Automation techniques.

s.k. · Post by **s.k.** » Sun Jan 10, 2010 5:15 pm

sh!t you're completely right, i just forgot to say "imo" or thats just my way... my bad

Quantize · Post by **Quantize** » Sun Jan 10, 2010 8:04 pm

I usually play around with the automation when creating a sound and make a note of the parameters I want to automate later on in the track. It's worth using a midi controller to do this as different cominations of settings can sometimes produce unexpected results.

In most of our tracks i'd say at least 80% of the sounds are automated. It can get a little confusing sometimes but thats the fun of the circus.....

soapz · Post by **soapz** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 3:49 am

s.k. wrote:sh!t you're completely right, i just forgot to say "imo" or thats just my way... my bad

Haha, Or "Im about to type this sentence, as it is my current opinion, not to be held against me or to be quoted to me at a later date, it is simply my opinion at this exact time, I could be proven wrong but here I go.. (remember this is just what I think now)...dont hurt me!!"

hydrogen · Post by **hydrogen** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 3:52 am

soapz wrote:
s.k. wrote:sh!t you're completely right, i just forgot to say "imo" or thats just my way... my bad
Haha, Or "Im about to type this sentence, as it is my current opinion, not to be held against me or to be quoted to me at a later date, it is simply my opinion at this exact time, I could be proven wrong but here I go.. (remember this is just what I think now)...dont hurt me!!"

kylemcsparron · Post by **kylemcsparron** » Tue Jan 12, 2010 9:01 pm

Make a 4 bar loop and a 3 bar automation pattern. Repeat.

bleepbleep · Post by **bleepbleep** » Sat Jan 16, 2010 1:27 am

s.k. wrote:automation is best used over longer patterns, say 4 bars. this mainly for lower operational resolution reasons but also for convenience.

for quick modulations its always best to use lfos and envelopes (preferably of a good synth/sampler)...

I pretty much use the opposite approach and use automation instead of lfos, envelopes in my synths as I find I have more control and get a better idea of how the change in parameters fits in with the rest of the track.

Gill · Post by **Gill** » Fri Mar 12, 2010 11:56 pm

I like to write my first pass of automaiton with 'latch', until I have a ballpark of what I'm automating, and then tweak it with touch. That way, touch is only honing in the automation pass I was going for.

Also, if I want to repeat automation as a loop, and my regions aren't exactly corresponding to how I want to automate, I make blank regions and set logic to 'always move automation with regions'; then just copy or repeat that region. When I'm done, if the blank regions are in the way, I set my automation preferences to 'never move automation with regions' and delete them. I just thought, Logic should have a shortcut between those two automation preferences.

The most common things I automate are: reverb send, bypassing inserts, pan, and filter cutoff. When I automate volume, I don't automate the volume fader, I usually use something else, like the gain insert, or just the gain on my compressor or eq...that way, I can deal with the volume fader for many tracks at a time.

AVX23 · Post by **AVX23** » Wed Mar 17, 2010 4:41 am

couple of tips - find out what dubbing is - and give it a try - freak the parameters on things over a live segment, don't worry too much about it sounding right - just experiment, try out different controls, but record the sequence data as you go.

Then go back and look at the automation you've created, you will soon be able to tell what's been effective and what hasn't, if it's mostly sounding good - it's just normally a case of tidying things up a little and I find this very usefull when I want to program automation, but keep that live dubbing feel.

Macro's are pretty cool, there's a cool vid floating around on youtube just now - think someone posted it here, but essentially it's just setting up preset automation that you can route any channel through, really usefull for keeping things live, but your automation nice and tight.

I've found it to be a bit of a processor hog tho, maybe that's just machine.

Finally - yeah - use it over long patterns, whole songs or even individual clips, automating elements on individual clips can be very effective and to this end, one thing I've found really usefull in live recently is disconnecting the automation from the clip, bit too frazzled to ramble on about this - but it's really worth trying in certain situations.

Hope this gives you a few ideas, you might need to research further tho cos I'm afraid I can't give more technical - cat-sat-on-the-mat advice right now, cos my mind is floating round in Rob Booths filthy nightmares