Steinberg Nuendo 3 Audio Effects And VSTi Manual

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The included effect plug-ins 1 – 61
Apogee UV 22 HR
The UV22 HR is a dithering plug-in, based on an advanced algorithm 
developed by Apogee (for an introduction to the concept of dithering, 
please refer to the chapter “Audio Effects” in the Operation Manual). 
You can use the UV22 HR plug-in for all dithering situations, except 
when working with surround audio. This is because the UV22 HR is a 
standard “stereo in” – “stereo out” plug-in (as opposed to the Sur-
roundDither plug-in, see page 96).
The following options can be set in the UV 22 HR control panel:
Dither should always be applied post output bus fader.
Option Description
Normal Try this first, it is the most “all-round” setting.
Low This applies a lower level of dither noise.
Autoblack When this is activated, the dither noise is gated (muted) during silent 
passages in the material.
Bit Resolution The UV22 HR supports dithering to multiple resolutions: 8, 16, 20 or 
24 bits. You select the desired resolution by clicking the correspond-
ing button.  
						

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Vocoder
The Vocoder can apply sound/voice characteristics taken from one 
signal source, called the “modulator” and apply this to another source, 
called the “carrier”. A typical application of a vocoder is to use a voice 
as a modulator and an instrument as a carrier, making the instrument 
“talk”. A vocoder works by dividing the source signal (modulator) into 
a number of frequency bands. The audio attributes of these frequency 
bands can then be used to modulate the carrier.
The Vocoder has a built-in carrier (basically a simple polyphonic syn-
thesizer) but you can also use an external carrier, see page 63.
Setting up – using MIDI
In this mode, the Vocoder is set up slightly differently than other plug-
in effects. This is because this setup requires both an audio signal (as 
the modulator source) and a MIDI input (to play the carrier) to func-
tion. To set up for using an external carrier, see page 63.
To set up for use, proceed as follows:
1.Select a source for the modulator.
The modulator source can be audio material from any audio track, or even a live audio 
input routed to an audio track (provided you have a low latency audio card). 
•Good modulator source material are talking or singing voices or per-
cussive sounds, e. g. drum loops.
Static pads or soft ambient material are generally less appropriate for use as modula-
tors, but there are no absolute rules as to what could be used as a modulator source.  
						

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The included effect plug-ins 1 – 63
2.Select the Vocoder as an insert effect for the audio channel with the 
modulator signal.
3.Make sure that the Vocoder Mode is set to “MIDI”.
4.Select a MIDI track.
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 Vocoder in real-time – as opposed to having a recorded part 
playing it – the track has to have monitoring activated (or be record enabled) for the Vo-
coder to receive the MIDI output.
5.Select “Vocoder” from the MIDI “out:” pop-up menu for the MIDI track.
The MIDI Output from the track is now routed to the Vocoder. There is an indicator on 
the Vocoder panel below the Mode switches that blinks when receiving MIDI.
That concludes setting up – you are now ready to start vocoding! 
What you do next depends on whether you are using live or recorded 
audio as the modulator source and whether you are using real-time or 
recorded MIDI as the carrier input. We will assume for the purposes 
of this manual that you are using recorded audio as the modulator, 
and play the carrier in real-time.
6.Make sure the MIDI track is record enabled and start playback.
7.Now play a few notes on your MIDI keyboard.
As you can hear, the audio track material, or rather its formant characteristics, is now 
applied to the Vocoder’s built-in sound source!
Setting up – using an external carrier
There are two modes for using an external carrier: 
•“Ext” mode is when the carrier and the modulator can be any two audio sources.
The synth section is disabled and grayed out when this mode is selected. MIDI input 
and the Gap Thru Vocoder parameter are also disabled.
•“MIDI+Ext” mode mixes the audio carrier with the Vocoder’s synth sound.
This is described on page 64. 
						

