I’m often double, even quadruple tracking things like BV tracks. Currently, I have to drag the different bits of audio I choose from the lanes for my (First) perfect take, and drag them up to a new track. But I think the following feature would be great:
Go through all your sliced up lanes until you have your “perfect take.”
Instead of Advanced/Delete Overlaps, select a new function called “Comp To New Track”
All the bits of audio that made up your perfect take are moved to a new track above the selected track and is named “Comp Vocals 1” for example.
Now, because all of these bits of audio have been MOVED to a new track, they are no longer available in the track you were editing lanes in. This avoids you accidentally choosing the same bit of audio when selecting bits for a new double tracked vocal comp.
Now you can run “Comp To New Track” again and make a third track if you’d like.
Sorry if this isn’t clear. This would be more of a musical application rather than post, but . . . I still think it would be a time save for me.
Create logical presets which creates names for the chosen parts/events to be comped.
Create simple macro which cuts selected events and moves it to new track
Create new logical presets with a function to filter events by name (i use "keeper1, 2 or 3, depending on how many different edits needed)and execute the cut/paste macro in it.
I only recently started learning the PLE and I swear, 90% of annoying tedious tasks have been replaced with a single key press or hardware button.
in fact, you could even have a key command to add “keeper” or whatever your tag is going to be. 1 key tags your takes, 2nd key creates, names and comps to the new track … and done.
The ability to design and add functionality to the software is built right in. If the PLE seem complicated to you and that is why you never play with it… do yourself a favor and spend a saturday with it and the manual.
I find PLE the most genius feature in Nuendo; in combination with Eucon it kills.
I dont know the Artist version, but in EuconPro you can chain macros, PLE presets, key commands, on the go on the control surface level without making macro chains inside N5.
I do all my coloring, gross editing, naming, replacing comping only with PLE chains.
I wish they would extend the PLE to be able to filter by color, apply track moving in the project window, apply key commands directly in PLE…there is so much you can do with it its mind blowing!. I love maths and logical thinking, PLE is for me LOL
It would be great if would have a tips’n’tricks topic where we could share some workflows with macros…
Hmmm . . . well, if anyone that wants this functionality makes this macro, please make a youtube video of it. May be a bit too complicated for me I’ll give it a try though and post back if I do.
Here mine without marking events with tags:
Create macro:
Edit - cut
Project - duplicate tracks
Edit - Sellect all on tracks
Edit - delete
Edit - Paste at origin
Name this macro (i use “comp to new”)
Create PLE preset
Add two lines in the top part
Property - Property is set - Event is selected
Property - Property is not set - Event is muted
Function - Select Macro - comp to new
Now if you want to comp select the events on the track and hit your new PLE.
This PLE presets assumes when working in lanes and comping, only the needed parts will be used - not muted. Remember to select all the events on the track you are comping.
Another go would be:
I work with the ample system colors green good, yellow OKish, red to be deleted, probably. So in the first edit i go through the track and select the takes for green, using a PLE macro to set the events color to green and assign a name “keeper1”.
Then I use PLE to look for name keeper1. The rest is the same.
There is a lot of prep you’ll need to do, but when you’re done you’ll have this function on your system.
Step 1
Create this PLE preset and call it “COMP1 NAME” Give this a key command.
open project logical editor - it will likely default to some factory setting, use the minus symbol to delete all the lines to start from scratch
in the top panel, hit the + symbol twice to create two lines and reset them so they look like this
CONTAINER TYPE IS ------ EQUAL --------- EVENT… AND
PROPERTY… PROPERTY IS SET… EVENT IS SELECTED
this is basically telling the computer to only look at selected events.
in the second pane, add 1 line with the 2nd set of +/- symbol bottons and make it look like this
NAME… REPLACE… KEEPER
This will replace the TAKE# with “KEEPER”
At the bottom you’ll see more functions, Make them look like this.
function-TRANSFORM … Macro NOT SET
In the preset dialog, save as new preset “COMP1 NAME”. Give it a key command in the key command menu. You’ll find your preset under Process Project Logical Editor
Now is a good time to make multiple versions of this command by changing the name parameter field to comp2,3,4,5,6 and so on. Each time saving a new preset. Each of these get a key command too. On my side these are linked to hardware buttons via eucon.
