Steinberg Nuendo 5 Manual
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281 Audio processing and functions Statistics The Statistics function on the Audio menu analyzes the selected audio (events, clips or range selections) and dis - plays a window with the following information: ItemDescription Min. Sample ValueThe lowest sample value in the selection, as a value be-tween -1 and 1 and in dB. Max. Sample ValueThe highest sample value in the selection, as a value be-tween -1 and 1 and in dB. Peak AmplitudeThe largest sample value (in absolute numbers) in the se-lection, in dB. DC OffsetThe amount of DC Offset (see “Remove DC Offset” on page 271) in the selection, as a percentage and in dB. Estimated ResolutionEven though an audio file is in 16 or 24 bits, it may have been converted from a lower resolution. The Estimated Resolution value makes an educated guess about the ac -tual audio resolution, by computing the smallest level dif-ference between two samples. Estimated PitchThe estimated pitch of the audio selection. Sample RateThe sample rate of the audio selection. Min. RMS PowerThe lowest loudness (RMS) measured in the selection. Max. RMS PowerThe highest loudness (RMS) measured in the selection. AverageThe average loudness over the whole selection.
283 The Sample Editor Window overview The Sample Editor allows you to view and manipulate audio by cutting and pasting, removing, or drawing audio data, and by processing or applying effects (see the chapter “Au- dio processing and functions” on page 263). This editing is “non-destructive”: The actual file (if created or imported from outside the project) will remain untouched so that you can undo modifications or revert to the original settings at any time using the Offline Process History dialog (see “The Offline Process History dialog” on page 275). The Sample Editor also contains most of the AudioWarp related functions, i. e. the realtime time stretching as well as the pitch-shifting functions in Nuendo. These can be used to match the tempo of audio loops to the project tempo (see “AudioWarp: Tempo matching audio” on page 293). Another special feature of the Sample Editor is hitpoint detection. Hitpoints allow you to create “slices”, which can be useful in many situations, for example, if you want to change the tempo without affecting the pitch (see “Working with hitpoints and slices” on page 299). The VariAudio features allow you to edit monophonic vocal recordings in pitch and time, as easily as editing MIDI in the Key Editor. In these realtime pitch modifications the transi - tions are kept so that the sound remains natural. The pitch detection and correction is “non-destructive”, i. e. you can always undo modifications or revert to the original versions, see “VariAudio” on page 302 for details. ÖThe term “loop” is used throughout this chapter and in this context usually means an audio file with a musical time base. That means that the length of the loop represents a certain number of bars and beats at a certain tempo. Play - ing the loop back at the right tempo in a cycle set to the correct length will produce a continuous loop without gaps.
284 The Sample Editor Opening the Sample Editor To open the Sample Editor, double-click an audio event in the Project window or the Audio Part Editor, or double- click an audio clip in the Pool. You can have more than one Sample Editor window open at the same time. ÖDouble-clicking an audio part in the Project window opens the Audio Part Editor, even if the part contains a sin - gle audio event only. The Audio Part Editor is described in a separate chapter, see “The Audio Part Editor” on page 314. The toolbar To the right of the tools, the estimated length of your audio file is displayed in bars and beats (PPQ) together with the estimated tempo and the time signature. If you want to use Musical Mode, always verify that the length in bars corre - sponds to the audio file you imported. If necessary, listen to your audio and enter the correct bar length. The Algo - rithm pop-up menu allows you to select an algorithm for the realtime time stretching (see “Selecting an algorithm for the flattening” on page 312). You can customize the toolbar by right-clicking it and us- ing the context menu to hide or show items. For further in- formation about configuring the toolbar, see “Using the Setup options” on page 572. The info line The info line is displayed below the toolbar. It shows infor- mation about the audio clip: Initially, length and position values are displayed in the for- mat specified in the Project Setup dialog. For information about configuring the info line, see “Using the Setup op- tions” on page 572. •To show or hide the info line, click the “Set up Window Layout” button on the toolbar and activate or deactivate the Info Line option. The Sample Editor Inspector On the left in the Sample Editor, you will find the Sample Editor Inspector. It contains tools and functions for work - ing in the Sample Editor. For more information on the handling of the various In- spector tabs, see the chapter “The Project window” on page 38. Audition, Loop, and Volume controls Set up Window LayoutSolo EditorAcoustic Pitch Feedback Suspend Auto- Scroll when editing Auto-ScrollShow Audio EventShow Regions Snap on/off Snap to Zero CrossingMusical ModeTool buttons Global Transpose status Audio format and length Selected display format Number of edits made to the clip Zoom factor Realtime status Original pitch and deviation Pitch and deviation Current selection range
