Any thoughts on the crop of N5 issues....?

[LEX]

Just wondering everyone's take on the current crop of N5 issues.

Seems that the Bit Bridge, MB, memory consumption and several midi things are kind of bogging it down.

Feelings?
Dangers?
Workarounds go enough? Fast enough?
Giving up?
Waiting for an updated, improved and fixed version?

Just wondered what the general feeling was.

LEX

[Sound Drifter]

For me, I am not banking on it just yet. Ever so slowly easing into it... So far, it seems all right though time will tell. Installation was really scary.

[paulwr]

For me, I am not banking on it just yet. Ever so slowly easing into it... So far, it seems all right though time will tell. Installation was really scary.

I was at my first ClubCubase meeting here in Nashville. About 17 attending. They meet once a month. Most there were Nuendo users, all seasoned pros with studios (ave age probably 45+), mainly studio and live recording use, not so much post work. Many also have a lot of Pro Tools experience. Have to in this town, since it is predominatly Mac here.

Great group, I picked up a couple of gems while I was there. Certainly more fun than reading the manual, and can't complain about everyone going out for beers and food after!

A number of bugs came up, including a new one I showed them, but the overall consensus for their type of use is N5 is worth it. Some of the new automation control and features and mulitple direct outs in the mixer, and in Control Room creating additional outs from thngs like groups that makes for tons more soloing possiblities.... things like that is what makes it so attractive for the type of users here. Even has me thinking of jumping from Cubase5.5 to Nuendo5 for composing, though I'd need to study up on it more to see what I might be loosing in the process midi-wise.

The main thing I hadn't used yet that I was shown how to use is Batch Export. Great for making multiple stems in a single export from any audio source including vsti outputs. That is on both Cubase5.5 and Nuendo 5. Several of the guys are long time friends with Gregg Ondo ? (not sure I just got last name right) He comes out to a meeting about every three months from Boston and they have gotten a few things implemented into Nuendo/Cubase through him.

Hey, I was told Midi Expressions was a direct request from Hans Zimmer and that is why it came to be. Anyone else hear that?

-Paul

[Sound Drifter]

Reading your post, Paul, I agree it is worth it for me as well. Clip packages and automation were my big draw there was a couple of other things I found and thought "wow, now that is cool" But I can't remember them at the moment. I haven't wrapped my head around the new routing yet. One thing that still lets me down though it VST connections and the exclusive ports. If you assign routing to a external effect, you lose the input/output of what was previously used. If you have a bunch of unused I/O it will not matter, but I am packed with things and have to reassign things to patch in my outboard to use as plugins just for the PDC. It makes recall a PITA too. I think I may make a feature request as Hans did and get it implemented.

Nuendo seems snappy and very responsive. Lex, the only show stopper seems to be the media bay crashing on bad files and the ram usage. I experienced neither of these problems and I scanned all my libraries. I am an audio guy, recording bands in house and off site with some other related things.

[tunetown]

The main thing I hadn't used yet that I was shown how to use is Batch Export. Great for making multiple stems in a single export from any audio source including vsti outputs. That is on both Cubase5.5 and Nuendo 5.
Does this replace MEAP?

Cheers

[paulwr]

Does this replace MEAP?

Cheers

I haven't tried it quite in that way yet. It does have a MEAP replacement feature that I may try. MEAP wasn't working for me at all anymore with C5.1 but I'll need to try in C5.5. When MEAP works, it is more powerfull than the C5 version of doing midi to audio exports one pass by one pass at a time.

I'll have to see what actually occurs if I checkmark vsti audio outputs for batch exporting. This could be really great, and far beyond MEAP..... if in one pass all the audio tracks or grouped tracks, including the vsti audio outs (however you organize them) are committed all at once to separate audio stems and/or independent audio tracks.

I'm busy finishing up template work tonight. I'll try to see just how the whole batch export feature performs later. Looks pretty cool.

Oh, one of the guys at the ClubCubase meeting said MEAP was working fine for him in C5.5

-Paul

[LEX]

I was really just wondering if people felt that N5 needed to be more "beta" for them while things were addressed or not.

