Steinberg Nuendo 5.5 New Features Manual

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Working with the new featuresHALion Sonic SE (Nuendo Expansion Kit only)
Switching Between Default and Compact View
•To toggle between the different views, click the down/up arrow button 
(Show/Hide Extended Display) at the top center of the plug-in frame.
Changing the Amplifier and Cabinet Selection in the Compact View
In the compact view, a hover control on the lower border of the plug-in frame allows 
you to select different amplifier and cabinet models.
•To select a different amplifier or cabinet, click the name and select a different 
model from the pop-up menu.
•To lock the amplifier and cabinet combination, activate the “Link/Unlink Amplifier & 
Cabinet Choice” button.
If you now select another amp model, the cabinet selection follows. However, if 
you select a different cabinet model, the lock is deactivated.
Previewing Effect Settings
In both views, you can show a preview of the pre- and post-effects that you selected 
on the corresponding pages:
•Click and hold the Show Pre-Effects or Show Post-Effects button at the bottom 
left or right (respectively) of the plug-in frame.
HALion Sonic SE (Nuendo Expansion Kit only)
The VST instrument HALion Sonic SE is described in a separate PDF document. 
						

							22
Working with the new featuresLoopMash (Nuendo Expansion Kit only)
LoopMash (Nuendo Expansion Kit only)
This version of the Nuendo Expansion Kit also comes with an updated version of the 
VST instrument LoopMash. LoopMash is one of a kind: a powerful tool for the slicing 
and instant re-assembling of any kind of rhythmic audio material. With LoopMash, you 
can preserve the rhythmic pattern of one audio loop, but you can replace all sounds of 
this loop with the sounds from up to seven other loops.
LoopMash provides dozens of possibilities to influence the way the slices are re-
assembled, thus giving you full control over the results of your performance. You can 
choose from a variety of effects and apply them to single slices or to your overall 
performance. Finally, you can store your configuration as scenes on scene pads, and 
trigger these scene pads with your MIDI keyboard. All this turns LoopMash into a 
really powerful instrument for live performances and recordings!
LoopMash is fully integrated into Nuendo, which allows you to drag and drop audio 
loops from the MediaBay or Project window directly onto the LoopMash panel. 
Furthermore, you can drag and drop slices from LoopMash to the sample pads of 
Groove Agent One. This allows you to extract certain sounds that you like from 
LoopMash and use them with Groove Agent One. LoopMash supports the undo and 
redo functionality of Nuendo, so that you can see and modify your steps in the Edit 
History dialog, as long as the LoopMash panel is open.
Getting Started
To give you a first impression of what you can do with LoopMash, we have created a 
tutorial preset. Proceed as follows:
1.In Nuendo, create an instrument track with LoopMash as the associated VST 
instrument.
2.In the Inspector for the new track, click the Edit Instrument button to open the 
LoopMash panel.
It has two main areas: the track section in the upper part of the panel, and the 
parameter section at the bottom.
3.At the top of the plug-in panel, click on the icon to the right of the preset field and 
select Load Preset from the pop-up menu.
4.The Presets browser opens, showing presets found in the VST 3 Presets folder for 
LoopMash.
5.Select the preset called “A Good Start…(Tutorial) 88”.
The preset is loaded into LoopMash.
6.At the bottom of the panel, make sure that the sync button in the transport controls 
is off, and start playback by clicking the play button. 
						

