Automation in X1?

You can do that in 8.

Highlight the bit you want to alter, right click your envelope and select "Add Nodes at Selection"

You'll get a pair of nodes inserted at each end of the highlighted section so you can drag that bit of the envelope up/down.

It's not a "one-click" solution, but it's pretty darn close!

This indeed is one way of editing envelopes in X1 using the smart tool. It will automatically create nodes when you drag a selected area.

mattplaysguitar




When will we get a vid showing a bit more of the smart tool in action?

Soon. Very soon.

logixmedia


that might be the ticket, thanks!

As you are probably aware, in Pro Tools you can select any region full of automation and drag it up, down, left, right with the mouse. It will slide it until it hits a boundary (like max or min volume) and then it will scale the automation. In theory you can do that in Sonar but in practise it doesn't work very well. For one once you hit a boundary, you are stuck. You can't keep dragging the automation. In sonar, even when using the envelope tool. you can't just select a region, copy automation and then paste it somewhere else. You can't drag automation beyond an unselected node... etc etc. It is clunky at best.

I hope Cakewalk have addressed these issues in X1.

UnderTow

Can we just get Touch and Latch modes added to the automation toolbar, or just Sonar in general?? PT has had this for years, I don't understand what Cake is missing. Sometimes it really is the little things that matter.

I use a control surface to mix with, but what good is it if I cannot adjust a parameter(mainly track volume) and have it return to its original position?? I know I can do this with a mouse, but why would I have invested in a control surface with motorized faders if I cannot record my automation with them?

Also, when are we going to be able to route audio from a bus output to an audio track input??

The lack of these 2 features is seriously making PT 9 that much more appealing.

I have owned sonar since version 6 and up to Version 8, I am so glad that the browsing has been Improved and the addition of drag and drop with it,
but I have never ever got round to using sonar on any relivant level all becuase of the automation, After 3 versions and much Researching including questions asked here many times, i have never been able to copy without the existing/automation moving too, Or copy or move data with automation it just leaves it behind , i have Tried all the settings and it seems really hit and miss, Or more so non existent, so all i can do is
Try and replicate every curve and node manually  if i want to copy existing automation (Forget that),  Moving and coping automation just does not work For me.
Not dissing sonar as i have still kept updating and hoping, its Just the lame and unworking automation gimmicks bogged down with commands that do not seem to make any difference.
 
I went over to Studio one for the first two versions, and as i like the Principles of the automation Draw tool in sonar, i suggested to them this was much needed and also that a shape tool would be good, this was implemented,and boys/girls this was implemented superbly, but other area's let me down with studio one, and like i mentioned the new Features to Sonar X1 will make it worth me updating and persisting and hoiping it is an error on my part, but unlikley to say the least
So what i am saying or asking, please CAKEWALK, do simplify Automation visuals and make it work, other Daws copy each other ,so what the H*ll
I want the drawing with sonars tool to be simple and accurate like in Studio one and i want the shapes to Go from top to bottom as i wish not zigzag etc from the center in a Impracticle way, those that have tested this in Studio One will know where I am coming from, just replicate it please, and X1 will be The best Daw all round.
 
Thanks, I hope i have explained Myself in a bennificial way.

I've been mixing lately, and with that comes use of automation......holy CRAP...what a pain!!

Everything that I would intuitively think should be there isn't, and it's painstaking.  You need a freakin' magnifying glass just to see some nodes....zoom in you say, well that has other problems too.  Copy paste....redo....box select....scale....if these things are in Sonar for automation they sure as hell aren't where I'd assume they'd be! Why can I, after years of not recording, and no recording software experience, pick up cubase or ableton and automate like I know how? And it takes me 2 hours to complete 4 cymbal choke automated mutes in Sonar?

I'm getting really frustrated with this application.  we'll see what X1 has to offer for automation, but...when it comes down to it, it'd only cost me an extra $100 to upgrade my cubase compared to X1, and even though efficiency wise, cubase takes 3 steps sometimes to do what Sonar can do in 1.....at the end of the day, sum it all up and I'll be able to do it quicker.

Bottom line....Cakewalk knew automation was a problem...and "icing" on "cake" is NOT going to cut it here...period!

To be fair, most of that time was finding the tools I needed....selecting and de-selecting nodes/clips....ahhh, need freaking lanes dammit!

My point is that other software...things are right where I expect them...AND aren't buggy (um "no I don't want to select  that fade handle...I want to select the flippin' node")

I guess different strokes for different folks.

The Edit Filter, or SHIFT-Click short cut, addresses the problem where one ends up selecting other things while editing automation, so that's a HUGE improvement right there.  Noel just said we can also select an area in the Time Ruler (or using Alt+drag) and nodes are automatically created when the automation envelope is dragged.  That's another BIG time saver!  We just need automation lanes, a fix for the automation draw tool (which is very un-intuitive), better ways to copy/paste automation (if not already in place in X1) and a few more automation modes such as Latch and Touch.  This would make automation a pleasure to work with in Sonar X1.  I hope Cakewalk keeps adding and fixing things in this area and not just stop there.

Resonant Order


I wanted automation lanes, too, but it looks like they solved the problem without having to sacrifice real estate on the screen.

http://www.cakewalk.com/support/kb/reader.aspx?ID=2007013204

But even with the Edit Filter, automation lanes are a much better way to edit your envelopes.  Think of a scenario where you have two or more envelopes with the exact same shape (not uncommon for me at least), how are you going to select a particular envelope you want without hiding or moving the other ones?  With envelope lanes you have full control over your automation without the clutter of multiple envelopes existing in a single track, and you can have access to all of them at once.  Need to unclutter the screen?  Just hide the lanes.  Automation lanes are a must have in order to successfully edit multiple envelopes.
 
 

They've said automation lanes are on the list, so it's just a matter of time.

According to this post, no. I asked about them when X1 was first announced, and he stated it was a priority for skylight.

http://forum.cakewalk.com...44&mpage=1#2134091

Same here. I was a actually dreaming about X1 last night and had to hit the forum to see if what I knew was fact, or if I had made it up. :P

Jose7822


The Edit Filter, or SHIFT-Click short cut, addresses the problem where one ends up selecting other things while editing automation, so that's a HUGE improvement right there.  Noel just said we can also select an area in the Time Ruler (or using Alt+drag) and nodes are automatically created when the automation envelope is dragged.  That's another BIG time saver!  We just need automation lanes, a fix for the automation draw tool (which is very un-intuitive), better ways to copy/paste automation (if not already in place in X1) and a few more automation modes such as Latch and Touch.  This would make automation a pleasure to work with in Sonar X1.  I hope Cakewalk keeps adding and fixing things in this area and not just stop there.

Agreed. Often the solutions that Cakewalk bring are nice but are too big. They miss the small little details that really make things work smoothly (and often make the big solutions redundant). We need simple, straight forward and clear working tools. Not gadgets.

UnderTow