, the project cursor position follows the right edge of the range, allowing you to pinpoint the desired end position in the video. 4.Use “Locators to Selection” (on the Transport menu) to set the locators to the selection range you just made. 5.With the Arrow tool, select the audio clip to be stretched. 6.On the Audio menu–Process submenu, select “Time Stretch”. The Time Stretch dialog opens. 7.Click the “Use Locators” button. The time stretch ratio is set up so that the audio event will fit the locator range. 8.Make the desired settings and click Process. The audio is stretched or compressed to fit the range. If you want the audio to fade in, reaching full volume at a certain position in the video, and fade out at another posi - tion, here is a quick way of achieving this: 1.In Edit Mode, select the Range Selection tool. 2.Make a selection range in the audio event, roughly cov- ering the section that you want to be played at full volume. 3.Click and drag the edges of the selection range so that they exactly correspond to the end of the fade-in and the start of the fade-out, respectively. While you are dragging, the project cursor position follows the edge of the range, allowing you to pinpoint the desired fade-in and fade-out po -sition in the video. 4.Pull down the Audio menu and select “Adjust Fades to Range”. The fade-in and fade-out handles of the audio events are automatically adjusted. ÖWhen using the fade handles of an audio event in Edit Mode, the cursor will follow their position as well, allowing you to adjust fades to picture in this manner. Edit Mode: Nudge commands Nudging of events or range selections will also cause the video to move to the nudge position. All nudge commands (start, position, and end) will have this behavior in Edit Mode. Text editing For extremely precise editing, text entry may be used to perform most editing tasks in Nuendo. The info line in the Project window gives you instant access to any selected event’s data including start and end points, duration, off - set, snap point, fade-in, and fade-out durations. Addition- ally, the Project Browser allows text editing of each event in the project in a list view including automation data, video events, and markers.!Make sure that you do not exceed the 75 % to 125 % limit! !This assumes that the audio event is already posi- tioned and sized correctly according to the video.
547 Audio editing to picture Text editing can be useful when conforming audio to edit decision lists (EDLs) created by video editors. A list of au - dio files will be shown with source and destination time- code values that can be used to place audio events in Nuendo. An EDL with source and destination timecode values. For further information, please refer to the chapter “Using markers” on page 136.
549 ReWire Introduction ReWire and ReWire2 are special protocols for streaming audio between two computer applications. Developed by Propellerhead Software and Steinberg, ReWire provides the following possibilities and features: •Realtime streaming of up to 64 separate audio channels (256 with ReWire2), at full bandwidth, from the “synthe - sizer application” into the “mixer application”. In this case, the “mixer application” is of course Nuendo. An example of a “synthesizer application” is Propellerhead Software’s Reason. •Automatic, sample accurate synchronization between the audio in the two programs. •The possibility to have the two programs share one au- dio card and take advantage of multiple outputs on that card. •Linked transport controls that allow you to play, rewind, etc., either from Nuendo or from the synthesizer applica - tion (provided it has some kind of transport functionality). •Automatic audio mixing functions of separate channels as required. In the case of Reason, for example, this allows you to have separate mixer channels for the different devices. •Additionally, ReWire2 offers the possibility to route MIDI tracks in Nuendo to the other application, for full MIDI con - trol. For each ReWire2 compatible device, a number of extra MIDI outputs will be made available in Nuendo. In the case of Reason, this allows you to route different MIDI tracks in Nuendo to different devices in Reason, with Nuendo serving as the main MIDI sequencer. •The overall load on your system is much reduced, com- pared to when using the programs together in the conven- tional way. Launching and quitting When using ReWire, the order in which you launch and quit the two programs is very important: Launching for normal use with ReWire 1.First launch Nuendo. 2.Enable one or several ReWire channels in the ReWire Device dialog for the other application. This is described in detail in the section “Activating ReWire channels” on page 550. 3.Launch the other application. It may take slightly longer for the application to start when you are using ReWire. Quitting a ReWire session When you are finished, you also need to quit the applica- tions in a special order: 1.First quit the synthesizer application. 2.Then quit Nuendo. Launching both programs without using ReWire We cannot think of any scenario, in which you would need to run Nuendo and the synthesizer application simulta - neously on the same computer, without using ReWire, but you can: 1.First launch the synthesizer application. 2.Then launch Nuendo. ÖPlease note that the two programs now compete for system resources such as audio cards, just as when run - ning either with other, non-ReWire audio applications.
550 ReWire Activating ReWire channels ReWire supports streaming of up to 64 separate audio channels, while ReWire2 supports 256 channels. The ex - act number of available ReWire channels depends on the synthesizer application. Using the ReWire Device panels in Nuendo, you can specify which of the available chan - nels you want to use: 1.Pull down the Devices menu and select the menu item with the name of the ReWire application. All recognized ReWire compatible applications will be available on the menu. The ReWire panel appears. This consists of a number of rows, one for each available ReWire channel. 2.Click on the power buttons to the left to activate/de- activate the desired channels. The buttons light up to indicate activated channels. Please note that the more ReWire channels you activate, the more processing power is re- quired. •For information about exactly what signal is carried on each channel, see the documentation of the synthesizer application. 3.If desired, double-click on the labels in the right col- umn, and type in another name. These labels will be used in the Nuendo Mixer to identify the ReWire channels. Using the transport and tempo controls Basic transport controls When you run ReWire, the transports in the two programs are completely linked. It does not matter in which program you play, stop, fast forward or rewind. However, recording (if applicable) is still completely separate in the two appli - cations. Loop settings If there is a loop or cycle facility in the synthesizer applica- tion, that loop will be completely linked to the cycle in Nu- endo. This means that you can move the start and end point for the loop or turn the loop on or off in either program, and this will be reflected in the other. Tempo settings As far as tempo goes, Nuendo is always the master. This means that both programs will run in the tempo set in Nu - endo. However, if you are not using the tempo track in Nuendo, you can adjust the tempo in either program, and this will immediately be reflected in the other. !This is only relevant if the synthesizer application has some sort of built-in sequencer or similar. !If you are using the tempo track in Nuendo (i. e. the Tempo button is activated on the Transport panel), you should not adjust the tempo in the synthesizer application, since a tempo request from ReWire will automatically deactivate the tempo track in Nuendo!