Steinberg Nuendo 3.1 User Manual

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Working with the new features  31
Editing – MIDI
Freezing track parameters
This function affects the following settings for MIDI tracks:
• Several settings on the main tab of the Inspector (program and bank selection 
and the Delay parameter).
• The settings on the Track Parameters tab (i.e. Transpose, Velocity Shift, Veloc-
ity Compression and Length Compression).
• The settings on the Inserts tab. (If you are using an arpeggiator for example 
and want to convert the added notes into real events.)
The following settings for MIDI parts are taken into account as well:
• The Transpose and Velocity settings for parts displayed on the info line – 
please note that the Volume setting is not taken into account. 
Those settings usually do not change the MIDI events themselves, but 
rather work like a “filter”, affecting the music on playback. However 
sometimes you may want to make these settings permanent, i.e. con-
vert them to “real” MIDI events. For this, you can use the Freeze Track 
Parameter command on the MIDI menu. This works as follows:
1.Select the tracks whose settings should become permanent.
2.Pull down the MIDI menu and select “Freeze Track Parameter”.
The Inspector settings will be converted to MIDI events and inserted at the beginning 
of the part(s). All notes of the part(s) will be modified accordingly and the Inspector 
settings will be reset. 
						

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 32 Working with the new features
Dissolving parts
The option “Optimized Display” has been added to the Dissolve Part di-
alog. The Dissolve Part function still splits parts into separate channels 
or pitches (depending on your settings), but you can now automatically 
remove the silent (empty) areas of the resulting parts by activating the 
“Optimized Display” checkbox.
The Legato dialog
One new feature has been added to the Legato dialog. Previously, 
when the Legato function was applied, it lengthened the selected note 
so that it reached the following note (for a detailed description of this 
function, see the chapter “MIDI processing and quantizing” in the pdf 
document “Working with MIDI”). In version 3.1 of the program, the Le-
gato Options dialog contains the checkbox “Selected Only”. When 
you activate this option, the length of the note will be adjusted so that 
it reaches the next selected note, allowing you e.g. to only apply Legato 
to your bass line (when playing on a keyboard).   
						

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Working with the new features  33
Selecting notes of equal pitch (Edit menu)
On the Edit menu–Select submenu, you will find the options “Equal 
Pitch – all Octaves” and “Equal Pitch – same Octave”. These are not 
new in this program version, but the functionality has been modified. Up 
until now, selecting one of these menu items selected all following 
notes of the same pitch, on all octaves or on the same octave, respec-
tively. In version 3.1 of the program, this has changed. Now all notes in 
the part that have the same pitch as the selected note will be selected. 
This makes editing in the Key Editor (or in-place editing) much easier, 
as you do not have to scroll to the first note of the part with the desired 
pitch. Now, all notes of the same pitch on all positions within the part 
get selected, which is generally what you want when using this function.
To select all notes (of the same pitch) following the selected note, you can 
define an action in the Locical Editor. (For a description of the Logical Editor, 
please refer to the chapter “The Logical Editor, Transformer and Input Trans-
former” in the pdf document “Working with MIDI”). 
						

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 34 Working with the new features
Extracting MIDI automation
On the MIDI menu–Functions submenu, the command “Extract MIDI 
Automation” has been added. This allows you to automatically convert 
continuous controller data of a MIDI part into MIDI track automation 
data.
Proceed as follows:
1.Select the desired MIDI part containing the continuous controller data.
2.From the Functions submenu on the MIDI menu, select “Extract MIDI 
Automation”. (This command is also available on the Key editor con-
text menu.)
The controller data will automatically be removed from the controller lane in the editor.
3.In the Project window, open the automation track(s) for the respective 
MIDI track (by clicking on the plus signs or by selecting “Show used 
Automation” from the context menu). You will find that an automation 
track has been created for each of the continuous controllers in the part.
• Please note that this function can only be used for continuous controllers. 
Data such as e.g. Aftertouch, Pitchbend or Sysex cannot be converted to 
MIDI track automation data.
This is an extremely useful function as it allows you to quickly and easily 
convert the continuous controllers of your recorded MIDI parts into MIDI 
track automation data, making them available for editing in the Project 
window.
• Note that to be able to hear the automation data, you have to activate 
the Read button for the respective automation track(s). 
						

