Steinberg Nuendo 5 Manual

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Using markers
Using the Details view
The Details view is displayed below the regular marker list. 
It shows the details for the marker that is selected in the 
marker list. If more than one marker is selected, only the 
details for the first marker of the selection are shown.
1.To open the Details view, click the “Show Details 
View” button.
The “Set up Attribute Columns for Details” button appears next to the 
“Set up Attribute Columns button”. 
2.Click the “Set up Attributes Columns for Details” button 
and select the desired options from the pop-up menu to 
determine which attributes are shown in the Details view.
You can edit the marker details in the same way as in the 
marker list. The changes are reflected in the main marker 
list.
•To hide the Details view, click the “Show Details View” 
button again.
ÖThe details view supports line breaks which is useful 
for attributes with long texts. 
Marker preferences
You can access the marker preferences by clicking the 
corresponding button in the bottom left corner of the 
Marker window.
The following marker preferences are available:
About marker IDs
Each time you add a marker, it is automatically and sequen-
tially assigned an ID number, starting from 1. IDs for cycle 
markers are shown in brackets and start from [1]. ID num
-
bers can be changed at any time – this allows you to assign 
specific markers to key commands.
ÖIf you move a marker from one marker track to another 
by drag & drop in the Project window and the marker ID is 
already used on this track, the inserted marker automati
-
cally gets a new ID. 
Assigning marker IDs to key commands
You can move the project cursor to the markers 1 to 9 by 
pressing [Shift]-[1] to [9] on the numeric keypad. If you 
wish to locate other markers in this way, simply reassign 
the marker IDs:
1.Select the marker to which you wish to assign a new 
marker ID in the Marker window.
2.Click in the ID column of the selected marker and en-
ter a new ID.
If the number you enter was previously used for another marker, these 
markers will swap IDs.
3.Repeat this procedure as necessary for other markers.
•You can also remove a marker with an ID number be-
tween 1 to 9 to free up a key.
•For more information about marker key commands, see 
“Marker key commands” on page 145.
ColumnDescription
Cycle follows 
when locating 
to MarkersThis sets the left and right locators automatically to a po-sition or cycle marker, when locating to this marker. This 
is useful if you need to set the locators on the fly, e. g. dur-ing recording for Punch In/Punch Out. 
Show marker 
IDs on marker 
trackWhen this option is activated, the marker IDs are shown 
on the marker track.
Sync SelectionWhen this option is activated, the Marker window selec-tion is linked to the selection in the Project window.  
						

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Using markers
Reassigning marker IDs
Sometimes, especially when setting markers on the fly, 
you may forget or miss to set a marker. When added later, 
this marker’s ID will not correspond to its position on the 
marker track. Therefore, it is possible to reassign the IDs 
for all markers on a track.
Proceed as follows:
1.Open the Marker window and select the marker track 
whose ID numbers you want to reassign.
2.Open the Functions pop-up menu and select either 
“Reassign Position Marker IDs” or “Reassign Cycle 
Marker IDs”.
The marker IDs of the selected type are reassigned to match the order of 
markers on the marker track.
Marker tracks
Marker tracks are used for adding and editing markers.
In the track list area for the marker track you can find three 
pop-up menus, which help you to select or zoom to the 
markers that you select:
ÖMarkers shown on marker tracks are exactly the same 
as shown in the Marker window, and any changes made 
on a marker track is reflected in the Marker window and 
vice versa. 
Adding, moving, and removing marker tracks
•To add a marker track to the project, select Marker from 
the Add Track submenu of the Project menu. 
•To move a marker track to another position in the track 
list, click and drag it up or down. 
•To remove one or more marker tracks, right-click them 
in the track list and select “Remove Selected Tracks” from 
the context menu.
•Empty marker tracks can also be removed by selecting 
“Remove Empty Tracks” from the Project menu. 
Note that Remove Empty Tracks also removes any other tracks that are 
empty.
ÖWhen you remove all marker tracks, the marker track 
that you removed last (including all its markers) is moved 
to the clipboard. If you later insert a new marker track, this 
track is pasted from the clipboard into the track list.
