Steinberg Nuendo 5 Manual

							31
VST Connections
Setting the Main Mix bus (the default output 
bus)
The Main Mix is the output bus that each new audio, group 
or FX channel is automatically routed to.
Any of the output busses in the VST Connections window 
can be the default output bus. By right-clicking on the 
name of an output bus, you can set it as the Main Mix bus.
Setting the default output bus.
Adding child busses
A surround bus is essentially a set of mono channels – 
6
 channels in the case of the 5.1 format. If you have a 
mono track in the project, you can route it to a separate 
speaker channel in the bus (or route it to the parent sur
-
round bus and use the SurroundPanner to position it in 
the surround image). But what if you have a stereo track 
that you simply want to route to a stereo channel pair 
within the bus (Left and Right or Left Surround and Right 
Surround, for example)? For this you need to create a 
child bus.
Proceed as follows:
1.In the Bus Name column, select the surround bus and 
right-click on it to open the context menu.
2.Select a channel configuration from the “Add Child 
Bus” submenu.
As you can see, you can create stereo child busses (routed to various 
speaker channel pairs in the surround bus) or other surround bus formats 
(with fewer channels than the “parent bus”).
The child bus that you created will be available for routing 
in the Mixer. It is a part of the parent surround bus, which 
means that it has no separate channel strip.
Although child busses are probably most useful in output 
busses, you can also create child busses within a sur
-
round input bus – for example if you want to record a ste-
reo channel pair (e. g. front left-right) in the surround bus 
to a separate stereo track.
Presets
On the Inputs and Outputs tabs you will find a Presets 
menu. Here you can find three different types of presets:
•A number of standard bus configurations.
•Automatically created presets tailored to your specific 
hardware configuration.
On startup, Nuendo analyzes the physical inputs and outputs provided 
by your audio hardware and creates a number of hardware-dependent 
presets with the following possible configurations:
• one stereo bus
• various combinations of stereo and mono busses
• a number of mono busses
• one 5.1 bus (if you have 6 or more inputs)
• various combinations of 5.1 and stereo busses (if you have 6 
or more inputs)
• various combinations of 5.1 and mono busses (if you have 6 
or more inputs)
•Your own user presets that you can save by clicking the 
Store button (“+” symbol). You can then select the stored 
configuration directly from the Presets pop-up menu at 
any time. To remove a stored preset, select it and click the 
Delete button (“-” symbol).
!The Main Mix is indicated by an orange colored 
speaker icon next to its name. 
						

							32
VST Connections
Setting up group and FX channels
The Group/FX tab in the VST Connections window shows 
all group channels and FX channels in your project. You 
can create new group or FX channels by clicking the cor
-
responding Add button. This is the same as creating 
group channel tracks or FX channel tracks in the Project 
window (see 
“Using group channels” on page 170 and 
the chapter “Audio effects” on page 195).
However, the VST Connections window also allows you 
to create child busses for group and FX channels. This is 
useful if you have group or FX channels in surround format 
and want to route stereo channels to specific channel 
pairs in these.
Creating a child bus for a group or FX channel in surround 
format is similar to creating a child bus for input and out
-
put busses, see “Adding child busses” on page 31.
About monitoring
The VST Connections window allows you to set up the 
busses used for monitoring, activate/deactivate the Con
-
trol Room and open the Control Room Mixer. For details 
about using the Control Room and setting up the Studio 
tab in the VST Connections window, see the chapter 
“Control Room” on page 179.
When the Control Room is disabled on the Studio tab of 
the VST Connections window, the Main Mix bus is used 
for monitoring. In this case you can adjust the monitoring 
level in the regular Project Mixer, see the chapter 
“The 
Mixer” on page 151.
External instruments/effects
Nuendo supports the integration of external effect devices 
and external instruments, e.
 g. hardware synthesizers, into 
the sequencer signal flow.
You can use the External Instruments tab and the External 
FX tab in the VST Connections window to define the 
necessary send and return ports and access the instru
-
ments/effects through the VST Instruments window.
Requirements
•To use external effects, you need audio hardware with 
multiple inputs and outputs. To use external instruments, a 
MIDI interface must be connected to your computer.
An external effect will require at least one input and one output (or input/
output pairs for stereo effects) in addition to the input/output ports you 
use for recording and monitoring.
•As always, audio hardware with low-latency drivers is a 
good thing to have.
Nuendo will compensate for the input/output latency and ensure that the 
audio processed through external effects is not shifted in time.
Connecting the external effect/instrument
To set up an external effect or instrument, proceed as 
follows:
1.Connect an unused output pair on your audio hard-
ware to the input pair on your external hardware device.
In this example, we assume that the hardware device has stereo inputs 
and outputs.
2.Connect an unused input pair on your audio hardware 
to the output pair on your hardware device.
Once the external device is connected to the audio hard-
ware of your computer, you have to set up the input/out-
put busses in Nuendo.
!External instruments and effects are indicated by an 
“x” icon in the list next to their names in the respec
-
tive pop-up menus.
!Please note that it is possible to select input/output 
ports for external effects/instruments that are already 
used (i.
 e. that have been selected as inputs/outputs 
in the VST Connections window). If you select a used 
port for an external effect/instrument, the existing port 
assignment will be broken. Note that you will not get a 
warning message! 
						