I know there is a bug with "clips" and the media bay is a problem is a really face scratcher. For most who do Post, they won't use media bay anyway.
Soundminer is far better and better tailored toward post than media bay is.

I suspect some of the crashing issues are with SD2 files and RAW files which Soundminer or every Digibase Pro has no problems with.

So, media bay might as well be skipped. I haven't dug into it much, but if you can turn off video files and audio files, all the better and just leave it for presets.

Seems the RAM thing might not get in the way, but I still wonder if a full Post project is done how Nuendo5 would handle it RAM wise at 32 bit.

The automation is totally killer as is the new bussing structure.

I'm not trying to knock it, just wanted to get an honest feeling from the user base without posts being deleted.

LEX

[Sound Drifter]

As far as thinking it is beta, I don't, but I never had N4. The only show stoppers I had experienced was with C4, so I uninstalled it went back to Cubase sx3.

Anyway, I have decided to finish up all older projects where they began though C5 projects seem to load fine into N5. I was mixing a very heavy hitting C5 song in N5.01 yesterday without issues, but I just don't trust it due to the installation issues I had.

FWIW, Today is Nuendo's first run with a higher profile client (VO artist for QVC & Discovery Channel). Yea, simple stuff. I do trust it enough to start working in it. Following this, The 1st album will be started in N5 later this week. A really chill artist, so I wouldn't have to worry about pissing someone off if something from Nuendo pauses me for a moment. I don't think, knock on wood, that there will be many, if any, issues with the work I do. I trust it enough to get moving on it.

Ditto on the automation. This should be a real step forward. Seems there's lots of good from my standpoint. I have to remind myself that internet forums usually focus more on problems so I don't get overly discouraged and negative. I am not one of Vin's Emu.com's either. I'm just a guy that really frikin loves recording and mixing, keeping that fuel in my tank which helps push through any issues I come across in the rig. Give it a shot. It's pretty exciting to have these new features at your disposal.

[ibmcgovern]

Lex...

How are you my friend? I assume you got the Trial I sent you?

Can you elaborate for me what you mean by: "I know there is a bug with "clips" and the media bay is a problem..... ?"

[LEX]

Lex...

How are you my friend? I assume you got the Trial I sent you?

Can you elaborate for me what you mean by: "I know there is a bug with "clips" and the media bay is a problem..... ?"

Deleting clips has a problem and media bay has crashing issues with certain files and such. Have a read over at N.com

[Sound Drifter]

Lex,

FWIW, I just finished scanning my libraries, over 10,000 files and didn't have an error. Are your media bay scans crashing?

[LEX]

Lex,

FWIW, I just finished scanning my libraries, over 10,000 files and didn't have an error. Are your media bay scans crashing?

Some people are having issues with scanned files. I haven't scanned MB yet. I use Sound Miner so I don't see a need for MB other than presets.

LEX

[kdm]

I use MB for sound design from time to time for convenience when I'm doing a score/sound project, but N5's MB has a serious memory bug with Play (and perhaps other VSTis) where it apparently overwrites other memory space and causes a crash/corrupt project.

I can't use MB in N5 with score or sound design projects with VSTis for that reason. Probably fine with no VSTis in use, but given that bug, it's still a risk as memory use increases even with plugins. Yes, I know the solution is to move to a 64-bit system, and move back to 32-bit to solve 64-bit problems - i.e. dual boot everytime I need an effect. LOL. Not gonna happen.

[ibmcgovern]

Thanks Lex. But can you let me know what your experiences were/are or are you just referring to what others are reporting? Just trying to gather as much info. I don't have PLAY yet, on it's way, so I can't fully comment on what Dedric is mentioning. I am looking into it though. However, running numerous other VSTis, close to a TB of FX libraries, I have yet to 'crash.' I have caused Nuendo to crash in other ways, but that was pure user cause :)

Thanks. Look forward to hearing how you gave it - N5 - a spin.