Steinberg Nuendo 3 Working With MIDI Manual

							 
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MIDI realtime parameters and effects 1 – 21 
Sends section
 
This allows you to add up to four MIDI send effects. Unlike audio send 
effects, you can select and activate send effects individually for each 
track. The section contains the following items: 
Item Description 
Edit button Opens the Channel Settings window for the MIDI track.
Bypass button Click this to temporarily disable all send effects for the track 
(useful for comparing with the unprocessed MIDI, etc.).
Sends section tab This lights blue if any send effect is activated.
Effect selection 
pop-up menu (x 4)Selecting an effect from this pop-up menu automatically activates 
it and brings up its control panel (which can be a separate window 
or a number of settings below the send slot in the Inspector).
To remove a send effect completely, select “No Effect”.
On button (x 4) Allows you to turn the selected effect on or off.
Edit button (x4) Click this to bring up the control panel for the selected effect. 
Depending on the effect, this may appear in a separate window 
or below the sends slot in the Inspector. Clicking the button 
again hides the control panel.
Output pop-up 
menu (x4)This determines to which MIDI output the effect should send the 
processed MIDI events.  
						

							 
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1 – 22 MIDI realtime parameters and effects 
• Effects that display their controls in the Inspector can be forced to ap-
pear in a separate control panel window by pressing [Alt]/[Option] and 
clicking the Edit button.
 
About presets
 
Several of the MIDI plug-ins come with a number of presets for instant 
use. The controls for handling presets consist of a Presets pop-up 
menu along with Store (+) and Remove (-) buttons. 
• 
To load a preset, select it from the Presets pop-up menu. 
• 
To store your current settings as a preset, click the (+) button to the 
right. 
A dialog appears, asking you to specify a name for the preset. The stored preset will 
then be available for selection from the pop-up menu for all instances of that MIDI 
plug-in, in all projects.
 
• 
To remove a stored preset, select it and click the (-) button to the right. 
Channel setting (x4) This determines on which MIDI channel the effect should send 
the processed MIDI events.
Pre button (x4) If this is activated, the MIDI signals will be sent to the send ef-
fects before the track parameters and insert effects. 
Item Description  
						

							 
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Applying a MIDI insert effect – an example
 
Here is a step-by-step example of how to add a MIDI insert effect to a 
MIDI track: 
1. 
Select the MIDI track and open the Inspector. 
2. 
Click the Inserts tab in the Inspector. 
• 
Alternatively you could use the mixer: bring up the extended mixer 
panel and select “Inserts” on the view options pop-up menu for the 
track’s channel strip. 
3. 
Click in one of the insert slots to show the MIDI effect pop-up menu. 
4. 
Select the desired MIDI effect from the pop-up menu. 
The effect is automatically activated (the power button for the insert slot lights up) and 
its control panel appears, either in a separate window or in the Inserts section below 
the slot (depending on the effect).
 
Now all MIDI from the track will be routed through the effect. 
5. 
Use the control panel to make settings for the effect. 
For descriptions of the included MIDI effects, see page 8.
 
• 
You can bypass the insert effect by clicking its power button (above 
the insert slot). 
• 
To bypass all insert effects for the MIDI track, use the bypass button in 
the Inserts section in the Inspector, in the mixer channel strip or in the 
Track list. 
• 
To remove an insert effect, click in its slot and select “No Effect”. 
						

							 
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Managing plug-ins
 
Selecting Plug-in Information from the Devices menu opens a window 
in which all loaded plug-ins, audio and MIDI, are listed. 
• 
To view the MIDI effect plug-ins, click the MIDI Plug-ins tab. 
• 
The leftmost column allows you to deactivate plug-ins. 
This is useful if you have plug-ins installed that you don’t want to use in Nuendo. Only 
plug-ins that are activated (ticked checkbox) will appear on the MIDI effect pop-up 
menus.
 
• 
The second column shows how many instances of each plug-in are 
currently used in the project. 
• 
The remaining columns show various information about each plug-in 
and cannot be edited.  
						

