Steinberg Nuendo 5 Manual
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451 The Project Logical Editor Organizing and sharing presets The Project Logical Editor presets are stored within the application folder in the Presets\Logical Edit Project sub - folder. While these files cannot be edited manually, you can reorganize them (e. g. putting them in subfolders) like any files. This also makes it easy to share presets with other Nuendo users, by transferring the individual preset files. ÖThe list of presets is read each time the Project Logi- cal Editor is opened. Setting up key commands for your presets If you have stored Project Logical Editor presets, you can set up key commands for them: 1.Pull down the File menu and select “Key Com- mands…”. The Key Commands dialog opens. 2.Use the list in the Commands column to navigate to the category “Process Project Logical Editor” and click the “+” sign to display the items in the folder. 3.In the list, select the item to which you wish to assign a key command, click in the “Type in Key” field and enter a new key command. 4.Click the Assign button above the field. The new key command appears in the Keys List. 5.Click OK to exit the dialog. For more information on Key Commands, see the chapter “Key commands” on page 580.
453 Editing tempo and signature Background Whenever you create a new project, Nuendo will automat- ically set the tempo and time signature for this project. The tempo and signature settings can be displayed in two ways: either on dedicated tracks in the Project window, or in the Tempo Track Editor. Tempo modes Before we go into detail about tempo and signature set- tings, you should understand the different tempo modes. For each track in Nuendo that can make use of this func- tion, you can specify whether it is time-based or tempo- based (see “Switching between musical and linear time base” on page 63). For tempo-based tracks, the tempo can either be fixed throughout the entire project (this is called “fixed tempo mode”) or follow the tempo track (this is called “tempo track mode”), which may contain tempo changes. •To switch between fixed tempo mode and tempo track mode, use the Tempo button on the Transport panel: When the Tempo button is lit (and the text “Track” is shown), the tempo follows the tempo track; when it is de - activated (and the text “Fixed” is shown), a fixed tempo is used (see “Setting the fixed tempo” on page 456). You can also switch the tempo mode with the Activate Tempo Track button on the Tempo Track Editor toolbar. In tempo track mode, the tempo cannot be changed on the Transport panel, i. e. the tempo information here is for display purposes only. Signature events are always active, regardless of whether fixed tempo mode or tempo track mode is selected. A note about tempo-based audio tracks For tempo-based tracks, the start position of audio events on the timeline depends on the current tempo setting. How - ever, it is important to realize that the actual audio (“within” the events) will play back as recorded, regardless of any tempo changes you make. Therefore, it is good practice to make the proper tempo and time signature settings before you start recording tempo-based audio. •To make an already recorded audio track follow the tempo changes, you can use the Sample Editor, see the chapter “The Sample Editor” on page 282. How well this works depends on the character of the audio recordings, since the hitpoint detection feature works best with fairly rhythmical material. •To adapt the tempo track to time-based material, you can use the Time Warp tool, see “The Time Warp tool” on page 459. This allows you to adjust the tempo track so that tempo-based material (e. g. positions in music) coincides with time-based material (positions in narration, video, etc.). Tempo and signature display You can view the current tempo and signature settings of your project in a number of ways: •On the Transport panel. See above, and the section “The Transport panel” on page 84. •By displaying the tempo track and the signature track in the Project window. Open the Project menu, select Add Track and the Signature and/or Tempo options. •In the Tempo Track Editor. Open the Project menu and select Tempo Track Editor, or [Ctrl]/[Com-mand]-click the Tempo button on the Transport panel.
