I don't get playback or video engine errors, and scrolling, editing, and any other interaction feel snappier.Īdding specific plug-ins, such as upmixers (like Penteo16) and limiters (such as FabFilter Pro-L2), would quickly eat up my delay compensation allowance, especially when using higher-quality settings. I've run Pro Tools and Nuendo on my 2017 iMac Pro, and whilst it's not the newest, shiniest, most powerful Mac, it indeed can't be called underpowered, yet Nuendo runs much better. My experience of using Nuendo is generally that it's much more reliable, and I get work done quicker. So, it's easy to get a demo and try out Nuendo, but trying a DAW and using it every day are very different things. If I'm somewhere where that's impossible, such as doing playback on a film set or working on a train or plane, that's a huge limitation. I know iLok Cloud exists, but this requires an internet connection. This also differs from similar online licensing systems in that they don't require an internet connection. It also makes running it on my laptop much easier when away from the studio, so there's no risk of forgetting it before I leave or anything happening as I travel. I'm also an iLok user, and whilst that has Zero Downtime (ZDT) as an insurance policy, it's still nice to know that this isn't something I have to worry about with Nuendo. The second is not having to worry about losing the USB key, having it stolen, or getting damaged. The first benefit is that there is no cost to get the demo. This applies to Nuendo and all recent versions of Steinberg software.

This brings me to the first new feature of Nuendo 12 - online activation. If I didn't have this, I'd have had to spend £20 or so to demo it.

When Nuendo 11 launched in 2021, I already had an eLicenser, the USB key which was Steinberg's proprietary copy protection system for many years. I've been using Nuendo as my daily driver for over a year, so this review will cover my experiences and what I think of it as a DAW. When I wrote that first piece, Nuendo 11 had just been released, and I had been enticed by some of its features, so I decided to download the demo and try it.

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