							33
VST Connections
Setting up external effects
To set up an external effect in the VST Connections win-
dow, proceed as follows:
1.Open the External FX tab and click the “Add External 
FX” button.
A dialog opens.
2.Enter a name for the external effect and specify the 
send and return configurations.
Depending on the type of effect, you can specify mono, stereo or sur-
round configurations. 
•You also need a MIDI device that corresponds with the 
external effect. You can then click the “Associate MIDI 
Device” button to connect the two.
You can use the MIDI Device Manager to create a new MIDI device for 
the effect. Note that delay compensation will only be applied for the ef-
fect when you use MIDI devices. For information about the MIDI Device 
Manager and user device panels see the chapter 
“Using MIDI devices” on page 380.
3.Click OK.
This adds a new external FX bus.
4.Click in the Device Port column for the “left” and 
“right” ports of the Send Bus and select the outputs on 
your audio hardware that you want to use.
5.Click in the Device Port column for the “left” and 
“right” ports of the Return Bus and select the inputs on 
your audio hardware that you want to use.
6.If you like, make additional settings for the bus.
These are found in the columns to the right. Note that you can adjust 
these while actually using the external effect – which may be easier as 
you can hear the result. 
The following options are available:
ÖNote that external device ports are exclusive, see 
“Connecting the external effect/instrument” on page 32.
How to use the external effect
If you now click an insert effect slot for any channel, you 
will find the new external FX bus listed on the “External 
Plug-ins” submenu.
When you select it, the following happens:
• The external FX bus is loaded into the effect slot just like a 
regular effect plug-in.
• The audio signal from the channel is sent to the outputs on the 
audio hardware, through your external effect device and back 
to the program via the inputs on the audio hardware.
• A parameter window opens, showing the Delay, Send Gain 
and Return Gain settings for the external FX bus. You can ad
-
just these as necessary while playing back. The parameter 
window also provides the “Measure Effect’s Loop Delay for 
Delay Compensation” button. This is the same function as the 
“Check User Delay” option in the VST Connections window. It 
provides Nuendo with a Delay value to be used for delay com
-
SettingDescription
DelayIf your hardware effect device has an inherent delay (la-tency), enter this value here, as it allows Nuendo to com-pensate for that delay during playback. You can also let 
the delay value be determined by the program: Right-
click the Delay column for the effect and select “Check 
User Delay”. Note that you do not have to take the latency 
of the audio hardware into account – this is handled auto
-matically by the program.
Send GainAllows you to adjust the level of the signal being sent to 
the external effect.
Return GainAllows you to adjust the level of the signal coming in from 
the external effect. 
Note however that excessive output levels from an exter-nal effect device may cause clipping in the audio hard-ware. The Return Gain setting cannot be used to 
compensate for this – you have to lower the output level 
on the effect device instead.
MIDI DeviceWhen you click in this column, a pop-up menu opens 
where you can disconnect the effect from the associated 
MIDI device, select a MIDI device, create a new device or 
open the MIDI Device Manager to edit the MIDI device. 
When Studio Manager 2 is installed, you may also select 
an OPT editor to access your external effect.
UsedWhenever you insert an external effect into an audio 
track, this column shows a checkmark (“x”) to indicate 
that the effect is being used. 
						

