Steinberg Nuendo 4 Manual

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Synchronization
MIDI Timecode and 9 Pin Sync
In these modes, Nuendo is the slave and the timecode is 
sent by the MIDI Timecode Source specified in the corre-
sponding section.
Setting up Nuendo for external sync to timecode
1.In the Project Synchronization Setup dialog, set the 
Timecode Source to MIDI Timecode or one of the 9-Pin 
options.
2.For MIDI Timecode, use the MTC Input pop-up menu 
in the MIDI Timecode Settings section to select an input 
for the timecode.
Sync settings for MIDI Timecode.
3.For Sony 9-pin timecode, select a port from the Serial 
Port pop-up menu. See “Setting up Sony 9-Pin” on page 
457 for more on connecting 9-pin devices to your com-
puter.
4.Close the Project Synchronization Setup dialog and 
open the Project Setup dialog from the Project menu.5.Use the Start value to set which frame on the external 
device (e.g. a video tape) should correspond to the begin-
ning of the project.
Most video projects have a program start time of 01:00:00:00 for conve-
nience. It is recommended in most cases to have a project start time of 
00:59:00:00 to allow for synchronizer lockup times, test tones, timing 
beeps and so forth.
You can also set this with the function “Set Timecode at 
Cursor” on the Project menu.
This is useful if you know that a certain position in your project would co-
incide with a certain timecode position in the external device. Move the 
project cursor to the desired position, select “Set Timecode at Cursor” 
and specify the corresponding timecode position in the dialog that ap-
pears – the Start value is adjusted accordingly.
6.In the dialog that appears, you are asked if you want to 
keep the project content at its timecode positions. Select 
“No”.
This will make all events and parts keep their positions relative to the 
project start. 
7.Close the Project Setup dialog.
8.On the Transport panel, activate the Sync button (or 
select “Use External Sync” from the Transport menu).
9.Start the tape (or video, or other master device) that 
contains the timecode. Nuendo starts playing when it re-
ceives timecode with a position “higher” than, or equal to, 
the project Start frame.
You can wind the device that sends the timecode to any 
position and start from there.
You should also look into the Sync Options, see “Time-
code Preferences” on page 454.
Sync to timecode activatedThe MIDI Input for the timecode
Sync to 9-Pin activatedSelecting a serial port
!When the master device with the timecode is 
stopped, you can use the Nuendo transport controls 
as you normally do, when it is not synchronized. 
Set this to the time-
code position where 
you want the project 
to start. 
						

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Synchronization
The Sync indicator
On the Transport panel, you can check the status of in-
coming timecode by observing the sync indicator.
If you have selected MIDI Timecode as Timecode 
Source and MIDI Machine Control as Machine Control 
Option, the sync indicator switches between “Offline” (not 
waiting for sync), “Idle” (ready for sync but no signal is 
coming in), and “Lock xx” (where xx is indicating the frame 
rate of the incoming signal).
If you have selected one of the 9-pin options as Ma-
chine Control Option, the following applies:
 When the Sync button is activated for the first time, the Sync 
indicator displays the name of the machine.
 When Nuendo is ready for synchronization, but no signal is 
coming in, the Sync indicator reads “Stopped”.
 When the Start button is pressed, the Sync indicator reads 
“Waiting”.
 When Nuendo is locked to timecode (when correct timecode 
was detected and the sequencer is running), “Locked” is dis-
played.
 While shuttling, the Sync indicator displays “Shuttle”.
 When you are rewinding, the Sync indicator reads “REW”.
 During Fast Forward, “FF” is displayed.
 If a communication error occurred, the indicator reads “Time-
out”.
 If the external device is not in Remote mode, the indicator 
reads “Local”.
 If you are using an external tape machine and no tape has 
been inserted, the Sync indicator reads “No Tape”.
 While positioning on the external machine, the Sync indicator 
reads “Locate”.
