So now you know why Steinberg and others release software that doesn’t work properly. Because “we” pay for it anyway. I thought VCAs worked in version 7 and paid for that. Took a looooooooong time to get that working properly. Hopefully this won’t be as bad as that was, because that was horribly unethical.
I’ve learned my lesson.
Yes, I always used to buy the updates as soon they were released, but the N7 VCA release was such a disaster that I’ve become very nervous of updating to the first release of a new version. I have installed the N8 Trial but it will not load my latest project so I have lost heart and given up. Add to that all of the bad reports on this forum and I’m staying with N7.
You’re right. I learned my lesson the hard way, too. 
Well, if things like this and the Mac GUI situation aren’t remedied fairly soon I’ll sell my Nuendo license and not look back. I’ve never been so frustrated with a software company as I am right now with Steinberg, both Cubase and Nuendo, and I’ve only been with them for about a year and a half, coming from years on Pro Tools and a few stints with Reaper.
I don’t want to start a rant thread – I’ve just been getting rightfully angry about all of this.
I collected some bits from comments users have posted from 3 or 4 threads on this forum. Not in context and yes it focusses on the bad things, but anyway - here we go:
Altiverb
can’t think about working this way → Rolling back to N7.
seriallabstudios
this is really holding up my work.
MarcusStaffel
I thought Nuendo8 could handle video better
Davinzzie
I cannot recommend the installation of N8 just yet
In_Stereo
it’s inconsistent and buggy
OnBeat
I hope they fix it sooner than later
heisenberg9
would like to know if all the common FabFilter plugins crash,
Xiste
I have had 10 sudden shut-downs today, using the new and “improved” offline processing
mozizo
now with the Direct Offline Processing something is wrong
Max Stirner
I will have to stick with Nuendo 7 for now.
robdeaner
It is really unusable in this state
Robbie Ost
N8 is choking on my system too
Niekbeem
I’ve tried to use N8 for serious jobs but the poor Offline Processing combined with RX, strange EuCon hiccups and these instabilities made me decide it has to wait for a proper release…
linzevalk
It’s the first time I have had serious issues (not usable professionally, not usable period) with a Nuendo release
Audiomangler
very disappointed,
KMT333
I’m having a lot of trouble
ju
not acceptable at all in the long term.
Oliver.Lucas
Very unhappy customer!
hendrix97
I have not found a workaround as of now.
MattiasNYC
it’s something that just isn’t justifiable any longer.
fuzzydude
I’ll be holding off upgrading
ChrisPolus
For me the workaround process doesn’t work reliably
Looks like Steinberg got this wrong in a very big way. My disappointment with this release is beyond anything I have ever witnessed with “pro” software.
Why do I post all this?
Because I want to know when this beta will finally turn into something useable.
Man. the Nuendo forum is quite small, and that’s a good amount of people here. It’s unusable for me, as well, due mostly to the Direct Processing and Mac GUI fiasco.
Maybe this can console you just the tiniest bit: You’d be even more disappointed if you spent $1400 for it.
Not a lot of participation from Steinberg here…
I assume that they had this working and thoroughly tested many months ago along with most new features, but at some point a small slip up broke it and managed to sneak into the final version since they were so focused on the new video engine. It happens.
This is a huge issue so they’ll probably fix it really soon. Can’t really compare it to the VCA bugs since this is a feature used by almost everyone and VCAs are much more complex.
Well, we’ve had decades to learn to use offline processing because it was in the very first version of Nuendo (which I got btw), whereas VCAs that actually work haven’t been in Nuendo for much more than a year, if that even. So no, they’re not comparable in that sense.
I’m also not sure that VCAs are much more complex. In terms of design it’s pretty simple actually. At the absolute simplest it’s just a matter of copying Pro Tools and then that’s it. As for programming it, I think complexity is irrelevant, because a responsible company rolls out new features when they’re ready, which means working, not before.
The reason I compared it to VCAs was because it was a new feature that was left unresolved for a ridiculously long time, and that’s a cause for concern for all those who paid for version 8. With big issues like these (I think both are big issues, for different reasons) the only right thing is immediate communication and immediate fixing of the issue. That’s not what history shows us Steinberg does, which is disappointing.
Agreed MattiasNYC. Especially when you’ve paid 1,400 freaking dollars for something that’s supposed to be top-of-the-line; Nuendo 8 is hardly top-of-the-line since I can’t actually use it right now due to these problems. It’s like buying a brand new BMW M3 and not being able to get it out of the parking lot because the engine keeps stopping.