							 
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Merge MIDI in Loop
 
As mentioned, the parameters and effects described in this chapter do 
not change the MIDI events themselves, but work rather like “filters”, 
affecting the music on playback. However, sometimes you may want to 
make these settings permanent, i.e. convert them to “real” MIDI events 
on the track. You might for example want to transpose a track and then 
edit the transposed notes in a MIDI editor. For this, you need to use the 
Merge MIDI in Loop function on the MIDI menu. This combines all MIDI 
events on all unmuted tracks, applies track parameters and effects and 
generates a new MIDI part, containing all the events as you would hear 
them play back. 
1.Make sure only the desired MIDI track(s) are unmuted.
If you only want to include events from a single track in the Merge operation, you may 
want to solo the track.
2.Set up the left and right locator around the area you want to merge.
Only events starting within this cycle area will be included.
3.Select the track on which you want the new part to be created.
This could be a new track or an existing track. If there are data in the cycle area on the 
track, you can choose whether this should be kept or overwritten (see below).
4.Select Merge MIDI in Loop from the MIDI menu.  
						

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1 – 26 MIDI realtime parameters and effects
5.Fill in the dialog that appears.
The options in the dialog are:
6.Click OK.
A new part is created between the locators on the destination track, containing the 
processed MIDI events.
Applying effects to a single part
Normally, the MIDI track parameters and effects affect a whole MIDI 
track. This may not always be what you want – you may want to apply 
some MIDI effects to a single part for example (without having to cre-
ate a separate track for that part only). The Merge MIDI in Loop func-
tion can help:
1.Set up your track parameters and MIDI effects the way you want them 
for the part.
This will of course affect the whole track, but focus on the part for now.
2.Set the locators to encompass the part.
This is easiest done by selecting the part and selecting Locators to Selection from the 
Transport menu (or using the corresponding key command, by default [P]).
3.Make sure the track holding the part is selected in the Track list.
4.Select Merge MIDI in Loop.
5.In the dialog that appears, activate the desired effect options, make 
sure that Erase Destination is activated and click OK.
Now a new part is created on the same track, containing the processed events. The 
original part is deleted.
6.Turn off or reset all track parameters and effects, so that the track 
plays back as usual.
Option Description
Include Inserts If this is activated, any MIDI insert effects activated for the 
track(s) will be applied.
Include Sends If this is activated, any MIDI send effects activated for the track(s) 
will be applied.
Erase Destination If this is activated, all MIDI data between the left and right locator 
on the destination track will be deleted. 
						

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The included MIDI effects
Arpache 5
A typical arpeggiator accepts a chord (a group of MIDI notes) as input, 
and plays back each note in the chord separately, with the playback or-
der and speed set by the user. The Arpache 5 arpeggiator does just 
that, and more. Before describing the parameters, let’s look at how to 
create a simple, typical arpeggio:
1.Select a MIDI track and activate monitoring (or record enable it) so 
that you can play “thru” the track.
Check that the track is properly set up for playback to a suitable MIDI instrument.
2.Select and activate the arpeggiator.
For now, use it as an insert effect for the selected track.
3.In the arpeggiator panel, use the Quantize setting to set the arpeggio 
speed.
The speed is set as a note value, relative to the project tempo. For example, setting 
Quantize to “16” means the arpeggio will be a pattern of sixteenth notes.
4.Use the Length setting to set the length of the arpeggio notes.
This allows you to create staccato arpeggios (Length smaller than the Quantize set-
ting) or arpeggio notes that overlap each other (Length greater than Quantize).
5.Set the Semi-Range parameter to 12.
This will make the notes arpeggiate within an octave.
6.Play a chord on your MIDI instrument.
Now, instead of hearing the chord, you will hear the notes of the chord played one by 
one, in an arpeggio.  
						