 While using the Auto Edit function, “Auto Edit” is displayed.
ASIO Audio Device
In this mode, Nuendo is the slave and the synchronization 
signal can be received from another device connected to 
a digital interface of the audio hardware.
About the ASIO Positioning Protocol (APP)
The ASIO Positioning Protocol is a technology that ex-
pands on the type of sync described above and makes 
sample-accurate positioning possible.
When transferring audio digitally between devices, it is im-
portant that synchronization using word clock and time-
code is completely correlated. If not, the audio will not be 
recorded at the exact intended (sample-accurate) position, 
which can cause various types of problems, such as inac-
curately positioned audio material, clicks and pops etc.
A typical situation is when transferring material from a dig-
ital multi-track tape recorder to Nuendo (for editing) and 
then back again. If you do not have sample-accurate syn-
chronization set up, you cannot be sure that the material 
will appear in its exact original position, when transferred 
back to the tape recorder.
In order to take advantage of the ASIO Positioning Proto-
col, your audio hardware must be suitably equipped and 
the functionality must be included in the ASIO driver for 
the hardware.
An example of a system for doing sample-accurate trans-
fers, would be transferring audio tracks from an Alesis 
ADAT to Nuendo. Here the ADAT will be the sync master 
(though it doesn’t necessarily have to be). It provides both 
the digital audio (with an inherent word clock) and position 
information (timecode) via its ADAT sync protocol. The 
master clock is generated by the ADAT itself.
The Sync indicator
!This option is only available if your hardware is com-
patible with the ASIO Positioning Protocol.
!ASIO Positioning Protocol requires audio hardware 
with specific ASIO drivers. 
						

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Synchronization
Hardware and software requirements for APP
 Your computer audio hardware (in the example above, this 
would be an ADAT card in your computer) must support all 
the functionality required for the ASIO Positioning Protocol. 
That is, it must be able to read the digital audio and the corre-
sponding position information from the external device.
 There must be an ASIO 2.0 driver for the audio hardware.
 For resolving to external timecode, the audio hardware must 
have an integrated timecode reader/generator.
 For information about which audio hardware models currently 
support APP, see the Steinberg web site (www.steinberg.net).
Setting up the audio card for external 
synchronization
1.Open the Device Setup dialog from the Devices menu 
and, on the VST Audio System page, select the name of 
your audio interface.
2.Click the Control Panel button to open the card’s pro-
prietary setup dialog.
If this card is accessed via a special ASIO driver (as opposed to MME or 
Direct X), this dialog is provided by the card, not by Nuendo. Hence the 
settings vary with the card brand and model.
3.Adjust the settings as recommended by the card man-
ufacturer, then close the dialog.
The dialog may also contain various diagnostic tools that allow you to 
verify for example whether word clock is arriving correctly.
4.From the Clock Source pop-up, select the input to 
which you routed the word clock signal.
This pop-up may not be used if you selected an input in the Control 
Panel dialog instead.
You can now set up the synchronization:
1.Open the Project Synchronization Setup dialog and 
set the Timecode Source to “ASIO Audio Device”.
2.Make the desired settings in the dialog.
For information on the different sections, click the Help button in the dialog.
3.Close the Project Synchronization Setup dialog.
4.Open the Project Setup dialog from the Project menu 
and use the Start value to set which frame on the external 
device (e.g. a video tape) should correspond to the begin-
ning of the project.
You can also set this with the function “Set Timecode at 
Cursor” on the Project menu.
This is useful if you know that a certain position in your project coincides 
with a certain timecode position in the external device. Move the project 
cursor to the desired position, select “Set Timecode at Cursor” and 
specify the corresponding timecode position in the dialog that appears – 
the Start value is adjusted accordingly.
5.A message appears, asking you whether you want to 
keep the project content at its timecode positions. Select 
“No”.
This will make all events and parts keep their positions relative to the 
project start. 
6.Close the Project Setup dialog.
