Steinberg Nuendo 3 Audio Effects And VSTi Manual

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How DeNoiser works
DeNoiser is based on spectral subtraction. Each section of the fre-
quency spectrum, that has an amplitude below the estimated noise 
floor, is reduced in intensity by use of a spectral expander. The result 
is a noise reduction that does not affect the phase of the signal. 
The figure below shows the signal flow:
The solid line represents the actual audio signal, while the dotted lines represent 
control signals.
The signal is continuously analyzed by the first module in the chain, to 
estimate the noise floor at any given time. This is sufficient when the 
noise level is constant or modulates slowly. When the noise level var-
ies rapidly, the Ambience- and Transient-analysis help adjust the re-
sponse of the noise reduction unit, allowing transient-rich material to 
maintain its liveliness and natural ambience.
•When you process audio in DeNoiser, the plug-in will need a short time 
(less than a second) to analyze the material and set its internal para-
meters.
Since you would not want to include this short “startup sequence” in the final result, 
you should make it a habit to first play back a short section of the audio, thereby letting 
DeNoiser “learn” the noisefloor, and then stop and start over again from the beginning. 
The plug-in then remembers the settings internally.
Noise 
Reduction
Noise 
Floor Ambient 
AnalysisTransient 
Analysis
Input Output
Level
Noise Reduction
Ambience 
						

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The Noisefloor Display
The display to the left in the DeNoiser window is crucial when making 
settings. It contains the following three elements:
•The dark green spectral graph.
This shows the spectrum of the audio currently being played back. The horizontal axis 
shows the frequency (linear scale). The low frequencies are visible on the left side, the 
high ones on the right side. The vertical axis shows the signal amplitudes, thus the level 
(displayed as a logarithmic dB scale).
•The yellow line.
This is a spectral estimation of the noise floor. The average of this value is shown nu-
merically below the display.
•The light green line.
This is simply a graphic representation of the Offset parameter.
The light green Offset line should be adjusted so that it appears as 
close above the yellow noise floor graph as possible. The dark green 
spectrum plot is there to help you fine-tune the Offset setting, so that 
only the noise is removed, not parts of the signal (ideally, the light 
green line should be between the yellow line and the spectrum plot).
Parameters
Parameter Description
Freeze If you activate this button, you “freeze” the noise floor detection pro-
cess. The yellow noise floor graph in the display will hold its current 
value (as will the numeric noise floor value display below) until you de-
activate Freeze. This allows you to take a closer look at the readings.
Reduction Governs the amount of noise reduction. The display above this fader 
shows the amount of dB by which the noise level is being reduced. The 
final result also depends on the Ambience parameter, and on the auto-
matic Ambience and Transient analysis of the original material, as de-
scribed above.
Ambience This parameter is used to specify a balance between the noise sup-
pression and the amount of natural ambience, which is essential for a 
natural result. With a low Ambience setting, the sound can become 
somewhat lifeless and sterile. A high setting, on the other hand, pre-
serves more of the ambient character of the sound, but the noise sup-
pression is less effective. 
						

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Using the A/B setups
With the A/B buttons you can make instantaneous switches between 
two different DeNoiser setups, allowing you to quickly try out and 
compare different configurations. You can also use this feature for 
separate settings for two different sections of an audio recording. 
Proceed as follows:
1.Make the settings you want for setup A.
2.Click on [Store] and then on the [A] button.
3.Make the settings you want for setup B.
4.Click on [Store] and then on the [B] button.
Now the two setups are stored, and you can switch between them simply by clicking 
[A] or [B].
Offset This parameter serves as a threshold, governing the overall level at 
which the noise reduction is performed. For optimal noise reduction 
with a minimum of sound coloration, this parameter should be set to a 
value slightly above the noise floor level. To help you do this, the offset 
value is shown as a light green line in the noisefloor display, while the 
noise floor is shown as a yellow line.
A/B/Store These buttons are described below this table. 
Classic When this is activated, a less CPU-intensive version of the DeNoiser al-
gorithm is used. Use Classic mode if you are short on processing 
power. However, for optimum noise suppression, we recommend that 
you deactivate Classic mode. Parameter Description 
						

