Steinberg Nuendo 5 Manual

							361
Working with track presets
Track presets are saved within the application folder in the 
“Track Presets” folder (in default subfolders named accord
-
ing to their track type: audio, MIDI, instrument, and multi).
ÖYou cannot change the default folders, but you can add 
further subfolders (by clicking the New Folder button).
In the MediaBay all presets are available under the (virtual) 
VST Sound node, see 
“The VST Sound node” on page 
337.
ÖIf you want to use a MIDI track preset for a pre-config-
ured VST instrument setup, load the VST instrument(s) in 
the VST Instruments window, select a VST instrument 
patch, save the track preset, and do not change the patch 
afterwards. To ensure this, use a template project with the 
VSTi setup included and save the sounds (track presets) 
of this template project in specific subfolders, as they only 
work within this setup.
Creating tracks from track presets 
or VST presets
Using drag and drop
1.Open the MediaBay from the Media menu.
2.Select a track or VST preset from the list of all presets. 
3.Start playback to preview the selected VSTpreset.
All settings are applied in realtime to the selected track. If you set up your 
target track to a cycle and play back in loop, previewing will be very com
-fortable. Note that you cannot preview multi-track presets.
4.Drag and drop the preset onto the track list in the 
Project window.
One or more (in case of multi-track presets) tracks are created. If you 
drag and drop a VST instrument preset, an instrument track is created.
ÖYou can also drag and drop from the Windows Ex-
plorer or the Mac OS Finder, but in this case, no preview 
for MIDI and instrument track presets is possible.
Using the Choose Track Preset dialog
1.Right-click the track list to open the context menu and 
on the Add Track submenu select “Add Track Using Track 
Preset…”.
The Choose Track Preset dialog opens, showing a list of the available 
presets.
2.Select a preset from the Results list.
The Results section of the Choose Track Preset dialog displays all pre-
set sounds for all track types and VST instruments.
•Using the Filters section, you can narrow down the list 
by selecting the attributes that you are looking for.
This section is similar to the Filters section in the MediaBay, see “The Fil-
ters section” on page 335.
•Open the Location Tree section to select the folder in 
which you want to look for presets.
To show the Location Tree section, click the “Set Up Window Layout” 
button and activate the Location Tree option.
3.To preview MIDI and instrument track presets or VST 
presets, you have to play MIDI notes on a MIDI keyboard 
or load a MIDI file because there is no track connected.
The previewing options are described in detail in the section “Previewing 
VST presets and track presets for MIDI and instrument tracks” on page 
343.
4.When you have found the right preset, click the Add 
Track button to close the dialog.
One or more tracks (in case of multi-track presets) are created.
Using the Add Track function
1.Right-click the track list and select one of the Add 
Track options on the context menu.
2.Click the Browse button to expand the Add Track 
dialog.
The Presets Browser opens. The options are the same as when applying 
a preset to an existing track, see “Loading track or VST presets in the In-
spector or the context menu of the track” on page 359. The view is fil-
tered to show only the corresponding track presets.
3.Select a track or VST preset.
4.Click the Add Track button to create the track.
ÖThis method is not available for multi-track presets.
!The Preview functions work in the same way in the 
MediaBay and its related dialogs. Note however that 
not all Preview functions available in the MediaBay 
are also available in the dialogs. 
						