7.On the Transport panel, activate the Sync button (or 
select “Use External Sync” from the Transport menu).
!The ASIO Positioning Protocol exploits the specific 
advantage of having an audio card that has an inte-
grated timecode reader. With such a card and the 
ASIO Positioning Protocol, you can achieve constant 
sample-accurate synchronization between the audio 
source and Nuendo.
The ASIO Audio Device is selected as Timecode Source
Timecode Preferences
Set this to the time-
code position 
where you want the 
project to start. 
						

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Synchronization
8.Start the tape (or video, or other master device) that 
contains the timecode. Nuendo starts playing when it re-
ceives timecode with a position “higher” than, or equal to, 
the project Start frame.
You can wind the device that sends the timecode to any 
position and start from there.
You should also take a look at the Timecode Preferences, 
see “Timecode Preferences” on page 454.
The Sync indicator
On the Transport panel you can check the status of in-
coming timecode by observing the sync indicator. It 
switches between “Offline” (not waiting for sync), “Idle” 
(ready for sync but no signal is coming in), and “Lock xx” 
(where xx indicates the frame rate of the incoming signal).
Timecode Preferences
The following timecode preferences are available in the 
Project Synchronization Setup dialog:
Lock Frames
Using this field you can set how many frames of “correct” 
timecode Nuendo should receive before attempting to 
“lock” (synchronize) to incoming timecode. If you have an 
external tape transport with a very short start-up time, you 
could try lowering this number to make lock-up even faster 
than it already is.
Drop Out Frames
On an analog tape with timecode, dropouts may occur. If 
a drop-out is very long, Nuendo may (temporarily) stop. In 
the Drop Out Frames field you can set how long a drop-
out (in frames) should be tolerated until Nuendo decides 
that the tape isn’t good enough to synchronize to. If you 
have a very stable timecode source, you may lower this 
number to make Nuendo stop more swiftly after the tape 
recorder has been stopped.
Inhibit Restart
Some synchronizers will still transmit MIDI Time Code for 
a short period after an external tape machine has been 
stopped. These extra frames of timecode can sometimes 
cause Nuendo to restart suddenly. Inhibit Restart allows 
you to control the amount of time in milliseconds that Nu-
endo will wait to restart (ignoring incoming MTC) once it 
has stopped.
Machine Control
Nuendo can control external tape transports and similar 
devices via MIDI Machine Control or Sony 9-Pin. This al-
lows you to operate an external tape transport from Nu-
endo’s Transport panel. That is, Nuendo can make the 
tape recorder locate to a certain position, start, stop, re-
wind etc.
About sync and machine control
Controlling tape transports is a two-way process:
 Nuendo sends out machine control commands to the tape re-
corder, asking it to locate to a certain position and activate 
playback etc.
 The tape recorder locates to the requested position, starts 
and delivers timecode back to Nuendo, to which Nuendo is 
synchronized.
Even though it appears as if Nuendo is controlling the 
tape recorder completely, it is important to remember that 
in this setup, Nuendo is still being synchronized to the ex-
ternal tape transport, not vice versa.
Also note that the two processes of sync and machine 
control are completely separated, in terms of protocols 
used. You can for example synchronize to MTC while 
sending out transport commands via MMC.
MIDI Machine Control (MMC)
This is a standard MIDI protocol for controlling tape trans-
ports. There are a number of tape recorders and hard disk 
recording systems on the market that support this proto-
col. Nuendo allows you to control the transport of an ex-
ternal MMC device and arm tracks for recording.
!When the master device with the timecode is 
stopped, you can use the Nuendo transport controls 
as you normally do, when it is not synchronized.  
						

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Sony 9-Pin
This is a standard protocol established by Sony, for con-
trolling audio and video tape transports. It is implemented 
via regular serial port communication (RS-422). The cor-
rect cabling varies between computer platforms and mod-
els. Please refer to “Connecting a Sony 9-pin compatible 
device” on page 456 to find out more about the correct 
setup for your computer.