							23
Working with the new featuresLoopMash (Nuendo Expansion Kit only)
In the LoopMash panel, you can see a sliced loop waveform in the top (red) track. This 
track is selected (which is indicated by the track’s background color and the lit button 
to the left of the waveform display).
The selected track holds the master loop. The rhythmic pattern of the LoopMash 
output is governed by the master loop – i.
 e. what you hear is the rhythmic pattern of 
this loop.
7.Look at the 24 pads below the track section: the pad labeled “Original” is 
selected. Select the pad named “Clap”.
A new loop is displayed on the second track in the track display, and you hear that 
the snare drum sound of the first loop has been replaced with a handclap sound.
8.Select the pad labeled “Trio”, and then the pad labeled “Section”. Each time you 
click, a new loop is added to the mash.
Note how the rhythmic pattern of the music stays the same, although an increasing 
number of sounds is taken from the other loops.
9.Select other pads to find out how different parameter settings influence the 
LoopMash output. For a detailed description of the available parameters, see the 
section 
“LoopMash Parameters” on page 24.
Some of the pads have the same label, e. g. “Original” and “Replaced”. The scenes 
that are associated with these pads form the basis for variations of that scene. The 
variations of a scene are associated with the scene pads to the right of the original 
scene, i.
 e., the scene labeled “SliceFX” is a variation of the scene labeled 
“Original” and shows an example for the usage of slice effects (see 
“Applying 
Slice Selection Modifiers and Slice Effects” on page 27).
On the left of each track, you find the similarity gain sliders. These sliders are the most 
important control elements of LoopMash: the further to the right you move the 
similarity gain slider of a track, the more slices will be played back from this track.
How Does LoopMash Work?
Whenever you import a loop into LoopMash, the plug-in analyzes the audio material. It 
generates so-called “perceptual descriptors” (information on tempo, rhythm, 
spectrum, timbre, etc.) and then slices the loop into eighth-note segments.
This means that after you have imported several loops, LoopMash knows the rhythmic 
pattern of each loop and the location of various sounds that make up this pattern 
within each loop. During playback, LoopMash uses the perceptual descriptors to 
determine how similar each slice is to the current slice of the master track.
Note that LoopMash does not categorize the sounds, but looks for overall similarity in 
the sound. For example, LoopMash might replace a low snare drum sound with a kick 
drum sound, even though a high snare sound is also available. LoopMash always tries 
to create a loop acoustically similar to the master loop, but using other sounds.
The similarity is shown by the brightness of each slice on each track, and also by the 
position of each slice on the similarity gain slider to the left of each track (when you 
click on a slice, its position is highlighted on the similarity gain slider). The brighter a 
slice, the more similar a slice is to the current master track slice, and the further to the 
right it is displayed on the similarity gain slider. Darker slices are less similar and can 
be found further to the left on the slider.
The similarity gain settings of the various tracks determine which slice gets playback 
priority. This creates a new loop, over and over again, but with the rhythmic pattern of 
the original master loop. 
						

							24
Working with the new featuresLoopMash (Nuendo Expansion Kit only)
In the following figure you can see four tracks. The track at the top is the master track. 
During playback, LoopMash moves through the master loop step-by-step (which is 
indicated by a rectangle in the track’s color around the current slice) and automatically 
selects four slices from these tracks to replace the slices of the master track. The 
currently playing slice is indicated by a white rectangle around the slice.
The following figure shows the result of the selection process for each playback step.
For best performance, use audio files that have the same sample rate as your project 
(to avoid sample rate conversion when loading presets or storing scenes).
Experiment with the provided LoopMash presets, and with your own loops of different 
lengths and with different rhythms, containing many different sounds – LoopMash is 
like an instrument, and we very much encourage you to play it!
LoopMash Parameters
You can influence the process of constantly assembling a new loop with the various 
functions and parameter controls of LoopMash.
The Track Section
Slices 1 to 4 selected for playback.
Master track slices for playback steps 1 to 4.
ÖNote that many of LoopMash’s parameters can be automated. See the description for 
the automation of VST instrument parameters in the chapter “VST instruments and 
instrument tracks” in the Operation Manual.
Similarity gain slidersRuler showing bars and beats
Track volume
Master track on/off
VU meter
Track transposition 
value
Similarity 
threshold 
controlTrack display
Loop range selector 
						

