Steinberg Nuendo 4 Operation Manual

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Customizing
Saving partial preferences settings
It is also possible to save partial preferences settings. This 
is useful when you have made settings that only relate to a 
certain project or situation, for example. When you apply a 
saved partial preference preset, you only change the saved 
settings. All other preferences will be left unchanged.
When you have made your specific preferences settings, 
proceed as follows to save the partial settings as a preset:
1.Open the Preferences dialog.
2.Activate “Store marked preferences only”.
A new “Store” column is added in the Preferences page list.
3.Click in the Store column of the Preferences items you 
wish to save.
Note that if you activate a Preferences page that contains subpages, 
these will also be activated automatically. If this is not what you want, 
simply deactivated the subpages.
4.Click the Store button in the lower left section of the 
Preferences dialog.
A dialog opens, allowing you to type in a name for the preset. It is a good 
idea to choose a descriptive name for a partial preference preset, prefer-
ably relating to the saved settings (for example “Configuration” or “Edit-
ing-Controls”).
5.Click OK to save.
Your saved settings will now be available from the Preference Presets 
pop-up for your future projects.
Appearance
In the Preferences dialog, you will find a page called Ap-
pearance. It contains three sub-pages on which you will 
find the following settings:
General 
The three controls on the General page affect the appear-
ance of the windows that surround the controls and work-
spaces in Nuendo. 
Saturation determines how rich the background colors 
are, from gray to blue. 
Contrast determines how bright or dark the background 
is in relation to controls and displays. 
Brightness lightens or darkens the background.
Meters 
The coloring of meters in Nuendo can be controlled in so-
phisticated ways. Multiple colors can help to visually indi-
cate what levels are being reached, e. g. in a channel of 
the VST Mixer. To do this, the meter on the Appearances–
Meters page has color handles that allow you to define 
what color the meter will have at a given signal level.
The Appearances–Meters page in the Preferences dialog.
The default setting has four color handles. Each color 
handle has a unique color that gradually shifts as the 
meter moves toward the next color handle.
You can click on any color handle and move its position in the meter 
scale. If you hold down [Shift] while moving the handle with the mouse, it 
will move ten times slower for more precise positioning. You may also 
nudge the color handle’s position with the Arrow Up/Down keys. Holding 
Shift while nudging will move the color handle ten times faster. 
						

							512
Customizing
You can add color handles by [Alt]/[Option]-clicking 
anywhere along the side of the meter scale. To remove a 
color handle, [Ctrl]/[Command]-click the handle.
By adding more color handles to the meter scale, you can define colors 
for more specific signal levels. Try adding two color handles very close to 
one another. You can make the meter color change more rapidly at a 
specific signal level this way.
To change the color of a handle, select the handle by ei-
ther clicking on it or by jumping to it with the Tab key (hold 
down [Shift] and press the Tab key to jump backwards). 
Then use the hue and brightness controls on the right side 
to alter the handle’s color.
The currently selected color handle is indicated by a black triangle on its 
left side.
Work Area 
The work areas in Nuendo are those places where the ac-
tual data are displayed such as the project window event 
display. In these areas, there are items such as vertical 
and horizontal grid lines that can be altered in intensity by 
the controls found on this page.
Applying track and event colors
You can use color scheming for easier overview of tracks 
and events in the Project window. Applying colors is di-
vided into two areas; track and event colors.
A track color is shown and can be edited in the Inspec-
tor, the Track list, and the corresponding channel in the 
Mixer. It is furthermore displayed in all parts and events for 
the track in the event display.
Track colors can be switched on and off globally.
Event colors are shown for parts and events in the event 
display and are independent from the track colors.
ÖAn applied event color “overrides” the track color, if 
both are used.
The color palette can be customized, see “The Event Co-
lors dialog” on page 514.
Track colors
Applying track colors manually
To activate track colors, proceed as follows:
1.Click the Show/Hide Track Colors button at the top of 
the Track list.
This brings up the track color selector in the Inspector, the 
Track list and in the Mixer.
2.To bring up the color palette, click the track color se-
lector.
Click the arrow in the track name title bar or…
…click the color strip in the Track list.
In the Mixer, click the track color selector below the channel name.
3.Select a color from the color bar.
The track color is now reflected in the Inspector title palette and the Track 
list as well as in the Mixer and any parts and events on the selected track. 
						

