MIDI realtime parameters and effects

Introduction

For each MIDI track, you can set up a number of track parameters, or modifiers, and MIDI effects. These affect how the MIDI data is played back, “transforming” MIDI events in real time before they are sent to the MIDI outputs.

On the following pages, the available parameters and effects are described. Keep in mind:

•The actual MIDI events will not be affected – the changes happen “on the fly”.

•Since the modifier settings don’t change the actual MIDI data on the track, they will not be reflected in the MIDI editors. To convert the track settings to “real” MIDI events, use the Freeze MIDI Modifiers function or the Merge MIDI in Loop function (see “Making your settings permanent” on page 357).

The Inspector – General handling

The MIDI modifiers and effects are set up in the Inspector (although some settings are available in the mixer as well). Here’s a brief rundown on how to handle the Inspector:

•To show or hide the Inspector, click the Inspector icon on the Project window toolbar.

•For a MIDI track, up to nine sections are available. Which of these sections are displayed in the Inspector is determined in the setup context menu or the Setup dialog of the Inspector.

For information about setting up the Inspector, see “The Setup dialogs” on page 506.

•You can fold or unfold the sections individually by clicking on the section name.

Clicking the name for a hidden section brings it to view and hides the other sections. [Ctrl]/[Command]-clicking the tab allows you to hide or show a section without affecting other sections. Finally, [Alt]/[Option]- clicking a tab shows or hides all sections in the Inspector.

The Inspector for a MIDI track.

Ö Folding or hiding (via the Setup dialog) a section does not affect the functionality but merely hides the section from view.

This means your settings will still be active even if you fold or hide the Inspector settings.

Basic track settings

The topmost Inspector section contains the basic settings for the selected MIDI track.

These are settings that either affect the basic functionality for the track (mute, solo, enable record, etc.) or send out additional MIDI data to the connected devices (program change, volume, etc.). The section contains all settings in the Track list (see “The Track list” on page 25), with a few additional parameters:

Bank and Patch Allows you to select a sound, see below. (If no bank is Selector pop-up available, only the Patch selector is shown.)

ÖNote that the functionality of the Bank and Patch selector settings (used for selecting sounds in the connected MIDI instrument) depends on the instrument to which the MIDI output is routed, and how you have set it up in the MIDI Device Manager.

The MIDI Device Manager allows you to specify which MIDI instruments and other devices are connected to the various MIDI outputs, thus making it possible to select patches by name. See the separate PDF document “MIDI Devices” for details about the MIDI Device Manager.

ÖMany of the basic track settings are duplicated in “mixer channel strip form” in the MIDI Fader section of the Inspector (see below).

Other Inspector sections

Apart from the basic track settings (see above), the MIDI Modifiers (see “MIDI Modifiers” on page 346) and the effect sections (see “MIDI effects” on page 348), the Inspector for a MIDI track also contains the following sections:

The MIDI Fader section

This contains a single channel strip, allowing you to set volume, pan, mute/solo and other parameters for the track, and a panel view of the active sends/inserts. This is a “mirror” of the track’s channel strip in the Nuendo mixer – see “The MIDI channel strips” on page 131.

The Notepad section

This is a standard notepad, allowing you to enter notes and comments about the track. Each track has its own notepad in the Inspector.

The Network section

This contains controls related to Nuendo’s Network functions. See the Networking pdf document for information.

VST Instrument section

If the MIDI track is routed to a VST Instrument, a new subpanel will appear at the bottom of the Inspector, labeled with the name of the VST instrument. Clicking this section shows a duplicate of the Inspector settings for the VST Instrument channel. This makes it easy to adjust the channel settings for the VST Instrument while you are editing the MIDI track.

• If the VST Instrument has multiple outputs (and thus several mixer channels), there will be a setting called “Output” at the top of the VST Instrument section.

New sub-panels will also be added in the following cases:

•When a MIDI track is routed to an external instrument or effect that has an associated MIDI Device. In this case, the new subpanel will get the name of the device.

•When a MIDI track is routed to an effect plug-in that also receives audio data, i.e. that is used as an insert effect for an audio track (e.g. MIDI Gate), a sub-panel for this audio track appears in the MIDI track inspector.

•If a MIDI track is routed to a plug-in assigned to a FX Channel track, a corresponding FX sub-panel is added to the Inspector.

Ö For an easy way to combine MIDI and VST instruments, check out instrument tracks (see “VST Instruments and Instrument tracks” on page 189).

User Panel section

This allows you to display MIDI device panels, which are control panels for external hardware. This is described in the separate PDF document “MIDI Devices”.

Quick Controls section

This allows you to configure quick controls, e.g. to use remote devices. See the chapter “Track Quick Controls” on page 338.