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To use an external carrier instead of the built-in synth (“Ext mode”), 
you set up as follows:
1.Create a Group channel from the Add Track submenu on the Project 
menu.
2.Open an audio file you wish to use as the carrier source and place it 
on an empty audio track.
3.Pan the audio channel full right in the Mixer or in the Inspector.
4.Route the output of the audio channel to the group.
5.Open an audio file you wish to use as the modulator source and place 
it on another empty audio track.
Events on the two audio tracks (carrier and modulator) have to play back simultaneously 
for the Vocoder to work.
6.Pan the modulator audio channel full left in the Mixer or in the Inspector.
7.Route the output of the modulator audio channel to the group.
8.Select the Vocoder as an insert effect for the group channel.
9.Open the Vocoder panel and activate the “Ext.” Mode button.
10.If you now start playback, the carrier channel will be modulated by the 
modulator channel!
Note that the synth section on the left half of the Vocoder panel and the “Gap Thru” 
parameter are now disabled.
Setting up – using an external carrier plus MIDI
Setting up is the same as for using an external carrier, except that a 
MIDI track with its output routed to the Vocoder should also be present. 
The MIDI track can either play the Vocoder synth in real time or from 
prerecorded parts. Make sure that monitoring (or record enable) is acti-
vated for the track so that the Vocoder synth will receive MIDI played in 
real time.
•Set up as described, and activate “MIDI+Ext.” mode on the Vocoder 
panel.
Any incoming MIDI now triggers the Vocoder synth, and the synths output is mixed 
with the audio carrier signal. 
						

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Vocoder parameters
The Vocoder parameters govern the general sound quality of the 
vocoded sound.
Parameter Description
Number of 
BandsThis governs how many frequency bands the modulator signal is di-
vided into (2-24). Fewer bands will provide a thinner more resonant 
sound, whereas using more bands will make the sound fuller and 
more intelligible.
Bandwidth This sets the bandwidth for the frequency bands, which affects the 
overall timbre. Very narrow bandwidth settings will produce a thin, 
whistle-like sound. 
Min./Max. Freq. These parameters set the minimum and maximum frequency limits for 
the Vocoder, respectively.
log/linLog/Lin controls how the frequency bands are spaced between the 
minimum and maximum frequencies. Log = equal spacing in octaves, 
Lin = equal spacing in Hz. This affects the basic timbre of the Vocoder.
Env.SpeedThis determines the attack and release times of the Vocoder envelope. 
Fast settings will cause the modulator signal to trigger the Vocoder in-
stantly, longer settings will gradually increase the attack/release times, 
providing a more subtle Vocoder effect. If set to “HOLD” the modulator 
is “frozen”, and doesn’t affect the carrier synth at all.
High Thru This lets through high frequencies around the “S” frequency from the 
original input signal while notes are played.
Talk Thru Adjusts the level of the original input signal passed to the Vocoder 
output while notes are played.
Gap Thru Gap Thru (only available in MIDI mode) sets the level of the original in-
put signal that is passed to the Vocoder output when no MIDI notes 
are being played. This lets you apply the Vocoder to a vocal track add-
ing vocoded parts just where you want them.
Output This controls the output level of the Vocoder.
Emphasis This is a highpass filter, gradually cutting lower frequencies while let-
ting high frequencies pass. 
						

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Vocoder synth parameters
If the built-in synthesizer is the carrier, it is the sound of this instrument 
that the modulator source is applied to. The synth is polyphonic with 
up to 8 voices and features 2 oscillators per voice. The synth has the 
following parameters:
Parameter Description
Voices This sets the number of voices for the synth (1-8).
Fine Tune Tunes the oscillators ± a semitone, in cents (100th of a semitone) steps.
Pitch Bend Sets the up/down range of the Pitch Bend in semitone steps (1-12).
Noise Adds white noise to the sound.
NoiseMod This makes the oscillators modulate the noise level. This gives the noise 
a rasping sound, turning “sss” into “zzz”.
P.Drift Adds random pitch variation to the oscillators.
P.Glide This makes the pitch glide between notes played. The parameter con-
trols the time it takes for the pitch to glide from one note to the next. 
P.Bright This is a lowpass filter that can be used to soften the tone of the oscilla-
tors. It does not affect the white noise generator.
P.Detune Allows you to detune one of the oscillators in cent steps.
LFO Rate Controls the LFO rate (for vibrato).
Vibrato Adds vibrato to the oscillators. This can also be controlled by using the 
Mod Wheel. 
						

