Automation Envelope Editing [Solved]

[Bill Phillips]

Do you have an easier/faster way of doing the operation shown in the GIF below? I do this a lot for clip gain and other automation envelopes like the PC EQ HMF Gain envelope shown in the GIF and my way of adding sloped transitions is time consuming. One issue that might not be obvious is setting the envelope level since for things like this unmasking operation I like to make the cut level consistent. But, dragging it down in each instance is tedious and the level increments easily hit vary depending on vertical zoom.

One thing that would be helpful for my workflow is eliminating the duplicate nodes created by the envelope drag up/down operation.

Edited December 18, 2020 by Bill Phillips
Solved

[Lord Tim]

Or, make 4 nodes, and in the section you want lowered, hold down CTRL while you drag down on the automation line and it'll move the entire section.

[Nigel Mackay]

Create the 4 nodes.
Switch to Edit.
Click and drag the actual line segment.
Don't get the 2 extra nodes that need deleting.
 

[reginaldStjohn]

You can also just swipe select the area you are interested in and then go to the top of the clip, click and drag and it will create the notes for you.

[tonemangler]

7 hours ago, reginaldStjohn said:

You can also just swipe select the area you are interested in and then go to the top of the clip, click and drag and it will create the notes for you.

With this method you would then have to Shift click move the outer nodes to get the proper slopes.  Personally I wish that when nodes are added at selection they weren't directly on top of each other causing a jump, rather next to each other so that when you make the move you describe automatic fades are created.  Better still and option in Preferences to set the this.  For example; "Set Node at Selection to--Jump or Fade".  Or even better have it as an option going from 0 (jump) 1 (small fade) 2 (med fade) to 3 (large fade), and then you can assign it to key strokes, kind of like Nudge.  Maybe that's the geek in me going overboard, realistically an automatic small fade or slope between nodes would do the job in 99% of cases, I don't think jumps in automation envelopes are really necessary even when automating an on/off button. 

[Nigel Mackay]

@tonemanglerJust add the nodes where you want the fades to start and end.

[Bill Phillips]

22 hours ago, Nigel Mackay said:

Create the 4 nodes.
Switch to Edit.
Click and drag the actual line segment.
Don't get the 2 extra nodes that need deleting.

That works.

20 hours ago, Lord Tim said:

Or, make 4 nodes, and in the section you want lowered, hold down CTRL while you drag down on the automation line and it'll move the entire section.

This one works too and I don't need to make a tool change.

Thanks to all. I'll be using these suggestions to speed up my automation envelope development.

After reviewing these responses I went back and reviewed Creating and editing automation envelopes in the online help document and found much of it misleading. I wasn't able to identify either @Nigel Mackay 's or @Lord Tim's suggestions on that page. Also since there are multiple ways to do the same thing, I find the documentation confusing.

Also, one thing I'd really like but can't find is a way to delete a group of selected nodes. I often accidentally create a number of nodes and have to delete them one at a time because anything I try deletes all nodes not just the selected ones.

[Lord Tim]

@scook will likely be along to tell me I'm wrong and there is a way (HAHA) but while you *can* select multiple nodes by right-click-dragging around them, if you try to delete them you'll only delete the first one.

The info *is* in the page you linked to:

Quote

To raise/lower an envelope across a time range

1. Set the track’s Edit Filter control to the desired automation parameter (Track Automation or Clip Automation).

2. Drag in the Time Ruler to select the duration of the envelope that you want to raise/lower.

3. Do one of the following:

With the Smart tool , position the pointer within the selection near the top center of the track/clip until the mouse pointer looks like this , then drag up/down.

With the Move tool , position the pointer within the selection, then drag up/down.

To raise/lower an audio Clip Gain envelope

1. Set the track’s Edit Filter control to Clips.

2. Select the Smart tool .

3. Hold down the CTRL key and drag the bottom part of the clip up/down.

... however, there's a LOT of information on there, so it's very easily overlooked.

This is really one of those things that you kind of just pick up over time and incorporate into your workflow, and forget how you even know this in the first place...!