454 Editing tempo and signature About the tempo and signature tracks The tempo track and the signature track allow you to view and edit tempo and signature data in the project context. •The Inspectors for these tracks show the positions and values of individual tempo curve points or signature events. •The signature track’s background always shows bars. This is independent of the ruler display format setting. •In the track list for the tempo track, on the far right, you can specify the display range by clicking on the numbers at the top or bottom and dragging up or down. Note that this does not change the tempo setting, but changes the dis- play scale of the tempo track. •You can lock the tempo track and the signature track to prevent unintentional editing. Simply click the lock symbols in the track list to lock/unlock the tracks. About the Tempo Track Editor If you do not want to display two extra tracks in the Project window, you can also open the Tempo Track Editor to view and edit tempo and signature information. The Tempo Track Editor has a toolbar, info line and ruler just like other editors in Nuendo, plus an area for the dis - play of time signature events and a tempo curve display. The toolbar The toolbar contains various tools and settings: •The tools for Object Selection, Erase, Zoom and Draw are used in the same way as in other editors. The Snap and Auto-Scroll functions also work exactly like in the Project window. Note that in the Tempo Track Editor, the Snap function affects tempo events only. Time signature events always snap to the beginning of bars. •The info line in the Tempo Track Editor allows you to change settings for selected time signature events, and the type and tempo of selected tempo curve points. •The ruler in the Tempo Track Editor shows the timeline, and is similar to the ruler in the Project window. See “The ruler” on page 47 for details. •The area below the ruler shows time signature events. •The main display shows the tempo curve (or, if fixed tempo mode is selected, the fixed tempo – see “Setting the fixed tempo” on page 456). To the left of the display you will find a tempo scale to help you quickly locate the desired tempo. Note that the vertical “grid lines” in the tempo curve display correspond to the display format selected for the ruler. Toolbar Info line Ruler Time Signature area Tempo curve display Tools Activate Tempo Track Auto-Scroll Snap on/offSuspend Auto-Scroll when Editing Show Info Curve type for new tempo events The selected tempoSnap pop-up Tempo recording slider Open Process Tempo dialogOpen Process Bars dialog
455 Editing tempo and signature Editing tempo and signature You can use the options of the Tempo Track Editor or the tempo and signature tracks to edit tempo and signature settings. The descriptions given below are valid in both cases. The only exception is the tempo recording slider (see below) which is available only in the Tempo Track Editor. Editing the tempo curve Adding tempo curve points 1.Use the “Insert curve” pop-up menu (on the toolbar of the Tempo Track Editor) or the “Type of New Tempo points” pop-up menu in the track list for the tempo track to select whether you want the tempo to change gradually from the previous curve point to the new one (“Ramp”) or change instantly to the new value (“Jump”). You can also set this to Automatic. In this case, the types of existing tempo curve points will be used when inserting new points at the same position. 2.Select the Pencil tool. 3.Click and drag in the tempo curve display to draw a tempo curve. When you click, the tempo display on the toolbar shows the tempo value. If Snap is activated on the toolbar, this determines at which time posi - tions you can insert tempo curve points, see “The Snap function” on page 48. •You can also click on the tempo curve with the Arrow tool. This adds a single point with each click. ÖTempo values can also be automatically inserted by the Beat Calculator, see “The Beat Calculator” on page 458. Selecting tempo curve points Curve points can be selected as follows: •Using the Arrow tool. The standard selection techniques apply. •Using the Select submenu of the Edit menu. The options are: •You can also use the left and right arrow keys on the computer keyboard to go from one curve point to the next. If you press [Shift] and use the arrow keys, you can select several points at the same time. Editing tempo curve points Curve points can be edited in the following ways: •By clicking and dragging horizontally and/or vertically with the Arrow tool. If several points are selected, all of them are moved. If Snap is activated on the toolbar, this determines to which time positions you can move curve points, see “The Snap function” on page 48. •By adjusting the tempo value in the tempo display on the Tempo Track Editor toolbar, in the Inspector or on the info line. ÖSelecting several points and changing the tempo value in the info line leads to a relative adjustment of the tempo values. !This section assumes that you are working in tempo track mode, i. e. the Tempo button must be activated on the Transport panel. Insert curve set to “Ramp” Insert curve set to “Jump” OptionDescription AllSelects all curve points on the tempo track. NoneDeselects all curve points. In LoopSelects all curve points between the left and right locator. From Start to CursorSelects all points to the left of the project cursor. From Cursor to EndSelects all points to the right of the project cursor. !We recommend using the Bars+Beats display for- mat when editing tempo curves. Otherwise, you may get confusing results. This is because moving a point will change the relationship between tempo and time. If you move a tempo point to the right and drop it at a certain time position, the mapping between tempo and time will be adjusted. Since you have changed the tempo curve, the moved point will ap - pear at another position.