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Restoration
This section contains descriptions of the plug-ins in the “Restoration” 
category.
DeClicker
The DeClicker plug-in is specifically designed to eliminate single 
“clicks” or “pops” in a recording. One typical application is to clean up 
recordings made from vinyl records, but you may also find it useful for 
removing pops from microphone switches, oxidized connector noises, 
clicks from sync problems when transferring material digitally, etc.
•Note that the DeClicker module is not optimized for crackles (a series of 
short clicks).
However, as it is often hard to distinguish between clicks and crackles, you might also 
be able to use it to improve your recording in this respect.
•If the recording also contains background noise (hiss), you may want to 
combine DeClicker with the DeNoiser plug-in.
How DeClicker works
The DeClicker process is divided in two tasks:
•Analysis – when the audio signal passes through DeClicker, the selected 
analysis algorithm finds the clicks in the recording. You provide input to the 
analysis parameters by selecting a Mode and the Threshold and DePlop pa-
rameters. 
						

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•Removal – a de-click algorithm is applied to the audio, removing the clicks.
In many cases, the original audio material “hidden” underneath a click can not be re-
stored. This means there will be a gap once the click has been removed. DeClicker has 
the ability to automatically “redraw” the hence missing parts of the waveform. This fea-
ture can also be used to remove tape dropouts with a length of up to 60 samples (just 
above one millisecond at 44.1kHz).
The whole Declicking process can be visually monitored in the Input 
and Output displays of the DeClicker window (showing the incoming 
audio and the processed – DeClicked – audio, respectively). This helps 
you adjust the parameters. Furthermore, if you activate the Audition but-
ton, only the removed material will be heard (and shown in the Output 
display).
Make sure that no low-pass filter has been applied to your audio material 
before you edit it with DeClicker. This may affect the detection of clicks.
Parameters
Parameter Description
Audition When this is activated, only the removed material will be heard. The Out-
put display will also show the waveform image of the removed material in 
this mode.
Classic When this is activated, the DeClicker attempts to remove both audible 
clicks and crackle noise. When it’s deactivated, only single clicks will be 
removed while crackles (rapidly repeated clicks) are ignored. Which 
mode to choose depends on the source material. Note also that Classic 
mode requires less CPU power.
ThresholdThis setting determines the amplitude (level) required for a click to be de-
tected. In many cases, DeClicker’s sensitive algorithms identify a lot more 
clicks than you can actually hear. To avoid wasting processing power to 
remove inaudible clicks, raise this parameter to a high value, and then 
lower it until all the artefacts that you actually want removed are detected. 
The lower the setting, the more clicks will be detected but also the higher 
the risk of audible artefacts. If in doubt, activate Audition mode and check 
that the removed material doesn’t contain any actual musical or rhythmical 
information, etc. 
						

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Tips and Tricks
•By combining Vintage Mode and extreme Threshold and DePlop settings, you 
can create an interesting effect which “softens” material with particularly 
sharp attacks, e.g. percussion or brass.
•If you have material with digital distortion (clipping), try applying DeClicker. 
While it can’t do miracles, it can at least make some improvement to the over-
all “hardness” introduced by the distortion.
DePlop This setting controls a special highpass filter which works on signals be-
low 150 Hz. It cuts away the “plop noise” which sometimes appears after 
eliminating a click. The slider adjusts the filter frequency (off - 150 Hz).
Note: this function is best applied to older recordings, which often use a 
narrow frequency range. Be careful when applying this function to mod-
ern recordings, as you may risk removing parts of the useful signal! 
Quality This determines the quality of the click removal and audio restoration, 
with “4” being the best quality setting. Please note that selecting higher 
quality settings also means that more processing power is consumed.
Also, note that in some situations it might be more productive to use a 
lower Quality value. One example of this is when two clicks follow each 
other in quick succession or when you tackle a click in a low level part 
that is followed by a loud part.
Mode Which Mode to select depends on the source material. Standard mode 
is suitable for a wide variety of source material – try this option first. Vin-
tage mode is suitable for restoring “antique” recordings (with limited high 
frequency content), while Modern mode is best suited for contemporary 
recordings with a wide frequency range (putting greater emphasis on 
distinguishing clicks from other strong impulses in the audio material). Parameter Description 
						

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DeNoiser
The DeNoiser plug-in lets you suppress noise without affecting the 
general sound quality. Or, in tech talk, the DeNoiser removes broad 
band noise from arbitrary audio material without leaving any “spectral 
finger print”. The algorithm that this plug-in is based on has the ability 
to track and adjust itself to variations in background noise. This means 
the noise can be diminished without side effects, preserving the spatial 
impression, and without letting the result become “colorless”. Many 
years of research were invested in developing the methods used.
Typical applications for the DeNoiser include cleaning or remastering 
recordings from old tape or vinyl, or noisy live recordings.