Editing markers on marker tracks
The following editing functions can be performed directly 
on a marker track:
•Adding position markers “on the fly”.
Use the [Insert] key (Win) or the “Add Marker” button in the track list for 
the marker track to add position markers at the current cursor position 
during playback. 
•Adding a cycle marker.
Clicking the “Add Cycle Marker” button in the track list for the marker 
track adds a cycle marker spanning the area between the left and right 
locator. 
•Selecting markers.
You can use standard selection techniques like a selection rectangle, or 
use [Shift]-clicking to select separate markers. When selecting markers 
on the marker track, they are also selected in the Marker window.
•Drawing in position markers.
By using the Pencil tool (or pressing [Alt]/[Option] and using the Arrow 
tool), you can create position marker events at any position on the track. 
If Snap is activated on the toolbar, this determines at which positions you 
can draw markers.
OptionDescription
Locate pop-up 
menuIf you select a position or a cycle marker in this pop-up 
menu, the corresponding marker in the event display or in 
the Marker window is selected.
Cycle pop-up 
menuIf you select a cycle marker in this pop-up menu, the left 
and right locators are set to the corresponding cycle 
marker.
Zoom pop-up 
menuIf you select a cycle marker in this pop-up menu, the view 
zooms to the corresponding cycle marker.
Position marker Cycle 
markerLocators
Locate pop-up menu
Zoom pop-up 
menu Cycle pop-up 
menu
Add Marker/Add Cycle Marker buttons 
						

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Using markers
•Drawing in cycle markers.
To draw a cycle marker range, press [Ctrl]/[Command] and use the Pen-
cil tool or the Arrow tool. If Snap is activated on the toolbar, this deter-mines at which positions you can draw markers. 
•Resizing cycle markers.
Select a cycle marker by clicking on it. Two handles appear at the bottom 
of the start and end events. If you click and hold one of the handles you 
can drag the event left or right to resize the cycle marker. This can also 
be done numerically on the info line.
•Moving markers.
Click and drag to move the selected markers. You can also edit marker 
positions on the info line. As usual, Snap is taken into account. If you 
move markers from one track to another, the marker gets the numbering 
of the first free marker ID on the track where it is dropped (see 
“About 
marker IDs” on page 141). 
•Removing markers.
This is done exactly the same way as for other events, i.e. by selecting 
them and pressing [Delete], using the Erase tool, etc.
Using markers to make range selections in the 
Project window
Besides enabling you to quickly move the project cursor 
and the locators, markers can be used in conjunction with 
the Range Selection tool to make range selections in the 
Project window. This is useful if you quickly want to make 
a selection that spans all tracks in the project. 
Moving and copying sections
To quickly move or copy complete sections of the project 
(on all tracks), proceed as follows:
1.Set markers at the start and end of the section that 
you want to move or copy.
2.Select the Range Selection tool and double-click on 
the marker track between the markers.
Everything in the project within the marker boundaries is selected. Any 
functions or processing you perform now affect the selection only.
3.Click on a marker track in the selected range and drag 
the range to a new position.
•If you hold down [Alt]/[Option] while you drag the range, 
the selection in the Project window is copied instead.
Multiple marker tracks
You can create up to 32 marker tracks. Multiple marker 
tracks are useful when working in a postproduction con
-
text. For example, they can be used to import Edit Deci-
sion Lists (EDLs) or import/export CSV files for Automatic 
Dialog Replacement (ADR). 
A possible scenario would be to create a marker track 
with cycle markers for sections of the audio, and another 
marker track with important sync points in the video. You 
can also use multiple marker tracks to insert markers for 
different users in a network or different narrators in a 
movie (see 
“Working with multiple marker tracks – an ex-
ample” on page 144). 
Naming marker tracks
By default, the first marker track you create is called 
“Marker”, the second “Marker 02”, and so on. If you work 
with multiple marker tracks, it is recommended to name 
marker tracks according to their purposes, e.
 g. audio, 
video, or scene. 
You can name marker tracks by double-clicking on the 
marker track name in the track list or the Inspector and 
entering a new name.