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Grungelizer
The Grungelizer adds noise and static to your recordings – kind of like 
listening to a radio with bad reception, or a worn and scratched vinyl 
record. The available parameters are as follows:
Parameter Description
Crackle This adds crackle to create that old vinyl record sound. The farther to 
the right you turn the dial, the more crackle is added.
RPM switch When emulating the sound of a vinyl record, this switch lets you set the 
RPM (revolutions per minute) speed of the record (33/45/78 RPM).
Noise This dial regulates the amount of static noise added.
Distort Use this dial to add distortion.
EQ Turn this dial to the right to cut off the low frequencies, and create a 
more hollow, lo-fi sound.
AC This emulates a constant, low hum of AC current.
Frequency 
switchThis sets the frequency of the AC current (50 or 60Hz), and thus the 
pitch of the AC hum.
Timeline This dial regulates the amount of overall effect. The farther to the right 
(1900) you turn this dial, the more noticeable the effect.  
						

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Reverb plug-ins
This section contains descriptions of the plug-ins in the “Reverb” 
category.
Reverb A
Reverb A is a reverb plug-in which provides smooth, dense reverb 
effects. Reverb A has the following parameters:
Parameter Description
Mix Sets the level balance between the dry signal and the effect (wet). If 
Reverb A is used as a send effect, this should be set to maximum wet, 
as you can control the dry/wet balance with the send. 
Room Size This setting determines the “size” of the simulated room environment.
Predelay This parameter sets a delay between the direct sound and the reverb 
effect output. A short predelay before the reverb reduces reverb “clut-
ter” which blurs the sound, and makes the reverb effect more natural-
sounding.
Reverb Time This parameter sets the length of the reverb time.
Filter HighCut This filters out high frequencies for the reverb, which can make the re-
verb sound softer.
Filter LowCut This filters out the lower frequencies for the reverb. It can be used to 
reduce low frequency “rumble”.  
						

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Reverb B
The Reverb B provides reverb with low processor demands. It has the 
following parameters:
Parameter Description
Mix Sets the level balance between the dry signal and the effect. If Reverb B 
is used as a send effect, this should be set to maximum as you can con-
trol the dry/effect balance with the send.
Room Size Governs the “size” of the simulated room environment.
Predelay This parameter sets a delay between the direct sound and the reverb 
effect output. A short predelay before the reverb reduces reverb “clut-
ter” which blurs the sound, and makes the reverb effect more natural-
sounding.
Reverb Time This parameter sets the length of the reverb effect.
Damp This parameter “dampens” the higher frequencies, producing a rounder 
and smoother sounding reverb.  
						

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RoomWorks
RoomWorks is a highly adjustable reverb plug-in for creating realistic 
room ambience and reverb effects in stereo and surround formats. The 
CPU usage is adjustable to fit the needs of any system. From short 
room reflections to cavern-sized reverb, this plug-in delivers high qual-
ity reverberation. RoomWorks has the following parameters:
Parameter Description
High Freq Frequency at which the high shelving filter takes effect. Both the 
high and low filters EQ the input signal prior to reverb processing.
High Shelf Gain The amount of boost or cut for the high shelving filter.
Low Freq Frequency at which the low shelving filter takes effect.
Low Shelf Gain The amount of boost or cut for the low shelving filter.
Predelay The amount of time before the onset of reverb. This allows you to 
simulate larger spaces by increasing the time it takes for first re-
flections to reach the listener.
Time Reverb Time in milliseconds.
Hold Pressing this button freezes the reverb buffer in an infinite loop 
(yellow circle around button). You can create some interesting 
pad sounds using this feature.
Size This alters the delays times of early reflections to simulate larger 
or smaller spaces.
DiffusionThis affects the character of the reverb tail. Higher diffusion is 
smoother while less diffusion can be clearer. This emulates chang-
ing the types of surfaces in a room (brick vs. carpet for instance).  
						

