The automation problem and which DAWs have a solution?
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The automation problem and which DAWs have a solution?
2022-03-14T09:46:03+00:00
So imagine you're working on a track, and you have a couple of sections done - complete with some automation. Maybe you have a verse+chorus or build+drop where you automated several effects parameters and fader levels to create tension and release.
Now you decide you want to change the arrangement. Maybe you want to add a short pre-chorus, or you want to make the buildup 4 bars longer. So you grab all the MIDI and audio clips and move them to the right to make space. But now the automation no longer lines up with the song! That reverb automation you drew in just as the chorus hits now happens 4 bars before the chorus.
Now you have to "pixel hunt" for all the little dots on all the automation tracks so you can select them all. If you miss one, it will completely mess up the automation by creating a weird gap. You have to zoom in so you see all the dots, but then you have to scroll like an idiot to be able to select the entire range. Then you have to carefully nudge all the dots to the right to make sure they align (at least most DAWs support snapping of automation points these days. That was another whole world of pain.).
The only DAW I know of which solves this is FL Studio. Since automation is encapsulated in "automation clips", which are just like MIDI Clips in other DAWs, it's trivial to move them around and align them with the rest of the arrangement. They're clearly visible on the timeline (unlike the tiny dots of an automation track) and you can easily see where they start and end. Where there isn't an automation clip, the parameter resets to its default value, no need to carefully position two dots at exactly 3.188532 to make it match the initial position. They can also be easily duplicated, split, glued, deleted and reused for other parameters and colorized so you can visually keep track of what they do.
Are there any other DAWs that have a solution to this problem? How do you deal with automation in DAWs that treat it as a continuous set of points rather than clips, when you want to change the arrangement?
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Post by Tj Shredder »
Reading the posts it seems, and that is logical, all DAWs can do it. You didn’t tell us which DAW you believe can’t do it…
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