Are any of you using volume automation on your tracks?

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Volume automation

This is something I hear the pros talking about often. The phrase "riding the fader" pops up a lot among pros but I haven't seen anyone really explain, give any tips or show any practical ways of using volume automation.

I started this thread to see if any of you are using volume automation on your tracks and if so how are you guys using volume automation?

Recently I used a bit of volume automation during a transition between a intro and verse. Just before the first verse starts I have a tom fill to spice up the transition. The tom fill and the main melody sounded decent at static volumes but I found this transition to work much better by fading in the tom fill (-10db up -8db) while fading out the main melody (-8db down to -10db over the same duration). The end result was more pleasing to my ears than if I had kept the toms and melody at their 8db volume.

I'm not a pro by any means and like I said I haven't been shown any tips, tricks or methods for using volume automation. If you guys have any tips you'd like to share or ways you've used volume automation I would really appreciate it. :D
 
What DAW are you using? I tend to do more slicing/gain adjustment in Cubase, than I do actually riding a fader. Sometimes the fader thing is best, but it depends on the situation.
 
I'm using Reason 6.5 as my main DAW these day although I do have Sonar as well. Yes the slicing/gain adjustment is definitely what I tend to do most of the time. I guess using the fader allows for smooth curves and subtle fades as oppose to a rapid drop or increase. Thanks for the response Jimmy. :D
 
Yeah, it really depends on the track you are working with. I will usually separate loud/soft parts of a track, into separate tracks. Compress them as needed individually, and edit the volume. Then send them to a group channel, and ride the fader automation there.
 
Volume automation all the time on vocal tracks especially. Also on instruments, of course - bringing up a rhythm instrument during hte vocal pauses to even the overall volume, for example.
 
This is all dependent upon the music style, and what any particular song needs. There is no right or wrong here. There is just now and then. :)
 
Hiya Upright

I use automation for volume, panning, FX send, FX parameters, etc.
Its one of the wonders of this digital audio age we live in :)

Most often I'll use it for lead vox, just to keep it at the same apparent level above the rest of the mix. A nudge up in the chorus when things get loud, bring it back down
during quieter parts. Beats the hell out of manual fader riding, as you can zoom right in and adjust the vocal volume in between words if required.

Dags
 
jimmys69 said:
I will usually separate loud/soft parts of a track, into separate tracks. Compress them as needed individually, and edit the volume.
Click to expand...

I use automation all the time. I'll ride the fader and record the movements then go back and edit the points to streamline data. But Jimmy's trick sounds interesting too and I'm gonna have to give that a try.
 
I use automation too. I tend to draw mine manually (and strangely enjoy it) because I don't have a control surface and using a mouse just isn't the same.
 
The better the performance, the less automation is needed. Remember the musicians control the dynamic of the music and if they do their job correctly, your job is easier.

That being said, automation of all kinds is common in my world from simple track volume automation, all the way to automating things like feedback in a delay send.

Another thing that I use in conjunction or sometimes even instead of automation is simply adjustment of the clip volume with a longer crossfade. This helps a lot on vocals when some phrases might be quieter than others. This is a big reason why I love Cubase. For years you had to process regions in Pro Tools if you wanted a gain change. Had to wait for PT 10 for that!

Every situation is a case-by-case scenario and some songs require lots of automation and some don't. Knowing when and why is key and at the end of the day it's an artistic and emotional decision for the betterment of the song.

Cheers :)
 
I draw more than ride the faders. I do this a lot with esses. In stead of a deesser I'll draw the volume down at some points. Also, since I'm so used to singing some parts a certain way live, they come out too quiet so I'll boost those a bit. That way, most of the "compression" is done before it hits the compressor, and I can be a lot lighter with real compression.

Most of my automation comes on vocals, some guitar solos, and some bass.

I don't like using the faders and doing record automation, I prefer drawing. Others prefer the faders, that's why they're both there.
 
I have faders, I prefer using those over drawing personally. But yes I do use automation, usually on lots of crap (pan, eq etc...)
 
I mix in analog, but I have a desk with automation, I use it when needed. It works well if you want to push the vocals in the chorus or to fix a quiet passage, also great to lift a guitar solo or whatever.

In the days before automation we developed queue sheets with fader moves that several pairs of hands rode up and down for different parts of the song, manual automation. There is no harm in using automation, that's why it was invented.

Alan.
 
Heck yeah.

On a "philosophical" note, I prefer to use less compression and spend more time tweaking levels manually.

In my case, I'm usually drawing manually but I suspect that stems from me starting on this computer recording lark in the days when "volume envelopes" were the only way. I got used to this way of working and, even though fader automation is now an option, familiarity tends to take over.
 
I mostly use volume automation on vocals and draw it in. Occasionally using the fader but mostly drawing.
I much prefer this to using to much compression.
I also use it to pan sometimes and on guitars to boost or cut in the choruses it depends on the song.
 
As an aside, besides pan and level, of course there's also effects automation for flying effects in an out as required or even just tweaking the wet/dry mix!
 
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