Steinberg Nuendo 3 Operation Manual

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The mixer 10 – 251
Routing audio channels to busses
To route the output of an audio channel to one of the active busses, 
proceed as follows:
1.Open the Mixer.
2.Make sure the input/output settings panel is visible – see page 213.
3.Pull down the output routing pop-up menu at the top of the channel 
strip and select one of the busses.
This pop-up menu contains the output busses configured in the VST Connections 
window, as well as available group channels (provided that the busses and groups are 
compatible with the speaker configuration for the channel – see page 24).
You can also make routing settings in the Inspector.
For details on routing surround channels, see page 302.
Viewing the output busses in the mixer
Output busses are shown as output channels in a separate pane to 
the right in the mixer. You show or hide this pane by clicking the Hide 
Output Channels button in the mixer’s common panel to the left:
Each output channel resembles a regular audio channel strip. Here 
you can do the following:
• Adjust master levels for all configured output busses using the level faders.
• Adjust input gain and input phase of the output busses.
• Add effects or EQ to the output channels (see page 269).
• Create Sends that can be routed to other Output channels as long as they are 
to the right of the selected Output channel in the mixer. 
This can be useful when creating quick headphone mixes from the current monitor mix. 
This is done by creating a send from the current monitor Output bus to another Output 
bus that is routed to a headphone amplifier.  
						

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MIDI specific procedures
This section describes basic procedures for MIDI channels in the mixer.
Selecting what to show in the extended MIDI channel strip
When using the extended channel strip view options (see page 213), 
the upper panel can be set to show different views for each MIDI 
channel strip. You select what to display for each channel by using 
the View options pop-up menu at the top of each channel strip. The 
following views are possible:
•The MIDI insert effects.
The MIDI inserts can also be found in the Inspector and the Channel Settings window for 
MIDI channels. How to use MIDI insert effects is described in the chapter “MIDI realtime 
parameters and effects” - see the separate PDF document “Working with MIDI”.
•The MIDI send effects.
The sends can also be found in the Inspector and the Channel Settings window for 
MIDI channels. How to use MIDI send effects is described in the chapter “MIDI real-
time parameters and effects” - see the separate PDF document “Working with MIDI”.
•The “Meter” option shows large level (velocity) meters in the extended 
panel.
•The “User Panel” option allows you to import MIDI device panels – 
this is described in the chapter “MIDI Devices” in the separate pdf 
document “Working with MIDI”.
•Selecting “Empty” will display a blank panel in the extended strip.
•You can also select the “Overview” option – this shows a graphic 
overview of which insert effect slots and effect sends are activated for 
the channel.
You can click the indicators to turn the corresponding slot/send on or off.
•By selecting from the View options pop-up in the common panel, you 
can set the view for all channels in the mixer.
Selecting EQ or Surround Panners (which apply to audio channels only) will not 
change the view for MIDI channels. Selecting inserts or send effects from the common 
panel will change the view for all channel types. 
						

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Using Channel Settings
For each MIDI channel strip in the mixer (and MIDI track in the Track 
list or the Inspector) there is an Edit (“E”) button. 
Clicking this opens the MIDI Channel Settings window. This window 
contains a duplicate of the mixer channel strip, a section with four 
MIDI inserts and a section with four MIDI send effects. Every MIDI 
channel has its own channel settings.
The MIDI Channel Settings window.  
						

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Utilities
Link/Unlink channels
This function is used to “link” selected channels in the mixer so that 
any change applied to one channel will be mirrored by all channels in 
that group. You can link as many channels as you like, and you can 
also create as many groups of linked channels as you like. To link 
channels in the mixer, proceed as follows:
1.Press [Ctrl]/[Command] and click on the strip just above the name 
field for all the channels that you want to link.
There is an identical select channel field just above the pan control. Selected channels 
are indicated by highlighted select fields. [Shift]-clicking allows you to select a 
continuous range of channels.
2.Right-click (Win) or [Ctrl]-click (Mac) somewhere on the grey mixer 
panel.
The Mixer context menu appears.
3.Select “Link Channels” from the context menu.
•To unlink channels, select one of the linked channels and select “Un-
link Channels” from the Mixer context menu.
The channels are unlinked. Note that you do not need to select all the channels that are 
linked, only one of them.
• It is not possible to remove individual channels from Link status. 
To make individual settings to a linked channel, press [Alt]/[Option] when changing the 
setting.  
						

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The mixer 10 – 255
What will be linked?
The following rules apply for linked channels:
•Fader levels will be “ganged”.
The relative level offset between channels will be kept if you move a linked channel 
fader.
The three channels shown are linked. Pulling down one fader changes the levels for 
all three channels, but keeps the relative level mix.
•Any individual channel settings you have made before linking will re-
main until you alter the same setting for any of the linked channels.
For example, if you link three channels, and one of them was muted at the time you ap-
plied the Link Channel function, this channel will remain muted after linking. However, 
if you mute another channel then all linked channels will be muted. Thus, the individual 
setting for one channel is lost as soon as you change the same parameter setting for 
any of the linked channels.
•Only level, mute, solo, select, monitor and record enable will be linked 
between channels.
Effect/EQ/pan/input and output routing settings are not linked.
•By pressing [Alt]/[Option], you can make individual settings and 
changes for channels that are linked.
Linked channels can also have individual automation subtracks. These 
are completely independent, and are not affected by the Link function.   
						