 

[Nigel Mackay]

@Lord Tim's suggestion is the best. Just insert the 4 nodes where you want your fades to start and and Ctrl-dgrag the line.

[scook]

To delete selected nodes - lasso the nodes, hit the DELETE key

[Bill Phillips]

19 minutes ago, Nigel Mackay said:

@Lord Tim's suggestion is the best. Just insert the 4 nodes where you want your fades to start and and Ctrl-dgrag the line.

I agree and am using it.

[Bill Phillips]

20 minutes ago, scook said:

To delete selected nodes - lasso the nodes, hit the DELETE key

I can't get lasso (SHIFT + RIGNT-CLICK) works with the edit filter but drag select does and DELETE does work. I just know that I've tried that before and it didn't work but looks like I was wrong.

[scook]

The full expression in  Using the Smart Tool om automation for Right-Click is "Drag to lasso select" 

This is the method I was trying to describe.

[Lord Tim]

2 hours ago, scook said:

To delete selected nodes - lasso the nodes, hit the DELETE key

Derp. I was right-clicking and selecting Delete rather than pressing the Delete key. Am schooled, and glad for it.

[Bill Phillips]

6 hours ago, scook said:

The full expression in  Using the Smart Tool om automation for Right-Click is "Drag to lasso select" 

This is the method I was trying to describe.

Thanks for the clarification.  I was using SHIFT + Right-Click and Drag which was doing strange things like changing the edit filter.

[tonemangler]

16 hours ago, Nigel Mackay said:

@tonemanglerJust add the nodes where you want the fades to start and end.

When swipe selecting a region and then moving the cursor to the top of the clip and clicking you automatically create nodes at selection, two at the start of the selection and two at the end.  As you hold the click and move the mouse up or down you create a 'jump' automation, which consists of four nodes.  Therefore if you add nodes where you want the fades to start and end you will be left with six nodes in total having to delete two nodes to obtain fades which is the exact scenario as described by the OP.  I have always used swipe select and click at top of the clip to automatically create nodes at selection, and then if I feel I need to create fades I will Shift move the outer nodes.  I just find it faster because most times I don't need the fades, however if you require fades with all your automation moves then the method described by Lord Tim would be the best.  Cheers.

[Nigel Mackay]

@tonemangler If you stay in Smart mode, add the nodes where you want them and then use Ctrl click and drag on the actual line segment it does not add any nodes.
No changing modes
No moving nodes
No deleting modes

?

[tonemangler]

@Nigel Mackay I think we are talking about two different methods of adding nodes, what you describe in your last post is what Lord Tim suggested which is adding the nodes manually and then moving the line with Ctrl click and drag, which I am aware of.  What I was originally referring to was the method that reginaldStjohn suggested which is an automatic way of doing a similar move.  The automatic way requires two click and drag moves while the manual requires four clicks (adding nodes) and one Ctrl drag move.  Therefore the automatic is more efficient, however the automatic results in a jump in the envelope while the manual results in fades.  Anyways this is another example of different ways to skin a cat!  Cheers ?

[Colin Nicholls]

This is awesome but  I found you only need to set the two inner nodes, then select a region on either side of the two nodes, and then Ctrl-Drag down.

Thanks.

 

[msmcleod]

This is how I do it:

1. I use the keyboard shortcut to toggle to the envelope mode ( e.g. +  [or also \ on a UK keyboard] for track volume,  or with SHIFT as well for clip-gain automation)

2. I right click/drag at the bottom half to make a selection.

3. I then right click from the top of the clip to drag the selection down.

[Bill Phillips]

15 hours ago, msmcleod said:

This is how I do it:

1. I use the keyboard shortcut to toggle to the envelope mode ( e.g. +  [or also \ on a UK keyboard] for track volume,  or with SHIFT as well for clip-gain automation)

2. I right click/drag at the bottom half to make a selection.

3. I then right click from the top of the clip to drag the selection down.

Thanks, the filter toggles work for me but the right-click drag moves don't work with the smart tool. Did you mean to say left-click drag to select and left-click drag up/down to adjust volume?