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Customizing
Applying track colors automatically
In the Preferences (Editing–Project & Mixer page), you 
can find the option “Auto Track Color Mode”.
This offers you several options for automatically assigning 
colors to tracks that are added to the project.
Coloring parts and events
There are two ways to color parts and events in the 
Project window:
Using the color selector
1.Select the desired parts or events.
2.Choose a color from the color selector in the toolbar.
Using the color tool
1.On the toolbar, select the color tool (the paint bucket 
icon). 
2.Click the small strip below it to bring up the color pal-
ette.
3.Select the desired color. 
4.Click on a part/event to assign the color. 
The color is applied to all selected parts/events and over-
rides the track color (if used).
If you press [Ctrl]/[Command] and click on a part/event 
with the color tool, the color palette is displayed and you 
can choose the desired color for an event.
If you press [Alt]/[Option], the color tool cursor be-
comes a pipette, which can be used to select a color by 
clicking on a part/event.
Customizing the event background
On the Event Display page in the Preferences, you can 
find the option “Colorize Event Background”.
This option affects the display of events in the project win-
dow.
When this is activated, the background of the events 
and parts in the event display will be shown in the se-
lected color.
When this is deactivated, the event “content”, i.e. MIDI 
events, audio waveforms, etc. will be displayed in the se-
lected color and the event background will be displayed in 
gray. 
Option Effect
Use Default 
Event ColorThe default color (gray) is assigned. 
Use Previous 
Track ColorUses the color of the track above the new one (i. e. the 
track that is selected when you add a new track).
Use Previous 
Track Color +1Uses the color next to the color of the track above the 
new one (+1 refers to the color number in the palette).
Use Last 
Applied ColorThe last manually assigned color is used. 
Use Random 
Track ColorTrack colors are assigned randomly. 
						

							514
Customizing
The Event Colors dialog
You can open the Event Colors dialog in two ways: 
Double-click the small strip below the color tool. 
Open the Color pop-up menu on the toolbar and select 
“Select Colors…”.
In the Event Colors dialog, you can fully customize the 
color palette, apart from the default color (gray).
To add new colors to the color palette, proceed as follows:
1.Click the Insert New Color button in the Event Colors 
section to add a new color.
A new color icon and color name are added to the Event Colors section.
2.Click the color field next to the name field to activate 
the new color for editing.3.In the Standard Colors section, select the standard 
color. You can modify the selected color in the following 
way:
 Drag the cursor to another point in the color circle.
 Movethe handle in the color meter.
 Enter the values for red, green and blue and hue, saturation 
and luminosity manually.
4.Click the Apply button in the Standard Colors section. 
The color setting is applied to the selected color item. 
You can edit every existing event color in the same way.
To delete an event color item, select it and click the 
“Remove Selected Color” button in the Event Colors sec-
tion.
To increase or decrease the intensity and the brightness 
of all colors, use the corresponding buttons in the Event 
Colors section.
To save the current set as default, click the button “This 
set as default set” in the Event Colors section. You can 
then click the button “Use default set” to the right to apply 
the saved default set.
To return to the standard setting of the palette in Nu-
endo, click Reset.
Where are the settings stored?
As you have seen, there are a large number of ways in 
which you can customize Nuendo. While some of the set-
tings you make are stored in each project, others are 
stored in separate preference files.
If you need to transfer your projects to another computer 
(e. g. in another studio), you can bring all your settings 
along by copying the desired preference files and install-
ing them on the other computer.
ÖIt’s a good idea to make a backup copy of your prefer-
ence files once you have set things up the way you want!
This way, if another Nuendo user wants to use his or her personal set-
tings when working on your computer, you can restore your own prefer-
ences afterwards.
Remove 
new colorIncrease/decrease in-
tensity for all colors This Set as 
Default Set Increase/decrease 
brightness for all colorsInsert
new color
Use Default 
Set 
						