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Working with the new features  35
External instruments/effects
Since the release of version 3 of Nuendo, the program supports the 
integration of external effect devices into the sequencer signal flow.
With Nuendo 3.1, you can also integrate external instruments, e. g. 
hardware synthesizers. You can use the External Instrument tab in the 
VST Connections window to define the necessary return ports and 
access the instruments through the VST Instruments window.
You may have projects created in Nuendo 3.0 that use an external effect 
as defined in the VST Connections dialog. When you open such a project 
in version Nuendo 3.1 for the first time, a message warning about a miss-
ing plug-in will be displayed. This is because the handling of external de-
vices has been changed. See page 42.
Requirements
•To use external effects, you need audio hardware with multiple inputs 
and outputs. To use external instruments, a MIDI interface must be 
connected to your computer.
An external effect will require at least one input and one output (or input/output pairs 
for stereo effects) – in addition to the input/output ports you use for recording and 
monitoring.
•As always, audio hardware with low-latency drivers is a good thing to 
have.
Nuendo will compensate for the input/output latency and ensure that the audio pro-
cessed through external effects isn’t shifted in time. However, this automatic delay com-
pensation results in added latency – if your audio hardware has a high latency to start 
with, this could be a problem. 
						

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 36 Working with the new features
Connecting the external effect/instrument
To set up an external effect or instrument, proceed as follows:
1.Connect an unused output pair on your audio hardware to the input 
pair on your external hardware device.
In this example, we assume that the hardware device has stereo inputs and outputs.
2.Connect an unused input pair on your audio hardware to the output 
pair on your hardware device.
Once the external device is connected to the audio hardware of your 
computer, you must set up the input/output busses in Nuendo:
Setting up external effects
1.Open the VST Connections window from the Devices menu.
2.Open the External FX tab and click “Add External FX”.
3.In the dialog that appears, enter a name for the external effect and 
specify the Send and Return configurations. If you want to set up a 
MIDI device corresponding to the external effect, click the Associate 
MIDI Device button.
Depending on the type of effect, you can specify mono, stereo or surround configura-
tions. When clicking Associate MIDI Device, you can use the MIDI Device Manager 
functions to create a new MIDI device for the effect. Note that delay compensation will 
only be applied for the effect when you use MIDI devices. For information about the 
MIDI Device Manager and user device panels see the chapter “MIDI devices” in the 
pdf document “Working with MIDI”.  
						

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Working with the new features  37
4.Click OK. This adds a new External FX bus.
5.Click in the Device Port column for the Send Bus “Left” and “Right” 
ports and select the outputs on your audio hardware that you connec-
ted in step 1 in the section “Connecting the external effect/instrument”.
6.Click in the Device Port column for the Return Bus “Left” and “Right” 
ports and select the inputs on your audio hardware that you connec-
ted in step 2 in the section “Connecting the external effect/instrument”.
7.If you like, make additional settings for the bus.
These are found in the columns to the right. Note however that you can adjust these 
while actually using the external effect – which may be easier as you can hear the result.
8.When you are done, close the VST Connections window.
Setting Description
Delay If your hardware effect device has an inherent delay (latency), you should 
enter this value here, as it allows Nuendo to compensate for that delay 
during playback. You can also let the delay value be determined by the 
program by right-clicking (Win)/[Ctrl]-clicking (Mac) in the Delay column 
for the effect and selecting “Check User Delay”. Note that you don’t have 
to take the latency of the audio hardware into account – this is handled 
automatically by the program.
Send Gain Allows you to adjust the level of the signal being sent to the external effect.
Return Gain Allows you to adjust the level of the signal coming in from the external 
effect. 
Note however that excessive output levels from an external effect device 
may cause clipping in the audio hardware. The Return gain setting can-
not be used to compensate for this – you have to lower the output level 
on the effect device instead.
MIDI Device When you click in this column, a pop-up menu opens where you can ei-
ther disconnect the effect from the associated MIDI device, select a MIDI 
device, create a new device or open the MIDI Device Manager in Nuendo 
to edit the MIDI device. When Studio Manager 2 is installed, you may also 
select an OPT editor to access your external effect.
Used Whenever you insert an external effect into an audio track, this column 
shows a check mark (“x”) to indicate that the effect is being used. 
						

