Automation

Introduction

In essence, automation means finding and recording, for each and every moment of your project, the right values for a particular mixer parameter. When you create your final mix, you won’t have to worry about having to adjust this particular parameter control yourself – Nuendo will do it for you.

Automation is a key feature when mixing audio data in complex, multi-track projects. Whether you want to mix a music project or if you are performing a feature-film re-re- cording – without comprehensive automation features your task would be impossible. Nuendo provides very powerful and yet intuitive automation of virtually every mixer and effect parameter.

The following sections provide detailed descriptions of the Nuendo automation features:

•The section following below describes how to activate automation Write mode and how the automation data is displayed.

•What can and what cannot be automated is briefly explained in “What can be automated?” on page 216.

•“The Automation panel” on page 217 provides a first look at the Automation panel and its features.

•Make sure you read and understand “Virgin territory vs. the initial value” on page 217!

•The various automation punch-out modes are explained in detail in the section “Automation modes” on page 219.

•The Nuendo automation features become truly powerful thanks to the automation performance utilities, as explained in the section “Automation performance utilities” on page 222.

•“The Settings section” on page 229 describes the global options and settings available on the Automation panel.

•“Hints and further options” on page 230 gives you general information on how the automation features interact with other Nuendo features.

•The section “Automation track operations” on page 231 describes how to open and manipulate automation tracks.

•Finally, the section “Working with automation curves” on page 235 explains how to edit automation curves.

Enabling and disabling the writing of automation data

Tracks and mixer channels in Nuendo can be “automation enabled” by activating their automation Write (W) buttons.

All track types except arranger, folder, marker, transpose, video and ruler tracks feature Write (W) and Read (R) buttons in the mixer, in the Track list and in the Channel Settings window. Furthermore, the control panels for all plugin effects and VST Instruments also feature Write and Read buttons.

The Write and Read buttons for a channel in the mixer and for an automation track in the Track list.

•If you activate Write for a channel, virtually all mixer parameters you adjust during playback for that specific channel will be recorded as automation events.

•If Read is activated for a channel, all your recorded mixer actions for that channel will be performed during playback, just like you performed them in Write mode.

•The W and R buttons for a track in the Track list are mirrors of the W and R buttons in the corresponding channel strip in the mixer.

Ö Note that the Read button is automatically enabled when you enable the Write button. This allows Nuendo to read existing automation data at any time.

You can separately deactivate Write, if you want to only read existing data. There is no status Write on/Read off.

There are also global Read and Write indicator buttons (“All Automation to Read/Write Status”) in the common panel of the mixer and at the top of the Track list:

The “All Automation to Read/Write Status” buttons in the mixer, and in the Track list.

These buttons light up as soon as there is a single enabled Read or Write button on any channel/track within your project.

•When “All Automation to Read/Write Status” is disabled and you click on one of these buttons, all Read/ Write buttons on all tracks/channels are enabled.

When “All Automation to Read/Write Status” is enabled, this means that at least one of the Read/Write buttons on one of the channels of your project is enabled.

•When “All Automation to Read/Write Status” is enabled and you click on one of these buttons, any enabled Read/ Write buttons on the tracks/channels of your project are disabled.

Ö You will also find global Read/Write buttons on the Automation panel. See the section “The Read/Write buttons in the Mode section” on page 221.

MIDI Controller Input to Automation Tracks

If you set up a remote device to control parameters and settings in Nuendo, you can record automation with that remote device – just activate Write as usual. However, if you are recording a MIDI track and want to record automation at the same time, the controller data sent by the remote device will be recorded “twice” – as automation and as MIDI controller data on the MIDI track.

To avoid this, activate the “MIDI Controller Input to Automation Tracks” option in the Preferences (MIDI page). When this is activated, the controllers will be recorded as automation only, not as MIDI controller data on the recorded MIDI track.

Creating automation data

Within a Nuendo project, the changes in a parameter value over time are reflected as curves on so-called automation tracks. The curves are drawn in real-time while you write the automation data. Most of the tracks in your project have automation tracks, one for each automated parameter.

Ö Note that automation tracks are hidden by default. You can display all automated parameters and the corresponding automation tracks at the same time.

See the section “Automation track operations” on page 231 for details on how to show, hide or remove automation tracks. “Working with automation curves” on page 235 explains what you can do with automation curves.

There are two approaches you can use to create automation curves:

• “Offline”, by manually drawing the curves on automation tracks in the Project window.

See “Editing automation events” on page 235.

• “Online”, by enabling the Write/Read buttons and adjusting parameters in the mixer or channel settings window while rolling through the project in real-time. The value settings are recorded and displayed as a curve on the automation track.

In the following sections, this online writing of automation data is also referred to as an “automation pass”. See “Enabling and disabling the writing of automation data” on page 214.

The methods are not different in terms of how the automation data is applied. They only differ in the way the automation events are created – manually drawing them or recording them during automation passes. Any applied automation data will be reflected in both the mixer (a fader will move for example) and in a corresponding automation track curve.

There are no hard and fast rules regarding which method you should use. For example, you can create your automation data online without ever even opening an automation track. Or you can stick to drawing automation curves offline. Every method has its advantages, but of course it is up to you to decide what to use and when.

•Editing curves on automation tracks offers a graphical overview in relation to the track contents and the time position.

This makes it easy to quickly change parameter values at specific points, without having to activate playback. For example, this method gives you a good overview if you have a voice-over or a dialog on one track and a music bed on another track, the level of which needs to be lowered by a specific amount every time the dialog occurs.

•By using write automation in the mixer you don’t have to manually select parameters from the Add Parameter list.

You can work much like you would using a “real” physical mixer. Every action you perform is automatically recorded on automation tracks which you can later open for viewing and editing of the parameters you changed.

The automation tracks themselves indicate the writing of automation data:

• While writing automation data, the color of the automation track in the track list changes to red.

• The delta indicator in the automation track shows the relative amount by which the new parameter setting deviates from any previously automated value.

This is an additional visual aid when writing new automation data.

The delta indicator

What can be automated?

You can automate virtually every parameter in the Nuendo mixer.

• To find out which parameters can be automated for a particular track, click in the Parameter display of the automation track to open a pop-up menu. Select “More…” to open the Add Parameter dialog.

This dialog lists all automatable parameters for a particular track type. It is described in detail in the section “Assigning a parameter to an automation track” on page 232.

The following actions CANNOT be automated, even though they are features of the Nuendo mixer:

•Changing the input phase

•Changing the input gain

•Changing of routing settings

•Inserting a plug-in

•Moving of plug-ins to different insert slots

•Copying insert settings

•Changing the stereo panner mode

•Changing Control Room settings