Steinberg Nuendo 4 Operation Manual

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The Transpose functions
4.Set the transpose value to 8 semitones.
As “Keep Transpose in Octave Range” is activated, your chord will now 
be transposed to the nearest interval or pitch. 
Your chord has been transposed to the nearest pitch, this results in 
G#2/C3/D#3.
!If you mainly work with audio loops, we recommend 
to activate “Keep Transpose in Octave Range”.  
						

							11
The mixer 
						

							123
The mixer
About this chapter
This chapter contains detailed information about the ele-
ments used when mixing audio and MIDI, and the various 
ways you can configure the mixer. 
Some mixer-related features are not described in this 
chapter. These are the following:
Setting up and using audio effects.
See the chapter “Audio effects” on page 168.
Setting up and using MIDI effects.
See the chapter “MIDI realtime parameters and effects” on page 342.
Surround Sound.
See the chapter “Surround sound” on page 202.
Automation of all mixer parameters.
See the chapter “Automation” on page 213.
How to mix down several audio tracks (complete with 
automation and effects if you wish) to a single audio file.
See the chapter “Export Audio Mixdown” on page 437. 
						

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The mixer
Overview
The mixer offers a common environment for controlling 
levels, pan, solo/mute status etc. for both audio and MIDI 
channels. 
Opening the mixer
The mixer can be opened in several ways:
By selecting Mixer from the Devices menu.
By clicking the Mixer icon on the toolbar
This always opens the first Mixer window (see below).
By using a key command (by default [F3]).By clicking the Mixer button in the Devices panel.
You open the Devices panel by selecting Show Panel from the Devices 
menu.
About the multiple mixer windows
You may have noticed that there are in fact several separate 
mixer items selectable from the Devices menu. These are 
not separate mixers, but rather separate views of the same 
mixer. 
Each of the mixer windows can be configured to show 
any combination of channels, channel types, narrow and 
wide channel strips, etc. (how to do this is described later 
in this chapter).
You can for example configure one mixer window to show MIDI channel 
strips, another to show input and output channels or another to show all 
audio-related channels.
The picture shows an extended mixer (see “Normal vs. Extended channel strips” on page 126). 
						

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The mixer
You can also save channel configurations as View sets 
(see “Channel view sets” on page 129), which are then 
accessible from all mixer windows.
These features are very convenient when working with 
large projects. Considering the number of different chan-
nel types that can be shown in the mixer, they could even 
be described as necessary!
The use of multiple mixer windows combined with the abil-
ity to recall different mixer configurations enables you to 
focus on the task at hand and keep window scrolling 
down to a minimum.
ÖAll options for configuring the mixer described in this 
chapter are identical for all mixer windows. 
What channel types can be shown in the mixer?
The following track-based channel types are shown in the 
mixer:


 Effect return channels (referred to as FX channels in the 
Project window)
 Instrument channels (VSTi Return)
 Group channels
 Instrument tracks
 ReWire channels
The order of audio, MIDI, instrument, group and effect re-
turn channel strips (from left to right) in the mixer corre-
sponds to the Project window Track list (from the top 
down). If you reorder tracks of these types in the Track list, 
this will be mirrored in the mixer.
In addition to the above, the following channel types are 
also shown in the mixer:
 Activated ReWire channels (see the chapter “ReWire” on 
page 482).
 VST Instrument channels (see the chapter “VST Instruments 
and Instrument tracks” on page 189).
ReWire channels cannot be reordered and always appear 
to the right of other channels in the main mixer pane (see 
below). VST instrument (VSTi) channels can be reordered 
in the Track list which will in turn be mirrored in the mixer.
Folder, Marker, Video and Automation tracks are not 
shown in the mixer.
Input and output busses in the mixer
Input and output busses are represented by input and out-
put channels in the mixer. They appear in separate “panes” 
separated by movable dividers and with their own horizontal 
scrollbars, see “The input and output channels” on page 
132.
About multichannel audio
Nuendo has full support for surround sound. Each audio 
channel and bus in the mixer can carry up to 12 speaker 
channels. This means that if you have an audio track con-
figured for 5.1 surround sound, for example, it will have a 
single channel strip in the mixer, just like mono or stereo 
tracks, but its level meter will have six meter bars, one for 
each speaker channel.
Another thing to note is that the look of a channel strip dif-
fers slightly depending on how it is routed – mono or stereo 
tracks routed to a surround output bus will have a surround 
panner control instead of a regular pan control, for example. 
For further information on multichannel audio, see the chap-
ter “Surround sound” on page 202. 
						