285 The Sample Editor The Definition tab The Definition tab helps you to adjust the audio grid and define the musical context of your audio. This is useful if you have an audio loop or audio file that you want to match to the project tempo, see “AudioWarp: Tempo matching audio” on page 293. If the Definition tab is open, a second ruler is displayed, showing the musical structure of your audio. The AudioWarp tab The AudioWarp tab lets you perform timing settings for your audio. This includes applying swing and manually changing the rhythm of the audio by dragging beats to time positions in the grid (see “Free Warp” on page 297). •If you click the “Disable Warp Changes” button, any warp modifications you have made are disabled, allowing you to compare the modified sound with the original sound of your audio. However, the display does not change. The time stretch applied by the Musical Mode is not disabled by this. “Disable Warp Changes” is deac- tivated when you reset your warp operations or when you close the Sam- ple Editor. It will not be recalled when reopening the Sample Editor. The VariAudio tab On this tab you can edit single notes of your audio file and change their pitch and/or timing, in a way that is similar to the editing of MIDI notes (see “Understanding the wave- form display in VariAudio” on page 302). Furthermore, you can extract MIDI from your audio (see “Functions – Extract MIDI…” on page 311). •If you click the “Disable Pitch Changes” button, any pitch modifications you have made are disabled, allowing you to compare the modified sound with the original sound of your audio. However, the display does not change. “Disable Pitch Changes” is deacti-vated when you reset your pitch or warp operations or when you close the Sample Editor. It will not be recalled when reopening the Sample Editor. The Hitpoints tab On this tab, the transients or hitpoints of the audio can be marked and edited (see “Working with hitpoints and slices” on page 299). Hitpoints allow you to slice your au- dio, and to create groove quantize maps from your audio. You can also create markers, regions, and events based on hitpoints. Disable Warp Changes Disable Pitch Changes
286 The Sample Editor The Range tab On this tab you will find functions for working with ranges and selections (see “Making selections” on page 289). The Process tab This tab regroups the most important audio editing com- mands from the Audio and Edit menus. For further infor- mation on the options contained in the Select Process and Select Plug-in pop-up menus, see the chapter “Audio processing and functions” on page 263. The Overview line The Overview line displays the whole clip. The section cur- rently shown in the main waveform display of the Sample Editor (the viewing area) is indicated by a rectangle in the Overview line, and the current selection range is also shown. If the “Show Audio Event” button is activated on the toolbar, event start/end and snap point are shown in the Overview line. •To view other sections of the clip, move the viewing area in the Overview line. Click in the lower half of the viewing area and drag to the left or right to move it. •To zoom in or out, horizontally, resize the viewing area by dragging its left or right edge. •To define a new viewing area, click in the upper half of the Overview and drag a rectangle. The ruler The Sample Editor ruler is located between the Overview line and the waveform display. The ruler is explained in de - tail in the section “The ruler” on page 47. When the Defi- nition tab is open, an additional ruler displays the musical structure of the audio file. The waveform display and the level scale The waveform display shows the waveform image of the edited audio clip according to the wave image style set in the Preferences dialog (Event Display–Audio page), see “Adjusting how parts and events are shown” on page 60. To the left of the waveform display a level scale is shown, indicating the amplitude of the audio. Event Start Event End Viewing areaSelection Snap Point
287 The Sample Editor •You can select whether the level is shown as a percent- age or in dB. This is done by opening the level scale pop-up menu at the top of the level scale and selecting an option. •Select the “Show Half Level Axis” option on the context menu of the waveform display, if you want the half level axes to be shown. Operations Zooming Zooming in the Sample Editor is done according to the standard zoom procedures, with the following special notes to keep in mind: •The vertical zoom slider changes the vertical scale rela- tive to the height of the editor window, in a way similar to the waveform zooming in the Project window (see “Zoom and view options” on page 58). The vertical zoom will also be affected if the “Zoom Tool Standard Mode: Horizontal Zooming Only” preference (Editing–Tools page) is deactivated and you drag a rectangle with the Zoom tool. The following options relevant to the Sample Editor are available on the Zoom submenu of the Edit menu or the context menu: •When the VariAudio tab is active (see “VariAudio” on page 302), you can also zoom by holding down [Alt]/[Op- tion] while drawing a selection rectangle around the seg- ments that you want to zoom in on. You can zoom out by holding down [Alt]/[Option] and clicking in an empty area of the waveform. •The current zoom setting is shown in the info line, as a “samples per screen pixel” value. ÖYou can zoom in horizontally to a scale of less than one sample per pixel! This is required for drawing with the Pen - cil tool (see “Drawing in the Sample Editor” on page 292). •If you have zoomed in to one sample per pixel or less, the appearance of the samples depends on the “Interpolate Audio Images” option in the Preferences dia - log (Event Display–Audio page). If the option is deactivated, single sample values are drawn as “steps”. If the option is activated, they are interpolated to a “curve” form. Half level axis OptionDescription Zoom InZooms in one step, centering on the position cursor. Zoom OutZooms out one step, centering on the position cursor. Zoom FullZooms out so that the whole clip is visible in the editor. Zoom to SelectionZooms in so that the current selection fills the editor display. Zoom to Selection (Horiz.)Zooms in horizontally so that the current selection fills the editor display. Zoom to EventZooms in so that the editor shows the section of the clip corresponding to the edited audio event. This is not available if you have opened the Sample Editor from the Pool (in which case the whole clip is opened for editing, not an event). Zoom In/Out VerticallyThis is the same as using the vertical zoom slider (see above). Undo/Redo ZoomThese options allow you to undo/redo the last zoom operation.