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Working with the new featuresLoopMash (Nuendo Expansion Kit only)
The track section contains the track display with the track controls for setting the track 
volume and a transposition value to the right of each track. To the left of the track 
display you will find the similarity gain sliders. With the button between the similarity 
gain slider and the track, you can define the master track that serves as the reference 
for rhythm and timbre. At the top of the track display you will find a ruler that shows 
bars and beats and the loop range selector.
Importing and Removing Loops
You can import up to eight audio loops onto the eight tracks in the track display. 
Proceed as follows:
1.Locate the audio loop that you want to import in one of the following locations: 
MediaBay and the MediaBay related browsers (e.
 g. the Mini Browser), Project 
window, Pool, Sample Editor (regions), Audio Part Editor, or the Explorer/Finder.
The quickest way to find the LoopMash content is to use the MediaBay: Navigate 
to the LoopMash content via the VST Sound node.
2.Drag the loop file onto a track in LoopMash.
Dragging a loop to a track already occupied replaces the original loop.
LoopMash separates the loop into slices, analyzes them, and displays them as a 
waveform on the track. One track can hold up to 32 slices. Even if a long loop were to 
contain more than 32 slices, LoopMash imports only the first 32. Ideally, you would 
use a loop file cut at bar boundaries. When you import your file from the MediaBay, 
LoopMash uses the tempo information supplied by the MediaBay for the slicing of the 
loop.
•To remove a loop from a LoopMash track, right-click the track and select “Clear 
track”.
Defining the Master Loop
One track is always selected. This is the master track: it provides the rhythmic pattern 
that you hear, and it is the sounds of this loop that are replaced by slices selected 
from the other loops in the current LoopMash configuration.
•To make a track the master track, activate the button to the left of the track display.
Auditioning Slices
To audition the slices, proceed as follows:
•Click on the slice that you want to hear.
•Use the Step function in the transport controls (see “Transport Controls” on page 
28) to step through the slices.
Playback and Master Slice Indicators
A rectangle in the track color around a slice indicates the current position within the 
master loop, i.
 e. the master slice. The slice currently selected for playback is indicated 
by a white rectangle.
Setting a Loop Range
At the top of the track display, a ruler showing bars and beats (using the project’s time 
signature) is displayed. In the ruler, you also find the loop range selector (the bracket) 
that defines the play length.
•To shorten the play length, click and drag the handles of the loop range selector 
(the bracket) at the top of the track display.
This allows you to select even a very small range within your master loop for 
playback – the rest of the loop is not taken into consideration. Note that short loop 
ranges (less than 1 bar) may conflict with the jump interval setting (see 
“Storing 
Your Configuration as Scenes” on page 29). 
						

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Working with the new featuresLoopMash (Nuendo Expansion Kit only)
•To change the playback range, click the loop range selector and drag it to a 
different position as a whole.
Setting Track Transposition Value and Track Volume
The track controls to the right of each track allow you to set a track transposition value 
and the track volume for each track individually.
•To set a track transposition value, click the button to the right of the track and 
select the desired transposition interval from the pop-up menu.
The set value is displayed on the button.
•You can change the relative volumes of your tracks with the volume controls on the 
far right of each track.
This is useful for level adjustments between tracks. A VU meter to the left of the 
volume control provides visual feedback of the current volume.
Setting the Similarity
With the similarity gain slider (to the left of each track) you can determine how 
important a particular track is for the “mashing up” of the master loop. By moving the 
slider, you specify that a track is more/less similar to the master track, thus 
“overruling” the result of the LoopMash analysis. As a result, more/less slices from this 
track are included in the current mash.
•Move the slider to the right to select more slices from the corresponding track for 
playback, and to the left to reduce the number of slices for playback (set to middle 
position by default).
The brightness of the slices changes when moving the similarity gain slider. The 
further to the right, the lighter the color, and the higher the playback priority for 
these slices.
The vertical lines on the similarity gain slider correspond to the slices in this loop. The 
changing pattern of slices indicates similarity of each slice, on all tracks, to the current 
master track slice. The further to the right a line is, the greater the similarity of this slice 
to the master slice.
•Drag the similarity threshold control (the thin line with handles at the top and 
bottom intersecting all similarity gain sliders) to the left or right to determine a 
minimum similarity that slices must match to be considered for playback.
Slices with a similarity below (i. e. to the left of) this threshold are not played.
On the Slice Selection page at the bottom of the LoopMash panel, you can make 
further settings for influencing which slices will be played (see 
“Slice Selection” on 
page 30).
Creating Composite Tracks
LoopMash allows you to build composite tracks, i. e., as soon as you drag a slice to a 
different position on the same track or another track, you will be asked if you want to 
create a composite track.
ÖThis function is tied to the setting for the Slice Timestretch parameter (see 
ParametersŽ on page 31). When Slice Timestretch is deactivated, transposition is 
created by increasing/decreasing the playback speed of the slices (transposing a 
track up by one octave corresponds to playing the slices twice as fast). With Slice 
Timestretch on, you get true pitch shifting, i.
 e., there is no change in playback speed. 
						