 If your Sony 9-pin device supports RS-232, you need a “null 
modem cable”.
 The Sony 9-pin device most likely needs to be switched from 
local control to remote control in order to be controlled by Nu-
endo. If the device is not set to the correct mode, Nuendo will 
inform you. Most video decks have a switch on the front panel 
for this.
 Normally you should not lock Nuendo to timecode from the 
Sony 9-Pin device. There is timecode information in the 9-pin 
signal but it is primarily used for locating and shuttling. It is er-
ratic and not stable enough to use as a timing or speed refer-
ence. Timecode should be read from either an LTC source or 
VITC source on a video tape machine.
 Nuendo implements Start, Stop, Record, Fast-Forward, Re-
wind, Shuttle, Nudge and Locate commands for 9-Pin de-
vices, along with some special features - see “Audio Layback 
for 9-Pin Devices” on page 458.
Setting up Machine Control
Machine Control commands can be sent using one of two 
different protocols: MIDI Machine Control (MMC) or Sony 
9-Pin. The setup procedures are slightly different for the 
two formats:
MIDI Machine Control
1.Set up and test basic timecode synchronization, as de-
scribed earlier in this chapter.
2.Connect a MIDI Out on your MIDI interface to MIDI In 
on the tape recorder (or similar device).
If you have not already done so (when setting up for MIDI Timecode), 
also connect a MIDI cable from the MIDI Output on the tape recorder to 
a MIDI In on the computer.
3.Make sure you have timecode recorded on the tape 
recorder, and that it is set up to use MMC.
4.Open the Project Synchronization Setup dialog on the 
Transport menu in Nuendo.5.In the Master Machine Control section, select “MIDI 
Machine Control”.
6.In the Master Machine Control Settings section, se-
lect the correct MMC Inputs and Outputs from the re-
spective pop-up menus.
7.Make sure that the MMC Device ID corresponds to 
the ID of the controlled device.
If more that one machine is connected or if you do not know the Device 
ID, this can be set to “All”, the “Broadcast” device ID.
8.Set the “Number of Audio Tracks” setting to the num-
ber of tracks on the external tape recorder.
9.Open the Preferences dialog from the File menu (on 
the Mac, this is located on the Nuendo menu), select the 
MIDI Filter section and make sure Sysex is activated in the 
Thru section.
This is necessary since MMC uses two-way communication (the tape re-
corder “replies” to the MMC messages it receives from Nuendo). By fil-
tering out Sysex Thru, you ensure that these MMC System Exclusive 
replies are not echoed back to the tape recorder.
10.Close the Preferences dialog and open the Project 
Setup dialog from the Project menu.
11.As when synchronizing without using transport con-
trol, use the Start value to specify which frame on the tape 
should correspond to the beginning of the project.
12.Close the Project Setup dialog.
13.Pull down the Devices menu and select MMC Master.
The MIDI Machine Control master transport panel appears.
MIDI Machine Control selected
MIDI ports selected for MMC 
						

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Synchronization
It is now possible to control the external tape recorder in-
dependently or together with Nuendo:
If you activate the Online button on the MMC Master 
panel you can use the transport buttons on the panel to 
control the transport of the device.
You can also use the buttons to the left on the MMC 
Master panel to arm tape tracks for recording.
The number of record arm buttons depends on the “Number of Audio 
Tracks” setting in the Master Machine Control Settings section of the 
Project Synchronization Setup dialog.
The “A1, A2, TC, VD” items refer to additional tracks 
usually found on video tape recorders.
Refer to the manual of your VTR device to see if these tracks are sup-
ported.
If you activate the Sync button on the Transport panel, 
the MMC Master transport buttons (or the buttons on the 
main Transport panel) will control the external tape re-
corder and Nuendo in sync.
14.On the Transport panel, activate the Sync button.
