Automations

BroKen_H

BroKen_H

Re-member
I know this is probably old hat to most, but hopefully there are some upcoming recordists that need this type of information. :)

We all know that automation is a great tool for making the faders move up and down during playback (riding the faders, as we used to call it) to even out dynamics without the crush of a compressor (or before the crush of a compressor). Maybe you want a pick slide or a Hammond glissando to move left to right: automate the pan. When you want to go from "old radio" to full sound: automate the high pass filter from 1k down to off and low pass from 7k up to off.

But, most modern DAWs can automate many different things.
While we're on the high pass filter, you can give a small group of instruments in an intro or break full range of sound and then automate the high pass up to give more space in the mix when the rest of the instruments come in.
EQ is a great place for automation.
Plugs have lots of knobs and sliders. All can be automated to give that different musical bite to whatever track(s) you've attached them to.
How about automating bypass switches on plugs to add that little short chorus to the vocal or flange to the bass at just the right point.

Any other ideas?
 
I need to learn how to automate in Studio One 2 Pro. So many things I'm making channels for and taking up valuable processing ability. I just haven't got around to it yet, though that's my next subject to tackle.
 
Good post Ken. I think automating is a craft in itself that can make a subtle but effective difference in the sound and energy of a mix.
 
I automate mute quite a bit to bring instruments in and out of the mix. I probably do that as much as I automate levels.

The other day I decided to add a wah pedal sim to an already recorded track. Once I figured out how to map the pedal position control to the mod wheel on my keyboard, I was able to write the pedal automation while the track played. It took me a couple of passes but I was able to get a realistic-sounding wah effect on the track.
 
I used automation for the first time recently to mostly ride the vocal fader to even things out remove breaths etc , but I had a problem as the mix was close to being finished, I wanted to just turn up the vocal a touch but because of the automation it kept snapping back to what was written on the automation. Am I doing something stupid?
I'm using cubase 5 and I'm relatively inexperienced at using a DAW
Any help would be appreciated
 
Ride verb/delay sends (vocals, guitars mostly here). That was something that likely might have been quite natural to do on an on console 'real time' mix.

Matt Beddall said:
I used automation for the first time recently to mostly ride the vocal fader to even things out remove breaths etc , but I had a problem as the mix was close to being finished, I wanted to just turn up the vocal a touch but because of the automation it kept snapping back to what was written on the automation. Am I doing something stupid?
I'm using cubase 5 and I'm relatively inexperienced at using a DAW
Any help would be appreciated
Click to expand...
- In Sonar, we can zoom in some on height (if need be for better resolution) and select the entire track's automation line and nodes, drag them up or down. -If there's other automations on the track that would get selected too we'd have to temporarily 'hide them from the view first.
- Use the output of the last plug to trim it (I don't like that one 'cause I don't care for having random 'hidden gain changes that can be forgotten.
- Use a sub group (AKA sub bus'

I automate compressor thresholds, and sometimes attack times.

Oh and another- I use the pre insert / fader 'gain trim automations that most of my tracks tend to end up with, instead of 'mute sections. Probably one of the things that got me started like that is often enough what might need 'to come and go' might also like to have fades in and out..
I.e, 'That next guitar phrase needs to go, so the previous notes, need to go out tastefully'.
 
Last edited:
You can also "bus" a track into another (most DAWs) enabling the track to have its ride and still be controllable (via the "bus" fader). Reason does it like THIS.
 
BroKen_H said:
You can also "bus" a track into another (most DAWs) enabling the track to have its ride and still be controllable (via the "bus" fader).THIS.
Click to expand...

Particularly for vocals, this is great. If the singer's mic technique isn't great it can save the take.
Sort any particularly loud or quiet parts with automation, send to a buss, use the buss fader as overall volume and do any processing there (compression, eq etc).
 
Matt Beddall said:
I used automation for the first time recently to mostly ride the vocal fader to even things out remove breaths etc , but I had a problem as the mix was close to being finished, I wanted to just turn up the vocal a touch but because of the automation it kept snapping back to what was written on the automation. Am I doing something stupid?
I'm using cubase 5 and I'm relatively inexperienced at using a DAW
Any help would be appreciated
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what Cubase calls it, but look in the manual for trim or trim/read in regards to automation read mode. That allows the fader to set the overall track volume, and the automation adjustments are all relative to that. Lower the fader to lower the entire volume envelope, etc.
 
Cubase has a channel gain just above the fader in the channel edit window in Cubase 5 (it moved in cubase 6&7). It should have 0.0 in a text box as default, click and drag to change it. Or just send the vocals to a buss and add a little volume using the buss fader. If you are compressing the vocal you could just add a little extra makeup gain to the last plugin in the chain too.

Adding channel gain/extra makeup gain will make the vocals hit any compression or fx you have a bit harder so bussing is probably a better option.
 
I've also added plugs to channels for "riding". Say, on one of my horridly played guitar parts. Add an eq into the chain at the end and leave everything alone, but automate the gain control.
 
Tadpui said:
I'm not sure what Cubase calls it, but look in the manual for trim or trim/read in regards to automation read mode. That allows the fader to set the overall track volume, and the automation adjustments are all relative to that. Lower the fader to lower the entire volume envelope, etc.
Click to expand...

That's how Reaper works with standard settings.
 
mjbphotos said:
That's how Reaper works with standard settings.
Click to expand...

Well, it's how it works when you select trim/read as the automation type. If you just select read, the fader becomes inoperable. Took me a while to figure out that setting to let the fader control the whole envelope.
 
Tadpui said:
I'm not sure what Cubase calls it, but look in the manual for trim or trim/read in regards to automation read mode. That allows the fader to set the overall track volume, and the automation adjustments are all relative to that. Lower the fader to lower the entire volume envelope, etc.
Click to expand...
I've never used the faders to draw -or alter existing automation for that mater. Would your 'trim or trim/read mode be the same mode as that? And the same mode as in this case where one wanted to just do a set amount of offset to the existing?
 
In trim/read mode (in Reaper at least) it's very much like automating a second fader right before (or after) the actual fader you see on the screen. It does what the automation tells it, and then adds what the fader tells it. This doesn't work on effect parameters or things like that, but it does work in the mixer controls.
 
Good morning!
Can this second trim be automated, or is it more like what Sonar has is simply a static 'Offset Mode for most of the track controls?
 
??? In Read mode, the envelope makes the fader wiggle and if you try to move it, it just snaps back to where the envelope puts it. In Trim mode the envelope adjusts the track volume before it hits the fader, and you can move the fader wherever you want and it just works. You can't automate volume fader a second time, though, no. I think it is like Offset mode in Sonar, but it's been a while since I even opened that program.

Edit to add - Of course, Reaper's got several layers of automation there. First you've got Take Volume, which actually changes the way the waveform looks on the screen. This is my preferred place to ride volume for phrase-to-phrase consistency. Then you've got Pre-FX Volume which is very much like the Gain/Trim knobs in some other DAWs except we don't get a knob, just the envelope. Then there's the actual Volume which is post FX.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top