							25
Track Quick Controls 
						

							363
Track Quick Controls
Introduction
Nuendo can give you instant access to up to eight para-
meters of each audio, MIDI or instrument track. This is 
done with the aid of the so-called quick controls, set up 
on the Quick Controls Inspector tab for these tracks.
The Quick Controls tab can be used as a kind of track 
control center, an area in which your most important pa
-
rameters are assembled in one place. This saves you from 
having to click your way through the various windows and 
sections pertaining to your track.
Also, Nuendo allows you to assign these quick controls 
very quickly to an external remote control device. This 
gives you manual control of your most important track 
parameters.
Setting up the Quick Controls tab
Assigning parameters to quick controls
The Quick Controls tab shows eight slots, one for each 
quick control. To start with, these slots are empty. 
Proceed as follows to assign track parameters to the 
quick control slots:
1.On the Quick Controls tab, click on the first quick con-
trol slot.
A context menu opens. It lists all parameters currently accessible for this 
particular track. 
2.Double-click the parameter that you want to assign to 
the first quick control slot.
The parameter name and its value are displayed in the slot. You can 
change the value by dragging the slider.
The track’s main volume parameter is assigned to quick control 1.
3.Repeat these steps for each quick control slot until all 
eight slots are associated with track parameters.
You can now control the 8 functions most important to 
you via one single Inspector section.
Editing the quick control slots
•To rename a quick control, double-click on the name in 
the slot to select it, enter a new name and press [Enter].
•To replace a parameter assignment with a different pa-
rameter, click on the corresponding quick control slot and 
double-click on a different parameter in the browser pop-
up menu list.
The parameter assignment in this slot is changed.
•To remove a parameter from a slot, double-click the pa-
rameter name to select it and press the [Delete] or [Back-
space] key. Confirm this operation by pressing [Enter] or 
click in the corresponding slot and select “No parameter” 
from the browser pop-up menu.
The parameter assignment is removed, and the quick control slot is empty.
Options and settings
•Quick control assignments are saved with the current 
project.
•Since quick control settings are part of the track setup, 
you can save them as track presets, allowing you to re-use 
your settings across different projects.
Track presets are described in the chapter “Working with track presets” 
on page 356.
•You can automate all parameter settings on the Quick 
Controls tab using the Read/Write Enable buttons (R and 
W) at the top right.
The automation features of Nuendo are described in detail in the chapter “Automation” on page 239. 
						

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Track Quick Controls
Setting up quick controls on an 
external remote controller
Quick controls become really powerful when used in com-
bination with a remote controller.
Setting up the connection between the slots on the Quick 
Controls Inspector tab and a remote control device is easy. 
Proceed as follows:
1.In Nuendo, open the Device Setup dialog from the De-
vices menu.
2.In the Devices list on the left, select the Quick Con-
trols option.
This will open the Quick Controls section on the right of 
the dialog:
3.With your remote control device connected to Nuendo 
via MIDI, select the corresponding MIDI port on your com
-
puter in the MIDI Input pop-up (or select “All MIDI Inputs”).
If your remote controller has its own MIDI input and supports MIDI feed-back, you can connect your computer to the device input. Then, select 
the corresponding MIDI port in the MIDI Output pop-up menu.
4.Click “Apply” to apply your settings.
5.Select “QuickControl1” in the “Control Name” column.
6.Move the control (knob, fader or other) on your remote 
control device that you want to use for the first quick con
-
trol.
7.In the Device Setup dialog, click the Learn button.
8.Repeat the last 3 steps for the other quick controls.
You have now associated the slots on the Quick Control 
tab with control elements on your external remote control
-
ler. Moving a control element will automatically change the 
value of the parameter assigned to the corresponding 
quick control.
•The remote controller setup for quick controls is saved 
globally, i.
 e. independent of any projects.
If you have various remote controllers, you can store and load several 
quick control setups using the Export and Import buttons.
Quick controls and automatable 
parameters
The quick controls feature has one special extension: you 
can use quick controls not only to access certain parame
-
ters of the current track, but also to control all automatable 
parameters. This makes it possible to use the Quick Con
-
trols tab of a dedicated track as a kind of “mini mixer”, 
controlling parameters on other tracks. Use this function 
with caution, however, as you might accidentally modify 
parameters on other tracks.
Proceed as follows:
1.Create a new, empty audio track and open its Quick 
Controls tab.
This track has no events or parts.
2.Hold down the [Ctrl]/[Command] key and click on the 
slot for quick control 1.
The parameter selection context menu opens, but it lists not the parame-
ters of the current track, but all automatable parameters. 
						

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Track Quick Controls
3.Open the VST Mixer folder.
The pop-up menu lists all channels available in the Mixer 
of your current project. 
4.Now assign a parameter of one particular channel to 
quick control 1, and another parameter of another channel 
to quick control 2.
Here, quick controls 1–8 have been set up to control the main volume 
of eight audio tracks.
The Quick Controls tab has become a “secondary” mixer, 
dedicated to quick-controlling parameters on other tracks.
!Quick controls that are assigned that way cannot 
work when saved as track presets. 
						

