Steinberg Nuendo 3 Operation Manual

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Automation 13 – 331
Hiding automation subtracks
•To hide a single automation subtrack, click the “Hide Automation” 
button (the minus sign) in the Track list.
•To hide all automation subtracks for a track, right-click (Win) or [Ctrl]-
click (Mac) the track for which you wish to hide the automation sub-
tracks, and select “Hide Automation” from the pop-up menu that ap-
pears.
•To hide all automation subtracks for all tracks in the Track list, right-
click (Win) or [Ctrl]-click (Mac) any track and select “Hide All Automa-
tion” from the pop-up menu that appears.
This option is also available on the Project menu.
Showing only used automation subtracks
If a lot of automation subtracks are used, it may be impractical to have 
them all open in the Track list. If you want to view only the subtracks 
that are used (i.e. those that actually contain automation events) and 
hide all empty automation subtracks, do one of the following:
•Right-click (Win) or [Ctrl]-click (Mac) any track in the Track list and 
select the option “Show Used Automation for All Tracks” from the 
pop-up menu.
This will close all automation subtracks not containing any automation events, while 
leaving used subtracks open for all tracks. This option is also available on the Project 
menu.
•Right-click (Win) or [Ctrl]-click (Mac) a specific track and select the 
option “Show Used Automation” from the pop-up menu.
This will close all automation subtracks not containing any automation events, while 
leaving used subtracks open for the selected track.  
						

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Muting automation subtracks
You can mute individual automation subtracks by clicking their Mute 
buttons in the Track list. While clicking the Read (R) button (see page 
333) for an automation subtrack will activate or deactivate Read mode 
for all automated parameters of the track, using the Mute button allows 
you to turn off automation for a single parameter.
The “Automation follows Events” setting
If you activate “Automation follows Events” on the Edit menu (or in the 
Preferences–Editing dialog), automation events will automatically fol-
low when you move an event or part on the track. 
This makes it easy to set up automation related to a specific event or 
part, rather than to a specific position in the project. For example, you 
can automate the panning of a sound effect event (having the sound 
pan from left to right, etc.) – if you need to move the event, the auto-
mation will automatically follow! The rules are:
•All automation events for the track between the start and end of the 
event or part will be moved.
If there are automation events in the new position (to which you move the part or 
event), these will be overwritten.
•If you duplicate an event or part (by [Alt]/[Option]-dragging or by us-
ing the Duplicate or Repeat functions) the automation events will be 
duplicated as well.
•This function affects copying and pasting as well.  
						

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Automation 13 – 333
Using Write/Read automation
All track types except folder, marker, video and ruler tracks feature 
Write (W) and Read (R) buttons in the mixer, in the Track list and in the 
Channel Settings window. Furthermore, the control panels for all plug-
in effects and VST Instruments also feature Write and Read buttons.
The Write and Read buttons for a channel in the mixer, and for an automation 
subtrack in the Track list.
•If you activate Write for a channel, all mixer parameters you adjust dur-
ing playback for that specific channel will be recorded as automation 
events.
•If you activate Read for a channel, all your recorded mixer actions for 
that channel will be performed during playback, just like you performed 
them in Write mode.
•The W and R buttons for a track in the Track list are mirrors of the W 
and R buttons in the corresponding channel strip in the mixer.
•Some track types require that you activate the Write button (either for 
the track or globally – see below) to create an automation track for it.
These are: VST Instrument, ReWire and Input/Output tracks. The first time the Write 
button is activated for these track types, automation subtracks will be created for them. 
You can then proceed with automating the parameters of the tracks (by editing the au-
tomation subtracks or by writing, as described below). To play back the automation, 
make sure the Read button for the tracks is activated.   
						