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 38 Working with the new features
How to use the external effect
If you now click an insert effect slot for any channel and look at the ef-
fect pop-up menu, you will find the new external FX bus listed on the 
“External Plugins” submenu.
When you select it, the following happens:
• The external FX bus is loaded into the effect slot just like a regular effect plug-in.
• The audio signal from the channel will be sent to the outputs on the audio 
hardware, through your external effect device and back to the program via the 
inputs on the audio hardware.
• A parameter window appears, showing the Delay, Send Gain and Return Gain 
settings for the external FX bus. You can adjust these as necessary while play-
ing back. The parameter window also provides the “Measure Effect’s Loop De-
lay for Delay Compensation” button. This is the same function as the “Check 
User Delay” option in the VST Connections window. It provides Nuendo with a 
Delay value to be used for delay compensation. When you have defined a MIDI 
device for the effect, the corresponding Device window will be opened. When 
Studio Manager 2 is installed, and you have set up a corresponding OPT edi-
tor, this OPT editor will be displayed.
The default parameter window for an external effect
Like any effect, you can use the external FX bus as an insert effect or 
as a send effect (an insert effect on an FX channel track). You can de-
activate or bypass the external effect with the usual controls.  
						

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Working with the new features  39
Setting up external instruments
1.Open the VST Connections window from the Devices menu.
2.Open the External Instrument tab and click “Add External Instrument”.
3.In the dialog that appears, enter a name for the external instrument 
and specify the number of required mono and/or stereo returns. If you 
want to set up a MIDI device corresponding to the external instrument, 
click the Associate MIDI Device button.
Depending on the type of instrument, a specific number of mono and/or stereo return 
channels is required. When clicking Associate MIDI Device, you can use the MIDI De-
vice Manager functions to create a new MIDI device. For information about the MIDI 
Device Manager and user device panels see the chapter “MIDI devices” in the pdf 
document “Working with MIDI”.
4.Click OK. This adds a new external instrument bus.
5.Click in the Device Port column for the Return Bus “Left” and “Right” 
ports and select the inputs on your audio hardware to which you con-
nected the external instrument.
6.If you like, make additional settings for the bus.
These are found in the columns to the right. Note however that you can adjust these while 
actually using the external instrument – which may be easier as you can hear the result.
Setting Description
Delay If your hardware device has an inherent delay (latency), you should 
enter this value here. This allows Nuendo to compensate for that 
delay during playback. Note that you don’t have to take the latency 
of the audio hardware into account – this is handled automatically 
by the program.  
						

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 40 Working with the new features
7.When you are done, close the VST Connections window.
How to use the external instrument
Once you have set up the external instrument in the VST Connections 
window, you can use it as a VST Instrument. Open the VST Instruments 
window and click on an empty instrument slot. In the instrument pop-up 
menu, your external instrument is listed on the External Instruments 
submenu:
Return Gain Allows you to adjust the level of the signal coming in from the ex-
ternal instrument. 
Note however that excessive output levels from an external device 
may cause clipping in the audio hardware. The Return gain setting 
cannot be used to compensate for this – you have to lower the 
output level on the device instead.
MIDI Device When you click in this column, a pop-up menu opens where you 
can either disconnect the instrument from the associated MIDI de-
vice, select a MIDI device, create a new device or open the MIDI 
Device Manager in Nuendo to edit the MIDI device. When Studio 
Manager 2 is installed, you may also select an OPT editor to ac-
cess your external instrument.
Used Whenever you insert the external instrument into a VST Instrument 
slot, this column shows a chicanery (“x”) to indicate that the instru-
ment is being used. Setting Description