15.Try to Stop, Fast Forward and Rewind from Nuendo 
and activate Play from different positions in the project.
The tape transport should follow.
To turn off the synchronization between the tape re-
corder and Nuendo, simply deactivate Sync on the Trans-
port panel.
Nuendo as MMC slave
This is set up in the MIDI Machine Control Slave section. 
Simply specify the MIDI ports and the MMC Device ID.
Some mixers support the MMC-Master protocol for con-
trolling external devices, including Tascam DM-24, Yamaha 
DM2000 and SSL. This means that Nuendo can be used 
as a “recorder”, where track arming and transport com-
mands can be sent from the master device. In addition, 
some digital audio workstations (DAWs) can only operate 
in MMC-Master mode.
Connecting a Sony 9-pin compatible device
On Windows computers
The serial port (9-pin D-SUB connector) of your computer 
is used to establish communication with your Sony 9-pin 
compatible device (VTR, DAT, Multitrack etc.). However, 
PCs provide an RS-232 signal at the serial port, not the 
RS-422 signal expected by Sony 9-pin devices. External 
RS-232 to RS-422 converters are available from various 
manufacturers at your local dealer or can be purchased 
via the internet. If you are planning to cover distances ex-
ceeding a few meters please make sure that this adapter 
also balances the signal.
On Macintosh computers
The serial port of your computer is used to establish com-
munication with your Sony 9-pin compatible device. As 
newer Macintosh computers do not provide serial ports, 
you have to install extra serial ports on these Macintosh 
computers using one of the following methods.
Stealth Serial Port.
This is a very common device used to provide a serial port 
on Macintosh computers lacking this kind of connectivity. 
This card can be bought in Macintosh stores or via the in-
ternet. It is inserted in the modem slot inside your Macin-
tosh and is recognized by the operating system as a serial 
port. The signal present at the 9-pin D-SUB connector is 
already RS-422 but you need to adapt between the 8-pin 
Mini DIN connector of the Stealth Card and the 9-pin D-
SUB connector found on your Sony 9-pin device using an 
appropriate cable.
USB to serial adapter.
These USB devices are used to provide a serial port on 
Macintosh computers lacking this kind of connectivity. 
Such devices are available from various manufacturers at 
your local dealer or can be purchased via the internet. 
Make sure to install the driver of the device properly so the 
operating system can register the device as a serial port. 
The Keyspan USB to serial converter USA-19W has been 
used in this capacity with much success.
Depending on the kind of product you are using, the elec-
trical signal available at the 9-pin D-SUB connector of the 
adapter can be either RS-422 or RS-232. Refer to the 
technical specification of the adapter used to find out 
more. If an RS-232 signal is used, you must convert this to 
the RS-422 signal expected by your Sony 9-pin device.  
						

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Synchronization
External RS-232 to RS-422 converters are available from 
various manufacturers at your local dealer or can be pur-
chased via the internet. If you are planning to cover dis-
tances exceeding a few meters please make sure that this 
adapter also balances the signal.
Setting up Sony 9-Pin
1.Set up and test basic timecode synchronization, as de-
scribed earlier in this chapter.
2.Connect an unused serial port (COM port) on the 
computer to the external tape transport.
As mentioned earlier, you may need a RS-232 to RS-422 converter or 
conversion cable.
A typical Sony 9-Pin setup.
Note that you can have two separate 9-Pin devices 
connected to the computer when using Nuendo!
3.Make sure you have timecode recorded on the tape 
recorder, and that it is set up to utilize Sony 9-Pin.
4.In the Project Synchronization Setup dialog, select ei-
ther 9 Pin Control 1 or 2 in the Master Machine Control 
Device section.
5.In the Master Machine Control settings section, use 
the Serial Port pop-up menu to select the correct serial 
(COM) port.
By selecting different ports for the two 9-Pin Devices, you can separate 
two different external tape recorders, video systems, etc. The other op-
tions in this dialog are described on the following pages.
