Steinberg Nuendo 3 Audio Effects And VSTi Manual
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NUENDO The included effect plug-ins 1 – 21 The Calibrate function This function, activated by using the Calibrate button located below the Threshold knob, is used to automatically set the threshold level. It is especially useful for material with consistent inherent background noise, like tape hiss. This may most of the time be masked by the au- dio content, but becomes noticeable during silent passages. Use it as follows: 1. Find a part of the audio material, preferably not too short, where only the background noise is heard. If you can only find a short background noise section, try looping it. 2. Play it back, and click on the Calibrate button. The button will blink for a few seconds, and then automatically set the threshold so that the noise will be silenced (gated) during passages where there is no other signal present.
NUENDO 1 – 22 The included effect plug-ins The Compressor section Compressor reduces the dynamic range of the audio, making softer sounds louder or louder sounds softer, or both. Compressor functions like a standard compressor with separate controls for threshold, ratio, attack, release and make-up gain parameters. Compressor features a separate display that graphically illustrates the compressor curve shaped according to the Threshold, Ratio and MakeUp Gain parame- ter settings. Compressor also features a Gain Reduction meter that shows the amount of gain reduction in dB, and a program dependent Auto feature for the Release parameter. The available parameters work as follows: Parameter Values Description Threshold -60 - 0dB This setting determines the level where Compressor “kicks in”. Signal levels above the set threshold are af- fected, but signal levels below are not processed. Ratio 1:1 - 8:1 Ratio determines the amount of gain reduction applied to signals over the set threshold. A ratio of 3:1 means that for every 3 dB the input level increases, the output level will increase by only 1 dB. Attack 0.1-100 ms This determines how fast Compressor will respond to signals above the set threshold. If the attack time is long, more of the early part of the signal (attack) will pass through unprocessed. Release 10-1000ms or “Auto mode”Sets the amount of time it takes for the gain to return to its original level when the signal drops below the Threshold level. If the “Auto” button is activated, Com- pressor will automatically find an optimal release set- ting that varies depending on the audio material. MakeUp Gain 0 - 24dB This parameter is used to compensate for output gain loss, caused by compression. Compressor ModeRMS/Peak RMS mode operates using the average power of the audio signal as a basis, whereas Peak mode operates more on peak levels. As a general guideline, RMS mode works better on material with few transients such as vocals, and Peak mode better for percussive material, with a lot of transient peaks.
NUENDO The included effect plug-ins 1 – 23 The Limiter section Limiter is designed to ensure that the output level never exceeds a cer- tain set output level, to avoid clipping in following devices. Conventional limiters usually require very accurate setting up of the attack and re- lease parameters, to totally avoid the possibility of the output level going beyond the set threshold level. Limiter adjusts and optimizes these pa- rameters automatically, according to the audio material. You can also adjust the Release parameter manually. The available parameters are the following: The Routing section In the Routing section you can set the signal flow order for the three processors. Changing the order of the processors can produce differ- ent results, and the available options allow you to quickly compare what works best for a given situation. Beside each processor label is a number. These numbers are used to represent the signal flow op- tions shown in the Routing section. There are three routing options: •1-2-3 (Compressor-Gate-Limit) •2-1-3 (Gate-Compressor-Limit) •1-3-2 (Compressor-Limit-Gate) Parameter Values Description Threshold -12 - 0dB This setting determines the maximum output level. Signal levels above the set threshold are affected, but signal levels below are left unaffected. Release 10-1000ms or “Auto mode”This parameter sets the amount of time it takes for the gain to return to its original level when the sig- nal drops below the threshold level. If the “Auto” button is activated, Limiter will automatically find an optimal release setting that varies depending on the audio material.
