The Automation panel

The Automation panel is a floating window, similar to the Mixer and Transport panel. You can leave it open while you work – the Project window will always have the focus.

To open the Automation panel, open the Project menu and select the Automation Panel option or click the Automation Panel button on the Nuendo toolbar.

The Automation panel gives you access to all automation options in Nuendo. By default, all seven sections are displayed.

You can change the panel configuration using the Setup dialog – see “The Setup dialogs” on page 506. The following sections will explain all options and functions.

Virgin territory vs. the initial value

When we speak of “touching a control” in the following sections, we mean both clicking a parameter control on the Nuendo program interface and physically touching a fader or other control on a remote control device.

Before we go into detail about the various modes and options available through the Automation panel, we need to explain how Nuendo handles those sections of your project in which you have not yet performed an automation pass.

For parameter automation, Nuendo works either with an initial value (see below) or with “virgin territory” (see “Virgin territory” on page 218).

It is very important that you understand the difference between these two concepts and their individual advantages and disadvantages before continuing.

The initial value

An initial value is always used when “Use Virgin Territory” is disabled on the Automation panel.

When no automation data exists for a particular parameter, and you perform an automation pass for this parameter, its value at the moment when you start the automation pass is saved as the initial value. When you punch-out of the automation pass, it is this initial value to which the parameter will return.

This has one very important consequence: As soon as the initial value is set, the corresponding parameter is fully automated, on this track, at any given timecode position of the project – even if your automation pass lasted only 2 seconds.

The idea here is that you find automation only where you actually perform an automation pass – there is no initial value to which the parameter can return.

Outside a section with automated values, you always have full manual control of the parameter.

Gaps

After an automation pass you will find virgin territory only to the right of the last automation event. “Empty” sections between two automation curves are referred to as “gaps” in the following sections.

The straight line after the last automation event indicates the initial value.

Only the dynamic change in the parameter is automated.

This is reflected in the curve on the automation track – it is visible right through to the end of the project that the initial value is kept. As long as the track is in Read mode, the parameter control will follow this curve – it will either take values set during an automation pass, or it will return to its initial value.

You may touch the parameter control and force it to a different value manually. But as you let go of the control, it will return to the value defined by the automation curve – even when in Stop mode.

Virgin territory

Think of virgin territory as the “state” of the automation track before performing the first automation pass. When you enable the “Use Virgin Territory” option, no automation curve is displayed on the automation track, and you have full manual control of the parameter.

You can create gaps inside a section with automated values. This is useful if you want to have full manual control:

1.Make sure that “Use Virgin Territory” is enabled.

2.Select the Range Selection tool.

3.On an automation track with existing automation data, select a range and press [Delete] or [Backspace].

A gap is created.

A new break-point at the position where the selected range started marks the end point of the automation curve to the left. A second new break-point can now be found at the position where the selected range ended, marking the start of the automation curve to the right of the gap.

• When you select one or more break-points of an automation curve with the Arrow tool and press [Delete] or [Backspace], no gap is created.

Instead, the selected break-points are deleted. The curve between the deleted points is replaced by a new line connecting the two points to the left and right of the deleted points.

The “Terminator” setting

You can “force” any automation track into using virgin territory, by defining any automation break-point on the automation curve as the “terminator” point of this part of the curve. This will automatically delete the line between this break-point and the next one, creating a gap – a section on the automation track where you find no automation data. The next break-point to the right of the terminator point will automatically become the “start” point of the next automated section.

Ö Note that this is independent of the setting for “Use Virgin Territory” – you can create gaps at any time.

• To define a break-point as the last point in an automation curve, select it by clicking on it with the mouse pointer, and in the Event info line above the Project window, set “Terminator” to Yes.

Select a break-point…

• When you set the “Terminator” option for the last (rightmost) automation break-point of an automation curve to “Yes”, any automation data to the right of this point (as defined by an initial value) is deleted.

Automation modes

Nuendo provides three different punch-out modes for automation, available on the Automation Mode pop-up menu on the main toolbar and in the Mode section on the Automation panel.