							34
VST Connections
pensation. When you have defined a MIDI device for the ef-
fect, the corresponding Device window will be opened. When 
Studio Manager 2 is installed, and you have set up a corre
-
sponding OPT editor, this OPT editor is displayed.
The default parameter window for an external effect
Like any effect, you can use the external FX bus as an in-
sert effect or as a send effect (an insert effect on an FX 
channel track). You can deactivate or bypass the external 
effect with the usual controls.
Setting up external instruments
To set up an external instrument in the VST Connections 
window, proceed as follows:
1.Open the External Instrument tab and click the “Add 
External Instrument” button.
A dialog opens.
2.Enter a name for the external instrument and specify 
the number of required mono and/or stereo returns.
Depending on the type of instrument, a specific number of mono and/or 
stereo return channels is required.
•You also need a MIDI device that corresponds with the 
external instrument. You can then click the “Associate 
MIDI Device” button to connect the two.
You can use the MIDI Device Manager to create a new MIDI device. For 
information about the MIDI Device Manager and user device panels, see 
the chapter 
“Using MIDI devices” on page 380.
3.Click OK.
This adds a new external instrument bus.
4.Click in the Device Port column for the “left” and 
“right” ports of the Return Bus and select the inputs on 
your audio hardware to which you connected the external 
instrument.
5.If you like, make additional settings for the bus.
These are found in the columns to the right. Note that you can adjust 
these while actually using the external instrument – which may be easier 
as you can hear the result. The following options are available:
ÖNote that external device ports are exclusive, see 
“Connecting the external effect/instrument” on page 32.
How to use the external instrument
Once you have set up the external instrument in the VST 
Connections window, you can use it as a VST instrument. 
Open the VST Instruments window and click on an empty 
instrument slot. On the Instrument pop-up menu, your ex
-
ternal instrument is listed on the External Plug-ins submenu:
Measure Effect’s Loop Delay button
SettingDescription
DelayIf your hardware device has an inherent delay (latency), 
enter this value here. This allows Nuendo to compensate 
for that delay during playback. Note that you do not have 
to take the latency of the audio hardware into account – 
this is handled automatically by the program.
Return GainAllows you to adjust the level of the signal coming in from 
the external instrument. 
Note however that excessive output levels from an external 
device may cause clipping in the audio hardware. The Re-turn Gain setting cannot be used to compensate for this – 
you have to lower the output level on the device instead.
MIDI DeviceWhen you click in this column, a pop-up menu opens 
where you can disconnect the instrument from the asso-ciated MIDI device, select a MIDI device, create a new 
device or open the MIDI Device Manager to edit the MIDI 
device. 
When Studio Manager 2 is installed, you may also select 
an OPT editor to access your external instrument.
UsedWhenever you insert the external instrument into a VST 
instrument slot, this column shows a checkmark (“x”) to 
indicate that the instrument is being used. 
						