288 The Sample Editor Auditioning While you can use the regular play commands to play back audio when the Sample Editor is open, it is often useful to listen to the edited material only. ÖWhen auditioning, audio is routed to the Control Room (if activated) or to the Main Mix (the default output bus). For information about routing, see “Routing” on page 168. Clicking the Audition icon on the toolbar plays back the edited audio, according to the following rules: • If you have made a selection, this selection will be played back. • If there is no selection and “Show Event” is deactivated, play- back will start at the cursor position. • If the Audition Loop icon is activated, playback will continue repeatedly until you deactivate the Audition Loop icon. Other - wise, the section will be played back once. ÖThere is a separate Play button for auditioning regions, see “Auditioning regions” on page 291. Using the Speaker tool If you click somewhere in the waveform display with the Speaker (“Play”) tool and keep the mouse button pressed, the clip is played back from the position where you click. Playback will continue until you release the mouse button. Using Acoustic Feedback If you activate the “Acoustic Pitch Feedback” button on the toolbar, the audio will be played back when you edit it vertically, i. e. when you change the pitch. This way you can easily audition your modifications. Using key commands If you activate the “Playback Toggle triggers Local Pre- view” option in the Preferences dialog (Transport page), you can start/stop auditioning by pressing [Space]. This is the same as clicking the Audition icon on the toolbar. ÖThe Sample Editor also supports the “Preview start” and “Preview stop” key commands in the Media category of the Key Commands dialog. These key commands stop the current playback, whether you are in normal playback or in audition mode. Scrubbing The Scrub tool allows you to locate positions in the audio by playing back, forwards, or backwards, at any speed: 1.Select the Scrub tool. 2.Click in the waveform display and keep the mouse button pressed. The project cursor is moved to the position where you clicked. 3.Drag to the left or right. The audio is played back. The speed and pitch of the playback depend on how fast you drag. Adjusting the snap point The snap point is a marker within an audio event. It is used as a reference position when you move events with snap activated, so that the snap point is “magnetic” to whatever snap positions you have selected. By default, the snap point is set at the beginning of the au- dio event, but often it is useful to move the snap point to a “relevant” position in the event, such as a downbeat. To adjust the snap point, proceed as follows: 1.Activate the “Show Audio Event” option on the tool- bar, so that the event is displayed in the editor. 2.If needed, scroll until the event is visible, and locate the “S” flag in the event. If you have not adjusted this previously, it is located at the beginning of the event.
