Automation
A first-class automation system is indispensable when mixing massive audio projects with hundreds of tracks. Nuendo 4 offers a state-of-the-art automation system with many powerful and intuitive tools that give fast and full control over every aspect of your project.
The heart of the new system is the new floating automation panel, giving direct access to all automation functions at a glance. As with the Nuendo 4 menus, areas not required can be hidden.
Virgin Territories
This feature sees its introduction into the world of software production workstations with Nuendo 4. Automation data is normally filled out from the beginning of a track using the first setting, and to the end of the track using the last recorded data. With the Virgin Territories option activated, automation data is only there where it has actually been recorded. This allows full manual control over all parameters where no automation data has been recorded.
- Initial value option
- Virgin territory option
Automation Modes
Nuendo 4 offers three different Punch Out modes, individually selectable for each track.
- Touch
Automation data is only written as long as the fader is touched.
- Auto Latch
Writes automation data until playback is stopped or Write is disabled.
- Crossover Allows the manual crossover to the original value for smooth transitions between new and existing automation data. Data recording is deactivated when an already existing automation curve is crossed.
Trim Tools
Allows fast trimming of existing volume or send level curves, with a variety of options while the project is stopped or playing back.
Fill Modes
The new Fill modes make automating large sections of project tracks extremely fast, speeding up automation workflow.
- Fill To End
Imagine you want to automate the volume for a background track at a particular level for a whole two minute scene. Instead of manually setting automation points or holding the fader for two minutes, Fill To End takes the last parameter and fills the track to the end of the project with that setting.
- Fill To Punch
If you have a scene change with for example a drastic volume reduction for a track but are not sure just how the new setting will be, select the Fill To Punch option, and start rolling from somewhere in the first scene. At the scene change, start moving the fader (Punch In) and takle your time in setting the correct level. Once you’ve found it, let the fader go. Nuendo 4 will now overwrite all automation data written after the punch in, replacing it with the correct level.
Nuendo 4 also offers other flexible Fill Modes such as To Start (automation is written to the beginning of the project) or Loop (fills the area within the locators). Fill Modes can, of course, be combined for even more flexibility when automating data.
Preview Mode
Preview quickly finds the right settings without actually recording data. Preview Mode is a boon particularly in complex projects, and allows fast, intuitive automation setup for multiple parameters at once.
An example post production scenario: an actor walks from the entrance hall of a hotel to an external location. While some parameters will remain the same, many will change almost instantly as the action moves to the new environment. With Preview Mode, finding the right settings for the new location becomes very easy as you search for the right settings without overwriting existing automation, and setting up a variety of parameters one after the other which can then all be simultaneously automated. The Suspend option gives an immediate comparison between the new settings and the old data still on the automation track.
Touch Collect Assistant
The optional Touch Collect Assistant is a unique new automation tool. When activated, this feature groups together certain parameters, so that when data is written for one parameter in a group, automation data is also written for related ones. Touch Collect Assistant is one of the many Nuendo 4 automation features that supports professionals during complex automation tasks in large projects.
Punch Logs
This new feature can speed up automation tasks by saving and recalling automation actions while in Preview Mode. Punch Logs can be renamed using intuitive user-defined labels for easier recall, so finding exactly the right sets become even easier.
Suspend Options
Excluding parameters from automation can be just as important as selecting which ones to automate. Nuendo 4 automation system offers flexible Suspend options to give back manual control of certain operations while automating, further supporting automation of complex projects.
- Suspend Write
Excluding a parameter when writing data is as simple as selecting this option for the desired setting. When writing EQ data for a single track, for example, activating solo to focus on that track would normally record that action; activating Suspend Write for solo excludes that parameter from being inadvertently automated.
- Suspend Read
Working on a particular track can sometimes demand manual control of a parameter whose setting has already been automated. If, say, a certain track has to be heard louder than the automated volume level to allow location of a certain part in a project, suspending read for volume on a track gives back full manual control over that setting, while leaving the written data untouched.