The active marker track
When you are working with multiple marker tracks, only 
one track is active. All editing functions affect the markers 
on the active track only. You activate a track by clicking 
the “Activate this track” button in the track list.
The following rules apply:
•When you add a new marker track, this track is auto-
matically active.
•When you remove an active track, the topmost marker 
track in the track list is activated. 
•When using cycle markers for zooming (see “Zooming 
to cycle markers” on page 137), only the cycle markers of 
the active track are displayed on the Zoom pop-up menu.  
						

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Using markers
•When exporting an audio mixdown of the audio between 
the cycle markers (see 
“Exporting and importing markers” 
on page 145), only the cycle markers of the active track are 
displayed in the Export Audio Mixdown dialog. 
•Most marker key commands affect the active track, see 
“Marker key commands” on page 145.
Locking marker tracks
You can lock one or more marker tracks by clicking the 
corresponding lock button of the track. When a marker 
track is locked, you cannot edit the track and its markers. 
However, you can still rename the track or change its sta
-
tus (active/inactive). In the Marker window and the Project 
Browser, the unavailable features of a locked track are 
grayed out.
Working with multiple marker tracks – an example
Let’s say you have a video project where the dialog of two 
narrators is to be replaced. All you have to do is create dif
-
ferent marker tracks for the individual narrators and set up 
the markers according to the video sections that need to 
be dubbed. 
Proceed as follows:
1.Add two marker tracks to the project that you want to 
edit and name them according to the narrators. 
2.Open the File menu and select “Key Commands…”.
The Key Commands dialog opens.
3.In the Marker category, set up a key command for the 
“Insert and name Marker” command.
This command adds a position marker, opens the marker window and 
activates the Description column, so that you can insert a name for the 
new marker. This makes it easier for you to insert markers on the fly and 
name them instantly. 
4.Set up key commands for the “Activate next Marker 
Track” and “Activate previous Marker Track” commands.
This helps you to activate the marker track where you want to insert the 
markers.
5.Activate the marker track for the first narrator, play 
back the video file, and at the position where the first dia
-
log section should be replaced, trigger the “Insert and 
name Marker” command.
The Marker window opens; the Description column is active.
6.Enter a name or description for the corresponding 
section and press [Return] to confirm.
On the active track in the Project window a new marker is created. It might 
be useful to name the markers according to the first words of the dialog.
7.Trigger the “Activate next Marker Track” or “Activate 
previous Marker Track” key command, depending on 
which track you want to insert the following marker.
A message informs you that a different marker track is now active.
8.Trigger the “Insert and name Marker” key command at 
the position where the next dialog section should be re
-
placed.
Repeat this procedure for all markers that you want to 
insert. 
						

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Using markers
Marker key commands
You can check or change any key command assignments 
for the marker commands in the Transport and Marker cat
-
egories of the Key Commands dialog. In the following sec-
tion, the available key commands for markers are listed. If 
not stated otherwise, the key commands only affect the 
active marker track.
Key commands in the Transport Category:
Key commands in the Marker category:
ÖWhere no default key command is specified, you need 
to define your own stroke sequence in the Key Com
-
mands dialog, see “Key commands” on page 580.
Exporting and importing markers
In Nuendo, markers and marker tracks can be imported 
and exported in different ways. You have the following 
possibilities: 
• You can import EDL CMX3600 files. 
• You can import/export CSV files. 
• You can import/export markers contained in MIDI files. 
• You can import/export track archives that contain marker 
tracks. 
OperationDescriptionDefault key 
command
Insert Cycle 
MarkerCreates a new cycle marker between 
the left and the right locator.-
Insert MarkerCreates a new marker at the current 
project cursor position.[Insert]  (Windows 
only)
Locate Next 
MarkerMoves the project cursor to the right to 
the next marker position (if any).[Shift]-[N]
Locate next 
marker in 
marker windowMoves the project cursor to the next 
marker position, or to the start of the 
next cycle marker position (if any).-
Locate Previ-ous MarkerMoves the project cursor to the left to 
the previous marker position (if any).[Shift]-[B]
Locate previ-ous marker in 
marker windowMoves the project cursor to the previ-ous marker position, or to the beginning 
of the next cycle marker position in the 
Marker window (if any).-
Play until next 
markerPlays back your project from the current 
project cursor position to the next 
marker position.-
Recall Cycle 
Marker 1-9Moves the left and right locators to 
encompass the specified cycle marker 
(1 to 9).[Shift]- [Pad1] to 
[Pad9]
Set Marker  1-9Moves the specified marker (1 to 9) to 
the current project cursor position.[Ctrl]-[1] to [9]
To Cycle 
Marker 1-9Moves the project cursor to the start 
position of the specified cycle marker 
(1
 to 9).
