Fader Groups Workflow Hack

[Robert McClellan]

Cakewalk by BandLab has several features to speed up your workflow. Today, we will discuss the ability to group faders. This will not only save you time, but will also save you CPU usage. 
Instead of having several automation lanes across several tracks, you can group one set of tracks and control them all at once from one lane so long as they remain grouped. 

https://youtu.be/O70YGUOWZLI

 

Edited April 18, 2021 by Robert McClellan
Added context

[Base 57]

This would be great if it worked. 

Your video doesn't show the grouped tracks actually following the single automation lane. There was a long thread on the old forum discussing this. So when I saw this video I thought there had been an undocumented fix. 

But no, only the fader with the automation lane follows the envelope. 

Edited April 18, 2021 by Base 57
clarity

[Base 57]

To do VCA type automation you need a Midi Loop (software* or hard).  I use LoopBe1. It is free and easy to use but there are other options.

 -Group tracks as in the video above. 

 -Create a blank Midi track (Name it VCA)  and set it's output to the Midi Loop then move it's fader up and down.

-Right click one of the grouped controls and click "Remote Control"- then click "Learn"- then click "OK".

Then you can automate the VCA track and all of the grouped tracks will follow it. For hardware control, link the VCA Track to the controller as in the video above.

 

The Track Group Control in Cakewalk is very flexible and powerful. But if you want to use automation envelopes you either must arm the automation Write on all of the grouped tracks or create the VCA track I just described.

[jesse g]

On 4/18/2021 at 9:11 PM, Base 57 said:

To do VCA type automation you need a Midi Loop (software* or hard).  I use LoopBe1. It is free and easy to use but there are other options.

 -Group tracks as in the video above. 

 -Create a blank Midi track (Name it VCA)  and set it's output to the Midi Loop then move it's fader up and down.

-Right click one of the grouped controls and click "Remote Control"- then click "Learn"- then click "OK".

Then you can automate the VCA track and all of the grouped tracks will follow it. For hardware control, link the VCA Track to the controller as in the video above.

 

The Track Group Control in Cakewalk is very flexible and powerful. But if you want to use automation envelopes you either must arm the automation Write on all of the grouped tracks or create the VCA track I just described.

Here is a Sound on Sound Magazine article about adding VCA to Cakewalk

Edited April 28, 2021 by jesse g

[Base 57]

On 4/27/2021 at 9:50 PM, jesse g said:

Here is a Sound on Sound Magazine article about adding VCA to Cakewalk

Credit where it is due. @Craig Anderton wrote that article. In it he correctly points out that if you want to use automation on grouped tracks it must be enabled on all of the tracks. If you write automation on only one grouped track, the rest of the grouped tracks will not follow it.

I believe it was also Craig that suggested using a midi fader through LoopBe if one wanted to only write a single automation envelope for all of the grouped faders to follow. I don't remember if he suggested it in the old forum thread I wrote of earlier or if it was a Tip of the Week.

[Robert McClellan]

Awesome! Thanks for clarifying the usability!