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The mixer
Configuring the mixer
As mentioned earlier, the mixer windows can be config-
ured in various ways to suit your needs and to save screen 
space. Here follows a run through of the various view op-
tions (the following descriptions assume that you have an 
active project containing some tracks):
Normal vs. Extended channel strips
You have the option of selecting normal or extended chan-
nel strips and whether to show the input and output set-
tings at the top of the channel strips. Proceed as follows:
1.Open any of the mixer windows.
The leftmost strip is called the common panel and is always shown in the 
mixer. It contains various global settings and options relating to the mixer. 
For further information, see “The common panel” on page 131.
2.Click on the arrow button on the common panel 
(“Show Extended Mixer”) or right-click in the Mixer to 
open the Mixer context menu and select “Show Extended 
View” from the Window submenu.
You can also use a key command for this. See the chapter “Key com-
mands” on page 517.
3.You can show or hide the Routing panel of the chan-
nel strips by clicking on the respective arrow button 
(“Show Routing”) or by selecting “Show Routing View” 
from the Window submenu on the Mixer context menu.
The fader panel is always shown.
The fader panel shows the basic controls – faders, pan 
controls and an associated vertical row of buttons. The ex-
tended panel can be set to show EQ, effect sends, insert 
effects, etc. The input/output settings panel contains input 
and output routing pop-up menus (where applicable), 
along with input phase switches and input gain controls.
Selecting what to display in the extended 
channel strips
You can select what to display in the extended channel 
strip either globally from the common panel or individually 
from each channel strip. 
The available options vary depending on the type of chan-
nel.
 For a description of the options for audio channels, see “Op-
tions for the extended audio channel strip” on page 136. 
 For a description of the options for MIDI channel, see “Selecting 
what to show in the extended MIDI channel strip” on page 144 .
…and via the Mixer context menu. Opening the Extended Mixer via the Mixer Common panel…
A basic channel strip with no 
extended options. A fully extended channel strip 
with the input/output routing 
section at the top. 
						

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The mixer
Selecting globally from the common panel
1.Open any of the mixer windows.
The leftmost strip is called the common panel and is always shown in the 
mixer. It contains various global settings and options relating to the mixer. 
For more information, see “The common panel” on page 131.
2.Make sure that the extended panel of the mixer is visible.
In the extended area of the common panel, you can see a 
vertical row of icons. These act as buttons and determine 
globally what is displayed in the extended panel for all 
channel strips in the mixer.
If you place the pointer on an icon, a tooltip appears.
3.Click on the “Show all Inserts” button (second icon 
from the top).
Now all channel strips in the mixer will show Insert effect slots in the ex-
tended panel.
As mentioned above, what can be set globally depends 
on the type of channel. 
Channel types that do not support a selected global option will be unaf-
fected.
If you press [Alt]/[Option] and click one of the global 
view buttons, input and output channels will be affected 
as well.
Selecting for individual channels
Each channel strip in the mixer features a View options 
pop-up menu, which is used for two things:
To determine what is shown in the extended panel for 
individual channels in the mixer.
To set the “Can Hide” status for individual channels in 
the mixer.
This is described in the section “Showing/hiding individual channels (the 
“Can Hide” setting)” on page 128.
The View options pop-up is opened by clicking the down 
arrow located just above the fader panel of the channel 
strip.
To select what to display in the extended panel from the 
View options pop-up menu, you must first open the ex-
tended mixer.
You can then use the pop-up to select which parameters to show in the 
extended panel for each individual channel in the mixer.
Clear all views (blank panels)
Show all Inserts
Show all Equalizers
Show all Equalizers with curve
Show all Sends
Show Sends 1-4
Show Sends 5-8
Show Surround Panners (where applicable)
Show all Meters
Show Channel Overview
Show Studio Sends 
						

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The mixer
Setting the width of channel strips
The Channel Narrow/Wide button
Narrow channel strips contain a narrow fader, miniature 
buttons, and the View options pop-up.
If you have selected to show parameters in the extended section, only the 
channel overview or the Meter can be shown in narrow mode. (The pa-
rameters will be shown again when you return to wide mode.)
Wide and narrow channel strips
When selecting “All targets narrow” or “All targets 
wide” on the common panel, all channel strips selected as 
command targets (see “About the Command Target” on 
page 129) are affected.
Selecting what channel types to show/hide
You can specify what channel types to show or hide in the 
mixer. In the lower part of the common panel you find a 
vertical strip with different indicator buttons. Each indica-
tor represents a channel type to show or hide in the mixer:
To hide or show a channel type, click the corresponding 
indicator.
If an indicator is dark, the corresponding channel type will be shown in 
the mixer. If it is orange, the corresponding channel type will be hidden.
Showing/hiding individual channels (the “Can 
Hide” setting)
You can also show/hide individual channels of any type in 
the mixer. For this, you can assign channels a “Can Hide” 
status, which allows you to hide these channels collec-
tively. Proceed as follows:
1.Pull down the View options pop-up menu for the chan-
nel you want to hide and activate the “Can Hide” option.
If “Can Hide” is activated for a channel strip, the corresponding icon (/) 
will be visible in the top middle section of the channel strip.
!Each channel strip can be set to either “Wide” or 
“Narrow” mode by using the Channel Narrow/Wide 
button on the left above the fader strip.
Input Channels
Audio Channels
Group Channels
ReWire Channels
MIDI Channels
VST Instrument Channels
Effect Return Channels
Output Channels “Can Hide” options – see below.
Reveals all channel strips “Command Target” options – see “About 
the Command Target” on page 129. 
						