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Width This controls the width of the stereo image. At 100%, you get full 
stereo reverb. At 0%, the reverb is all in mono.
Efficiency This unique control determines how much of the CPU is used for 
RoomWorks. The lower the percentage of efficiency, the more 
CPU resources will be used. This will yield a higher quality reverb 
than higher percentage settings. Interesting effects can be cre-
ated with very high Efficiency settings (>90%). Experiment for 
yourself.
Export This button determines if during audio export RoomWorks will 
use the maximum CPU power for the highest quality reverb or 
not. You may wish to keep a higher efficiency setting for a desired 
effect during export. If you want the highest quality reverb during 
export make sure this is selected (yellow circle around button).
VariationPressing this button will generate a new version of the same re-
verb program using altered reflection patterns. This is helpful when 
certain sounds are causing odd ringing or undesirable results. 
Creating a new variation will often solve these issues. There are 
1000 possible variations.
High Damping Freq This determines the frequency above which high frequency 
damping will occur.
High Damping 
AmountThis affects the decay time of high frequencies. Normal room re-
verb decays quicker in the high and low frequency range than in 
the midrange. Lowering the damping percentage will cause high 
frequencies to decay quicker. Damping percentage values above 
100% will cause high frequencies to decay longer than the 
midrange.
Low Damping Freq This determines the frequency below which low damping will 
occur.
Low Damping 
AmountThe amount of damping applied to the low frequencies. At 100%, 
no damping occurs. Values lower than 100% increase the amount 
of damping, reducing low frequencies over time. Values above 
100% have the opposite effect.
Envelope Amount This determines how much effect the envelope attack and re-
lease controls have on the reverb itself. Lower numbers have a 
more subtle effect while higher numbers sound more drastic. Parameter Description 
						

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Envelope Attack The envelope settings in RoomWorks control how the reverb will 
follow the dynamics of the input signal in a fashion similar to a 
noise gate or downward expander. Attack determines how long 
in milliseconds it takes for the reverb to reach full volume after a 
signal peak. This is similar to a predelay but the reverb is ramping 
up instead of starting all at once.
Envelope Release The release determines how long after a signal peak the reverb 
can be heard before being cut off, similar to a gate’s release time.
Mix Determines the blend of dry (unprocessed) signal to wet (pro-
cessed) signal. When using RoomWorks inserted in an FX chan-
nel, you will most likely want to set this to 100% or use the Send 
button.
Send This button defeats the mix parameter, setting the effect to 100% 
wet or affected signal. This button should normally be pressed 
when RoomWorks is being used as a send effect inserted on an 
FX or group channel.
Rotate When active, the perspective of the room is shifted 90°.
PosThe position control is only available for surround configurations. 
With this parameter you can control where the virtual listening po-
sition is within the room. Positive values position the listener closer 
to the front of the room and negative values place the listener to-
wards the rear of the room.
Bal (Balance, only 
available for surround 
channels)Balance controls the relative levels between the forward and rear 
speakers. Positive values favor the front speakers and negative 
values favor the rear speakers. Note that when the Rotate option 
is activated, these relationships will shift 90°. Parameter Description 
						

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Surround plug-ins
This section describes the plug-ins in the “Surround” category.
Matrix Decoder
The Matrix Decoder reverses the Encoder process performed by the 
Matrix Encoder (see above). It is used for monitoring how an encoded 
mix will sound when played back on a Pro Logic compatible system. 
When an encoded mix is played back via the decoder, the Lt/Rt chan-
nels are again converted to four outputs (LRCS).
This manual does not attempt to explain the full background on how Pro 
Logic works, but focuses on how you can use the Matrix Encoder/De-
coder to produce a mix that is compatible with this standard.
Setting up
•Create an output bus with the “LRCS” speaker arrangement, in the 
VST Connections window, and route it to the physical outputs on your 
audio hardware.
This is if you want to make a four-channel surround mix. If you want to make a five-chan-
nel mix, see “Using the Matrix Encoder/Decoder with the 5.0 Surround format” on page 
82.
•The Encoder should be placed in the first “post fader” insert slot (#7) 
for the output bus, followed by the Decoder.