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Working with the new featuresLoopMash (Nuendo Expansion Kit only)
To build a composite track, proceed as follows:
1.Import the loop that you want to extract sounds from.
2.Audition the slices and drag the slices that you want to use onto an empty track.
A dialog opens asking you to confirm that you want to create a composite track, 
and to determine the number of slices that the track will contain. If you enter a 
higher number of slices than the track actually contains, the track will be filled up 
with empty slices.
3.Click OK.
The destination track of the dragged slice becomes composite, indicated by a “C” 
to the left of the track.
You can use this feature in a very versatile way:
•You can assemble a combination of sounds that you like most on one track.
•You can define a certain rhythmic pattern by combining slices from different loops 
on a composite track and making this track the master loop.
•You can use a composite track as a clipboard, allowing you to include sounds from 
more than eight loops into your mash.
You can use one track for importing and removing the loops that you want to 
search for sounds, and use the remaining seven tracks as composite tracks. This 
allows for including up to 32 sounds from up to 32 different loop files on each of 
the seven composite tracks.
Applying Slice Selection Modifiers and Slice Effects
Right-clicking a slice opens a context menu where you can influence the selection of 
individual slices and which effect is applied to them. The upper part of the context 
menu shows the slice selection modifiers. The following options are available:
Move this slider to specify the number of slices that the track will include.
Composite 
track
ÖComposite tracks are quantized according to the set tempo (see  
on page 28).
OptionDescription
AlwaysOnly available for master track slices. The slice is played always.
Always SoloOnly available for master track slices. The slice is played always and 
exclusively (independent of the Voices para-meter that you set on the 
Slice Selection page, see 
“Slice Selection” on page 30).
ExcludeThe slice is never selected for playback.
BoostIncreases the similarity for this particular slice, so that it is played back 
more often. 
						

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Working with the new featuresLoopMash (Nuendo Expansion Kit only)
Below the selection modifiers, the context menu shows the slice effects. The following 
options are available:
The best way to hear the results of the effects is to try them out!
Transport Controls
The transport controls can be found at the bottom of the LoopMash panel.
Setting the LoopMash Tempo
During playback, LoopMash can be synchronized to the tempo set in Nuendo, or can 
follow its own tempo setting:
•Click the sync button (to the right of the Play button) to activate or deactivate 
synchronization to the project tempo set in Nuendo.
When sync is on, you can start playback using the Nuendo transport controls. 
With sync off, LoopMash starts playing only when you click the Play button in 
LoopMash.
•When the sync button is deactivated, the current LoopMash tempo (in BPM) is 
displayed in the tempo field to the left of the master button. To change the “local” 
tempo, click in the tempo field, enter a new value, and press [Enter].
OptionDescription
MuteMutes the slice.
ReversePlays the slice in reverse.
StaccatoShortens the slice.
Scratch A, BPlays the slice as if scratched.
Backspin 4Simulates a turntable backspin lasting over 4 slices.
SlowdownApplies a slowdown.
TapestartSimulates a tapestart, i. e., speeds the slice up.
Tapestop 1, 2Simulates a tapestop, i. e., slows the slice down.
Slur 4Stretches the slice over 4 slice lengths.
Slur 2Stretches the slice over 2 slice lengths.
Stutter 2, 3, 4, 6, 8Plays only the initial portion of a slice, and repeats it 2, 3, 4, 6, or 8 
times during one slice length, respectively.
ÖYou can also apply effects to your overall performance (see  
on page 32).
ButtonDescription
PlayClick the Play button to start or stop playback.
LocateClick the Locate button to return to the beginning of the loop (bar 
1/beat 1). Playback always starts automatically when clicking this 
button.
StepClicking the Step left/right button steps backwards/forwards through 
the timeline, playing one slice at a time.
Tempo fieldPlayLocateStep left/right 
						