-
To Cycle 
Marker XMoves the project cursor to the start 
position of a marker. Use this key com-mand, let go of it and enter the desired 
marker ID.
-
To Marker 1-9Moves the project cursor to the speci-fied marker (ID 1 to 9).[Shift]-[1] to 
[9]
To Marker XMoves the project cursor to the position 
of the specified marker. Use this key 
command, let go of it and enter the de
-sired marker ID.
-
Toggle: Cycle 
follows when 
locating to 
markersToggles the marker preference “Cycle 
follows when locating to markers” (see 
“Marker preferences” on page 141).
-
OperationDescriptionDefault key 
command
Activate Marker 
TrackActivates the selected marker track. If 
more than one marker track is se-lected, the topmost track is activated.
-
Activate next 
Marker TrackActivates the next marker track in the 
track list.  When you use this key command, a 
message informs you that the next 
marker track is activated.
-
Activate 
previous 
Marker TrackActivates the previous marker track in 
the track list. When you use this key command, a 
warning appears informing you that the 
previous marker track is activated.
-
Insert and 
name Cycle 
MarkerAdds a cycle marker between the left 
and the right locator, opens the marker 
window and activates the Name col
-umn, so that you can insert a name for 
the new cycle marker. 
-
Insert and 
name MarkerAdds a marker, opens the marker win-dow and activates the Name column, 
so that you can insert a name for the 
new marker. -
Show only 
used attributesShows only the used attributes in the 
Marker window. -
Operation Description Default key 
command 
						

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Using markers
Importing EDL CMX3600 files (Edit Decision 
Lists)
In Nuendo, you can import Edit Decision Lists (EDLs) in 
CMX3600 format. EDLs are cut lists, i.
 e. representations 
of video edits that can be used to align audio events to a 
reference video file in Nuendo. They contain reel and time
-
code data that help you to detect the exact position of 
each video clip. Most EDLs are simple ASCII files created 
by offline editing systems, but you can also create, open, 
and edit them manually with a text editor. 
The information contained in an EDL can be used in Nu-
endo to place audio events in the Project window at the 
specific timecode positions that correspond to the edits 
made in the video editing suite. 
Importing EDL CMX3600 files 
EDLs allow you to edit your audio according to the cuts of 
a video. When you import an EDL in Nuendo together with 
the cut video file, each cut described in the EDL is indi
-
cated by a marker.
ÖEvery track in the EDL results in a new marker track in 
Nuendo. One video track and up to four audio tracks of 
the EDL can be imported.
To import an EDL CMX3600 file, proceed as follows:
1.Create a new project.
This is not strictly necessary, but helps you keep track of things.
2.Set up the project frame rate according to the frame 
rate of the EDL that you want to import.
For EDL import, Nuendo supports the frame rates 24 fps, 25 fps, 
29.97
 fps, 29.97 dfps, 30 fps, and 30 dfps.
3.Open the File menu and select “EDL CMX3600…” 
from the Import submenu. 
4.In the file dialog that opens, select the file that you 
want to import and click Open.
The Import Options dialog opens.
5.In the Import column on the left, activate the marker 
tracks that you want to import.
You can also select all tracks by clicking the Select All Tracks button.
6.In the “Marker Options - Video” and “Marker Options - 
Audio” sections, select whether you want to import posi
-
tion or cycle markers.
7.Click OK to import the EDL file.
If there are EDL edits outside the current project range, you are asked if 
you want the range to be automatically adjusted.