456 Editing tempo and signature Adjusting the curve type You can change the curve type of a tempo curve segment at any time, using the following method: 1.With the Arrow tool, select all curve points within the segment you want to edit. 2.In the info line, click below the word “Type” to switch the curve type between “Jump” and “Ramp”. The curve sections between the selected points are adjusted. Removing tempo curve points To remove a curve point, either click on it with the Erase tool or select it and press [Backspace]. The first tempo curve point cannot be removed. Recording tempo changes The Tempo Recording slider on the toolbar of the Tempo Track Editor allows you to record tempo changes “on the fly”: simply start playback and use the slider to raise or lower the tempo at the desired positions. This is useful for creating natural sounding ritardandos, etc. Setting the fixed tempo When the tempo track is deactivated, the tempo track curve is grayed out (but still visible). Since the tempo is fixed throughout the whole project, there are no tempo curve points. Instead, the fixed tempo is displayed as a horizontal black line in the tempo curve display. To set the tempo in fixed mode: •Adjust the value numerically in the tempo display on the Tempo Track Editor toolbar or in the track list. •On the Transport panel, click on the tempo value to se- lect it, enter a new value and press [Enter]. Adding and editing time signature events •To add a time signature event, click in the time signature area/track with the Pencil tool. This adds a default 4/4 time signature event at the closest bar position. Remember: When the Arrow tool is selected, pressing [Alt]/[Option] will give you the Pencil tool. •To edit the value of a time signature event, select it and adjust the value on the info line, or double-click the event and enter a new value. Note that there are two controls for the signature display; the left one ad-justs the numerator and the right one adjusts the denominator. •To move a time signature event, click and drag it with the Arrow tool. Note that you can [Shift]-click to select multiple events. Also note that time signature events can only be positioned at the start of bars. This is also true if Snap is deactivated. •To remove a time signature, either click on it with the Erase tool or select it and press [Backspace] or [Delete]. The first time signature event cannot be removed. Exporting and importing tempo tracks You can export the current tempo track for use in other projects by selecting “Tempo Track” from the “Export” submenu of the File menu. This allows you to save the tempo track information (including time signature events) as a special XML file (file extension “.smt”). To import a tempo track, select “Tempo Track” from the Import submenu of the File menu. Note that this replaces all tempo track data in the current project (although the operation can be undone if needed).
457 Editing tempo and signature Process Tempo Process Tempo allows you to define a specific length or end time for a set range, and the tempo track will automati - cally set a tempo that will fit the range in the specified time. Proceed as follows: 1.Specify a region or range that you wish to process by setting the left and right locators, either in the Tempo Track Editor or in the Project window. 2.Click on the Process Tempo button (either in the Tempo Track Editor or on the tempo track). The Process Tempo dialog opens. 3.In the Process Range fields, the specified range is shown, in Bars and Beats (PPQ) and in a time format, which can be selected from the Time Display Format pop-up menu. The range defined in step 1 will already be set, but you can edit the range by adjusting the values in the Process Range fields if you wish. Now you can either specify a new range length or a new range end time. What to choose depends on whether the range should have a specific length or whether it should end at a specific time position. 4.Enter the desired End or Length in the corresponding fields of the New Range section. You can select a time format for the new range in the Time Display For-mat pop-up menu. 5.Click Process. Now the tempo track is automatically adjusted, and the range will have the specified duration. The Process Bars dialog The Process Bars dialog (opened from the Tempo Track Editor or the signature track) uses the global “Insert Silence” and “Delete Time” functions from the Range sub - menu of the Edit menu. However, the necessary ranges (or parameters) are calculated using a musical “bars+beats- based” environment. The function also ensures that the time signatures stay “in sync” after these operations. This allows for a much more intuitive approach when inserting, deleting or replacing “time” while working with a project set to the Bars+Beats time type. The dialog contains the following elements: OptionDescription Bar RangeThe Bar Range display shows the bar range within the project as well as its length. Click on the right edge of the green indicator and drag it to the right to enlarge the range. You can also use the Start and Length value fields (see below). The arrow pair in this section marks the length of the cur-rent project. The area to the right marks the bar range that can be added (500 bars max.). Bar Range – StartThis is where you specify the start position for the bar range. Click on the arrows to raise/lower the value or click directly in the value field to enter the value manually. Bar Range – LengthThis is where you specify the length of the bar range. Click on the arrows to raise/lower the value or click di-rectly in the value field to enter the value manually. Action – Insert BarsWhen you select this action, clicking the Process button will insert the specified number of empty bars with the set time signature at the start position specified above. Action – Delete BarsWhen you select this action, clicking the Process button will delete the specified number of bars, beginning at the start position specified above. Action – Reinterpret BarsWhen you select this action, clicking the Process button will reinterpret the bar range to fit the specified time signa-ture. This is very special in the sense that both bars+beats positions of the notes and the tempo are being changed to fit the new time signature, but the playback of the notes will stay just the same. For example, if you want to reinterpret a bar with the time signature 3/4 so that it gets the time signature 4/4, quarter notes will become half note triplets. If you reinterpret a bar with the time signature 4/4 to attain 3/4, you will get qua -druplets.
