Steinberg Nuendo 3 Operation Manual

							NUENDO
VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses 2 – 21
Setting the Default Output Bus
The Default Bus is the output bus that each new channel in the mixer 
will be assigned to when it is created. This bus will typically be your 
main mix bus, where all your signals will be combined.
Any one of the output busses in the VST Connections window can be 
the default output bus. By [right]-clicking (PC)/[Control]-clicking (Mac) 
on an output bus’s name, you can select the “Default Bus” option which 
will define that bus as the default bus. The default bus is identified by 
the orange speaker icon found to the left of its name.
Setting the default output bus in the VST Connections window.
The Default Bus and the Audition Bus are related. The default bus has 
its aux send #1 automatically routed to the audition bus. This aux send 
is enabled but set to -∞ dB. Depending on your setup, you will have to 
make the following changes to make the full use of the audition bus and 
the AFL/PFL functionality:
1.Set the level of aux send #1 (destination audition bus) on your default 
output bus to 0.00 dB. This will pass the complete mix signal of the 
default output bus to the audition bus. If you are using more than one 
output bus, you may need to create additional aux sends #1s to the 
audition bus, also set to 0.00 dB.  
						

							NUENDO
2 – 22 VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses
2.Be aware that the default output bus AND the audition bus are con-
nected to ASIO output port 1/2. This means that once you have set 
the send levels to 0.00 dB, as described above, the levels present on 
the default output bus and the audition bus are summed, resulting in a 
6 dB level boost at the output. Normally you would disconnect the de-
fault output bus from the ASIO output or route the audition bus to 
separate ASIO outputs which are used exclusively for monitoring.
To monitor your mix, the signal from aux send #1 of the default bus is 
sent to the audition bus, which in turn should be connected to your 
monitoring system.
The reason for this unusual connection is the Listen Mode in the mixer. 
This provides a pre-fader listen (PFL) and after-fader listen (AFL) solo 
bus to your monitoring system. When you enable a Listen button on 
any channel in the mixer, that signal (taken pre fader or post fader de-
pending on the global setting) will be routed directly to the audition 
bus (the connection between your mix signal (default output bus) and 
the audition bus is temporarily interrupted). This allows you to hear the 
listen-enabled channel by itself without interrupting the signal to the 
default bus. When you defeat listen mode for all channels, the aux 
send #1 pathway from the default bus to the audition bus will be en-
abled, returning the whole mix to your monitoring system.
If you assign the default bus and the audition bus to the same set of 
ASIO outputs on your audio card, and with the aux send #1 level (default 
output bus to audition bus) set to 0.00 dB, this could cause clipping in 
the DA converters on your audio card, because of the increased level of 
the summed signals.
When creating new audio, group or FX channels in the mixer, they will 
automatically be routed to the default bus unless the channel configu-
ration exactly matches that of another output bus. For example, if the 
default output bus is stereo and you have created a second 5.1 out-
put bus, when you create a 5.1 audio track, it will be routed to the 5.1 
output bus initially.
The default bus is indicated by an orange colored speaker icon next to 
its name in the VST Connections window. 
						

							NUENDO
VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses 2 – 23
Other bus operations
•To change the port assignment for a bus you proceed as when you 
added it – make sure the channels are visible (by clicking the + button 
next to the bus, or by clicking the “+ All” button at the top of the win-
dow) and click in the Device Port column to select ports.
•To remove a bus you don’t need, select it in the list, right-click (Win) 
or [Ctrl]-click (Mac) and select “Remove Bus” from the pop-up menu 
or press the [Backspace] key.
•You can store and recall bus presets with the pop-up menu at the top 
of the window.
To store the current configuration as a preset, click the store (+) button and enter a 
name for the preset. You can then select the stored configuration directly from the Pre-
sets pop-up menu at any time. To remove a stored preset, select it and click the (-) 
button. 
						

							NUENDO
2 – 24 VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses
Using the busses
This section describes briefly how to use the input and output busses 
you have created. This is described in more detail in the chapters Re-
cording and The mixer.
Routing
When you play back an audio track (or any other audio channel in the 
mixer – VST Instrument channels, ReWire channels, etc.), you route it 
to an output bus. In the same way, when you record on an audio track 
you select from which input bus the audio should be sent.
•You can select input and output busses in the Inspector, using the 
“In” and “Out” pop-up menus.
For channel types other than audio tracks (VST Instrument channels, 
FX channels, etc.), only the “Out” pop-up menu is available. To access 
the “Out” pop-up menu for such a channel in the Inspector, select one 
of its automation subtracks in the Track list.   
						