About scene detection
EDL CMX3600 files can also be used for scene detec-
tion. Scene detection can be useful if you want to fill spe-
cific sections of your project with a certain background 
atmosphere (by setting the locators to the cycle marker 
and using the Fill Loop option from the Edit menu). On im
-
port, each scene is indicated by a colored cycle marker. 
						

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Using markers
Nuendo supports the following ways of scene naming:
•Three number scene naming, e. g. 25-3-5
The first is the scene number, the second is the setting or shooting angle 
and the third is the take number. As separators, the following characters 
can be used: comma (,), semicolon (;), full stop (.), hyphen (-), under
-
score (_), slash (/), backslash (\). 
•Clip names
Scenes can also be identified by their clip names.
Recommendations 
When exporting EDLs from your offline editing system, 
keep the following rules in mind in order to achieve the 
best import results in Nuendo:
•Export your EDL in CMX3600 format.
Nuendo only supports the CMX3600 format.
•Add clip names as comments to the EDL and use a 
consistent naming scheme.
These names are used for naming markers and detecting scenes. 
ÖMake sure that you set the correct export options in 
your video editing application (e.
 g. Final Cut Pro, Avid 
Xpress Pro) when creating the EDL.
Importing a CSV file
In Nuendo, you can import CSV (Comma Separated Val-
ues) files that were created with an additional program 
(taker program, etc.) or manually (text editor, Excel, Open 
Office, etc.). The values in the file should be separated by 
comma, semicolon, or tab and must contain at least time
-
code in information. Make sure that the CSV file uses the 
file extension “*.csv”.
On import, the data in the CSV file will be interpreted as 
markers. For example, these help you to detect the exact 
timecode position of each audio or video clip. This is ex
-
tremely useful if you want to create dubbed or synchro-
nized audio versions of your video.
To import a CSV file, proceed as follows:
1.Create a new project.
This is not strictly necessary, but helps you keep track of things. 
2.Set up the project frame rate corresponding to the 
frame rate of the CSV file that you want to import.
For CSV import, Nuendo supports the frame rates 24 fps, 25 fps, 
29.97 fps, 29.97 dfps, 30 fps, and 30 dfps.
3.Open the File menu and select “CSV Marker…” on the 
Import submenu.
4.In the file dialog that opens, select the file that you 
want to import and click Open.
The “CSV Import - Encoding” dialog opens.
5.In the “CSV Import - Encoding” dialog, open the En-
coding pop-up menu to select the encoding method of 
the file that you want to import.
If you are not sure which encoding method was used, select the Autode-
tect option.
ÖThe Preview section gives you visual feedback of how 
Nuendo interprets the data contained in the CSV file. If 
the data is not displayed correctly, try another encoding 
method.
6.Activate one of the Separator options.
The available options are: Comma (default setting), Semicolon, and Tab. 
Which option to choose depends on the separators used in the CSV file 
that you want to import. 
						

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Using markers
7.Click OK to apply your settings.
The CSV Import - Attribute Selection dialog opens. Here, you can assign 
the columns of the CSV to several marker attributes (e.
 g. timecode in, 
timecode out, name).
8.Use the column pop-up menus to assign marker at-
tributes. 
ÖNote that at least the attribute for timecode in has to 
be assigned.
9.In the “Ignore first rows” field, specify how many lines 
you want to exclude from import. 
This is useful if your CSV file contains column headers that you want to 
exclude from import.
10.You can use the “Append numbers to a marker at-
tribute” pop-up menu to add a counter, e. g. to the charac-
ter attribute.
If you later sort the marker list by this attribute in the Marker window, you 
can quickly discern for how many takes/scenes this character is needed. 
Do not use this attribute to split your CSV file (see below).
11.Activate the “Generate multiple marker tracks” option 
if you want the markers to be placed on different tracks.
12.Use the “Split using Column” option to specify by 
what column the markers are sorted.
This specifies that all lines with the same value in the “split” column are 
imported into the same marker track in Nuendo.
•Click OK to continue.
The Import Options dialog opens.
