As the most advanced audio post-production solution available, Nuendo is the choice of film, TV, game audio and immersive sound industry professionals worldwide. Ever since its initial release, Nuendo has been a vital tool in creating the soundtrack to many high-profile productions, products and installations. Regular updates with new features, workflow improvements and additional, user-requested functions mean that Nuendo constantly exceeds the expectations of an audio workstation dedicated to audio post, with high end — often unique — capabilities that continue an ongoing revolution in audio and media production software.

Steinberg’s DAW has been around for 30 years, with initial versions supporting only MIDI. Audio recording, editing and playback, as well as plugins and virtual instruments did not arrive until some time later. 

It’s therefore interesting to note that its partner product Nuendo has been around for 20 years, and in many respects has set the groundwork for Cubase as we know it today. Aimed originally at the post-production audio market (and with some of the music creation features of Cubase as an optional add-on), it’s now firmly placed as a high-end, higher-priced, superset of it, and one that has embraced a range of video and game audio features that wouldn’t necessarily be required for the average ‘music-only’ user out there.Nuendo has set the groundwork for Cubase as we know it today

Intriguingly, Nuendo 10 follows on from Nuendo 8, making the relationship between Cubase and Nuendo versions somewhat confusing – there are features that remain Nuendo-only, while others will be tested in one DAW before making it to the other.

The Platform

Nuendo is another leap forward for a post-production audio platform that has been at the leading edge of the industry for nearly 20 years. From the beginning, Nuendo was designed to deliver a truly ‘in the box’ solution with a state-of-the-art audio engine, innovative tools, the best integral plug-ins, and support for the very latest technologies and formats. Driven by users and those at the forefront of this fast-changing industry, over the years regular updates and improvements have ensured that Nuendo continues to lead the market, adding new features, workflow-enhancing tools and ensuring to always deliver exceptional audio quality. Nuendo 10 ensures that it remains a premium platform for professionals who need to deliver the very best audio content – fast.

Nuendo already has comprehensive audio features, that include binaural and surround capabilities. ADM import addresses the increasing demand for Dolby Atmos audio mixes allowing relevant files to be imported with their object automation data intact.

Immersive audio capabilities have also been expanded to include support for dearVR Spatial Connect, which allows you to control Nuendo features within a VR development space. In coming years this will, I suspect, find a place for itself in mainstream music creation. For now it is an important tool for the creation of interactive and immersive audio.

There is now a field recorder audio input feature that allows you to match alternative recorded audio with events already in the project. This is specifically designed to make the process easier on larger film or TV projects.

An interesting new feature that will appeal to both audio mixers and composers is Video Cut Detection, where the program can automatically insert markers at the beginning of different video events automatically. Thankfully, version 10.2 also brings video rendering with embedded audio up-to-date, supporting MP4 and H.264. However, this remains an area that would certainly benefit from greater flexibility and support for a wider range of formats.