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Automation
Recording plug-in automation
Every parameter for every assigned effect or VST Instru-
ment can be automated in much the same manner as de-
scribed above.
The following example assumes that you have assigned an
insert effect to an FX channel track (see the chapter “Au-
dio effects” on page 85), and describes how to record au-
tomation for the effect:
1. Select the FX channel track in the Track list and open
its Inserts section in the Inspector.
2. Open the control panel for the effect by clicking the Edit
button (“e”) above the insert effect slot in the Inspector.
3. Click the Write button in the control panel to enable
Write mode.
The Read button is enabled as well. All effects and VST Instruments have
Write/Read buttons on their control panels. These work exactly like the
corresponding buttons in the mixer or in the Track list.
4. Start playback and adjust some effect parameters in
the control panel.
When you are finished, stop playback and return to the position where
you started playback.
5. Disable Write.
The Read button remains enabled.
6. Start playback and watch the control panel.
All actions you performed during the previous playback will be repro-
duced exactly.
Dragging and dropping of insert plug-ins
You can drag an insert plug-in from one insert slot to an-
other, either on the same channel or on a different channel.
• When dragging a plug-in to a different insert slot on the
same channel, any existing automation data will move with
the plug-in.
• When dragging a plug-in to a different insert slot on a
different channel, any existing automation data will not be
transferred to the new channel.
Where did the automation data I recorded end
up?
When using global Write automation, you can write auto-
mation data on the automation tracks of all channels. In
the previous write operations, you probably added auto-
mation events for many different channels and parameters.
• To view all the automation events you recorded during
the operations, select “Show All Used Automation” from
the Project menu or from the Track list context menu.
For each of the channels one subtrack with automation data is now
shown in the Project window. The automation events recorded are
shown as points in the automation curves.
Working with automation curves
About automation curves
There are two kinds of automation curves, “ramp” and
“jump”:
• Jump curves are created for any parameter that only has
on/off values, like a Mute button, for example.
• Ramp curves are created for any parameter that gener-
ates continuous multiple values, such as fader or encoder
movements, etc.
Examples of jump and ramp automation curves
About the static value line
When you open an automation track for a parameter for the
first time, it does not contain any automation events (unless
you have previously adjusted that parameter with write au-
tomation activated), and this is reflected in the event display
as a straight horizontal black line, the “static value” line. This
line represents the current parameter setting.
• If you have manually added any automation events or
used write automation for the corresponding parameter,
and then disable the reading of automation data, the auto-
mation curve will be grayed-out in the automation track
event display and the static value will be used instead.
As soon as Read mode is enabled, the automation curve will become
available.