Inserts
Having a nuts-and-bolts workhorse EQ on every channel is a great start to getting a great mix. But the fun has just begun. Plug-ins of all varieties can now manipulate audio signals in ways that were unimaginable only a few years ago.
Plug-ins can be used in any channel of the mixer that contains an audio signal. They are placed in the signal path using the Inserts. Click on the blank area of any insert and the plug-in menu pops up. (See Figure 13.14.)
Figure 13.14 Plug-in pop-up menu with stock Nuendo plug-ins plus TT meter.
Depending on your system, you may have only the stock Nuendo plug-ins available to you. The tools provided with Nuendo are quite capable and provide all the fundamental processing tools you need for most audio mixing. However, you might have any number of third-party plug-ins on your system, giving you endless processing tools at your disposal. Pick one from the list, and it will be inserted into the signal chain.
Inserts 1–6 are placed in the signal path just after the input gain control and phase reversal switches, and just before the EQ section of the channel strip. Inserts 7 and 8 are placed just after the fader and before the aux sends. Typically, inserts will be placed pre-fader; hence there are six of those and only two post-fader inserts.
Caution Any EQ changes you make using the built-in EQ in Nuendo will not affect the signal going into any plug-ins found in inserts 1–6. The EQ is applied after the inserts. This is important for such things as compression because EQ changes can drastically affect how a compressor reacts to a signal. (See Figure 13.15.)
Figure 13.15 Insert signal flow.
An example of a commonly used post-fader insert would be a dither plug-in on the main output bus. This allows proper dithering of the mix, including a fade-out using the master fader. If the dither plug-in was pre-fader, as the signal was lowered with the fader, dithering would be occurring below the LSB (least significant bit), and thus ineffective.
Moving Inserts
Inserts can be moved by clicking and dragging on the insert number to any other slot, including slots on other channels. (See Figure 13.16.)
If there is already an insert in that location, the moved insert will be placed in that slot, and all others will be moved down one slot to accommodate it. (See Figure 13.17.)
Caution Inserting a plug-in that causes inserts to be moved down a slot might cause an insert to be moved from pre-fader (6) to post-fader (7) inadvertently. This could dramatically change how the signal is affected.
Using the same method and modifier (Alt), you can move and copy inserts freely in the mixer. (See Figure 13.18.)
Figure 13.17 Shuffling inserts.
Figure 13.18 Copying an insert to another channel in the mixer.
Insert Presets
Nuendo can save plug-in chains as presets. Once you have found that great vocal setting, it can be used again later in other projects. Use the Preset Management icon found at the top of the insert list in either the Channel Settings window or the project window’s Inspector to access saving and recalling of presets.
Note There are many ways to store settings in the mixer and recall them later. These include insert presets as discussed here, along with Track Presets, Track Archives, and Channel Settings in the mixer.