Hello, I’m brand new to WL - just bought WL8, but I’ve mastering for years, originally in Sonic Solutions. I’ve also been a Nuendo user since 2003 or so. I’ve found the workflow in WL difficult to grasp and I’m not sure whether the manual or the program itself is at fault or it’s just that I don’t work well with electronic text files (probably both), but…it hasn’t helped me much.
The way I see it so far you have the following hierarchy:
Audio Files (and the Audiofile Editor or Sample Editor in Nuendo)
The Audio Montage (Project in Nuendo - God I would kill for some consistency between these products)
In the Montage we have clips and something called super clips that I haven’t used yet.
Then there’s the plug-in workflow/signal flow: The bezier line automation appears to PRE - clip plug-ins. Splitting any clip that has a plug-in on it already automatically doubles the number of plug-in instantiations and DSP allocated (bad for UAD). This is a serious limitation of clip editing/clip plug-ins - to the point that it almost makes plugs at this level not worth using.
Then there are Track Plug-ins. To use this we are committed to having one song per track. Not a big deal but the constant vertical zooming is a bit annoying. There is a gain/pan control for the track that I guess is post-Track Plugin?
Then - and this was confusing - there is a “Master” plugin section, that is different from the “Master” plugin section in the “Master Channel” on the left. This “master plug-in section” is hit by all the tracks. There is no input trim before the plugs? RIght? (something I use on the master channel in Nuendo quite a bit) - THEN…there is the Master Channel that appears on the left. These plug-ins are used for “rendering”, correct? But - they also sit in the signal flow before audio hits the master faders. Everything in the Master channel is not saved with the Audio Montage by default. Is there a way to do this? I can’t imagine actually using anything in this master channel that I would need to have to recall separately from the AM.
My problem is, there doesn’t appear to be any automation in Wavelab (short of the line/volume & pan editing). So the only way to make changes within a song is at the clip level, which, if you make a lot of changes pretty quickly puts you in an untenable situation with DSP resources. If I’m mastering, I’m using my best stuff. I’ve got UAD ATR-102, Manley Massive Passive, UAD Precision EQ, Maybe a Maximizer, a bus comp… If I want the attack on the bus comp to slow down for a temp change in the music, or a bass boost to roll down for a change in the arrangement, I HAVE to be using clip-based plugs, right? Is there a way to do this that doesn’t involve printing (rendering) my effects? And if I split clip to isolate a chorus - I’ve instantly tripled my plug-in allocation. Right?
Can the track volume be automated? Is there anyway to automate volume post-plugins?
Again, I’m new to WL so I apologize if this information exists, but I’ve searched “automation” in the manual and gotten nothing. I see “effect envelopes” - again, unique terminology, but this appears to only be discussing the send level?
“You can automate the effect send level for split mode clip effects by using effect envelope curves.”
I don’t know what a “split mode clip” is (it isn’t hyper-texted to a definition) and I can figure out what envelope curve is, but…it’s only the send level? what about plug-in parameters?
I’m just trying to figure out how I’m going to set up my next mastering session. Where to put the plug-ins? If I’ve put them on tracks and then all of a sudden need to make a minor adjustment in the middle of a song, I’m screwed. If I put them on clips, and then run out of DSP…also screwed. When mastering in Nuendo - I normally hit the UAD ATR-102 first - get the tape emulation which often seriously reduces the amount of EQ and compression I need. But I never need to adjust that…but if it’s on a clip and I cut the clip 6 times…I have 12 UAD ATR-102s for no reason.
Any help in figuring out to make the best use of this architecture would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
EDIT - I see the gain fader on the “master” plug-in in the Effects window is adjustable between pre/post plugs. That’s nice. I still don’t see a way of automating it though.