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Working with the new featuresLoopMash (Nuendo Expansion Kit only)
•When the sync button is deactivated, you can click the master button (to the right 
of the tempo field) to copy the tempo of the current master loop into the tempo 
field.
The sync on/off parameter can be automated. This is useful to control LoopMash 
in a Nuendo project – with sync off, the playback of LoopMash within a project is 
paused.
Controlling Transport Functions With Your MIDI Keyboard
You can control the start, stop, sync on, and sync off function with your MIDI 
keyboard.
Storing Your Configuration as Scenes
On the Slice Selection and the Audio Parameters pages you will find a row of 24 
pads. To each of these pads, you can save one “scene”, i.
 e. a combination of up to 
eight tracks with all parameter settings. By triggering the pads, you can quickly 
change between different scenes during your performance.
•To save the current settings as a scene, click the round button and then a pad.
This saves your setup to that pad.
•To recall a scene, click on the corresponding scene pad.
•To remove a scene from a pad, click the x button and then the desired pad.
•To edit a scene pad label, double-click on the scene pad and enter a name.
•To rearrange the scene pads, click on a scene pad and drag it to a new position.
Setting a Jump Interval
You can determine a point at which LoopMash changes to the next scene during 
playback when you trigger a pad. Proceed as follows:
•Click the Jump interval button and select an option from the pop-up menu that 
opens.
FunctionKey
StartC2
StopD2
Sync onE2
Sync offF2
ÖIf you do not have a MIDI keyboard connected to your computer, you can make use of 
the Virtual Keyboard feature in Nuendo (see the Operation Manual).
Save sceneRemove sceneJump interval
Pad with associated sceneSelected sceneEmpty scene pad
!Once you have set up a LoopMash configuration, you should save it to a scene pad. 
Changing scenes without saving means discarding any unsaved changes.
Ö

EndŽ to ensure that the jump point is reached. 
						

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Working with the new featuresLoopMash (Nuendo Expansion Kit only)
Triggering Scene Pads With Your MIDI Keyboard
As you can see, the scene pads are arranged according to the keys on a MIDI 
keyboard. You can trigger the 24 scene pads with a connected MIDI keyboard 
starting from C0 and ending with B1. You can also make use of the Virtual Keyboard 
for triggering the scene pads (see the Operation Manual).
Slice Selection
Click the Slice Selection button (above the transport controls) to open the Slice 
Selection page. The options on this page allow you to further influence which slices 
will be selected for playback.
The following parameters are available:
ParameterDescription
Number of VoicesHere you can set the total number of slices from all tracks that are 
used to replace the master slice (according to the current similarity 
gain settings). The range is from one (left) to four (right) voices, i.
 e. 
sounds from up to four loops can play simultaneously. Increasing 
the number of voices increases the CPU load.
Voices per TrackThis is the maximum number of slices that can be selected from a 
single track. The range is from one to four. The less slices can be 
picked from the same track, the more variety you get in the 
LoopMash output.
Selection OffsetMove this slider to the right to allow slices that are less similar to be 
selected for playback. This setting affects all tracks of this scene 
(see 
“Storing Your Configuration as Scenes” on page 29).
Random SelectionMove this slider to the right to allow more variation when selecting 
slices for playback, adding a more “random” feel to the selection 
process. This setting affects all tracks of this scene (see 
“Storing 
Your Configuration as Scenes” on page 29).
Selection GridHere you can determine how often LoopMash will look for similar 
slices during playback: always (left position), or only every 2nd, 4th, 
or 8th (right position) step. For example, if you set the Selection 
Grid to every 8th step (right position), LoopMash will replace 
similar slices every 8th step. Between two “replacement” steps it 
plays back the tracks of the slices that have been selected in the 
last replacement step, resulting in longer playback sequences on 
one track.