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Saving mixer settings
Saving/Loading mixer settings does not apply to MIDI channels in the 
mixer – only audio related channels (group, audio, effect return, VSTi 
and ReWire) are saved with this function!
It is possible to save complete mixer settings for selected or all audio 
channels in the mixer. These can later be loaded into any project. 
Channel settings are saved as mixer settings files. These have the 
Windows file extension “.vmx”. 
Right-clicking (Win) or [Ctrl]-clicking (Mac) somewhere on the mixer 
panel or in the Channel Settings window brings up the Mixer context 
menu where four Save/Load items can be found. The following op-
tions are available:
•“Save Selected Channels” will save all channel settings for the se-
lected channels.
Input/output routings are not saved.
•“Save All Mixer Settings” saves all channel settings for all channels.
When you select any of the above options, a standard file dialog 
opens where you can select a name and storage location on your disk 
for the file.  
						

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The mixer 10 – 257
Loading mixer settings 
Load Selected Channels
To load mixer settings saved for selected channels, proceed as follows:
1.Select the same number of channels in the new project to match the 
number of channels you saved settings for in the previous project.
For example, if you saved settings for six channels, then select six channels in the mixer.
•Mixer settings will be applied in the same order as they appear in the 
mixer, when saved. 
Thus, if you save settings from channels 4, 6 and 8 and apply these settings to chan-
nels 1, 2 and 3, the settings saved for channel 4 would be applied to channel 1, the 
settings saved for channel 6 to channel 2 and so on.
2.Right-click (Win) or [Ctrl]-click (Mac) the mixer panel to open the 
context menu, and select “Load Selected Channels”.
A standard file dialog appears, where you can locate the saved file.
3.Select the file and click “Open”.
The channel settings are applied to the selected channels.
If you choose to apply mixer settings to fewer channels than you saved, 
the order of the saved channels in the mixer applies – i.e. the saved 
channels that are “left over” and not applied will be the channels with 
the highest channel numbers (or furthest to the right in the mixer).
Load All Mixer Settings
Selecting “Load All Mixer Settings” from the context menu allows you 
to open a saved mixer settings file, and have the stored settings ap-
plied to all channels for which there is information included in the file. 
All channels, master settings, VST Instruments, sends and master ef-
fects will be affected.
• Please note that if the saved mixer settings were 24 channels, and the 
mixer you apply it to currently contains 16 channels, only the settings for 
channels 1 to 16 will be applied – this function will not automatically add 
channels. 
						

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10 – 258 The mixer
About the VST Performance window
The VST Performance window is opened by selecting it from the De-
vices menu. It indicates the current load on the CPU and the hard disk 
transfer rate. It is recommended that you check this from time to time, 
or keep it open always. Even though you have been able to activate a 
number of audio channels in the project without getting any warning, 
you may possibly run into performance problems when adding EQ or 
effects.
•The upper bar graph shows the CPU (processor) load.
If the red Overload indicator lights up, you need to decrease the number of EQ mod-
ules, active effects and/or audio channels playing back simultaneously.
•The lower bar graph shows the hard disk transfer load.
If the red overload indicator lights up, the hard disk is not supplying data fast enough to 
the computer. You may need to reduce the number of tracks playing back by using the 
Disable Track function (see page 43). If this doesn’t help, you need a faster hard disk. 
Note that the overload indicator may occasionally blink, typically when you locate dur-
ing playback. This does not indicate a problem, but happens because the program 
need an instant for all channels to load data for the new playback position.
• The CPU and Disk load meters can also be shown on the Transport 
panel and on the Project window toolbar.
There they are shown as two miniature vertical meters (by default at the left side of the 
panel/toolbar).  
						

							11
Audio effects 
						

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11 – 260 Audio effects
About this chapter
Nuendo comes with a number of effect plug-ins included. This chap-
ter contains general details about how to assign, use and organize ef-
fect plug-ins. The effects and their parameters are described in the 
separate pdf document “Audio Effects and VST Instruments”.
This chapter describes audio effects, i.e. effects that are used to process 
audio, group, VST Instrument and ReWire channels. For info on how to 
use MIDI effects, see the separate PDF document “Working with MIDI”.
Overview
There are three ways to use audio effects in Nuendo:
•As insert effects.
An insert effect is inserted into the signal chain of an audio channel, which means that 
the whole channel signal passes through the effect. This makes inserts suitable for ef-
fects for which you don’t need to mix dry and wet sound, e.g. distortion, filters or other 
effects that change the tonal or dynamic characteristics of the sound. You can have up 
to eight different insert effects per channel (and the same is true for input and output 
busses – for recording with effects and “master effects”, respectively).
•As send effects.
Each audio channel has eight effect sends, each of which can be freely routed to an 
effect (or to a chain of effects). Send effects are practical for two reasons: you can 
control the balance between the dry (direct) and wet (processed) sound individually 
for each channel using the sends, and several different audio channels can use the 
same send effect. In Nuendo, send effects are handled by means of FX channel tracks.
•By using offline processing.
You can apply effects directly to individual audio events, see page 384.