Pro-Tools - Automation, Cakewalk equivalent? Advice?

[icu81b4]

Hi,  Watching producers using Pro-Tools, they will usually finish the mixing process off using 'Automation' on the Bus's  (So Drums, then Guitars etc...). 

I don't use Pro-Tools So I'm not sure if this is a feature of PT

My question:- Is there an equivalent feature in CbB? 

I know I could use a 'Waves' Rider plugin and set that to write to an automation lane (for ex volume) but wondered what you guys might use? 

Thanks. 

Al. 

[Andres Medina]

Yes, of course you can.

In fact you can automate almost everything in CW.

There are several ways to automate your buss: 

1. Right click on the parameter (fader-pan,etc) - click Automation Write Enable - press play and move the parameter in real time: it will record your changes
2. Create a automation lane for the desired bus: draw your changes in the corresponding bus lane

You can even enable-disable the reading of your automations. There is plenty of information about this in the manual.

[icu81b4]

Thanks Andres,  Yes I'm aware of those capabilities,   I guess I didn't explain very well. 

I'll see if I can find an example of what I mean on YouTube.... 

[msmcleod]

Typically you'd just add volume automation to the bus.

You can either draw this in yourself, or typically what I'd do is record it via my control surface and ride the faders through the whole song:


 

[Craig Anderton]

4 hours ago, icu81b4 said:

Hi,  Watching producers using Pro-Tools, they will usually finish the mixing process off using 'Automation' on the Bus's  (So Drums, then Guitars etc...). 

I don't use Pro-Tools So I'm not sure if this is a feature of PT

My question:- Is there an equivalent feature in CbB? 

I know I could use a 'Waves' Rider plugin and set that to write to an automation lane (for ex volume) but wondered what you guys might use? 

Thanks. 

Al. 

Are you perhaps thinking of VCA Channels? If so, perhaps the following will help.

This article describes how to achieve VCA-like functionality in Cakewalk.

This video describes a similar, but alternate, approach.

[icu81b4]

Thanks for the replies, Yes msmcloed & Craig. That does help. 

"record it via my control surface and ride the faders through the whole song:"

It's this that I'm interested in doing, But as I don't have a Control Surface, I don't think it would work so good just using a mouse as a fader. So will have to draw it it as suggested. 

Hmmm. Now where can I buy some faders  

 

 

 

[Craig Anderton]

18 minutes ago, icu81b4 said:

But as I don't have a Control Surface, I don't think it would work so good just using a mouse as a fader. So will have to draw it it as suggested. 

I don't know what kind of keyboard controller you have, but some of them can function as a control surface. 

[Andres Medina]

It's not that difficult to use your mouse, at least for a first pass: when in play mode, with the fader armed for automation writing (and reading of course) just click once when you want a change, no need to hold it pressed all the time.

After this you can go to the envelope lane and adjust as you need, drawing. Sometimes it's easier to draw, sometimes it's easier to use the control surface or the mouse.

 

 

Edited January 18, 2023 by Andres Medina

[SketalDaz]

@msmcleod or any one else,

Is there a way to increase the resolution of the automation? I like performing automation manually by using the "write" tool instead of the interpolation line, but it seems that cakewalk summarizes my actions after I finish riding the controls / faders. I can see how this can be handy, but for my workflow and style, it doesn't work for me (at least not at the current "resolution"); I need to have a direct / analog-esque control over my riding performance to capture detail moments.

 

thx

Edited January 18, 2023 by SketalDaz
clearity

[scook]

47 minutes ago, SketalDaz said:

Is there a way to increase the resolution of the automation?

Adjust AutomationDecimationMsec (2-30) in Edit > Preferences > Audio - Configuration File (added in 2021.04)

[SketalDaz]

1 hour ago, scook said:

Adjust AutomationDecimationMsec (2-30) in Edit > Preferences > Audio - Configuration File (added in 2021.04)

Thanks @scook I do appreciate the help,

But OMG "1" and "30" felt the same to me or that the change of the setting didn't do anything from my point of view (the original value for the AutomationDecimationMsec was "5").

FYI: my current version of cakewalk is 2022.11 (Build 021, 64bit)

[msmcleod]

1 hour ago, SketalDaz said:

@msmcleod or any one else,

Is there a way to increase the resolution of the automation? I like performing automation manually by using the "write" tool instead of the interpolation line, but it seems that cakewalk summarizes my actions after I finish riding the controls / faders. I can see how this can be handy, but for my workflow and style, it doesn't work for me (at least not at the current "resolution"); I need to have a direct / analog-esque control over my riding performance to capture detail moments.

 

thx

The smoothing is always applied when recording automation, however if using the freehand drawing tool afterwards, you can use the Freehand Smoothing option in the Clips View Options:



Setting it to it to one of the  "As Drawn" options should do what you want.

 

[SketalDaz]

23 minutes ago, msmcleod said:

The smoothing is always applied when recording automation, however if using the freehand drawing tool afterwards, you can use the Freehand Smoothing option in the Clips View Options:



Setting it to it to one of the  "As Drawn" options should do what you want.

 

Okay here me out Mr. @msmcleod,

What you suggested is close to the result I'm trying to get ...... but:

1. I need the "As Drawn (Linear)" to be translated to the faders / controllers as "As Ride-ed" or something; I prefer to ride my automation when I'm mixing because I feel like I'm performing at that moment while listening to what I'm mixing. Once I hit that STOP button, I'm done - I can't mentally recover what I'm trying to automate and then edit/fix it by drawing what I want into the interpolation line. To me, that's not how the "magic" work. You gotta be in it. Plus, the result I get from recording my automation via fader sounds more natural.

2. I still wish that the resolution can be adjusted. What I'm hoping to be able to do as an option is record the automation in the resolution that match exactly the fader movement when you move it manually on a regular basis (including while holding down ctrl). I can see you can achieve this via drawing by zooming in the wavetable, but referring back to my first point, I don't draw while in my mixing workflow (though, I more likely do so while sound designing).

Still, thanks for you suggestion.

[msmcleod]

@icu81b4 / @SketalDaz  - in the next release,  the "Freehand Smoothing" menu will be renamed to "Automation Smoothing" and will apply to both freehand drawing and recording automation.

So: 

• Smooth - will have the current behaviour, creating a smoothed approximation of the recorded automation. This works well for volume automation recording.
• As Drawn/Recorded (Jumps) - The recorded automation points are left exactly as they were recorded/drawn.  
• As Drawn/Recorded (Linear) - The position/values of the recorded automation points are left exactly as they were recorded/drawn, but are joined together by a linear line.  This is a compromise between Smooth and As Drawn/Recorded (Jumps). Use this if you're experiencing a stepping effect with "As Drawn/Recorded (Jumps)".