							NUENDO
VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses 2 – 25
•You can also select busses in the Input and Output Settings panel at 
the top of each channel strip in the mixer.
Again, for VST Instrument channels, ReWire channels, Group channels and FX chan-
nels you will only be able to select output busses.
•If you press [Alt]/[Option] and select an input or output bus, it will be 
chosen for all selected channels.
This makes it easy to quickly set several channels to use the same input or output. 
Similarly, if you press [Shift] and select a bus, the following selected channels will be 
set to use incrementing busses - the second selected channel will use the second 
bus, the third will use the third bus and so on.
• If the Input and Output Settings panel isn’t shown, click the Show Input 
and Output Settings field in the common panel to the left in the mixer.
When selecting an input bus for a track you can only select busses that 
correspond to the track’s channel configuration. Here are the details:
• Mono tracks can be routed to mono busses or individual channels within a 
stereo or surround bus (input or output). You can also route a mono track to 
the “whole” stereo or surround output bus, in which case a pan control (ste-
reo pan or surround panner) will be used to position the sound.
• Stereo tracks can be routed to stereo busses or stereo child busses within a 
surround bus, to surround busses using a stereo surround panner and to 
mono busses using what looks like a normal pan control but is actually a bal-
ance control between the left and right channels.
• Surround tracks can be routed to busses with the same number of speaker 
channels as the track (or to corresponding child busses within a “larger” sur-
round bus). If a surround track is routed to a bus with a different number of 
channels, the pan controls will be replaced by the Mixconvert plugin. See the 
Audio Effects and VST Instruments document for more information.   
						

							NUENDO
2 – 26 VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses
Viewing the busses in the mixer
In the mixer, busses are represented by input and output channels 
(shown in separate panes to the left and right in the window). You can 
show or hide these independently by clicking the buttons Hide Input 
Channels and Hide Output Channels in the mixer’s common panel to 
the left:
Input channels
The input channels are shown to the left in the mixer. As you can see, 
each input channel resembles a regular mixer channel strip. Here you 
can do the following:
Hide Input Channels
Hide Output Channels   
						

							NUENDO
VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses 2 – 27
• Check and adjust the recording level using the Input Gain knobs and/or the 
level fader.
See page 59.
• Change the phase of the input signal.
This is done by clicking the Input Phase button next to the Input Gain control.
• Add effects or EQ to the input bus.
See page 72 for an example of how to add effects to your recording at the input bus 
stage.
The settings you make in the input channel strip will be a permanent 
part of the recorded audio file!
Output channels
The output channels are shown to the right in the mixer. Here you can 
do the following:
• Adjust the total output level for the busses with the faders.
• Add effects or EQ.
These will affect the whole bus. Examples of effects you may want to add here include 
compressors, limiters and dithering. See page 269.
• Using Sends, send varying amounts of one Output bus to any other Output 
bus that is to the right of the selected Output bus in the mixer.  
						

							NUENDO
2 – 28 VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses
Setting up Groups and FX channels
The Group/FX tab in the VST Connections window shows all Group 
channels and FX channels in your project. You can create new Group 
or FX channels by clicking the corresponding Add button. This is the 
same as creating Group channel tracks or FX channel tracks in the 
Project window (see page 249 and page 274 for details). 
However, the VST Connections window also allows you to create 
child busses for Groups and FX Channels. This is useful e.g. if you 
have Groups or FX Channels in surround format and want to route 
stereo channels to specific channel pairs in these.
To create a child bus for a Group channel or FX channel, proceed as 
follows:
1.Open the VST Connection window and select the Groups/FX tab.
2.Select the Group or FX channel in the list and right-click (Win) or 
[Ctrl]-click (Mac) it.
3.Select a channel configuration from the “Add Child Bus” submenu.
The child bus you created will be available for direct routing in the 
mixer. It’s a part of the parent Group or FX channel, which means 
there will be no separate channel strip for it. 
						

							NUENDO
VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses 2 – 29
About the Audition bus
The Audition bus provides a “direct” and dedicated output for moni-
toring. It should use the same configuration as your monitor system, 
e. g. stereo or 5.1 surround.
Operations such as importing audio files, working in the Sample editor, 
exporting realtime mixdowns and others will occur using the audition 
bus for monitoring. Of course the main mix will also be heard through 
the audition bus.
You set up the audition bus output from the “Studio” tab in the VST 
Connections window, using the same methods as for other output 
busses. It can use any available Device Port outputs. Be careful not to 
assign the audition bus to the same Device Ports as the default bus, 
for the reasons mentioned on page 21.
The audition bus cannot be removed. However, you can change its 
channel configuration by right-clicking (Win) or [Ctrl]-clicking (Mac) 
the bus and selecting the desired configuration from the “Change 
Bus” submenu. 
						

							NUENDO
2 – 30 VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses
Setting the audition bus level
In the Mixer, the audition bus is represented by a channel strip in the 
output section, to the right of the regular output channels. The audition 
bus channel strip only has a pre/post fader status button, a mute but-
ton and a level fader.
When auditioning or scrubbing in the Sample editor, you can also set 
the output level of the audition bus using the small fader on the Sample 
editor toolbar. This can function as a monitor level control if needed.
Setting the Pre or Post Fader Status
The Audition channel has a button next to the fader to control the pre/
post fader status of the solo bus used in Listen Mode. When a chan-
nel in the mixer is Listen enabled, its signal is routed directly to the au-
dition bus. When the audition bus is set to pre-fader, the signal will 
come from just before the fader (and pan) controls on that channel. If 
the audition bus is set to post-fader, the signal will come after the 
fader (and pan) controls, providing a AFL solo with pan. Its normal sta-
tus is pre-fader.