6.Set the number of audio tracks available on the 9-pin 
device by clicking on the arrows in the respective field or 
by entering a number directly. There can be up to 48 au-
dio tracks for each 9-pin device.
You will be able to remotely arm each audio track for recording from the 9-
pin control window. This is very handy when working in a large facility that 
utilizes a common machine room where all the tape machines are located.
In the 9-Pin Device Settings section (to the left of the 
Timecode Source section), you will find two additional op-
tions for each 9-pin device:
“Control Playback Speed”.
This option instructs Nuendo to attempt to control the playback speed of 
the 9-pin device in order to keep it in sync with Nuendo’s internal clock. 
This should be a last resort option as it is very difficult to achieve accept-
able results. Use this if there is no other way to lock to timecode coming 
from the 9-pin device other than through the 9-pin connection. 
“Display Follows Locating Device”.
This is a very useful option for tape-based machines that take a certain 
amount of time to locate to new positions. When this option is activated 
and sync is enabled, the project cursor in Nuendo will reflect the position 
of the 9-pin machine’s transport as it locates to different positions. For 
instance, if you place the cursor several minutes ahead of the current 
tape position, Nuendo can immediately locate there but the tape ma-
chine will take several seconds to arrive at the same position. During that 
time, the cursor will move with the tape machine, giving the user visual 
feedback as to its location. This is necessary in larger facilities that have 
a central machine room where the tape machine is located. Since the 
Nuendo system is in another room, the user will not know when the tape 
machine has located to the correct position.
7.Click OK to apply your changes and close the Project 
Synchronization Setup dialog.
8.Open the Project Setup dialog from the Project menu.
9.As when synchronizing without using transport con-
trol, use the Start value to specify which frame on the tape 
should correspond to the beginning of the project.
10.Close the Project Setup dialog. 
						

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Synchronization
11.Pull down the Devices menu and select “9-Pin Device 
1” or “9-Pin Device 2”.
The corresponding 9-Pin Device control panel appears. This has a sepa-
rate set of transport buttons, for controlling the transport in the 9-pin de-
vice. There’s also a separate Online button, above the transport controls.
The 9-pin control panel. Most professional video tape machines have 
four audio tracks and if they are digital, use a 48k sampling rate. Tracks 
1 and 2 are record enabled.
It’s now possible to control the transport and track arming 
of the 9-pin device independently or together with Nuendo:
If you activate the Online button on the 9-Pin Device 
control panel you can use the transport buttons on the 
panel to control the transport in the device.
If you activate the Sync button on Nuendo’s Transport 
panel, the 9-Pin Device transport buttons (or the buttons 
on the main Transport panel) will control the 9-pin device 
and Nuendo in sync.
When using Sony 9-Pin it is possible to advance the ex-
ternal transport frame by frame by using the Nudge Posi-
tion buttons on the Transport panel. You can assign a 
keyboard shortcut for this as well.
Whenever you want to turn off the synchronization be-
tween the tape recorder and Nuendo, simply deactivate 
Sync on the Transport panel.
Preferences
There are several Master Machine Control Preferences 
available for 9-pin control in the Project Synchronization 
Setup dialog. They are as follows:
“Machine position follows mouse edits”. 
When this option is activated and the transport in Nuendo is set to “Edit 
Mode,” the 9-pin device will track the edits you make with the mouse in 
the project window. Actions such as adjusting event boundaries, moving 
fade handles and even selecting events will cause the 9-pin machine to 
follow the mouse position as you make the edit. This emulates the re-
sponse of a video file playing in Nuendo under Edit Mode.
“Machine position follows jog”.
When this option is activated, Nuendo will send Locate commands to the 
9-pin device when you use the jog wheel on the Transport panel, allow-
ing you to see each frame of video as you scroll through the tape. When 
it is deactivated, the positioning of the device takes place when the jog 
wheel has been released.
