Chapter 9 Using Automation

Automation allows you to control audio and video levels, panning, and effect parameter automation over time. You can create fades, apply stereo panning, and vary effect parameters throughout your project. Automation is represented on the ACID® timeline as an envelope or set of keyframes. You can create automation by adding envelopes or keyframes to your tracks (including bus tracks), or you can record automation parameters by adjusting controls in the ACID interface (or on a control surface) during playback.

For more information, see Connecting a control surface on page 267.

Showing or hiding automation controls

The controls in the track list can function as trim controls or automation controls for track volume, panning, assignable effects send, and bus send levels. Adjusting the trim control affects the level of the entire track.

To display trim controls in the track header, deselect the Automation Settings button .

Track automation

Track automation will always affect all events on the track. This means that any event envelopes will be calculated after the track automation. For more information, see Using event envelopes on page 65.

Tip: Choose a fade type from the Audio default drop-down list on the Editing tab of the Preferences dialog to set the default fade type that will be used when you add volume and panning envelopes. This setting is used only when you create new envelopes—when you add a point to an existing envelope, the new point always uses the same fade type as the preceding envelope point. Also, this setting is not used for event envelopes.

Mute automation

Mute automation changes a track’s mute state throughout your project. Mute automation is either on or off with no fade between. If you want to use fades, apply volume automation.

When you apply mute automation to a track, it’s possible to have a track that is muted and soloed simultaneously. The mute state overrides the solo state:

•If a track’s Solo button is selected, the track is included in the solo group, but it will be muted whenever the mute automation is set to mute the track.

•If the track’s Mute button is selected, the track is muted regardless of the mute automation settings.

Adding or removing mute automation

1.Select a track.

2.From the Insert menu, choose Audio Envelopes or Video Envelopes, or right-click in the track list and choose Insert/Remove Envelope from the shortcut menu.

3.From the submenu, choose Mute. A check mark is displayed next to the command, and an envelope is added to the timeline.

4.You can adjust the automation by editing the envelope in the timeline or by using the Mute button in the track header when the Automation Settings button is selected.

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