							35
VST Connections
When you select the external instrument in the VST Instru-
ments window, the following happens:
• A parameter window for the external device opens automati-
cally. This may either be the Device window, allowing you to 
create a generic device panel, an OPT editor window or a de
-
fault editor. For information about the Device window, the 
MIDI Device Manager and User device panels, see the chap
-
ter “Using MIDI devices” on page 380.
The external instrument will behave like any other VST in-
strument in Nuendo.
About the Favorites buttons
In the VST Connections window, both the External FX tab 
and the External Instruments tab feature a Favorites button.
Favorites are device configurations that you can recall at 
any time, like a library of external devices that are not con
-
stantly connected to your computer. They also allow you 
to save different configurations for the same device, e.
 g. a 
multi-effect board or an effect that provides both a mono 
and a stereo mode.
To save a device configuration as a favorite, proceed as 
follows:
•When you have added a new device in the VST Con-
nections window, select it in the Bus Name column and 
click the Favorites button.
A context menu is displayed showing an option to add the selected ef-
fect or instrument to the Favorites.
•You can recall the stored configuration at any time by 
clicking the Favorites button and selecting the device 
name from the context menu.
About the “plug-in could not be found” 
message
When you open a project that uses an external effect/in-
strument, you may get a “plug-in could not be found” mes-
sage. This will happen when you remove an external 
device from the VST Connections window although it is 
used in a saved project, or when transferring a project to 
another computer on which the external device is not de
-
fined. You may also see this message when opening a 
project created with an earlier version of Nuendo.
In the VST Connections window, the broken connection 
to the external device is indicated by an icon in the Bus 
Name column.
To reestablish the broken connection to the external de-
vice, simply right-click the entry for the device in the Bus 
Name column and select “Connect External Effect”. The 
icon is removed, and you can use the external device 
within your project as before.
Freezing external effects/instruments
Just as when working with regular VST instruments and 
effects, you can also choose to freeze external effects and 
instruments. The general procedure is described in detail 
in the chapters 
“Audio effects” on page 195 and “VST in-
struments and instrument tracks” on page 215.
When freezing external instruments or effects, you can ad-
just the corresponding tail value in the Freeze Channel 
Options dialog:
!To send MIDI notes to the external instrument, open 
the Output Routing pop-up menu in the Inspector for 
the corresponding MIDI track and select the MIDI 
device to which the external instrument is connected. 
This ensures use of delay compensation. The instru
-
ment will now play any MIDI notes it receives from 
this track and return them to Nuendo through the re
-
turn channel(s) you have set up. 
!Note that busses set up for external effects or exter-
nal instruments are saved “globally”, i. e. for your par-
ticular computer setup.
!Note that you have to perform Freeze in realtime. 
Otherwise external effects will not be taken into ac
-
count. 
						

							36
VST Connections
•Use the arrow buttons next to the Tail Size value field to 
set the desired Tail length, i.
 e. the range after the part 
boundary is also to be included in the freeze. You can also 
click directly in the value field and enter the desired value 
manually (the maximum value being 60
 s).
•When the Tail Size is set to 0 s (default), the freezing will 
only take into account the data within the Part boundaries.
Editing operations
On the different tabs of the VST Connections window the 
corresponding busses or channels are shown in a table 
containing a tree view with expandable entries. After you 
have set up all the required busses for a project it might 
be necessary to edit the names and/or change port as
-
signments. Nuendo provides a number of features to 
make such tasks easier.
Expanding and collapsing entries
•Bus entries can be expanded or collapsed to show or 
hide the corresponding speaker channels or sub-busses 
by clicking the “+” or “-” sign in front of the corresponding 
list entry.
•To expand or collapse all entries on a tab at the same 
time, use the “+
 All” button or the “- All” button (respec-
tively) above the tree view.
Determining how many busses a device port is 
connected to
To give you an idea how many busses a given port is al-
ready connected to, the busses are shown in square 
brackets on the Device Port pop-up menu, to the right of 
the port name.
Up to three bus assignments can be displayed in this way. 
If more connections have been made, this is indicated by a 
number at the far right.
Therefore if you see the following:
Adat 1   [Stereo1] [Stereo2] [Stereo3] (+2)...
this means that the Adat 1 port is already assigned to 
three stereo busses plus two additional busses.
Identifying exclusive port assignments
In some cases (i. e. for certain channel types such as Stu-
dio channels) the port assignment is exclusive. Once a 
port has been assigned to such a bus or channel, it should 
not be assigned to another bus since the assignment to 
the first bus is broken in that case.
To help you identify such exclusive port assignments and 
avoid accidental reassignment, the corresponding ports 
are marked in red on the Device Port pop-up menu.
Selecting/Deselecting multiple entries
•Using the key commands [Ctrl]/[Command]-[A] (Select 
All) and [Shift]-[Ctrl]/[Command]-[A] (Select None) you 
can select or deselect all entries in the Bus Name column.
Note that for this to work the table on the current tab needs to have the 
focus. This can be achieved by clicking anywhere on the background of 
the table.
•By holding [Shift] when selecting entries in the Bus Name 
column, you can select multiple entries at the same time.
This is useful for automatic renaming or changing the port assignments 
globally, see below.
ÖIf you select a sub entry (e. g. a speaker channel in a 
bus) the parent entry is automatically selected as well.
Selecting entries by typing the name
In the Bus Name list you can jump to an entry by typing the 
first letter of the bus name on the keyboard.
Navigating the Bus Name list using the [Tab] key
By pressing the [Tab] key you can jump to the next entry in 
the Bus Name list, allowing you to rename your busses 
quickly. Similarly, by pressing [Shift]-[Tab] you can return 
to the previous list entry.
!This will only work if the table has the focus. To do 
this, simply select any list entry. 
						