NUENDO 1 – 24 The included effect plug-ins Magneto Magneto brings the positive qualities of analog recording to your dig- ital system, by providing the following capabilities: •Simulates “tape saturation” and “tape overdrive” in a very realistic manner. •Adds warmth, punch, and brilliance to a sound. •Allows you to emphasize the “small details” in the sound. •Works great on bass and guitar recordings as well as on drums, including individual samples and drum loops. •Makes sampled drums and percussion sound much more “natural” and “warm”. •Removes the “hardness” otherwise associated with digital audio recording. All this makes Magneto suitable for processing both single sounds and complete recordings. In other words; practically any recording that you want to make sound warmer or more “natural”. The algorithm behind Magneto is based on extensive studies and mea- surements of analog tape recorders. Special care has been taken to transfer the results of these studies into the digital domain. • If your audio material has been recorded digitally with Emphasis, it con- tains a disproportionate amount of high frequencies. This will disturb the audio analysis in Magneto. We recommend that you convert such material (removing Emphasis) before process- ing it with Magneto.
NUENDO The included effect plug-ins 1 – 25 About the Drive parameter and Magneto output levels •Magneto is different from analog tape recorders in one respect: On an analog tape machine, you will get a lower output level when overdriving the tape “too far”. This is known as the “saturation” effect. In Magneto, high Drive settings do not have this effect on the Output level. •Magneto needs headroom to perform its “magic”. For this reason you may note a decrease in Output level (compared to the Input level) when using very low Drive parameter settings (when the onTape meter shows levels below ap- proximately +10dB). Since low Drive settings is not a normal situation (since the plug-in then practically doesn’t have any audible effect), this is not some- thing you would normally encounter. However, if for some application a low Drive setting is required, you can compensate for the loss in level with the Output Level parameter, see later in this text. Metering Switch Use the “Level” buttons to switch the meters between three modes: • Input In this mode, the level of the input signal is shown. This should never exceed 0dB, as mentioned above and described in more detail below. • onTape In this mode, the meters show an equivalent of the level recorded on the simulated “tape”. See the description of the Drive parameter for more details. • Output This shows the output level for the entire plug-in. This should never exceed 0dB, see below. Clip LEDs The Input and Output Clip LEDs, located on the corresponding “Level” meter buttons, show if the signal is too “hot” (clipping occurs) at the in- put or output. The advantage of these is that they indicate clipping re- gardless of the mode the meters are switched to.
NUENDO 1 – 26 The included effect plug-ins Input Level This is used to make sure the input signal is strong enough, without exceeding full level (so that clipping is avoided). •If your input is already normalized, or sufficiently hot, leave this knob at 0.0 dB. •If you need to adjust the input level, switch the Level metering to Input. Then adjust the knob until the signal peaks are as close as possible to 0dB without ever exceeding that level! Output Level •Under normal conditions, the Output Level control should be left at 0.0dB. The DSP algorithm in Magneto includes an “auto-gain” function which tries to keep the output level as close as possible to 0dBfs, at high Drive settings. •At very low drive settings (if onTape metering indicates peak levels at 7dB or less – see the Drive parameter description for more info) you might need to amplify the signal using the Output Level control. However, always do this with the Level metering Output button activated, so that you can check that clipping doesn’t occur. •At very high HF-Adjust settings, you might need to back off a bit on the Out- put level. Again, use Output metering to check. If “digital clipping” occurs If clipping occurs, (if the sound is heavily distorted), start by switching to input metering and check the input levels. If the input levels seem OK, switch to Output metering and adjust the Output Level as needed.
NUENDO The included effect plug-ins 1 – 27 The main parameters You can change the Magneto parameters in realtime – i.e. while the audio material is played back – and the changes take effect more or less immediately (depending on your system). This allows you to ex- periment to get a feeling for how the settings interact. Input level, Output Level, “Level” buttons and Meters These are used to adjust the level throughout the signal chain as de- scribed on the previous pages. Drive This is the main parameter. It is used to set the simulated analog tape “recording level”. The value corresponds to how far above normal work- ing level (0dB) you want to “record” on the “analog tape”. For example, a setting of 7 means the “tape” is “overdriven” by 7dB. The higher you set this, the more of the “tape saturation” effect you will get. Please use the following guidelines: •Start out with a Drive setting of 10dB. Then adjust to taste. •The effect of this parameter varies drastically with the frequency content and other characteristics of the material. There is no “best setting” for all types of recordings. •If the material you are processing is already compressed or has been recorded on analog tape, a high Drive setting is not recommended, since it will give the sound an unnatural character. •When processing complete mixes, you will have to be more careful with the Drive settings than when processing individual recordings. If all you want is to add some “warmth” or “punch” to a complete mix, adjust the Drive setting carefully. •Always use the onTape meter to check out the effect of the setting on the ma- terial. This meter has to go pretty far above the 0dB level for Magneto to have any audible effect on the sound. If the meter displays levels close to, or even below 0dB, you get no “overdrive” or tape saturation effect at all! If this oc- curs, you need to raise the Drive setting or adjust the input level.