							515
Customizing
Under Windows, preference files are stored in the 
folder “\Documents and Settings\\Applica-
tion Data\Steinberg\Nuendo 4\”.
If you run the 64 bit version of Nuendo, this folder is called “Nuendo 
64 bit”. On the Start menu, you will find a shortcut to this folder for easy 
access.
Under Mac OS X, preference files are stored in the 
folder “Library/Preferences/Nuendo 4/” under your home 
directory.
The full path would be: “/Users//Library/Preferences/
Nuendo 4/”.
ÖThe RAMpresets.xml file, which contains various pre-
sets settings (see below), is saved when exiting the pro-
gram. 
ÖProgram functions (e. g. crossfade) or configurations 
(e. g. panels) not used in the project will not be stored.
Below, the available preferences files are listed. When 
files are not saved in the default preferences folder (see 
above), the complete path will be shown. When files are 
saved in a further subfolder of the default folder, the path 
will begin with the name of this folder:
Setting Stored in
Edit modifier keys Edit Modifiers.xml
Key commands Key Commands.xml
Preferences 
dialog settingsDefaults.xml
Color setup saved in the project
Default Color 
setupDefaults.xml
Crossfade 
presetsApplication folder\Presets\RAMPresets.xml
Control Room – 
Settings\Presets\ControlRoomPresets.xml (pxml file)
Control Room – 
External Plug-insExternal Plugins.xml
Device setup 
filesApplication folder\Device Maps
as *.xml file
Drum maps 
(Nuendo Extension 
Kit only)Application folder\DrumMaps 
as *.drm file
EQ presets Application folder\Presets\VstEqPresets.pxml
Port Input/
Output settingsPort Setup.xml
Audio Inserts
presets\Presets\InsertsFolderPresets.pxml
MIDI Inserts 
presets\Presets\MidiInsertsPresets
as *.xml file
Installed MIDI 
devicesMidi Devices.bin
Key commands 
presets\Presets\KeyCommands\.xml
Logical Editor 
presets\Presets\Logical Edit\.xml
Project Logical 
Editor\Presets\Logical Edit Project\.xml
MediaBay
settingsMediaDefaults.xml
MediaBay default 
settingsMediaFactoryDefaults.xml (these are applied on reset)
MediaBay – 
Scanned foldersscannedfolders.bin
MediaBay – 
Scanned disksFileSysObserver.xml (When changing the file system 
these disks are automatically scanned by the MediaBay 
– Windows only.)
MediaBay 
databasemediabay.db
MediaBay Content ContentManager.xml
MIDI FX presets \Presets\\.xml
Mixer (or channel) 
settingssaved in the last active folder as *.vmx file (VST Mixer 
settings)
Mixer view 
presetsaved in project
Panel files \Panels\.xml
Preferences 
ConfigurationConfiguration.xml
Patch name 
scripts\Scripts\Patchnames\ as *.txt file
Preferences
presets\Presets\Configurations\.xml
Quantize 
presets\Presets\RAMPresets.xml
Score – Settings Score Setting Window.xml
Score – 
Default fontScore Default Font.xml
Score – Custom 
PalettesScore Custom Palettes.xml
Score – Guitar 
symbolsGuitarLib.xml
Score – Chord 
symbols\Presets\ChordSymbols.xml
Staff Presets \Presets\Staff Presets as *.xml file Setting Stored in 
						

							516
Customizing Note that the Score editor is only available for the Nuendo Expansion Kit.
Snapshot file \Presets\MIDI snapshot as *.xml file
Toolbar presets \Presets\RAMPresets.xml
Track controls 
presets\Presets\RAMPresets.xml
Track presets 
(user-defined, 
for all programs)Win: \Documents and Settings\\Applica-
tion Data\Steinberg\Track Presets
Mac: Users//Library/Application Sup-
port/Steinberg/Track Presets
(with the subfolders \Audio, \Instrument, \Midi, \Multi) 
as *.trackpreset file
Transport panel 
presets\Presets\RAMPresets.xml
Usage profile
logUsage Profile.xml (only saved if the corresponding op-
tion in the Preferences is activated)
User templates templates\.npr
VST connections 
presets\Presets\RAMPresets.xml
VST 3 plug-ins 
and instrumentsVstPlugInfo.xml
VST 2 plug-ins 
and instrumentsVst2xPlugins.xml
VST3 presets 
(user-defined, 
for all programs)Win: \Common files\VST3 Presets\\