							26
Remote controlling Nuendo 
						

							367
Remote controlling Nuendo
Introduction
It is possible to control Nuendo via MIDI. A large number 
of MIDI control devices is supported. This chapter de
-
scribes how to set up Nuendo for remote control. The 
supported devices are described in the separate PDF 
document “Remote Control Devices”.
•There is also a Generic Remote Device option, allowing 
you to use any MIDI controller to remote control Nuendo.
How to set this up is described in the section “The Generic Remote de-
vice” on page 369.
Setting Up
Connecting the remote device
Connect the MIDI output on the remote unit to a MIDI in-
put on your MIDI interface. Depending on the remote unit 
model, you may also need to connect a MIDI Out on the 
interface to a MIDI In on the remote unit (this is necessary 
if the remote unit features “feedback devices” such as in
-
dicators, motorized faders, etc.).
If you are recording MIDI tracks, you do not want any MIDI 
data from the remote unit to be accidentally recorded as 
well. To avoid this, you should make the following setting:
1.Open the Device Setup dialog from the Devices menu.
2.Select “MIDI Port Setup” in the list on the left.
3.Check the table on the right and locate the MIDI input 
to which you have connected the MIDI remote unit.
4.Deactivate the checkbox in the “In ‘All MIDI Inputs’” 
column for that input, so that the State column reads 
“Inactive”.
5.Click OK to close the Device Setup dialog.
Now you have removed the remote unit input from the “All 
MIDI Inputs” group. This means that you can record MIDI 
tracks with the “All MIDI Inputs” port selected without risk
-
ing to record the data from the remote unit at the same 
time.
Selecting a remote device
1.Open the Device Setup dialog from the Devices menu.
2.If you cannot find the remote device you are looking 
for, click on the plus sign in the top left corner and select 
the device from the pop-up menu.
The selected device is added to the Devices list.
•Note that it is possible to select more than one remote 
device of the same type.
If you have more than one remote device of the same type, these will be 
numbered in the Devices list. For example, to be able to use a Mackie 
Control Extender, you must install a second Mackie control device.
3.Select your MIDI control device model from the De-
vices list.
Depending on the selected device, either a list of programmable function 
commands or a blank panel is shown in the right half of the dialog window.
4.Select the correct MIDI input from the pop-up menu.
If necessary, select the correct MIDI output from the pop-up menu.
5.Click OK to close the dialog.
You can now use the MIDI control device to move faders and knobs, ac-
tivate Mute and Solo, etc. The exact parameter configuration depends on 
which external MIDI control device you are using. 
						

