Crossfade mix between "Presets"

[Prime Mover]

Often during sound design projects, I have need to gradually fade between settings in a plugin... most commonly EQ. For example, I'm working on a recording of water in a culvert that over 10 minutes, gradually dies down and becomes less bass-y. So I created an EQ setting for the end of the file to match the beginning. But then it becomes tedious to automate every parameter of the EQ from "off" to "on" over the course of the sound. I'm trying to think of some workflow technique where I could throw an effect or two on, and then simply crossfade between on or off. There is something like this inside of NI Guitar Rig, but those EQs are pretty basic, and I'd love to be able to do this with any AU/VST plugins.

I guess I could automate two sends set-pre fade, and then crossfade between them, but then I'd also need to create "exponential/logarithmic" curves to properly match them. There's gotta be an easier solution.

[HCMarkus]

Duplicate the track.
Apply one plugin setting to track one and second setting to track two.
Fade each to taste.

Alternately, bounce track with two plugin setting and crossfade the two resulting soundfiles in one track.

[Prime Mover]

Fade each to taste.

This I would rather avoid, for the reasons I gave above. This really isn't any different from sending out pre-fader to an Aux and then doing fades between the two tracks. Volume automation in DP is linear, and it would require exponential curves to result in constant loudness... more fiddly than what I'm looking for.

I'm looking for a ONE NOB solution, where I can setup a "mix" or "balance" fader. Is this something that I could do in something like Bidule?

[HCMarkus]

Fade each to taste.

This I would rather avoid, for the reasons I gave above. This really isn't any different from sending out pre-fader to an Aux and then doing fades between the two tracks. Volume automation in DP is linear, and it would require exponential curves to result in constant loudness... more fiddly than what I'm looking for.

I'm looking for a ONE NOB solution, where I can setup a "mix" or "balance" fader. Is this something that I could do in something like Bidule?

Unlike with sends, with the audio fade approach I suggest, you have constant loudness curves available. If you place the two files on the same track, you have pretty close to a one knob solution... drag the crossfade as long as you like.

[Greg Magee]

I hope I'm understanding you correctly, but I think this would be easy enough to achieve using snapshot automation using the 'From Counter to next change (ramp)' option.

Set your wiper to the initial point and set your eq as desired then take a snapshot of the plugin params.
Now move wiper to the end of your project where you want the altered settings, adjust as desired and take snapshot of plugin params using From Counter to Previous Change Ramp under the time range dropdown.

This should morph between settings gradually over the range between automation snapshots.

[Shooshie]

I haven't tried it, but you might give this a shot:

Custom Consoles can move faders, I think. Been a long time, but there is some way you can fade audio with custom consoles, and I think it's by operating the fader with it; you'd have to figure out how. So, as you all discussed above, put the two tracks in side by side, designing a custom console for each which fades the audio. Slave #2 to #1, but with a negative percentage curve. Fading one in will fade the other out, and it will do so at a ratio you choose. So, it might be exactly what you want. Or not. I'm not going to go try it. But the fact that you can negatively slave at a ratio sounds like it would be what you're looking for.

If you can go between plugin settings in real time, many plugins pop or make other artifacts when moving the controls. I'd go with pre-rendered tracks.

Shooshie

[Prime Mover]

Ultimately, the most ideal solution would be to have two different instances of set parameters, and then crossfade between them. Particularly because I commonly need to go back and tweak them as I go, so I would rather not actually automate the faders, as it's much faster to change the parameter within the plugin then re-draw automation data (especially EQs, which have about 30+ different settings).

That's why I was inquiring about running some kind of host like Bidule, where I can setup two different instances with a "mix" function between them. I don't really know much about Bidule, but this strikes me as the kind of thing it would be good at.