Mac: Users//Library/Audio/Presets/
/
as *.vstpreset file
VST3 presets 
(public, for all pro-
grams)Win: \Documents and Settings\VST3 Presets\\
Mac: /Library/Audio/Presets//
as *.vstpreset file
Workspaces saved in project
Workspace pre-
sets (global)Window Layouts.xml
Zoom presets \Presets\RAMPresets.xml
Networking Network Manager.xml
Networking – 
PermissionsUser Permissions.xml
Quick Control 
SettingsQuick Controls MIDI.xml Setting Stored in 
						

							40
Key commands 
						

							518
Key commands
Introduction
Most of the main menus in Nuendo have key command 
shortcuts for certain items on the menus. In addition, there 
are numerous other Nuendo functions that can be per-
formed via key commands. These are all default settings. If 
you want, you can customize existing key commands to 
your liking, and also add commands for menu items and 
functions currently not assigned any.
How are key commands settings saved?
Every time you edit or add any key command assignment, 
this is stored as a global Nuendo preference – not as part 
of a project. Hence, if you edit or add a key command as-
signment, any subsequent projects that you create or 
open will use these modified settings. However, the de-
fault settings can be restored at any time by clicking the 
button “Reset All” in the Key Commands dialog.
In addition, you can save complete or partial key com-
mands settings as a “key commands file”, which is stored 
separately and can be imported into any project. This way 
you can quickly and easily recall customized settings, 
when moving projects between different computers, for 
example. The settings are saved in a file on disk with the 
windows extension “.xml”.
How to save key commands settings is described in the 
section “Saving complete key commands settings as pre-
sets” on page 521.
Setting up key commands
The following is a description of how you set up key com-
mands and save them as presets for easy access.
Key commands settings are accessed and edited mainly 
in the Key Commands dialog. You can find some key com-
mand settings in the Preferences dialog as well, also ad-
dressed in this chapter.
Adding or modifying a key command
In the Key Commands dialog you will find all main menu 
items and a large number of other functions, arranged in a 
hierarchical way similar to the Windows Explorer and Mac 
OS Finder. The function categories are represented by a 
number of folders, each containing various menu items and 
functions. When you open a category folder by clicking the 
plus-sign beside it, the items and functions it contains are 
displayed with the currently assigned key commands.
To add a key command, proceed as follows:
1.Pull down the File menu and select “Key Commands…”.
The Key Commands dialog appears.
2.Use the list in the Commands column to navigate to 
the desired category.
3.Click the plus-sign to open the category folder and 
display the items it contains.
Note that you can also click the “global” plus and minus-signs in the top 
left corner to open and close all category folders at once.
!You can also assign tool modifier keys, i.e. keys that 
change the behavior of various tools when pressed. 
This is done in the Preferences dialog – see “Setting 
up tool modifier keys” on page 524. 
						

