Basic Transport Commands

The most obvious way to move the cursor around in the project is to use the Transport panel controls just like a traditional tape deck. (See Figure 5.3.) These controls work just as you’d imagine and also have default key commands that can be customized. The default values are very handy and will work for most people just fine. While the spacebar for play/stop is standard on most DAWs, the other commands can be found on the keypad area of your keyboard.

Play/Stop = Spacebar

Rewind = Minus (-) key on the keypad

Fast Forward = Plus (+) key on the keypad

Record = Star (*) key on the keypad

By using these key commands, you can freely move the cursor around the project and start playback from any point in the timeline. Additionally, if the jog/shuttle controls are visible, they may be used to audibly move the playback cursor around as if you were rocking the reels of an analog tape machine. This feature really works well and sounds very good in Nuendo 5.

Figure 5.3 The Transport panel with jog and shuttle controls.

Project Ruler Navigation and Zooming

You can click anywhere on the project ruler to reposition the cursor to that location. Also, if you click and hold within the ruler, you may zoom in and out by dragging up and down from there. The combination of dragging up, down, left, and right on the ruler will move the cursor around and zoom in or out all in one motion. While this technique is quick, it might not be precise enough for certain situations. It’s just another method of getting around in Nuendo.