I need to stop before I go into useless rant mode. 
But I do feel that I and others here are completely justifiable with our anger and disappointment.
To make it feel better I actually have to say that Nuendo 7 is worth 1,400… So there’s that at least…
Definitely. Just explaining how it might have happened.
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Here’s Nuendo 7 for anyone who doesn’t have it installed: Products — Music Software & Audio Hardware | Steinberg
Install Nuendo 8 first. This will give you access to most new VST/sample content from 8.
When installing Nuendo 7, don’t install Halion Sonic SE 2 and its content because 8 comes with the newer HS SE 3. (btw there’s an update for HS SE 3 here fixing some instruments being out of tune.)
Totally, yeah. I wasn’t referring to your post – what you’re saying could definitely be a possibility.
I think it’s a bit of a hit and miss… once the new offline processing will work and all the workflow issues + bugs + 3rd party incompatibilities are resolved I actually think the new system will be a massive improvement! But releasing it in a state that misses previous features and has a lot of incompatibilities is in my opinion really bad for Nuendos overall reputation.
While I trust that bugs/workflow issues on the DOP end of things will be fixed by Steinberg, I see more issues with 3rd party apps that suddenly have issues with the new System but worked fine in Nuendo 7.
Personally, I have problems with RX Connect, Soundtoys (certain plugins start processing a few seconds delayed), Reaktor (Window minimizes to unusable size in DOP window) and Fabfilter (random crashes) + Softube Plugins (sometimes just a black ui screen and Nuendo Crashes)
I agree, this should be fixed ASAP. As for releasing it early, without a release, I would now be on Nuendo 7. With the release I am now back on Nuendo 7, but might actually start using Nuendo 8 for final mixes. So I am not really worse off. Well ok, I have spend some money on the update. But I would have spend that money anyway, once these bugs are fixed. Overall, I am very satisfied with Nuendo. It has a lot of tools that Pro Tools does not have. And I am paying a lot less money for it.
I would love be satisfied enough to use it, but the GUI issue is non-workable for me (do you have the Mac GUI issue? If not, you’re lucky!), as is DOP. That’s why I’m back on Pro Tools until N8 is good enough to work on. I was hoping to get off of PT completely within a few months, but at this point with both C9 and N8 I don’t see that happening any time soon. I never had N7 – I came on to the Steinberg boat with C8 (right before C8.5 came out), and now am so used to many of the newer features from C8.5 and C9 that I don’t want to go backwards.
I still think Nuendo v7 is worth using. Like I’ve said before, there are few new features in v8 that in and by themselves are so significant that they warrant an upgrade (for me) and even less so a crossgrade from PT. But I recommend using v7. It’s a very, very good DAW.
…although I think RX is still working better with PT…
I used Nuendo 8 on a project where i had to use izotope de-noise with manual analyzing. I found it too time consuming so i went back to Nuendo 7. I hope to see a feature where it is possible to analyze a part without actually applying the effect. The best thing would be to have the old offline processing as an option.
Yesterday and Saturday I worked on two different projects. The first was a short film with a duration of 8 minutes, and the second was a 10-hr shift on a TV show, duration 45 minutes.
During both of these I made extensive use of the RX editor. The short was all in Nuendo v7 (Win 7 PC), and the TV show was all in Pro Tools v12 (Mac trashcan).
Going directly from one setup to the other, within an hour, the difference in workflow and speed is truly striking. RX Connect is way faster in PT than in Nuendo. When you do about 20-22 hrs over two days, intensely, back to back on these platforms, you really notice the difference.
I think it’s sad that Steinberg is so lax on this and are letting it “slide” the way they do. I appreciate the effort here to improve on processing, but it just seems it missed the mark by a mile. And this is after years of requests to fix this and make it more easy to use because RX is a de facto standard.
N8 was by far the worst that could have happened to Nuendo as an audio post application.
Now, I guess they need to get Cubase ready for Xmas. My guess is they will get this working for N8.5 in one or two years, until then we can use N7 and see a couple of Cubase iterations.
Or maybe they will drop Nuendo and just include the features in Cubase. Obviously there is noone left who cares for audio post at Steinberg. Maybe Yamaha pulled the trigger on Nuendo, because nauage did not sell as expected?
A company that cares does not release a software like N8 and leaves it unpatched.
If that would be true I would cry for a year… 2 Fader and 1 Master Unit arrived yesterday 