458 Editing tempo and signature The Beat Calculator The Beat Calculator is a tool for calculating the tempo of freely recorded audio or MIDI material. It also allows you to set the tempo by tapping. Calculating the tempo of a recording 1.In the Project window, make a selection that covers an exact number of beats of the recording. 2.Select “Beat Calculator…” from the Project menu. The Beat Calculator window appears. 3.In the Beats field, enter the number of beats that the selection encompasses. The corresponding tempo is calculated and displayed in the BPM field. •If you need to adjust the selection, you can go back to the Project window, leaving the Beat Calculator open. To re-calculate the tempo after adjusting the selection, click Refresh. 4.You can also insert the calculated tempo into the tempo track by clicking one of the buttons in the lower left corner of the Beat Calculator window. Clicking “At Tempo Track Start” will adjust the first tempo curve point, while “At Selection Start” will add a new tempo curve point at the selec- tion’s start position, using the “Jump” curve type (see “Adding tempo curve points” on page 455). Using Tap Tempo The Tap Tempo function allows you to specify a tempo by tapping: 1.Open the Beat Calculator. 2.If you want to tap the tempo to some recorded mate- rial, activate playback. 3.Click the Tap Tempo button. The Tap Tempo window appears. 4.Tap the tempo on the Spacebar of the computer key- board or with the mouse button. The tempo display will update the calculated tempo between each tap. 5.Click OK to close the Tap Tempo dialog. The tapped tempo is now shown in the Beat Calculator’s BPM display. You can insert it into the tempo track as described above. Action – Replace BarsWhen you select this action, clicking the Process button will cause the time signature of the specified bar range to be replaced by the one you specify in this dialog. Action – SignatureThis lets you specify the time signature for the action you select on the Action pop-up menu (except for the Delete Bars action). ProcessClick on this button to apply your changes to the speci-fied bar range. CloseClicking this button without clicking on “Process” first will close the dialog without applying your settings. Option Description !If fixed tempo mode is selected when you insert the calculated tempo, the fixed tempo will be adjusted, regardless of which button you click.
459 Editing tempo and signature Merge Tempo From Tapping This function allows you to create a complete tempo track based on your tapping. Typically, you would use this if you have an audio file with no tempo mapping and want to be able to add other material afterwards, etc. 1.Create an empty time-based MIDI track and, while playing back your audio material, tap the new tempo on your MIDI keyboard and record the created notes onto the new MIDI track. Note that you must create note events – pedal events cannot be used for this function. 2.Play back the audio and check that the timing of the MIDI notes corresponds to that of the audio. If necessary, edit the MIDI notes in an editor. 3.Select the MIDI part (or the individual notes in an edi- tor) that you want to use for the calculation. 4.Select “Merge Tempo From Tapping” from the Func- tions submenu of the MIDI menu. A dialog opens. 5.In the dialog, specify what type of note (1/2, 1/4, etc.) you tapped during the recording. If you activate the “Begin at Bar Start” option, the first note will automati- cally start at the beginning of a bar when calculating the new tempo curve. 6.Click OK. The project’s tempo is adjusted to the tapped notes. 7.Open the Project menu and select “Tempo Track” to check that the new tempo information is reflected in the tempo curve. ÖAnother way of creating a tempo map for freely re- corded audio would be to use the Time Warp tool, see below. The Time Warp tool The Time Warp tool lets you adjust the tempo track so that “musical time-based” material (positions related to the tempo) matches “linear time-based” material (positions in time). Some typical applications: •When you have recorded music (audio or MIDI) without tempo reference or metronome click, the Time Warp tool can be used for creating a tempo map that fits the record - ing (allowing you to rearrange or add other material). •When you are creating music for a movie and want to match certain positions in the video with certain positions in the music. The Time Warp tool makes use of the fact that tracks can be based on time positions (linear time base) or positions related to tempo (musical time base), see “Switching be- tween musical and linear time base” on page 63 for a de- scription of these modes. Basic procedure You use the Time Warp tool to drag a musical position (a position in bars+beats format) to a certain position in time. This can be done in the Project window or in an editor, as described below. Here is the general procedure: 1.Make sure tempo track mode is active. You cannot use the Time Warp tool in fixed tempo mode. 2.Select the Time Warp tool. Bars+Beats format is automatically selected for the ruler in the active window, and the ruler is shown in brown. 3.Click in the window at a musical position and drag it so that it matches a position in the material you are editing – e. g. the start of an event, a certain “hit” within an audio event, a frame in a video clip, etc. When you click with the Time Warp tool, it snaps to the grid in the window. Dragging the start of the bar to the start of the audio event.