							37
VST Connections
Automatically renaming selected busses
You can rename all the selected busses at once using in-
crementing numbers or letters from the alphabet.
•To use incrementing numbers, select the busses that 
you want to rename and enter a new name for one of the 
busses, followed by a number.
For example, if you have eight inputs that you want to be named “In 1, 
In
 2, …, In 8”, you select all the busses and enter the name “In 1” for the 
first bus. All other busses are renamed automatically.
•To use letters from the alphabet, you proceed as with 
numbers, but enter a capital letter instead of a number.
For example, if you have three FX channels that you want to be named 
“FX A, FX B, and FX C”, you select all the channels and enter the name 
“FX
 A” for the first. All other channels are renamed automatically. The last 
letter to be used is Z. If you have more selected entries than there are let
-ters available, the remaining entries will be skipped.
ÖYou do not have to begin renaming with the topmost 
selected entry. The renaming will start from the bus where 
you edit the name, will go down the list to the bottom and 
then continue from the top until all selected busses have 
been renamed.
Changing the port assignment for a single bus
To change the port assignment for a single bus, you pro-
ceed as when you added it: Make sure that the channels 
are visible and click in the Device Port column to select 
ports.
Changing the port assignment for multiple busses
To change the port assignment (or the output routing in 
case of groups/FX channels) for multiple entries in the 
Bus Name column at the same time, you need to select 
the corresponding busses first.
•To assign different ports to the selected busses, press 
[Shift], open the Device Port pop-up menu for the first se
-
lected entry (i. e. the topmost bus) and select a device port.
All subsequent busses are automatically connected to the next available 
port.
•To assign the same ports to all selected busses, press 
[Shift]-[Alt]/[Option], open the Device Port pop-up menu 
for the first selected entry (i.
 e. the topmost bus) and select 
a device port.
ÖUsing this procedure, you can also set all selected 
busses or channels to Not Connected.
Removing busses
To remove a bus you do not need, select it in the list, right-
click and select Remove Bus from the pop-up menu, or 
press [Backspace].
!When using letters instead of numbers it is important 
to note that these must be preceded by a space. If 
you leave out the space before the letter or if you do 
enter neither a letter nor a number, only the first se
-
lected entry is renamed.
!Exclusive ports (e. g. ports already assigned to Con-
trol Room channels) will be skipped! 
						

							5
The Project window 
						

							39
The Project window
Window Overview
The Project window is the main window in Nuendo. This provides you with an overview of the project, allowing you to 
navigate and perform large scale editing. Each project has one Project window.
 
