Controlling Nuendo 3

[Alex Raskin]

In Nuendo 3, what is the keyboard shortcut for Pause?

Also: is there a simple USB transport controller for Nuendo with scrubbing wheel and pause button?

[Steve House]

I think it's the spacebar

How about a Mackie Control Pro? If all you need is transport control, Contour Shuttle Pro works really well with a wheel and set of control buttons. http://www.contourdesign.com/shuttlepro/

[Alex Raskin]

No, spacebar works as Play/Stop in my case... can it be customized?

Mackie Control pro: an overkill for me... I just need transport controls...

[Steve House]

Originally Posted by Alex Raskin

No, spacebar works as Play/Stop in my case... can it be customized?

Mackie Control pro: an overkill for me... I just need transport controls...

How do you want "pause" to differ from "play-stop-play" if that sequence doesn't rewind to the start? Hitting spacebar starts playback at the cursor position, hitting it again stops it, and hitting it yet again picks up playback at the position where it was stopped. Sure seems like hitting pause to me.

See above for the transport control - Contour Shuttle PRo

[Alex Raskin]

Space bar hit first time - Play starts. So far so good.

When space bar is hit second time, cursor does not simply freeze; it jumps back to where Play has started from, which seems how Nuendo defines Stop.

What I want is to stop where it was on the timeline when I hit spacebar (or some other dedicated key), which is what I called Pause... this is how things behave, say, in PremierePro, and I'd like the same functionality in Nuendo, but can't get it in a simple way.

[Lou Trottier]

Frontier Design Group

I have one of these..should do exactly what you want.

Lou

[Alex Raskin]

I've solved the issue of cursor jumping back to the start of play position on Stop...

Just made a macro that assigns marker 1 to the current position; stops playback; them jumps to marker 1.

Assigned that macro to Pad 0 key.

Works great as Pause (the way I interpret it :)

As for DAW control, maybe I will go with the Shuttle Pro. I actually used to have it some years ago, and thought it was so-so. One would think there'd be more choices in this price range nowadays...

[Steve House]

Originally Posted by Alex Raskin

Space bar hit first time - Play starts. So far so good.

When space bar is hit second time, cursor does not simply freeze; it jumps back to where Play has started from, which seems how Nuendo defines Stop.

What I want is to stop where it was on the timeline when I hit spacebar (or some other dedicated key), which is what I called Pause... this is how things behave, say, in PremierePro, and I'd like the same functionality in Nuendo, but can't get it in a simple way.

Go to File / Preferences menu, select the Transport section, and clear the checkbox labeled "Return To Start Position on Stop." Now the Play button or Spacebar will pause playback in place without rewinding to the starting position, just like you want.

[Alex Raskin]

Thanks Steve, that worked!

Well, at least I learned how to do macros in Nuendo. Which turned out to be real easy :)

Now, in terms of DAW control... may I indulge in a bit of a systemic approach... and think that the controller should be more or less universal between the applications.

Such as audio editor, video editor, video compositing software, etc.

Which means

- either a very large controller with many buttons, each dedicated to its own function in a specific software;

- or a smaller controller with button functions switchable electronically.

Now, in both cases, we have an issue with labeling those buttons. How am I suppose to mark that little bugger "Go to the next visible keyframe on this layer", when there are 30... 80... 124 other little buggers (buttons) surrounding it? There's no space on the button itself, or around it.

So... I was thinking, why not have something resembling an electronic Rolodex. (Yes, that dates me! :)

You have a wheel on the side, which rotates. You have a large LCD screen that displays at length what each button does. And you have, say, 6 buttons positioned along the left edge, so LCD labels are on the right of each button.

All you do, is program the "screens" and button functions and its label text; then scroll through the screens, and buttons would change functionality accordingly. Press when you see the button with the label of the function you need.

This way one can program virtually unlimited number of custom keys.

I don't think it's a very original idea - the same principle is used in the universal TV remotes with LCD screen.

I'm just kinda oversizing it for the desktop application, and attaching a USB connection to it :)

Does such thing exist?

[Steve House]

The Mackie Control implements a similar system in a much simpler fashion with a set of Lexan overlays bearing the button labels and perforated to fit over them. Switch applications, switch overlays.

The Shuttle Pro has removable keytops that accept labels under them, kind of a pita to change when switching apps. On a positive note, its software detects what application is running in the foreground and automatically switches button assignments to the saved configuration for that application. Once you have setup a preferred configuration for a given app, it prints a cheat-sheet for it to keep on your desk as a reference.

[John McClain]

If you are looking for a universal controller check out the Euphonix Artist series. Great integration with Nuendo and they work with Final Cut, not sure what else on the video side.

As for Transport stop/start in Nuendo, you can set up a key command also:
key commands>preferences>transport>return to start position on stop

You can set key commands for almost anything in Nuendo; with the Euphonix series you can assign those commands to almost any button or you can assign key strings or macros to buttons. I use the Euphonix MC Pro but the Artist series has similar integration. And no, I don't work for them! ;) john.

[Alex Raskin]

John, that Euphonix MC Control is just gorgeous!

Thank goodness it's Mac only, or I'd be tempted... although this is not excatly what I was looking for (I don't really need faders etc., just assignable buttons that can be labeled electronically.)

Key command: yes, this is what confused me originally, since I found that and not Preferences as Steve advised...

[Steve House]

Originally Posted by Alex Raskin

John, that Euphonix MC Control is just gorgeous!

Thank goodness it's Mac only, or I'd be tempted... although this is not excatly what I was looking for (I don't really need faders etc., just assignable buttons that can be labeled electronically.)

Key command: yes, this is what confused me originally, since I found that and not Preferences as Steve advised...

Don't have one yet but purchase of a Mackie Control is definitely on my agenda. On the advice of folks that have forgotten more than I'll ever know, once you have mixed on real faders you'll never go back to mouse moves and rubber bands again.

[Grayson L. Wideman]

Originally Posted by Alex Raskin

John, that Euphonix MC Control is just gorgeous!

Thank goodness it's Mac only, or I'd be tempted... although this is not excatly what I was looking for (I don't really need faders etc., just assignable buttons that can be labeled electronically.)

Key command: yes, this is what confused me originally, since I found that and not Preferences as Steve advised...

Yeah, if Makie would do a cross platform nock-off that would be grate. Or maybe Euphonix could do a Windows version?

Grayson