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Remote controlling Nuendo
•In the Project window (track list) and the Mixer (bottom 
of channel strips) you will now see white stripes indicating 
which channels are currently linked to the remote control 
device.
Audio 10 can be remote controlled, while Audio 11 is not linked to the 
remote control device. 
Operations
Global options for remote controllers
In the Device Setup dialog, on the page for your remote 
device, some (or all) of the following global functions may 
be available (depending on your remote device):
Writing automation using remote controls
Automating the Mixer in Touch mode using a remote control 
device is done in the same way as when you operate on-
screen controls in Write mode. In order to replace existing 
automation data for a control in Touch mode, the computer 
needs to know how long the user actually “grabbed” or 
used the control. When doing this “on screen”, the program 
simply detects when the mouse button is pressed and re
-
leased. When you are using an external remote control de-
vice without touch-sensitive controls, Nuendo cannot tell 
whether you “grab and hold” a fader or simply move it and 
release it.
Therefore, when you are using a device without touch-
sensitive controls and want to replace existing automation 
data, pay attention to the following:
•If you activate Write mode and move a control on the re-
mote control device, all data for the corresponding para-
meter is replaced from the position where you moved the 
control, up to the position where playback is stopped.
In other words, as soon as you move a control in Write mode, it remains 
“active” until you stop playback.
•Make sure that you move only the controller you want to 
replace.
Assigning remote key commands
For some remote devices, you can assign any Nuendo 
function (to which a key command can be assigned) to 
generic buttons, wheels, or other controls. 
Proceed as follows:
1.Open the Device Setup dialog and select your remote 
device.
On the right side of the window you will find a three column table. This is 
where you assign commands.
2.Use the Button column to locate a remote device con-
trol or button to which you wish to assign a Nuendo func-
tion.
3.Click in the Category column for the control and select 
one of the Nuendo function categories from the pop-up 
menu.
4.Click in the Command column and select the desired 
Nuendo function from the pop-up menu.
The available items on the pop-up menu depend on the selected category.
5.Click “Apply” when you are done.
!Sometimes communication between Nuendo and a 
remote device is interrupted or the handshaking pro-
tocol fails to create a connection. To re-establish 
communication with any device in the Devices list, 
select it and click the Reset button in the lower part 
of the Device Setup dialog. The “Send Reset Mes-
sage to all Devices” button at the top left of the dia-
log next to the “+” and “-” buttons will reset every 
device in the Devices list.
OptionDescription
Bank pop-up 
menuIf your remote device contains several banks, you can se-lect the bank you want to use. The bank you select here is used by default when Nu-endo is launched.
Smart Switch 
DelaySome of the Nuendo functions (e. g. Solo and Mute) sup-port the so called “smart switch” behavior: In addition to 
regular activation/deactivation of a function by clicking a 
button, you can also activate the function for as long as 
the button is pressed. Upon releasing the mouse button, 
the function is deactivated. 
This pop-up menu allows you to specify how long a but-ton must be pressed before it goes into “smart switch” 
mode. When “Off” is selected, the “smart switch” func-tion is deactivated in Nuendo.
Enable Auto 
SelectIf this option is activated, touching a fader on a touch-
sensitive remote control device automatically selects the 
corresponding channel. On devices without touch-sensi
-tive faders, the channel gets selected as soon as you 
move the fader. 
						

							369
Remote controlling Nuendo
•Click “Reset” to revert to the default settings.
The selected function is now assigned to the button or 
control on the remote device.
A note about remote controlling MIDI tracks
While most remote control devices will be able to control 
both MIDI and audio channels in Nuendo, the parameter 
setup may be different. For example, audio-specific con
-
trols (such as EQ) will be disregarded when controlling 
MIDI channels.
Accessing user panel parameters via remote 
control devices
Nuendo allows you to control external MIDI devices through 
user device panels. When you have assigned project pa
-
rameters to a device panel to be displayed in the Mixer (i.e. 
when creating the panel, you must select the Channel Strip 
Size option in the Add Panel dialog), you can access these 
parameters through some of the remote control devices 
supported by Nuendo.
This feature is supported for the following devices:
•Steinberg Houston
• Mackie Control
•Mackie HUI
• Yamaha DM 2000
• CM Motormix
•SAC2K
These remote control devices provide an extra display 
page in the Inserts section for the selected channel.
This page is called User and is displayed as the 9th insert 
page for audio channels and as the 5th insert page for MIDI 
channels. It allows you to control the parameters assigned 
to your user device panel from your remote control device.
The Generic Remote device
If you have a generic MIDI controller, you can use this for 
remote control of Nuendo by setting up the Generic Re
-
mote device:
1.Open the Device Setup dialog on the Devices menu.
If the Generic Remote device is not on the Devices list, you need to add it.
2.Click the “+” sign in the top left corner and select the 
“Generic Remote” device from the pop-up menu.
•When the Generic Remote device is added in the Device 
Setup dialog, you can open the corresponding window by 
selecting “Generic Remote” from the Devices menu.
3.Select the Generic Remote device in the Devices list 
to the left.
The settings for the Generic Remote device are displayed, allowing you 
to specify which control on your device should control which parameter 
in Nuendo.
4.Use the MIDI Input and Output pop-up menus to se-
lect the MIDI port(s) to which your remote device is con-
nected. 
						

