Nuendo3 + Scope = (my) Digidesign killer

A place to talk about whatever Scope music/gear related stuff you want.

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MarcelG
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Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2001 4:00 pm

Post by MarcelG »

Yesterday I finally found a (for me) easy way to really start using my Scope devices to the fullest in nuendo 3.

After reading about the "external effects" option in Nuendo I tried this with the Scope effects and it works as a breeze!

What I did was putting an 32/32 in/out asio2 driver in my Scope project. Like I always do Buss out to my analog out (scope 1+2) Set up an input for vocal recording and left some asio busses free for future use.

In Nuendo I created some external effects (in the vst configuration) f.i. Send = Scope 9 + 10 / Return - Scope 9 + 10 and in the Scope project I patched a Scope effect between the 9 + 10 ins and outs. In Nuendo I did a "detect latency" query in the vst configurator and voila! an external effect that can be used as if it was a native effect (without taxing the native cpu power).

To my surprise even the mixdown function (real time!) worked as a charm.

Only thing I need now (but that will take quite a while for me to figure out) is to build some midipanels for the most used Scope effects, so they can be controlled via midi from Nuendo. (I know it can be done, but that part left me clueless) My workaround for now is to switch between Scope project (where I do the settings for the effects) and Nuendo where I (for now) can only change send/return level and the delay compensation setting.

It would be a nice thing if Steinberg made a "external synth" option (which could almost work the same way) so the use of Scope synths as if they were native would be in reach without having to resort to XTC mode.

For now I found a workaround for this (which I only tested with Modular2 for now, since it got audio in/out, which can be used for detecting latency) is to patch (in the Scope project) the synth to a (what Nuendo thinks is) return buss.

Using the same buss as mentioned before, here's what I did. I Set up Nuendo like I said before, BUT instead of patching an effect this time I patched the Modular2. First as an effect (asio in --> out) to detect latency. I then disconnected the audio input of the Modular2 and connected a midi in to it. In Nuendo I created a midi track and an audio channel (could be an fx send channel, but audio gives more controll) and loaded the "external effect" (in this case the Modular2) as an insert. The midi channel gets the input of my hardware controller and goes out to the creamware midiout (connected in Scope project to Modular2 and the sequencer midi in) Now I played some stuff on my keyboard (which comes into Nuendo via the audio channel) and gets recorded to the midi track.

After that I disconnected (in Scope project) the creamware midi out ---> sequencer in, gave the midi track an unique midichannel and used the midi-in filter on modular2 to only recieve the wanted mididata.

This way I could 1) mixdown the complete track (Modular + Scope effects included) or I could mixdown the synth to audio and set up another synth, record it, etc.

This is surely the most flexible way of working I've ever experienced. This way you can use your scope compressors as inserts (since the external effects can be used both as send and as inserts) and I can even use f.e. a Scope effect (combined with uad stuff and native) on the modular2, from within Nuendo and be able to mix it down (realtime).

All I can say is: "I'm so damn glad I didn't get rid of my Creamware cards as planned". This thing ROCKS!! bigtyme!!
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astroman
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Post by astroman »

much appreciated, MarcelG :grin:
in particular the way you 'fooled' the Sequencer's latency compensator.

Maybe the bottomline is that Scope doesn't offer instant gratification for the lazy one right out of the box, but becomes the most powerful tool for the creative one who starts to think about his/her rig.
Lots of success stories recently :smile:

cheers, Tom
irrelevance

Post by irrelevance »

It would be a nice thing if Steinberg made a "external synth" option (which could almost work the same way) so the use of Scope synths as if they were native would be in reach without having to resort to XTC mode.
This has been a feature since the sx 3 upgrade I believe. It's very simple to setup an external synth. I go to Devices->vst connections->external instruments:

from there I name the bus ie supernova II or Scope synth (as I never no which one might be used)
setup the return bus and set midi channels and name. voila!

Now when I choose the vst instrument dialog my supernova synth bus can be switched on/off, in the vst instruments folder in the project page there are audio channels ready, and choosing midi channels doesn't rely on my memory of connections as MT4 out 1 I have named (in external instruments dialog) supernova.

Yep steinberg did it...after a little cajoling. :smile:
I'm suprised that SX's big brother doesn't offer this?
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garyb
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Post by garyb »

cheers, MarcelG!
good to see that you are having success! i guess that's why we haven't seen you for a bit....
MarcelG
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Post by MarcelG »

Just saw Nuendo got this external synth feature too. Thanks for pointing that out. I looked over it somehow...
lagoausente
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Post by lagoausente »

What versions of SX/Nuendo supports this features of external effetcs?
I have SX2, and have no found it..
MarcelG
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Post by MarcelG »

To my best knowledge, this feature is to be found in the 3.X versions.
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garyb
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Post by garyb »

yes, v3.xx
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bill3107
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Post by bill3107 »

very intersting thread... i just want to understand why it is a better way? I use Nuendo in this way :

- each bus from Nuendo is routed to an ASIO source
- I run the mix + i add creamware synth within the rooting window and it works great.

Why do you use this "external" tool available in Nuendo? Why is it better?

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garyb
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Post by garyb »

i agree, mixing in the cwa mixer is better, but for those wanting to mix in the sx/nuendo mixer, it's very handy.
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bill3107
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Post by bill3107 »

furthermore for those who use XTC mode to avoid "rooting window" complexity (this feature is the reason of my addiction !), remmeber that this method has a certain CPU "usage" so i find the "sfp" mode more convenient although you do need 2 screens...

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