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The mixer
2.Repeat this for all channels you want to hide.
3.Click the top “hide button” (Hide Channels set to 
“Can Hide”) on the common panel.
This hides all channels set to “Can Hide”. To show them again, click the 
Hide button again or click the button at the bottom on the common panel 
(“Reveal All Channels”).
Below the top hide button, there are three additional “Can 
Hide” buttons.
Channel view sets
Channel view sets are saved configurations of the mixer 
windows, allowing you to quickly switch between different 
layouts for the mixer. Proceed as follows:
1.Set up the mixer the way you wish to store it as a view 
set.
The following settings will be stored:
 Settings for individual channel strips (e. g. narrow or wide mode 
and whether the channel strip is (or can be) hidden or not).
 The hide/show status for channel types.
 The mixer’s display status (fader panel, extended panel, input/
output panel).
 Settings for what is shown in the extended view of the mixer.
2.Click the “Store View Set” button (the plus sign) at the 
bottom of the (non-extended) common panel.3.A dialog appears, allowing you to enter a name for the 
view set.
4.Click OK to store the current mixer view set.
You can now return to this stored configuration at any 
time, by clicking the “Select Channel View Set” button 
(the down arrow to the left of the “Store View Set” button) 
and selecting it from the pop-up menu.
To remove a stored channel view set, select it and click 
the “Remove View Set” button (the minus sign).
About the Command Target
Command targets let you specify which channels should 
be affected by the “commands” (basically all the functions 
that can be assigned key commands) when working with 
the Mixer, e.g. what to display in the extended mixer, the 
width setting of the channel strips, etc. You can set com-
mand targets using the Mixer common panel or the con-
text menu.
The following options are available:
All Channels
Select this if you want your commands to affect all channels.
Selected Only
Select this if you want your commands to affect the selected channels 
only.
Exclude Inputs
Select this if you don’t want your commands to affect the input channels.
Exclude Outputs
Select this if you don’t want your commands to affect the output channels.
Option Description
Set Target Channels 
to ’Can Hide’This activates “Can Hide” for all Channels you spec-
ified as “Command Targets”. For more information, 
see below.
Remove ’Can Hide’ 
from Target 
ChannelsThis deactivates “Can Hide” for all Channels you 
specified as “Command Targets”. For more informa-
tion, see below.
Remove ’Can Hide’ 
from All ChannelsThis deactivates “Can Hide” for all Channels in the 
Mixer.
!Some remote control devices (such as Steinberg’s 
Houston) feature this function, which means that you 
can use the remote device to switch between the 
channel view sets.
The Command Target Controls 
on the common panel
The Command Target 
submenu in the Mixer 
context menu 
						

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The mixer
The audio-related channel strips
The mixer in normal mode (faders and Routing View visible), showing 
(from left to right): the common panel, a stereo audio channel, a group 
channel, an instrument channel, an effect return channel and a VST In-
strument channel strip.
All audio-related channel types (audio, instrument track, 
input/output channels, group, effect return, VST Instru-
ment and ReWire) basically have the same channel strip 
layout, with the following differences:
 Only audio track channels have an Input Routing pop-up menu.
 Only audio and instrument track channels have a Monitor and 
Record Enable button.
 Input/output channels do not have sends.
 Instrument track and VST Instrument channels have an addi-
tional button for opening the instrument’s control panel.
 Input channels and output channels have clip indicators.
About the Insert/EQ/Send indicators and bypass 
buttons
The three indicator buttons in each audio channel strip 
have the following functionality:
If an Insert or Send effect or an EQ module is activated 
for a channel, the corresponding button is lit. 
The effect indicators will be blue, the EQ indicator will be green.
If you click these buttons when lit, the corresponding 
EQ or effects section will be bypassed.
Bypass is indicated by yellow buttons. Clicking the button again deacti-
vates bypass.
The common panel 
(see “The common 
panel” on page 131)Channel auto-
mation controls Record Enable and 
Monitor buttons Channel input/
output routingOpens the control panel for the VST Instrument Channel View 
options pop-up
Level meter Level fader
Edit button (opens the 
Channel Settings window)
Insert/EQ/Send indicators and 
bypass buttons (see below)
Channel name
Input Gain control 
The speaker configuration for 
the channel
Input Phase switch
Listen button (see the chapter 
“Control Room” on page 151) The Can Hide State 
for the channel
Narrow/Wide button
Pan control
Narrow/Wide button