Selecting the automation mode in the Automation panel and the Nuendo toolbar

The three modes available are Touch, Auto-Latch and Cross-Over. In all three modes, automation data will be written as soon as a parameter control is touched in play mode. They differ in the way the writing of automation data is ended, i.e. in their “punch-out” behavior. Which mode to use depends on what is required in your particular working situation.

Ö Note that you can change the automation mode at any time, i.e. in play or stop mode or during an automation pass. You can also assign key commands to the automation modes so you can quickly change between them.

See “Automation key commands” on page 230.

…and set “Terminator” to Yes.

A gap is created.

General punch-out conditions

The current automation pass will always punch-out as soon as one of the following conditions is met, independent of which automation mode is selected:

•If you Disable Write

•If you Stop playback

•If you activate Fast Forward/Rewind

•If the project cursor reaches the right locator in Cycle mode.

•If you click in the timeline to move the project cursor.

Touch

Typically, you would use Touch mode in situations where you want to make a change lasting only a few seconds to an already set up parameter.

As the name implies, Touch will write automation data only for as long as you actually touch a parameter control – punch-out occurs as soon as you release the control.

After punch-out, the control will return to the previously set value. The Return Time setting (see “Return Time” on page 229) determines how long it takes for the parameter to reach the previously set value.

Automation mode: Touch

Auto-Latch

In Auto-Latch mode, there is no specific punch-out condition other than those valid in all modes – see “General punch-out conditions” on page 219.

Auto-Latch is probably the automation mode you will use the most, in all situations where you want to keep a value over a longer period of time – for example when making EQ settings for a particular scene.

Once your pass has started, the writing of automation data continues for as long as playback lasts or Write is enabled – if you wanted an adjustment that lasted for just a few moments, you would use Touch mode. The last value setting will be kept until you stop writing.

Automation mode: Auto-Latch

Ö The automation mode for ON/OFF switches is always Auto-Latch (even if another mode is selected globally or for the track).

Cross-Over

Think of the Cross-Over mode as a kind of “manual return time” option (see also “Return Time” on page 229). The Cross-Over mode can be used in situations where you are not happy with an already existing automation curve or with the automatically applied return settings. Cross-Over mode gives allows you to perform a “manual return” to ensure smooth transitions between new and existing automation settings.

For Cross-Over, the punch-out condition is crossing over an already existing automation curve after touching the parameter for a second time.

Look at the figure below: Like in Auto-Latch mode, once the automation pass begins with the first touching of the parameter control, automation data is written for as long as playback lasts.

When you have found the correct value setting, you can release the fader – the automation pass continues, with the value setting remaining the same.

Now, re-touch the fader and move it towards the original value. As soon as you cross the original curve, punch-out occurs automatically.

Automation mode: Cross-Over

• When selecting the Global option from the pop-up menu, the track will again use the automation mode selected from the toolbar or the Automation panel.

Note that you can use the option “All track modes to Global” in the Key Commands dialog–Automation category to set up a key command that will reset all tracks to using the global automation mode.

When selecting Trim as the automation mode for a track (see “Trim” on page 224), the punch-out behavior will always be as in Auto-Latch.

The Read/Write buttons in the Mode section

At the bottom of the Mode section, you find two Read and two Write buttons. These are used to globally enable or disable the Read and Write buttons on all tracks.

Trim

This is described in the section “Trim” on page 224.

Automation mode: global or different for each track?

The automation mode you set on the Automation panel (or in the Project window toolbar) is used globally, i.e. for all tracks of your project.

However, you may also select a different automation mode for individual tracks:

• Open the topmost Inspector section for a track for which you require a different automation mode, and from the Track Automation Mode pop-up menu, select the desired automation mode.

Selecting an automation mode for an individual track.

The All Automation to Read/Write buttons in the Mode section.

•Click “All Automation to Write” to enable all Write buttons (and, at the same time, all Read buttons) on all tracks/channels of your project.

Clicking “All Automation Write off” will disable all Write buttons. The Read buttons will remain enabled.

•Click “All Automation to Read” to enable all Read buttons on all tracks/channels of your project.

Clicking “All Automation Read off” will disable all Read buttons.

The various other Read and Write buttons on the Nuendo interface are described in detail in the section “Enabling and disabling the writing of automation data” on page 214.