Track Level Offset

[norfolkmastering]

I find myself using fader automation more and more in fairly busy mixes throughout the song.

This means that if I want to bring the 'average' level of a track up or down in the mix, I usually do that using the input gain knob.  It's got to the point where I start the mix with all faders at '0' and then do the rough mix using the Input Gain controls.

I know I should probably be using the Offset mode to do this but I don't like the fact that there is limited visual information about what the offset level is.  As far as know you get a change of colour of the fader setting (to orange) and if you hover on the fader knob, you get the offset amount.

Is there a practical reason, when you apply offset to a fader, that you can't get the fader to show the net affect of the fader automation plus the offset?  This would seem more intuitive for me.

I'd be really interested in what others do re automation and offset.

 

[Xoo]

Just leave it in offset mode.

Then an envelope shows a 1:1 correspondence with the non-offset slider and if there's no envelope, then the offset is the current value.  Then pan and volume work identically to an automated parameter of a plug-in: there's either an envelope (it's being automated) or there isn't (the control in the plug-in's window shows the value).

Showing net effect somehow would be nice however!