Direct Offline Processing was a first step inside Nuendo to catch up with full object oriented mixing, but i think that it is an unfinished work, because offline processing does not allow for realtime effects preview and automation inside events.
Nuendo need now to fully catch up with competitors that have this feature, for example Samplitude / Sequoia (since about 15 years) and now Reaper and a couple others, because it is a useful and time saver feature.
Then add a function to copy automation from tracks to events and from events to tracks. (Samplitude do have that, too).
For vocal mixing and editing for example, it is really more efficient to use online processing on events : have automation and effects inside each event, instead of inside the full track.
Because :
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Events Online processing do allow for realtime automation and preview (very useful for vocal EQ)
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Having automation and effects inside the events do allow to move them between tracks without possibility of errors and without the need to duplicate tracks and their effects.
Another advantage is that it is now possible to disable the “automation follow events” function, so that there is a clear separation between track effects automation, that should not be modified by events moves, and events automation, that need to be moved with the events.
In the end we get a cleaner, simpler and more efficient workflow.
The drawbacks are :
- more processor resources are needed. This last one can be solved by a freeze function : allow events to be frozen, so that online processing is transferred to a frozen file or RAM memory. Then give an unfroze function so that realtime automation and preview is available again. This is the same freeze concept as for VST instruments or tracks pre-fader inserts.
Or use Direct Offline Processing (DOP) when automation is not needed.
- probably an audio engine modification, but others did it, so it’s certainly possible to do that in Nuendo.