“Send Shuttle instead of FF/Rewind”.
When the fast forward and rewind buttons are pressed on the Transport 
panel, Nuendo can send either fast forward and rewind commands to the 
9-pin device or send shuttle commands. Each 9-pin device will react dif-
ferently to these commands so some experimentation will be necessary. 
Tape machines will most likely respond best to fast forward and rewind 
commands. This option is deactivated by default.
“Send Still instead of Stop”.
Many video tape machines will not display an image when in stop mode 
as the tape is typically retracted from the playback heads in this mode. 
Using a still or pause command instead will allow most video tape ma-
chines to display the current frame of video while paused. Many video 
tape machines have internal settings that affect this as well, allowing im-
ages to be displayed in stop mode.
“Allow machine controlled cycle”.
Nuendo can behave in two ways when in cycle mode and using machine 
control. When this option is not activated, Nuendo will begin the cycle 
normally from the left locator. But when it gets to the right locator, Nu-
e ndo w ill g o back to the  lef t loc ator to start the cycle again while the tape 
machine (or other external transport) will continue on until stop is 
pressed. When this option is activated, once Nuendo reaches the right 
locator, playback will stop on both the machine and in Nuendo. Both will 
locate back to the left locator and begin playback automatically. This will 
continue until stop is pressed. Also, if there are pre and post roll values 
activated in the Transport panel, Nuendo will include these in the cycle, 
playing past the right locator by the post-roll amount and then locating to 
a point before the left locator by the pre-roll amount and playing from 
there. The tape machine will follow all of this in sync.
Audio Layback for 9-Pin Devices
Nuendo has some special features for working with 9-Pin 
devices (typically video decks). These allow you to trans-
fer audio to the 9-Pin device by recording it from Nuendo, 
manually or automatically. A typical application would be 
audio layback – if you have edited audio for a video in Nu-
endo and want to transfer the audio back to the audio 
track(s) in the video deck, at the correct positions.
!This assumes that Machine Control of the 9-Pin de-
vice has been set up, and that the proper audio con-
nections have been made for recording audio from 
Nuendo to the 9-Pin device. 
						

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1.Open the Project Synchronization Setup dialog and 
select the 9-Pin device (1 or 2) in the Master Machine 
Control Device section.
2.Make sure the “Number of Audio Tracks” value is cor-
rect.
This should be set to the number of audio tracks in the 9-Pin device. The 
maximum number of audio tracks supported is 48.
ÖIf you have activated “Try to Recognize Device” and 
the 9-Pin Device model is known to Nuendo, the number 
of audio tracks is automatically set to the correct value.
3.Close the Project Synchronization Setup dialog.
4.Select “9-Pin Device 1” (or 2, depending on your con-
nections and setup) from the Devices menu.
The control panel for the 9-Pin Device appears.
The numbered buttons to the left correspond to the set number of audio 
tracks.
5.Make sure the Online button is activated.
6.To record enable an audio track in the 9-Pin device 
(which is connected to Nuendo via a suitable device), 
click the corresponding numbered button in the panel.
The button lights up, indicating that the corresponding audio track is 
record enabled.
7.Set the locators in Nuendo to encompass the audio 
section you want to transfer.
8.Click the Auto Edit button in the 9-Pin device panel.
This is the button to the right of the transport controls.
If the Auto Edit function is supported by the 9-Pin de-
vice, the device will automatically go to a position just be-
fore the left locator, start playback, activate recording at 
the left locator and punch out at the right locator.
Assuming you have connected the proper outputs from Nuendo to the 
correct inputs of the tape machine, the audio section will be played back 
in Nuendo and recorded on the audio tracks of the 9-Pin device.
If the Auto Edit function is not supported by the 9-Pin 
device, you have to activate recording “manually”.