289 The Sample Editor 3.Click on the “S” flag and drag it to the desired position. You can also adjust the snap point by setting the project cursor at the de- sired position, and selecting “Snap Point To Cursor” on the Audio menu. The snap point will be set to the position of the cursor. This method can also be used in the Project window and the Audio Part Editor. It is also possible to define a snap point for a clip (for which there is no event yet). To open a clip in the Sample Editor, double-click it in the Pool. After having set the snap point you can insert the clip into the project from the Pool or the Sample Editor with the set snap point position. Making selections To select an audio section in the Sample Editor, click and drag with the Range Selection tool. •If “Snap to Zero Crossing” is activated on the toolbar, the selection’s start and end are always at zero crossings. •You can resize the selection by dragging its left and right edge or by [Shift]-clicking. •The current selection is indicated in the corresponding fields on the Range tab of the Sample Editor Inspector. You can fine-tune the selection by changing these values. Note that the values are relative to the start of the clip, rather than to the project timeline. Using the Select menu On the Select menu on the Range tab and in the Select submenu of the Edit menu you find the following options: !When you set the grid start on the Definition tab, the snap point is moved to the grid start (see “Manual Adjust” on page 295). !Events and clips can have different snap points. If you open a clip from the Pool you can edit the clip snap point. If you open a clip from within the project window, you can edit the event snap point. The clip snap point serves as a template for the event snap point. However, it is the event snap point that is taken into account when snapping. OptionDescription Select AllSelects the whole clip. Select NoneSelects no audio (the selection length is set to “0”). Select in LoopSelects all audio between the left and right locator. Select EventSelects only the audio that is included in the edited event. This is grayed out if you have opened the Sample Editor from the Pool (in which case the whole clip is opened for editing, not an event). If the VariAudio tab is open and your audio file is split into separate segments (see “Segments mode” on page 304), all segments are selected. Locators to Selection (Range tab only) Sets the locators to encompass the current selection. This is available if you have selected one or several events or made a selection range. Locate Selection (Range tab only)Moves the project cursor to the beginning or end of the current selection. For this to be available, you must have selected one or more events or parts, or made a selec -tion range. Loop Selection (Range tab only)This activates playback from the start of the current se-lection and keeps starting over again when reaching the selection end. A selected range
290 The Sample Editor Editing selection ranges Selections in the Sample Editor can be processed in sev- eral ways. If you attempt to edit an event that is a shared copy (i. e. the event refers to a clip that is used by other events in the project), you are asked whether you want to create a new version of the clip. •Select “New Version” if you want the editing to affect the selected event only. Select “Continue” if you want the editing to affect all shared copies. ÖIf you activate the “Please, don’t ask again” option in the dialog, any further editing will conform to the selected method (“Continue” or “New Version”). You can change this setting at any time with the “On Processing Shared Clips” pop-up menu in the Preferences dialog (Editing– Audio page). •Any changes to the clip are shown in the Offline Pro- cess History, making it possible to undo them later (see “The Offline Process History dialog” on page 275). Cut, Copy, and Paste The Cut, Copy, and Paste commands (on the Edit menu, on the Process tab of the Sample Editor Inspector, or in the main Edit menu) work according to the following rules: •Selecting Copy copies the selection to the clipboard. •Selecting Cut removes the selection from the clip and moves it to the clipboard. The section to the right of the selection is moved to the left to fill the gap. •Selecting Paste copies the data from the clipboard into the clip. If there is a selection in the editor, this is replaced by the pasted data. If there is no selection, the pasted data is inserted starting at the project cursor. The section to the right of the line is moved to make room for the pasted material. Delete Selecting Delete (on the Edit menu, on the Process tab of the Sample Editor Inspector, or in the main Edit menu) re - moves the selection from the clip. The section to the right of the selection is moved to the left to fill the gap. Insert Silence Selecting “Insert Silence” (on the Edit menu, on the Pro- cess tab of the Sample Editor Inspector, or in the Range submenu of the main Edit menu) inserts a silent section with the same length as the current selection, at the selec - tion start. •The selection is not replaced, but moved to the right to make room. If you want to replace the selection, use the “Silence” function instead (see “Silence” on page 272). Processing The Processing features (on the Select Process menu, on the Process tab of the Sample Editor Inspector, or in the Process submenu of the Audio menu) can be applied to selections in the Sample Editor, as well as the effects (on the Select Plug-in menu on the Process tab of the Sample Editor Inspector or in the Plug-ins submenu of the Audio menu). For more information, see the chapter “Audio pro- cessing and functions” on page 263. Creating a new event from the selection using drag & drop To create a new event that plays only the selected range, proceed as follows: 1.Make a selection range. 2.Drag the selection range to an audio track in the Project window. From Start to Cursor (Edit menu only)Selects all audio between the clip start and the project cursor. From Cursor to End (Edit menu only)Selects all audio between the project cursor and the end of the clip. For this to work, the project cursor must be within the clip boundaries. Equal Pitch - all Octaves/ same OctaveThis function requires that the audio event has been an-alyzed using the VariAudio features and that one or sev-eral notes are selected. These options select all notes of this event that have the same pitch as the currently se-lected note(s) (in any octave or in the current octave). Left Selection Side to Cursor (Edit menu only)Moves the left side of the current selection range to the project cursor position. For this to work, the cursor must be within the clip boundaries. This function is not avail -able for VariAudio segments. Right Selection Side to Cursor (Edit menu only)Moves the right side of the current selection range to the project cursor position (or the end of the clip, if the cursor is to the right of the clip). This function is not available for VariAudio segments. Option Description