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7.Try the different arpeggio modes by clicking the Playmode buttons.
The symbols on the buttons indicate the playback order for the notes (up, down, 
up+down, etc.). The Play Order settings are described below.
Parameters
The Arpache 5 has the following settings:
Setting Description
Playmode 
buttonsAllows you to select the playback order for the arpeggiated notes. The 
options are down+up, up+down, up, down, random (“?” button) and 
“Order off”, in which case you can set the playback order manually with 
the Play Order fields below.
Quantize Determines the speed of the arpeggio, as a note value related to the 
project tempo. The range is 32T (1/32 note triplets) to 1. (dotted note 
values).
Length Sets the length of the arpeggio notes, as a note value related to the 
project tempo. The range is the same as for the Quantize setting.
Semi-Range Determines the arpeggiated note range, in semitones counted from 
the lowest key you play. This works as follows:
- Any notes you play that are outside this range will be transposed in 
octave steps to fit within the range.
- If the range is more than one octave, octave-transposed copies of 
the notes you play will be added to the arpeggio (as many octaves as 
fit within the range).
Thru If this is activated, the notes sent to the arpeggiator (i.e. the chord you 
play) will be passed through the plug-in (sent out together with the ar-
peggiated notes).
Play Order If the “Order on” playmode is selected, you can use these “slots” to 
specify a custom playback order for the arpeggio notes:
Each slot corresponds to a position in the arpeggio pattern. For each 
slot, you specify which note should be played on that position by select-
ing a number. The numbers correspond to the keys you play, counted 
from the lowest pressed key.
So, if you play the notes C3-E3-G3 (a C major chord), “1” would mean 
C3, “2” would mean E3, and “3” would mean G3. Note that you can 
use the same number in several slots, creating arpeggio patterns that 
are not possible using the standard play modes.  
						

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Arpache SX
This is an even more versatile and advanced arpeggiator, capable of 
creating anything from traditional arpeggios to complex, sequencer-
like patterns. The Arpache SX has the following parameters:
Parameter Description
Arp Style Determines the basic behaviour of the Arpache SX. In the Seq 
mode, the arpeggiator uses an imported MIDI part as a starting 
point for the pattern – this is described below. All other modes 
describe how the notes in the chord you play should be arpeggi-
ated – up, down, up & down, mostly up or mostly down.
Quantize Determines the resolution of the arpeggio, i.e. its “speed”. The 
“Source” setting is used in Seq mode, see below.
Length Determines the length of the arpeggio notes. The “Source” set-
ting is used in Seq mode, see below.
Transpose When a mode other than “Off” is selected, the arpeggio will be ex-
panded upwards, downwards or both (depending on the mode). 
This is done by adding transposed repeats of the basic arpeggio 
pattern. The “Octave” setting sets the number of transposed re-
peats and the “Semi-Steps” setting determines how much each 
repeat will be transposed.
Play Mode See the description of Seq mode below!
Trigger Mode See the description of Seq mode below!  
						

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Seq mode
When Seq mode is selected in the Arp Style section, the Arpache SX 
uses an additional MIDI part as a pattern. This pattern then forms the 
basis for the arpeggio, in conjunction with the MIDI input.
•To import a MIDI part into the Arpache SX, drag it from the Project win-
dow and drop it in the “Drop a MIDI Part” section on the Arpache SX.
Now, the notes in the dropped MIDI part will be sorted internally, either 
according to their pitch (“Sort Phrase by Pitch” checkbox activated) or 
according to their play order in the part. This results in a list of numbers. 
For example, if the notes in the MIDI part are C E G A E C and they are 
sorted according to pitch, the list of numbers will read 1 2 3 4 2 1. 
Here, there are 4 different notes/numbers and 6 trigger positions.
Now the MIDI input (the chord you send into the Arpache SX) will also 
generate a list of numbers, with each note in the chord corresponding 
to a number depending on the Sort Mode setting. 
Velocity Source Determines the velocity of the notes in the arpeggio. The options 
are Seq (used in Seq mode only), Input (the same as the velocity 
values of the corresponding notes in the chord you play) or Fixed, 
in which case all arpeggio notes will get the velocity set in the 
value field to the right.
Thru If this is activated, the notes sent to the arpeggiator (i.e. the chord 
you play) will be passed through the plug-in (sent out together 
with the arpeggiated notes).
Poly Determines how many notes should be accepted in the input 
chord. The “All” setting means there are no limitations.
Sort Mode When you play a chord into the Arpache SX, the arpeggiator will 
look at the notes in the chord as sorted in the order specified 
here. For example, if you play a C-E-G chord, with “Note Lowest” 
selected, C will be the first note, E will be the second and G the 
third. This affects the result of the Arp Style setting. Parameter Description