Use the 9-Pin device control panel transport (or the main Transport 
panel) to rewind to a position before the left locator, activate automatic 
punch-in and punch-out and start playback. If no Nuendo tracks are 
record enabled, recording will only be performed by the 9-Pin device.
Setting Preroll and Postroll for Auto Edit
For the Auto Edit function provided on 9-Pin device pan-
els you can set individual preroll and postroll values. This 
is done in the Master Machine Control section Settings in 
the Project Synchronization Setup dialog.
1.Open the Project Synchronization Setup dialog and 
select the 9-Pin Device in the Master Machine Control De-
vice section.
2.In the Master Machine Control Settings section to the 
right, click on the Edit PRE/POST up/down arrow buttons 
to set a new value for the preroll and/or postroll for the 
auto edit function.
You can also click directly in the value field and enter the desired pre/
postroll value manually.
!Please consult the documentation for the 9-Pin de-
vice for information about whether the Auto Edit 
function is supported or not. 
						

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Synchronization
Working with VST System Link
VST System Link is a network system for digital audio that 
allows you to have several computers working together in 
one large system. Unlike conventional networks it does 
not require Ethernet cards, hubs, or CAT-5 cables; in-
stead it uses the kind of digital audio hardware and cables 
you probably already possess in your studio.
VST System Link has been designed to be simple to set 
up and operate, yet give enormous flexibility and perfor-
mance gains in use. It is capable of linking computers in a 
“ring” network (the System Link signal is passed from one 
machine to the next, and eventually returns to the first ma-
chine). VST System Link can send its networking signal 
over any type of digital audio cable, including S/PDIF, 
ADAT, TDIF, or AES, as long as each computer in the sys-
tem is equipped with a suitable ASIO compatible audio in-
terface.
Linking up two or more computers gives you vast possibil-
ities:
 Dedicate one computer to running VST instruments while re-
cording audio tracks on another.
 If you need lots of audio tracks, you may simply add tracks on 
another computer.
 You could have one computer serve as a “virtual effect rack”, 
running CPU-intensive send effect plug-ins only.
 Since you can use VST System Link to connect different VST 
System Link applications on different platforms, you can take 
advantage of effect plug-ins and VST instruments that are 
specific to certain programs or platforms.
Preparations
Requirements
The following equipment is required for VST System Link 
operation:
Two or more computers.
These can be of the same type or use different operating systems – it 
doesn’t matter. For example, you can link an Intel-based PC to an Apple 
Macintosh without problems.
Each computer must have audio hardware with specific 
ASIO drivers, installed and working.The audio hardware must have digital inputs and outputs.
Of course, to be able to connect the computers, the digital connections 
must be compatible (i.e. the same digital formats and connection types 
must be available).
At least one digital audio cable for each computer in the 
network.
A VST System Link host application installed on each 
computer.
Any VST System Link applications can connect to each other.
Additionally, we recommend that you use a KVM switchbox:
Using a KVM switchbox
If you want to set up a multi-computer network, or even a 
small network in a limited space, its a good idea to invest 
in a KVM (Keyboard, Video, Mouse) switchbox. With one 
of these you can use the same keyboard, monitor, and 
mouse to control each computer in the system, and switch 
between computers very rapidly. KVM switchboxes are 
not too expensive, and very easy to set up and operate. If 
you decide not to go this route, the network will function 
just the same, but you may end up doing a lot of jumping 
from one machine to the other while setting up!
Making connections
Below, we assume that you are connecting two comput-
ers. Should you have more than two computers, it’s still 
best to start with two and add the others one by one once 
the system is working – this makes troubleshooting easier 
if you run into problems. For two computers, you will need 
two digital audio cables, one in each direction:
1.Connect a digital audio cable from the digital output of 
computer 1 to the digital input of computer 2.
2.Connect the other cable from the digital output of 
computer 2 into the digital input of computer 1.
If a card has more than one set of inputs and outputs, 
choose whichever one that suits you – for simplicity usu-
ally the first set is best.