Multi-timeline

Hi everyone!
We use Nuendo in a film mixing stage around a DFC Gemini 40 fader. We have a nuendo player and a nuendo recorder and we need to display a lot of tracks on each screen. Our method (usually with pro tools) is to superimpose vertically and virtually (in the monitor preferences of osx) the 2 screens of the player in order to extend vertically the timelines on 2 screens. We have a max msp script that allows us to continue crossing the screens horizontally with mouse. This method allows us to display the ambiences / fx on one screen and foleys on the other by keeping all these tracks on one timeline. On pro tools, no problem. With Nuendo, when we stretch the timeline vertically on both screens, it works. But as soon as we move a clip or track, the window pops up and goes into full screen mode on a single screen. This problem is very annoying. Will Nuendo 8 solve this problem? Would it be possible in a future update to be able to display several timeline windows? In the same way that we can display several mixer windows ? Thanks a lot

Edit: note to self, read twice before posting.
Interesting. But doesn’t the screen become very “high” vertically that way?
And to avoid it all together wouldn’t a rotated screen work for you instead?

In feature film mixing I split work between two-three systems but I can see the use still, not always but yes sometimes.

Original post:
(((I don’t quite get the concept, but Inwould like to understand it. A mobile phone snapshot perhaps?)))

Thank Erik for your reply,
It’s hard to explain myself with my bad English! I will post pictures as soon as I return from holidays.
The screens stay side by side in the studio. (classic dual screen mode) It’s only in macosx that we put one monitor on top of the other, virtually. By enlarging the timeline vertically, it gives the feel that there are 2 timelines, 1 on each screen. 1 timeline doesn’t have menu and tools bar by the way, just plentu of tracks (Audiofile Style…) We even use the split zone to properly adjust each screen, with a market track on top of each screen.
With this method, we do not need to return vertically a screen to display more tracks and there is very good visual comfort. But to move the mouse, we are forced to move vertically to move from the left screen to the right screen. So we created a script that moves the mouse from the left screen to the right screen as soon as we go through the screens. This gives the illusion that the screens are side by side while they are not. Is it clear enough?

A picture or mobile film would be nice, but now I think I get it :slight_smile:

cool concept, I think I would find it weird at first but possibly quite useful. So the height thing is only to create the illusion of two screens with tracks?

Thinking as I type here…

If it’s just for editing and to see the tracks while mixing, you should be able to get the exact same result (I think I just had the idea now) using dual machines using Nuendo Network functionality, that would give you a mirror display where you could look at the project in two different simultaneous views, totally independent, and still have all the actual data in just one and just share the tracks. You can do basic editing on the “slave system” (not plugin based automation though) but as long as it is just intended to give a second independent view of the timeline it should actually work quite well. The drawback would of course be the cost of the second system, but I guess it could use a small simple computer with storage, as it does not need to run any real time plugins or routing processing at all, a mac mini should suffice.
With system link you can then navigate using any of the systems. Of course you would have to use a switcher or a second mouse keyboard or something to be able to control the keyboard mouse of the Slave system, or you could just use a Lemur ipad to do track scrolling and set visibility changes. etc.

This would also make it possible for a single system mix but with a dual operator track based operation of sorts.

It could actually work. Wether it would be an improvement on your concept? Perhaps not as it does get a tad complex. But still pretty slick. And of course you could use the slave system as a secondary machine for adding extra sound fx etc during mix, without ever stopping the mix itself on the main machine, but that is just a bonus.

Thank you Erik for this precise answer.
Indeed we had thought about this solution … It is indeed the ideal solution, which offers more functionality and flexibility. But we use pro tools more often in this studio and pro tools allows to do it without adding a second license. And my colleagues (who are a bit refractory to nuendo) consider it a bad point for nuendo.
Today, most of the sessions we make are between 50 and 100 tracks, and it’s a shame that there is no software to show the tracks on several screens. We have a RME madi FX, with 192 output, many screens, but the display comfort during mixing is not ideal …
More generally, Nuendo 8 is largely destined for post production, right?

  • I hope that Steinberg will consider in the future the ergonomics of display in big studios.
  • When will there be presets related to post production in plugins? There are only music presets … it could be a real killer feature …
  • When will it simplify the management of stereo / mono / multichannel tracks? It is a real brothel when importing AAF that come from the editing image and that all the tracks are mono and badly distributed.

However, I can not wait to see Nuendo 8 …

Thank a lot !

Hello Gladiator,
I can fully support your idea of splitting the trackdisplay onto different monitors.I have the same problem here that too many tracks on a screeb make the visual feedback impossible, or af least nearly impossible.
Carsten