460 Editing tempo and signature While you are dragging, the track(s) you are editing are temporarily switched to linear time base. This means that the contents of the tracks remain at the same time posi - tions regardless of the tempo (there is an exception to this in the Project window, see below). 4.When you release the mouse button, the musical posi- tion you clicked on matches the time position you dragged it to. This is because the Time Warp tool changed the last tempo event on the tempo track (and/or added new ones, depending on window and usage), thereby scaling the tempo track to fit. Rules •When you use the Time Warp tool, the tempo value of the last tempo event (before the click position) is adjusted. •If later tempo events exist, a new tempo event will be created at the click position. This way, the later tempo event(s) will not be moved. •If you press [Shift] and use the Time Warp tool, a new tempo event is created at the click position. [Shift] is the default modifier for this – you can adjust this in the Prefer- ences dialog (Editing–Tool Modifiers page). •If you use the Time Warp tool in an editor, a tempo event will be created at the start of the edited part or event. Only the currently edited track will be affected – but note that events to the right of the edited events or parts (on the ed - ited track) will be affected as well. •If you have made a selection range and use the Time Warp tool within that range, the tempo changes will be confined to that range. This means tempo events will be inserted at the start and end of the se-lection range, if needed – useful if you need to adjust the tempo within a certain area but want all material outside that range to stay in place. •When you click with the Time Warp tool, it snaps to the tempo grid in the window. •When you drag the tempo grid to a new position, it can be magnetic to events in the window. In the Project window, this requires that Snap is activated and “Events” is selected on the Snap Type pop-up menu – the grid will then snap to the start and end of events or parts, and to markers. In the Sample Editor, this requires that Snap is activated – the grid will then snap to hitpoints (if any). In the MIDI editors, this requires that Snap is activated – the grid will then snap to the start and end of notes. •The function will create tempo values up to 300 bpm. Viewing and adjusting tempo events When you select the Time Warp tool, the ruler of the ac- tive window is shown in brown. Existing tempo events are shown in the ruler as “flags” with the tempo values dis - played. This helps you see what’s going on, but you can also use this for editing the tempo track: •If you press the create/erase modifier key (by default [Shift]) and click on a tempo event in the ruler, it is deleted. •You can click on a tempo event in the ruler and drag to move it. This automatically edits the tempo value in the event so that elements to the right keep their positions. •If you press [Alt]/[Option] and move (or delete) a tempo event in the ruler, the tempo value is not adjusted – this means elements to the right will be moved. This is the default modifier key for this – you can adjust it in the Prefer- ences dialog (Editing–Tool Modifiers page). Using the Time Warp tool in the Project window In the Project window, there are two modes for the Time Warp tool. To select the desired option, click on the Time Warp tool and click again to open a context menu. The available options are: •Warp Grid This is the default mode. If you use it, all tracks are temporarily switched to linear time base. This means that all tracks will keep their absolute time positions when you adjust the tempo track. •Warp Grid (musical events follow) If you use this mode, no tracks are switched to linear time base. This means that all tracks that are not set to linear time base will follow the changes you make to the tempo track.