About tracks
The Project window is divided vertically into tracks, with a 
timeline running horizontally from left to right. The follow
-
ing track types are available:
Project 
overview
The event display, showing audio parts and events, MIDI parts, automation, markers, etc. InspectorRuler Info lineToolbar
The track list with various track typesStatus line
Track typeDescription
AudioFor recording and playing back audio events and audio 
parts. Each audio track has a corresponding audio chan-nel in the Mixer.An audio track can have any number of automation tracks 
for automating Mixer channel parameters, effect settings, 
etc.
FolderFolder tracks function as containers for other tracks, mak-ing it easier to organize and manage the track structure. 
They also allow you to edit several tracks at the same 
time, see 
“Folder tracks” on page 65.
FX ChannelFX channel tracks are used for adding send effects. Each 
FX channel can contain up to eight effect processors – by 
routing effect sends from an audio channel to an FX chan
-nel, you send audio from the audio channel to the effect(s) 
on the FX channel. Each FX channel has a corresponding 
channel strip in the Mixer – in essence an effect return 
channel, see the chapter “Audio effects” on page 195. All FX channel tracks are automatically placed in a special 
FX channel folder in the track list, for easy management.
An FX channel can also have any number of automation 
tracks for automating Mixer channel parameters, effect 
settings, etc.
Group  ChannelBy routing several audio channels to a Group channel, 
you can submix them, apply the same effects to them, etc. 
(see 
“Using group channels” on page 170).A Group channel track contains no events as such, but 
displays settings and automation curves for the corre-sponding Group channel. Each Group channel track has 
a corresponding channel strip in the Mixer. In the Project 
window, Group channels are organized as tracks in a 
special Group Tracks folder. 
Track type Description 
						

							40
The Project window
About parts and events
The tracks in the Project window contain parts and/or 
events. Events are the basic building blocks in Nuendo. 
Different event types are handled differently in the Project 
window:
• Video events and automation events (curve points) are always 
viewed and rearranged directly in the Project window.
• MIDI events can always be found in MIDI parts, which are con-
tainers for one or more MIDI events. MIDI parts are rearranged 
and manipulated in the Project window. To edit the individual 
MIDI events in a part, you have to open the part in a MIDI edi
-
tor (see “The MIDI editors” on page 403). 
• Audio events can be displayed and edited directly in the 
Project window, but you can also work with audio parts con
-
taining several events. This is useful if you have a number of 
events which you want to treat as one unit in the project. Au
-
dio parts also contain information about the time position in 
the project.
An audio event and an audio part
Getting on-the-fly info with the Arrow tool
If the “Select Tool: Show Extra Info” option is activated in 
the Preferences dialog (Editing–Tools page), a tooltip will 
be shown for the Arrow tool, displaying information de
-
pending on where you point it. For example, in the Project 
window event display, the tool will show the current pointer 
position and the name of the track and event you are point
-
ing at.
InstrumentThis allows you to create a track for a dedicated instru-ment, making VST instrument handling easier and more in-tuitive. Instrument tracks have a corresponding channel 
strip in the Mixer. Each instrument track can have any num-ber of automation tracks in the Project window. However, 
Volume and Pan are automated from within the Mixer. It is 
possible to edit instrument tracks directly in the Project 
window, using the Edit In-Place function (see 
“The In-Place Editor” on page 422). For more information on in-strument tracks, see the chapter “VST instruments and in-strument tracks” on page 215.
MIDIFor recording and playing back MIDI parts. Each MIDI 
track has a corresponding MIDI channel strip in the Mixer. 
It is possible to edit MIDI tracks directly in the Project 
window, using the Edit In-Place function (see 
“The In-Place Editor” on page 422).A MIDI track can have any number of automation tracks 
for automating Mixer channel parameters, insert and send 
effect settings, etc. 
MarkerMarker tracks display markers which can be moved and 
renamed directly in the Project window (see the chapter 
“Using markers” on page 136).
ArrangerThe arranger track is used for arranging your project, by 
marking out sections in the project and determining in 
which order they are to be played back. See the chapter 
“The arranger track” on page 122 for details.
RulerRuler tracks contain additional rulers, displaying the time-line from left to right. You can use any number of ruler 
tracks, each with a different display format if you wish. 
See 
“The ruler” on page 47 for more information about the ruler and the display formats.
SignatureTime signature events can be added and edited on the 
signature track, or in the Tempo Track Editor. A project 
can have only one signature track. See the chapter 
“Edit-ing tempo and signature” on page 452 for details.
TempoYou can create tempo changes within a project using the 
tempo track. A project can have only one tempo track. 
See the chapter 
“Editing tempo and signature” on page 452 for details.
TransposeThe transpose track allows you to set global key changes. 
A project can have only one transpose track, see the 
chapter 
“The transpose functions” on page 129.
VideoFor playing back video events. A project can have two 
video tracks.
Track type Description