13.In the Import Options dialog, select the tracks that you 
want to import by activating the corresponding tracks in 
the Import column to the left, or select all tracks by clicking 
the Select All Tracks button.
14.Click OK to import the CSV file and close the dialog.
The data contained in the CSV file is imported into marker tracks in Nu-endo.
Exporting markers as CSV files
You can export the markers you set up in Nuendo as CSV 
(Comma Separated Values) files to use them as disposi
-
tions. Dispositions are useful in recording studios, as they 
allow you to determine for how long a specific narrator is 
needed, etc. This makes it easier to calculate time and 
costs of a synchronization project. 
						

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Using markers
To export a CSV file containing markers from Nuendo, 
proceed as follows:
1.Set up the markers for your project.
2.On the File menu, open the Export submenu and se-
lect “CSV Marker…”.
The Export Options dialog opens.
3.In the Export column, activate the marker tracks that 
you want to export.
To select all marker tracks, click the Select All button.
4.Select “From Left to Right Locator”, if you want to ex-
port only markers within the locator range.
5.Choose the desired settings in the Options section. 
The following options are available:
6.Click the “Select Attributes” button to open the “CSV 
Export - Attribute Selection” dialog where you can specify 
which marker attributes you want to export. 
By default, all used attributes (i.e. attributes where at least one marker 
has a value) are exported, but you can also choose to export specific at-
tribute categories only (see “Marker attributes” on page 139). 
7.Click OK to confirm your attribute selection and close 
the Select Attributes dialog.
8.Click OK to export your markers as a CSV file.
Importing markers via MIDI import
You can import position markers by importing MIDI files 
containing markers. This is useful if you want to use your 
marker tracks in other projects or if you want to share them 
with other Nuendo users. Any markers you have added are 
included in the MIDI file as standard MIDI file marker events. 
Make sure that the “Import Markers” option is activated in 
the Preferences dialog (MIDI–MIDI File page).
The following settings are imported:
• The start position of position markers and cycle markers
• The track assignment of markers
• All marker tracks
ÖIf you import a standard MIDI file created in other ap-
plications, all markers are merged on one “shared” marker 
track.
For a description of how to import MIDI files, see “Import-
ing MIDI files” on page 561.
Exporting markers via MIDI
You can export your markers as part of a MIDI file. If you 
activate “Export Markers” in the Export Options dialog, any 
markers are included in the MIDI file. 
The following settings are exported:
• The start position of position markers and cycle markers
• The track assignment of markers
• All marker tracks
OptionDescription
EncodingHere you can select an encoding format for your 
CSV file. The available formats are: UTF8, UTF16, 
Win-1252/Win Latin1, MacRoman, Mac Central Eu
-ropean, and Shift JIS.
SeparatorActivate one of the options to specify the kind of 
separator used in your file. The available options are: 
Comma (default setting), Semicolon, and Tab.
Sort rows 
chronologicallyActivate this option if you want to sort the markers 
according to their position on the timeline.
Sort track after trackActivate this option if you want to sort the markers by 
their track name.
Generate Column 
HeadingsActivate this option if you want to generate column 
headings.
Option Description 
						

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Using markers
ÖTo be able to export markers via MIDI export, your 
project must contain at least one marker track.
For a description of how to export MIDI files, see “Export-
ing MIDI files” on page 560.
Importing markers as part of a track archive
You can import position markers and cycle markers by im-
porting track archives containing marker tracks. Select the 
tracks that you want to import in the Import Options dialog.
The following settings are imported:
• The start and end positions of cycle markers
• The track assignment of markers
•The marker IDs
• The attributes
• All marker tracks
For a description of how to import track archives, see “Im-
porting tracks from a track archive” on page 563.
Exporting markers as part of a track archive
If you want to use your marker tracks in other projects, for 
example to share them with other users, you can export 
them as part of a track archive. Select the marker tracks 
that you want to export and select “Selected Tracks…” 
from the Export submenu of the File menu.
The following settings are exported:
• The start and end positions of cycle markers
• The track assignment of markers
•The marker IDs
• The attributes
• All marker tracks
For a description of how to export tracks archives, see 
“Exporting tracks as track archives” on page 562.