automation levels

meteo · Post by **meteo** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 7:05 am

hi,i've searched a lot for something that could speak about this thing but i didn't find anything. My problem is that when you have to do an automation for example a volume automation, you have to go to the mixer, watch the level of the track (for example -2 db) and then write it. dp doesnt show the value of the automation automatically. for me this thing is very frustrating, because logic and pro tools do this thing very well. i think that is no so difficult to improve. i hope that things will change with dp 6.

paulhurt · Post by **paulhurt** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 7:31 am

I'm not quite with you. DP pretty much does what you'd expect. Okay, the automation is a little messed up in places (touch trim mode doesn't seem to return to zero when you let go of a Mackie Control fader), but the essentials work fine.

Enable automation record/read on the channels you want to automate, move fader during playback, wind back, automation is replayed, fader moves on screen, values change at bottom of channel strip.

Spikey Horse · Post by **Spikey Horse** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 9:10 am

Not quite sure what your problem / scenario is....

But if I have the fader at a set (basically fixed) level (with no automation written so far) but I want to do some 'surgical volume tweaks' in a few places by mouse in seq ed I just rec-play enable the automation, hit play from the start of sequence and click the fader without moving it. This writes the current volume into the seq ed without changing it..... takes literally 2 seconds and easier/quicker than writing the start volume into the seq ed by mouse.

EDIT - Much as love Cleese/Palin I think my avatar is too distracting to the old eyeballs, I'll remove it when I've get back!

1nput0utput · Post by **1nput0utput** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 9:31 am

You should use the automation snapshot feature. Check it out in the manual.

jarok · Post by **jarok** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 9:54 am

Spikey Horse wrote: EDIT - Much as love Cleese/Palin I think my avatar is too distracting to the old eyeballs, I'll remove it when I've get back!

No it isn't.

jarok

bkshepard · Post by **bkshepard** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 10:03 am

jarok wrote:
Spikey Horse wrote: EDIT - Much as love Cleese/Palin I think my avatar is too distracting to the old eyeballs, I'll remove it when I've get back!
No it isn't.

jarok

Yes it is!

meteo · Post by **meteo** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 1:27 am

i can understand that there are a lot of tricks that can show the level automation instead of writing it with my mouse. but they all are tricks. logic an pro tools, when you go to automation levels, they directly show the levels also the first time that you want to see them, and there's nothin' written. i dont want to criticise dp, because i love it, but for me this is a big bug.

Phil O · Post by **Phil O** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 7:39 am

I'm not quite sure what you're asking. If you select a point on the automation curve in the SE window, it's value shows up in the info bar (or whatever it's called) at the top of the window. When you click on that number you can edit it from the keyboard. Or are you looking for something else?

Phil

Shooshie · Post by **Shooshie** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 8:23 am

meteo wrote:i can understand that there are a lot of tricks that can show the level automation instead of writing it with my mouse. but they all are tricks. logic an pro tools, when you go to automation levels, they directly show the levels also the first time that you want to see them, and there's nothin' written. i dont want to criticise dp, because i love it, but for me this is a big bug.

I, too, am confused by what you are saying. I hope you don't mind if I ask you some questions to clarify what you're asking. First of all, are you aware that you can write any and all automation from scratch? Without having to record anything at all, you can just sit down with any track and start writing the automation. Secondly, are you aware that DP has the most sophisticated automation writing tools of any DAW I've seen? Granted, I haven't seen them all. But perhaps you haven't seen what you can do with drawing automation with the tools provided in DP. Would you take a look at my tutorial on page two of the DP Tips Sheet and see if you are familiar with these tools?

You can draw automation curves into either the MIDI Editor Window or the Sequence Editor Window, and it works beautifully. I'd be lost without these tools, and this is one reason why I work in DP and not Logic or PT. Using a tablet and pen, I can draw in sophisticated control and automation curves very quickly and accurately. Needless to say, these can all be edited numerically at the keyboard, though I can't imagine why anyone would want to, except in special circumstances.

Now, if I'm misunderstanding you, maybe you can clarify what you're asking for.

Shooshie

Shooshie · Post by **Shooshie** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 8:53 am

Oh, I beg your pardon. I see what you're saying. You want to be able to see the values of your track faders without having to write them first. Well, that's done with Snapshots, and I would disagree with you about it being a trick or a bug. It's just another way of giving you options. Some might not want automation points showing up in their tracks until they specifically request them to do so. Snapshots are part of MOTU's automation design, and are not a trick. It would have been far easier for them to have merely forced the current value to always show up when you open the editor, but they gave us the option not to have to deal with automation in any way shape or form until we want to. Personally, I think it's a brilliant implementation. Don't look for that to go away.

Shooshie