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There are also global Read All and Write All Automation buttons in the 
mixer’s common panel and at the top of the Track list:
The global Write and Read buttons in the mixer, and in the Track list.
•When Read All is activated, all your recorded mixer actions for all 
channels will be performed during playback.
•When Write All is activated, all mixer actions you perform during play-
back (for all channels) will be recorded as automation events.
The “MIDI Controller Input to Automation Tracks” preference
If you have set up a remote device to control parameters and settings 
in the program, you can record automation with that remote device - 
just activate Write as usual. However, if you are recording a MIDI track 
and want to record automation at the same time, the controller data 
sent by the remote device will be recorded “twice” - as automation 
and as MIDI controller data on the MIDI track.
To avoid this, activate the MIDI Controller Input to Automation Tracks 
setting in the Preference-MIDI dialog. When this is activated, the con-
trollers will be recorded as automation only, not as MIDI controller 
data on the recorded MIDI track.   
						

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Automation 13 – 335
About the five automation modes
When recording automation, you can choose one of five automation 
modes (available on the Project window toolbar):
•When Touch Fader mode is selected, the program starts writing the 
automation as soon as you click the control and stops writing when 
you release the mouse button.
If you are overwriting existing automation, the Automation Return Time setting (next to 
the automation mode pop-up menu) determines how fast the automated parameter re-
turns to its original automated value when you release the mouse button.
For most plug-in parameters (audio effects and VST Instruments), there 
is no way for the program to “know” whether a control is “pressed” or not 
(this information is not passed back by the plug-in interface). For this 
reason, automation of most plug-in parameters will work as in Autolatch 
mode (see below), even if Touch Fader is selected.
•When Autolatch mode is selected, the program starts writing the au-
tomation as soon as you click the control and stops writing when you 
stop playback or turn off the Write function.
The last automation value will be continuously written until you stop or turn off Write. 
This is useful if you want to overwrite a long section of previous automation, and also 
when you are recording automation from a remote device (because then there is no 
way for the program to know when you “release” the control). However, make sure you 
only touch the desired control(s) when recording automation in Autolatch mode – and 
remember to stop playback when you’re done!
•X-Over mode works like Autolatch mode, but with one difference: As 
soon as you “cross” any existing (previous) automation curve, the writ-
ing is automatically turned off.  
						

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13 – 336 Automation
•Overwrite mode affects volume automation only. It works like Auto-
latch mode, with one significant difference: the program starts writing 
the automation as soon as you start playback, and stops writing when 
you turn off Write.
This means that automation will be written continuously from the moment you start 
playback until you turn off Write – even if you don’t touch any controls. This is useful if 
you want to have a “clean slate” and redo previous volume automation.
•Trim mode is useful for volume automation only. It offsets the volume 
automation curve without overwriting any previous volume automation, 
letting you adjust the volume for already existing automation.
In Trim mode, the channel’s volume fader in the mixer is initially positioned in the exact 
middle position, regardless of any existing volume automation. By raising the fader rela-
tive to the middle position, you offset the volume curve upwards. By lowering the fader, 
you offset the volume curve downwards. In Trim mode, the program starts writing the 
automation as soon as you click the control and stops writing when you release the 
mouse button.
•Trim mode has a special feature: if you enable Write automation when 
playback is stopped and select Trim mode, you can use the fader to 
trim (offset) the volume curve between the left and right locator.
This makes it easy to e.g. raise the relative volume in a specific area: set the locators 
accordingly, enable Write, select Trim mode and raise the level fader.
Recording your actions – an example
If the settings in your current project are crucial, you may not want to 
“experiment” with automation until you know more about how it all fits 
together. If so, you can create a new project for the following example. 
It doesn’t even have to contain any audio events, just a few audio 
tracks. Proceed as follows:
1.Open the Mixer window.
2.Click the “Write All” button in the mixer common panel.
Nuendo is now in global Write mode. 
3.Start playback, and adjust some volume faders and/or other parame-
ter settings in the mixer or perhaps in a Channel Settings window.
Stop playback when you are done, and return to the position where you started play-
back. 
						