NUENDO 1 – 28 The included effect plug-ins Characteristics This affects the tonal characteristics of the “tape saturation” effect controlled by the Drive parameter, as described above. Tape Speed This switches the tape simulation between 15 and 30 ips (inches per second) tape speed. There are slight differences in the harmonic character of the two. How much you will actually be able to hear of this difference depends on the frequency content of the material. HF-Adjust Various types of tape, recording and playback equalizers and the gen- eral design of various tape machines has an overall impact on the char- acter of the sound. This control is used to adjust the High frequency content of the material to simulate those differences. It also has an ef- fect on the perceived “warmth” of the sound. This parameter can be used to compensate for the loss in high fre- quency that the overdrive effect introduces. Unlike on a real tape re- corder it can also be used to boost the high frequency contents, compared to the original!
NUENDO The included effect plug-ins 1 – 29 MIDI Gate Gating, in its fundamental form, silences audio signals below a certain set threshold level. I.e. when a signal rises above the set level, the Gate opens to let the signal through while signals below the set level are cut off. MIDI Gate however, is a Gate effect that is not triggered by threshold levels, but instead by MIDI notes. Hence it needs both audio and MIDI data to function. Setting up MIDI Gate requires both an audio signal and a MIDI input to function. To set it up, proceed as follows: 1. Select the audio to be affected by the MIDI Gate. This can be audio material from any audio track, or even a live audio input (provided you have a low latency audio card). 2. Select the MIDI Gate as an insert effect for the audio track. The MIDI Gate control panel opens. 3.Select a MIDI track to control the MIDI Gate. This can be an empty MIDI track, or a MIDI track containing data, it doesn’t matter. How- ever, if you wish to play the MIDI Gate in real-time – as opposed to having a recorded part playing it – the track has to be selected for the effect to receive the MIDI output. 4.Open the Output (“out:”) pop-up menu for the MIDI track and select the MIDI Gate option. The MIDI Output from the track is now routed to the MIDI Gate.
NUENDO 1 – 30 The included effect plug-ins What to do next depends on whether you are using live or recorded audio and whether you are using real-time or recorded MIDI. We will assume for the purposes of this manual that you are using recorded audio, and play the MIDI in real-time. Make sure the MIDI track is selected and start playback. 5.Now play a few notes on your MIDI keyboard. As you can hear, the audio track material is affected by what you play on your MIDI key- board. The following MIDI Gate parameters are available: Parameter Description Attack This is used for determining how long it should take for the Gate to open after receiving a signal that triggers it. Hold Regulates how long the Gate remains open after a Note On or Note Off message (see Hold Mode below). Release This determines how long it takes for the Gate to close (in addition to the value set with the Hold parameter). Note To AttackThe value you specify here determines to which extent the velocity values of the MIDI notes should affect the Attack. The higher the value, the more the Attack time will increase with high note velocities. Negative values will give shorter Attack times with high velocities. If you do not wish to use this parameter, set it to the 0 position. Note To ReleaseThe value you specify here determines to which extent the velocity values of the MIDI notes should affect the Release. The higher the value, the more the Release time will increase. If you do not wish to use this parameter, set it to the 0 position. Velocity To VCAThis controls to which extent the velocity values of the MIDI notes deter- mine the output volume. A value of 127 means that the volume is con- trolled entirely by the velocity values, while a value of 0 means that velocities will have no effect on the volume. Hold Mode Use this switch to set the Hold Mode. In Note-On mode, the Gate will only remain open for the time set with the Hold and Release parameters, regardless of the length of the MIDI note that triggered the Gate. In Note- Off mode on the other hand, the Gate will remain open for as long as the MIDI note plays, and then apply the Hold and Release parameters.