							519
Key commands
4.In the list, select the item to which you wish to assign a 
key command.
Already assigned key commands are shown in the Keys column as well 
as in the Keys section in the top right corner.
5.Alternatively, you can use the search function in the 
dialog to find the desired item.
For a description of how to use the search function, see “Searching for 
key commands” on page 520.
6.When you have found and selected the desired item, 
click in the “Type in Key” field and enter a new key com-
mand.
You can choose between any single key or a combination of one or sev-
eral keys ([Alt]/[Option], [Ctrl]/[Command], [Shift]) plus any key. Just 
press the keys you want to use.
7.If the key command you entered is already assigned to 
another item or function, this is displayed below the “Type 
in Key” field. 
If a key command already is assigned to another function, you can either 
ignore this and proceed to assign the key command to the new function 
instead, or you can select another key command.
8.Click the Assign button above the field.
The new key command appears in the Keys List.
Note that you can have several different key commands for 
the same function. So adding a key command to a function 
that already has another key command will not replace the 
key command previously defined for the function. If you 
wish to remove an assigned key command, see “Removing 
a key command” on page 520.
9.Click OK to exit the dialog.
Turning Key Commands off
Nuendo also gives you the option of turning key com-
mands off, meaning that even if a function has a key com-
mand assigned to it, you can disable the key command.
This is done in the Preferences dialog, in the following 
way:
1.Open the Preferences dialog from the File menu (un-
der Mac OS X it is located on the Nuendo menu) and se-
lect the Configuration page.
As you can see, the Configuration page contains two main folders; “Main 
Menu” and “Command Categories”.
 The “Main Menu” folder contains a number of subfolders, 
which in turn each contains items found on the main menus in 
Nuendo.
 The “Command Categories” folder also contains a number of 
subfolders, each of which contains a number of program func-
tions not available on any of the main menus.
!If the key command you enter is already assigned to 
another function, you will get a warning message 
asking if you want to reassign the command to the 
new function instead, or cancel the operation.
If a selected item or function has a key command 
assigned already, it is displayed here……and here. 
						

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Key commands
All the items and functions in the subfolders can have key 
commands assigned to them. The column to the right, la-
beled “Command”, allows you to set the On/Off status for 
the corresponding items. This indicates whether it should 
be possible to use assigned key commands for the items 
or not.
2.Click on the plus sign beside one of the main folders 
to open it and list the subfolders it contains.
3.Open the desired subfolder by clicking its plus sign, 
navigate to the item for which you want to disable the as-
signed key command, and select it.
4.Click in the “Command” column beside the item to set 
the status to “Off”.
Now it will not be possible to use any key command assigned to that 
menu item or function.
5.Repeat this for all items or functions for which you 
want to disable key commands.
ÖNote that if you set an entire subfolder to “Off” in this 
way, all the items or functions it contains will automatically 
be set to “Off” as well.
If this is not what you want, you can reset separate items in the subfolder 
to “On”.
6.When you’re done, click OK to close the Preferences 
dialog and apply the changes.
Searching for key commands
If you want to know which key command is assigned to a 
certain function in the program, you can use the Search 
function in the Key Commands dialog:
1.Click in the search text field at the top left of the dialog 
and type in the function for which you want to know the key 
command.
This is a standard word search function, so you should type the command 
as it is spelled in the program. Partial words can be used; e.g., to search 
for all quantize related commands, type “Quantize”, “Quant”, etc.
2.Click the Search button (the magnifying glass icon).
The search is conducted and the first matching command is selected 
and displayed in the commands list below. The keys column and the keys 
list show the assigned key commands, if any.
3.To search for more commands containing the word(s) 
you entered, click the Search button again.
4.When you’re done, click OK to close the dialog.
Removing a key command
To remove a key command, proceed as follows:
1.If the key commands dialog isn’t already open, pull 
down the File menu and select “Key Commands…”.
2.Use the list of categories and commands to select the 
item or function for which you wish to remove a key com-
mand.
The key command for the item is shown in the Keys list and the Keys 
column.
3.Select the key command in the Keys list and click the 
Remove button (the trash icon).
You will get a prompt asking if you want to remove the key command or 
cancel the operation.
4.Click Remove to remove the selected key command.
5.Click OK to close the dialog.
Setting up macros
A macro is a combination of several functions or com-
mands, to be performed in one go. For example, you could 
select all events on the selected audio track, remove DC 
offset, normalize the events and duplicate them, all with a 
single command.
Macros are set up in the Key Commands dialog as follows:
1.Click the Show Macros button.
The macro settings are shown in the lower part of the dialog. To hide 
these from view, click the button (now renamed to Hide Macros) again.
2.Click New Macro.
A new, unnamed macro appears in the Macros list. Name it by typing the 
desired name. You can rename a macro at any time by selecting it in the 
list and typing in a new name.
3.Make sure the macro is selected, and use the Catego-
ries and Commands in the upper half of the dialog to se-
lect the first command you want to include in the macro.
4.Click Add Command.
The selected command appears in the list of Commands in the Macros 
section.