Step 2
Create this PLE preset and call it “COMP1 SELECT” Give this a key command.
open project logical editor
in the top panel, hit the + symbol twice to create two lines and reset them so they look like this
CONTAINER TYPE IS ------ EQUAL --------- EVENT… AND
NAME… NAME CONTAINS…KEEPER
this will tell the computer to select events that contain KEEPER in the name
in the second pane, delete any lines
At the bottom you’ll see more functions, Make them look like this.
function-SELECT … Macro NOT SET
In the preset dialog, save as new preset “COMP1 SELECT”. Give it a key command in the key command menu. You’ll find your preset under Process Project Logical Editor
Now is a good time to make multiple versions of this command also
STEP 3
Create this macro (sometimes macros fire off faster than nuendo can react. When I run into this I add arbitrary commands to use as timing spacers so it can catch up)
PROCESS PROJECT LOGICAL EDITOR - COMP1 SELECT
TRANSPORT - LOCATE SELECTION
EDIT - CUT
ADD TRACK - MONO AUDIO
EDIT - PASTE
Give this macro a key command.
\
STEP 4
Create this PLE preset and call it “Comp VOX1” Give this a key command.
open project logical editor
in the top panel, hit the + symbol THREE times to create 3 lines and reset them so they look like this
CONTAINER TYPE IS ------ EQUAL --------- TRACK … AND
NAME… NAME CONTAINS…AUDIO
this will tell the computer to select the new track that has the default “Audio” in the name
in the second pane,
NAME… GENERATE NAME… COMP VOX… 1
At the bottom you’ll see more functions, Make them look like this.
function-TRANSFORM … Macro NOT SET
In the preset dialog, save as new preset “COMP VOX 1”. Give it a key command in the key command menu. You’ll find your preset under Process Project Logical Editor
Now is a good time to make multiple versions of this command also
Ok we’re done. Here’s how you have altered the functionality of the software and here’s how fast you can perform the task from now on. Let’s say for this example that your key commands for these steps is A, B, C and D… Here’s how you proceed.
When you’re done cutting and you’re happy with the selections you made for your first comp, shift click to select all the pieces. Hit “A” to add “COMP1” to all the names of these selected pieces. Hit “B” to select all pieces with comp in the name. Hit “C” to create a new track, remove the pieces from the takes and paste these pieces to the new track. Hit “D” to rename the track Comp Vox 1
Now that you know a bit about the PLE, you can probably expand on this more. You should create a new PLE that will replace “KEEPER” with something else after you’ve comped to the new track. This way, you can comp verse 1, then do verse two later and not worry about the macros selecting your earlier work. You’ll probably have to experiement with timing spacers, but theoretically, you could string all of this into a single command.
Wow! Thanks for putting in all the work. I’ll be honest, I tried this and I think I need to read the chapter on the PLE MANY Times. Just didn’t want you to think that all your work did not go appreciated.
I even tried the simpler one above and just got a blank duplicated track. Anyway, I’ll delve into this. Would be a nice feature still, but if it’s able to be done with what we’ve got already then I’m not afraid to learn some programming!
Is there a place (and way?) where we can share these macros and PLE presets? I remember the old forum had a list of useful macros and such.
@Sunshy
This happens when the track you edit isn’t selected/highlighted or you didn’t select all! of the events. Nuendo has to differentiate between selected and not selected events. It won’t work if there is no at least 1 muted 1 unmuted event. To be on save side I always switch to "Preferences - Track Selection follows Event Selection. I’ve got it mapped to the Eucon Key.
I’ll give it a try though and post back if I do.