Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/652458
POSTINGS www.postmagazine.com 46 POST MARCH 2016 uendo 7 is the newest version of Steinberg's flagship software for music recording and post production. I use the platform every day because its features and included tools are both musical and logical. ON FIRST MEETING Many years ago, when Version 1.6 ap- peared, I used a Mac (OS 9) and chose Nuendo due to the sonic integrity of the software. Working with another pro- ducer, we compared the sound qualities with another popular DAW and found a stunning difference, since Nuendo delivered far superior depth, openness, bottom-end extension and soundstage width. Over the years, other programs have begun to close that gap so that pure playback scenarios like identical files in both machines and same-word clocks are now similar. However, to my ear, Nuendo still holds together sonical- ly much better when doing in-the-box work, where track counts are high and many plug-ins are used — the norm in to- day's recording world, especially for the younger set. All those attributes mentioned above apply much more to Nuendo than any other DAW and I've used most of the most popular ones on the market. NUENDO 7 FOR POST My workflow often involves in-the-box projects for mixing and mastering, using plug-ins and analog inserts through outboard gear and an Export Audio Mixdown function to capture the final product. Nuendo has always been flawless at this, where other digital audio workstations never seem to quite capture the full fidelity of the mix when doing a "bounce to disk." The Nuendo 7 audio engine has been completely rebuilt and after installing the program, I loaded up a couple of projects done on older versions, noting improvements in the overall sound of the software. The program's post capabilities regarding sound editing are intrigu- ing. Steinberg calls the importing and editing of EDLs (Edit Decision Lists) for video "reconforming" and the process is seamless. The ease with which it does this makes it a snap to pull the files apart, edit audio and reassemble them for export. A post editing workflow can some- times be kludgy, but Nuendo 7's ability to network multiple systems together for offline editing and session updating is unparalleled. The Master Session can assign editing ability to satellite systems networked via ethernet that access the same files as the Master Session or identical files on another drive. The edits can be done by an operator on the satellite system, while the main system continues to work. When the edits are completed, the operator on the main system can update the main session without stopping, which saves time and money and precludes interrupting work- flow to undertake a separate import or merge function. The Media Bay eases the task of searching files from multiple drives and by various file attributes, including name, creation date, duration, sample rate, channels and just about any other attribute imaginable. LOOKING CLOSER Another way I use Nuendo 7, especial- ly when assembling final projects for mix, is to keep more than one session open at a time. I will open my final mix session, then another session version next to it, and simply drag tracks from the source to my master. I repeat with any sessions from which I think I will need tracks, inserting them into the master session. This offers visual con- firmation that all tracks are assembled and ordered without having to open import windows and hope I didn't forget anything. Then I open the Pool Window and run the Archive Project function to confirm all audio tracks are now in the working project folder. Another useful feature, Render in Place, lets users lock the files togeth- er with their processing any way one chooses. Say there's a track with an FX channel assigned to it, some EQ added via plug-in and some flange added via offline processing. Now it is possible to render that file with or without any of those changes in any format with a sim- ple pulldown menu after selecting the target clip. This helps you send tracks off to be mixed and make certain your processing survives. On a recent mastering project, I ren- dered several files with some elements locked into the individual track files while leaving sidechain FX and final ex- port paths free for last minute tweaking, which saved time and minimized the possibility of error. IN CONCLUSION Due to its power and ergonomic workflow, Nuendo 7 is one of the best platforms for music and post production. STEINBERG NUENDO 7 ITS POWER AND WORKFLOW FEATURES MAKE NUENDO 7 WELL SUITED FOR MUSIC AND POST VITAL STATS MANUFACTURER: Steinberg PRODUCT: Nuendo 7 PRICE: $1,800 (full version); updates starting at $150 WEBSITE: www.steinberg.net • Completely rebuilt audio engine • Intriguing post capabilities for sound editing • Ability to network multiple systems together for offline editing and session updating N BY STEVE BISHIR DIRECTOR OF ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA VOLUNTEER STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE GALLATIN, TN WWW.VOLSTATE.EDU