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Automation 13 – 337
4.Deactivate Write mode, and click the Read All button in the mixer 
common panel.
Nuendo is now in global Read mode.
5.Start playback, and watch the Mixer window.
All your actions performed during the previous playback will be reproduced exactly.
6.If you wish to redo anything that was recorded, activate Write mode 
again, and start playback from the same position.
•You can have Write and Read activated simultaneously, if you want to 
watch and listen to your recorded mixer actions while you’re recording 
fader movements for another mixer channel, etc.
Recording plug-in automation
Every parameter for every assigned effect or VST Instrument can be 
automated in much the same manner as described above.
The following example assumes that you have assigned an insert ef-
fect to an FX channel track (see page 276), and describes how to 
record automation for the effect:
1.Activate Write All in the mixer common panel or in the Track list to put 
Nuendo in global Write mode.
2.Select the FX channel track in the Track list and open its Inserts sec-
tion in the Inspector.
If the Inspector is hidden, click the “Show Inspector” button in the Project window 
toolbar.
3.Open the control panel for the effect by clicking the Edit button (“e”) 
above the insert effect slot in the Inspector.
4.Click the Write button in the control panel to activate Write mode.
All effects and VST Instruments have Write/Read buttons on their control panels. These 
work exactly like the corresponding buttons in the mixer or in the Track list. In the previ-
ous example, we used global Write mode, in which mixer and parameter changes are 
recorded on all tracks, but in this example we’ll use Write mode for one track only.
5.Start playback and adjust some effect parameters in the control panel.
When you are finished, stop playback and return to the position where you started 
playback. 
						

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13 – 338 Automation
6.Deactivate Write and instead click the Read button on the control 
panel.
7.Start playback, and watch the control panel.
All actions you performed during the previous playback will be reproduced exactly.
Assigning an automated parameter to an automation subtrack
To select which parameter is currently shown in the automation track 
for the FX channel, proceed as follows:
1.Click in the parameter display for the FX channel automation subtrack.
The parameter display pop-up list is shown containing the automation parameters for 
the plug-in. The parameter(s) you previously automated are indicated by an asterisk af-
ter the parameter name in the list.
Automated parameters for the DoubleDelay effect.
2.Select the parameter you wish to view from the parameter display 
pop-up.
The automation curve for the parameter you selected is displayed on the automation 
subtrack.
•To view VST Instrument parameters you use the same method, but for 
the first automation track for the instrument.
As described earlier, each VST Instrument have two or more automation tracks – one 
for the plug-in settings and one for each VST Instrument mixer channel.  
						

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Automation 13 – 339
Where did the automation data I recorded end up?
When using Write All automation, you can write automation data on 
all channels’ automation tracks. In the previous write operations, you 
probably added automation events for many different channels and 
parameters.
•To view all the automation events you recorded during the operations, 
select “Show Used Automation” from the Project menu.
Now the automation data for every channel parameter that you adjusted in the mixer 
during Write mode is shown on corresponding subtracks in the Project window. The 
automation events recorded are shown as points in the automation curves. 
Working with automation curves
About automation curves 
There are two kinds of automation curves, “ramp” and “jump”:
•Jump curves are created for any parameter that only has on/off values, 
like a Mute button, for example.
•Ramp curves are created for any parameter that generates continuous 
multiple values, such as fader or dial movements etc. 
Examples of jump and ramp automation curves shown in the event display.  
						

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13 – 340 Automation
About the static value line
When you first open an automation subtrack for a parameter, it 
doesn’t contain any automation events (unless you have previously 
adjusted that parameter with write automation activated), and this is 
reflected in the event display as a straight horizontal black line, the 
“static value” line. This line represents the current parameter setting.
•If you have manually added any automation events or used write auto-
mation for the corresponding parameter, and then deactivate Read 
mode, the automation curve will be greyed-out in the automation sub-
track event display and the static value will be used instead.
As soon as Read mode is activated the automation curve will become available.
Editing automation events
Drawing automation events
By using write automation in the mixer, you generate automation events 
by moving parameter dials and fader settings in the mixer. You can also 
add them manually, by drawing automation curves on an automation 
subtrack. Proceed as follows:
1.Open a volume automation subtrack for an audio track by clicking the 
“+” sign.
The static value line is shown in the event display.
2.Select the Pencil tool.
You can also use the various modes of the Line tool for drawing curves, see below.