Steinberg Media Technologies AG, a provider of professional music and audio software, announced several products at this week’s NAMM Winter Show in Anaheim, CA.
For one, they introduced GRM Tools Volume 2, the second collection of four creative effect processors for Mac and Windows VST (Virtual Studio Technology). This volume adds flexible high quality sound designer tools to the VST system. Possible applications include sound design, film and television post-production, dance, electronic and experimental music productions, jingle and broadcast effect creations.
Steinberg also demonstrated the Nuendo Media Production System for the Mac OS. Aimed at audio for the professional music production and audio for film, video, and interactive media markets, the Nuendo Media Production System is a modular system centered on an audio software application that includes several hardware accessories.
Nuendo features up to 200 tracks of 32-bit/96 kHz digital audio, advanced-featured surround mixing, a Video-Track, and MIDI-Tracks, along with the most comprehensive functions for digital audio available. Originally developed for the Windows platform, Nuendo has already proven to be highly successful in the professional audio and postproduction arenas, according to company spokesperson Marsha Vdovin.
Nuendo 1.5 includes full VST 2.0 support offering access to a wide variety of Virtual Studio Instruments such as Steinberg’s new Pro-52 and PPG 2.V virtual synthesizers and other VST 2.0 compliant virtual instruments. An option for Sony 9-pin Translators for seamless control of appropriate devices is available. Steinberg Spectral Design will also offer a Dolby Digital 5.1 encoding package in the near future.
The entire Nuendo recording studio is freely configurable to any surround format including 5.1 or 7.1. The user can access a setup from the Nuendo library of surround standards or create their own setups. Every pan in the Mixer becomes a full surround pan. Nuendo also offers full surround mastering with the Surround Edition Mastering Package by Spectral Design, Vdovin said.
She added that Nuendo’s capabilities are further enhanced via ASIO, Steinberg’s Audio Streaming Technology that provides access to a broad range of high performance hardware and software products. ASIO options include audio cards ranging from simple stereo in/out to those offering 48 individual I/Os and 24-bit / 96kHz quality, zero latency external monitoring and sample accurate synchronization.
Additionally, ASIO provides Zero Latency Hardware Monitoring and guaranteed sample-accurate sync to external devices. Nuendo synchronizes video and audio devices via LTC, VITC and gives the user control over most Sony 9-pin devices. Nuendo 1.5 for Mac will be available from Steinberg Dealers Worldwide for a manufactures suggested retail price (MSRP) of US$1,295 later this quarter.
What’s more, Steinberg has released Surroundverb, a surround-reverb for Steinberg’s Nuendo media production system. TC Surroundverb supplies Nuendo users with TC-quality 5.1 reverb, integrated into Steinberg’s application. It features an interface with graphic displays visualizing the reverb components, with an algorithm core delivering dense and convincing studio quality reverbs, Vdovin said.
The plug-in provides control over all key components required for reverb design, from room shape and size to diffusion; it gives separate controls for early reflections and tail. The reverb tail supplies three independent bands for lo, mid, and hi with sweepable band crossovers and an additional EQ stage with lo and hi shelf filters for sound flexibility.
The surround sound positioning of a track is already taken care of in Nuendo, so TC Surroundverb receives the panned signal, thus not requiring a panner of its own, said Ralf Schluenzen, CEO of TC Works. This new style of surround metering allows the user to keep track of the audio’s position in the virtual room. Dry and wet signals are displayed in two different colors, providing optimal visual control over changes in positioning due to the addition of the reverb.
“Nuendo is a very exciting new platform for surround media production, and with the launch of the Mac version at this show it becomes even more accessible for pro users,” Schluenzen said. “We were thrilled when Steinberg asked us to create a surround reverb for their new system.”
TC Surroundverb works exclusively within Nuendo and is now available for a MSRP of $699.
Steinberg also introduced HALion, a virtual sampler for VST-compatible production systems; the Houston remote controller for Nuendo and Cubase VST production systems; Nuendo 8 I/O 96k, an 8-channel analog-to digital and digital-to-analog converter that uses the reference approach; updates for VST effects PlugIns; and the Midex 8 MIDI Interface, an 8 I/O USB MIDI Interface compatible with Steinberg’s new LTB (Linear Time Base) technology. The latter can be used with Mac and Windows systems running Cubase VST 5.0.
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