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Remote controlling Nuendo
5.Use the pop-up menu to the right to select a bank.
Banks are combinations of a certain number of channels, and are used be-
cause most MIDI devices can control only a limited number of channels at 
a time (often 8 or 16). For example, if your MIDI control device has 16 vol-
ume faders, and you are using 32 Mixer channels in Nuendo, you would 
need two banks of 16 channels each. When the first bank is selected you 
can control channel 1 to 16; when the second Bank is selected you can 
control channel 17 to 32.
6.Set up the table at the top according to the controls 
on your MIDI control device.
The columns have the following functionality:
•If you find that the table at the top holds too many or too 
few controls, you can add or remove controls with the Add 
and Delete buttons to the right of the table.
•If you are uncertain of which MIDI message a certain 
controller sends, you can use the Learn function.
Select the control in the upper table (by clicking in the Control Name co-
lumn), move the corresponding control on your MIDI device and click the 
Learn button to the right of the table. The MIDI Status, MIDI Channel, and 
Address values are automatically set to those of the moved control.
7.Use the table at the bottom to specify which Nuendo 
parameters you want to control.
Each row in the table is associated to the controller in the corresponding 
row in the first table (as indicated by the Control Name column). The 
other columns have the following functionality:
8.If necessary, make settings for another bank.
Note that you only need to make settings in the bottom table for this bank. 
The table at the top is already set up according to the MIDI remote device.
•If necessary, you can add banks by clicking the Add 
button below the Bank pop-up menu.
Clicking the Rename button allows you to assign a new name to the cur-
rently selected bank, and you can remove an unneeded bank by select-ing it and clicking the Delete button.
ColumnDescription
Control NameDouble-clicking this field allows you to enter a descriptive 
name for the control (typically a name written on the con-sole). This name is automatically reflected in the Control 
Name column in the lower table.
MIDI StatusClicking in this column pulls down a pop-up menu, allow-ing you to specify the type of MIDI message sent by the 
control. The options are Controller, Program Change, Note 
On, Note Off, Aftertouch, and Polyphonic Pressure. Also 
available are Continuous Control NRPN and RPN, a way to 
extend the available control messages. The “Ctrl JLCoo
-per” option is a special version of a Continuous Controller 
where the 3rd byte of a MIDI message is used as address 
instead of the 2nd byte (a method supported by various JL-
Cooper remote devices).
MIDI ChannelClicking in this column opens a pop-up menu, allowing 
you to select the MIDI channel on which the controller is 
transmitted.
AddressThe Continuous Controller number, the pitch of a note, or 
the address of a NRPN/RPN Continuous Controller.
Max. ValueThe maximum value the control will transmit. This value is 
used by the program to “scale” the value range of the 
MIDI controller to the value range of the program para
-meter.
FlagsClicking in this column pulls down a pop-up menu, allow-ing you to activate or deactivate three flags:Receive – activate this if the MIDI message should be 
processed on reception.
Transmit – activate this if a MIDI message should be trans-mitted when the corresponding value in the program 
changes.
Relative – activate this if the control is an “endless” rotary 
encoder, which reports the number of turns instead of an 
absolute value.
ColumnDescription
DeviceClicking in this column opens a pop-up menu, used for 
determining which device in Nuendo is controlled. The 
special “Command” option allows you to perform certain 
command actions by remote control. One example of this 
is the selection of remote banks.
Channel/
CategoryThis is where you select the channel to be controlled or, if 
the “Command” Device option is selected, the Command 
category.
Value/ActionClicking in this column pulls down a pop-up menu, allow-ing you to select the parameter of the channel to be 
controlled (typically, if the “VST Mixer” Device option is 
selected, you can choose between volume, pan, send 
levels, EQ, etc.).
If the “Command” Device option is selected, this is where 
you specify the “Action” of the category.
FlagsClicking in this column pulls down a pop-up menu, allow-ing you to activate or deactivate three flags:Push Button – When activated, the parameter is only 
changed if the received MIDI message shows a value 
unequal to 0.
Toggle – When activated, the parameter value is switched 
between minimum and maximum value each time a MIDI 
message is received. The combination of Push Button and 
Toggle is useful for remote controls which do not latch the 
state of a button. One example is controlling mute status 
with a device on which pressing the Mute button turns it 
on, and releasing the Mute button turns it off. If Push But
-ton and Toggle are activated, the Mute status will change 
between on and off whenever the button is pressed on the 
console.
Not Automated – When activated, the parameter will not 
be automated.