Bub 
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Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
I just ran across this for the first time tonight and can't recall ever seeing it mentioned here on the forums, so I thought I'd share it with everyone. It's a nice little feature of the AN-879 Analyst included with X1 (and older versions of Sonar as well) that I never knew was there. It automatically scans the frequency range of a track (or bus) that you put the Analyst on and creates multiple envelopes covering various frequency ranges.
1. Add the AN-879 Analyst to a track.
2. On the Analyst, enable the 'Auto' option (It's under Lo Med Hi.).
3. On the track, enable 'W' for write automation.
4. Not sure if this makes a difference, but I set the Analyst to 'Hi' and turned all the options off (ie ... min/max/AVG ... etc)
4. Hit play and let your project play until the end.
You will see the Analyst writing envelopes and nodes as it plays corresponding with the peaks and dips of the frequency range of the track. Once it's done, you can hover your mouse over the envelopes and see which frequency range the Analyst assigned the envelope to, then go in and assign the envelope to an EQ, either in the FX bin or the Pro Channel EQ. You can assign it to anything, it doesn't have to be an EQ, but it's geared toward EQ settings.
I tried it on an acoustic track tonight and got fantastic results. I only used one of the envelopes it wrote. I assigned it to the default 'Band 2' of the Sonitus EQ (low end) and it evened out the track amazingly well.
Bub
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sykodelic
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Re:Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
2011/06/16 21:25:13
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nice find. will have to try this...
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cornieleous
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Re:Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
2011/06/16 21:28:14
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Nice one Bub. Its not often I learn new things at this forum, but that sounds quite useful!
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STinGA
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Re:Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
2011/06/17 05:20:34
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Hi Bub, Nice post! I am a bit of a newb, so could you explain a bit more please. I just tried what you said but then got a bit confused when assigning to the EQ. Which parameter should I be assigning to Gain, Q, Freq? Is the idea to EQ first and then apply the envelope to one of the parameters. Or is the idea to automate from a flat EQ line? Sorry if this is a bit of a newb q, but trying to learn.... I look forward to your reply then I can get amongst it again.
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bitflipper
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Re:Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
2011/06/17 10:56:26
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The feature would be far more useful if envelopes could be inverted and scaled. SONAR's weak envelope handling and editing features is why this has remained such an obscure feature.
Example: complementary EQ. Imagine taking an acoustic guitar track and cloning it. Generate automation curves based on the original and copy them to the clone, only inverted. Pan the two tracks hard left and right. Now, when one side exhibits an increase in a given frequency band, the other side responds with a complementary decrease. You'd also need to be able to scale the envelopes for this to work.
Example: EQ smoothing. Create the automation and then have it control a parametric equalizer. Again, inverting, scaling and thinning of envelopes would be prerequisite to making practical use of such a feature.
(This is why I've been begging for advanced envelope-editing tools for years. CW does not understand the value of such things and offers us UI improvements instead of functional enhancements.)
As it stands, the Analyst's ability to generate envelopes is just a curiosity. At least I've never found a practical application for it. But I'd be delighted if someone could suggest one because it is a rather cool feature.
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Bub
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Re:Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
2011/06/17 12:45:36
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bitflipper
The feature would be far more useful if envelopes could be inverted and scaled.
Yes, that's the first thing that entered my mind after working with it for a few minutes. As it stands, the Analyst's ability to generate envelopes is just a curiosity. At least I've never found a practical application for it. But I'd be delighted if someone could suggest one because it is a rather cool feature.
I think you should give it another try bit. In the time it took me to play my project, I had a very usable envelope plotted out that worked really well for me. It was much better than using a bass roll off. It found the peaks and lows of the everything below 500Hz and compensated without a complete rolloff. It worked perfectly for the current project I'm doing which is an acoustic instrumental.
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John T
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Re:Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
2011/06/17 12:49:38
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Hmm, really interesting idea, cheers.
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Bub
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Re:Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
2011/06/17 14:25:13
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STinGA
Hi Bub, Nice post! I am a bit of a newb, so could you explain a bit more please. I just tried what you said but then got a bit confused when assigning to the EQ. Which parameter should I be assigning to Gain, Q, Freq? Is the idea to EQ first and then apply the envelope to one of the parameters. Or is the idea to automate from a flat EQ line? Sorry if this is a bit of a newb q, but trying to learn.... I look forward to your reply then I can get amongst it again.
Hi STinGA, If you're using X1, the options to assign the envelops to the Pro Channel EQ are already there. It's called 'Track EQ'. If you want to use another EQ, add it to the FX Bin, then you'll see it come up in the list. 1. Pick which Analyzer envelope you want to assign to an EQ.  2. Right click on the Envelope you selected above and pick which EQ you want to use.  3. Select which EQ parameter you wan the envelope to control. Leave the EQ up (or watch the Pro Channel EQ if you used it) to see the controls move with the envelope. 
post edited by Bub - 2011/06/17 14:27:52
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cliffr
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Re:Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
2011/06/17 19:56:36
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bitflipper
The feature would be far more useful if envelopes could be inverted and scaled. SONAR's weak envelope handling and editing features is why this has remained such an obscure feature.
Example: complementary EQ. Imagine taking an acoustic guitar track and cloning it. Generate automation curves based on the original and copy them to the clone, only inverted. Pan the two tracks hard left and right. Now, when one side exhibits an increase in a given frequency band, the other side responds with a complementary decrease. You'd also need to be able to scale the envelopes for this to work.
Example: EQ smoothing. Create the automation and then have it control a parametric equalizer. Again, inverting, scaling and thinning of envelopes would be prerequisite to making practical use of such a feature.
(This is why I've been begging for advanced envelope-editing tools for years. CW does not understand the value of such things and offers us UI improvements instead of functional enhancements.)
As it stands, the Analyst's ability to generate envelopes is just a curiosity. At least I've never found a practical application for it. But I'd be delighted if someone could suggest one because it is a rather cool feature.
Right on !. I got really excited when I saw this thread ... for a short while. I just had a play with the Analyst, great start but since the envelopes can't be inverted it seems pretty useless to me - unless I'm missing something ?. I did a forum search and see this has been discussed at length before. Without being able to invert the envelope I get the opposite of the effect I want. Not sure how Bub's track evened out, but if I assign the LF envelope to an EQ, I'm doing the exact opposite of what's needed. Increasing the gain of a frequency band where it needs to be reduced. Envelope inversion and scaling would be SO Useful, I can't imagine why it hasn't been implemented yet. When I get time over the coming days, I'll be submitting a feature request for exactly that. At least the Analyst confirmed what I already knew, which IS handy. It could have told me I was wrong !. Meanwhile, back to the (envelope) drawing board :-) Cheers - Cliff
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Bub
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Re:Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
2011/06/18 01:25:04
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cliffr
Not sure how Bub's track evened out, but if I assign the LF envelope to an EQ, I'm doing the exact opposite of what's needed. Increasing the gain of a frequency band where it needs to be reduced. Not sure what I did, it just worked? It was a mono wav that hovered around -10db. Maybe those two things had something to do with it? When I assigned the envelope to 'Band 2' (see screenshot above), it always dipped in to the negative, meaning the gain was being reduced, which is what I needed for that track. It's definitely not the end all be all to drawing envelopes, but it's not as bad as you guys are making it be either. :)
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Middleman
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Re:Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
2011/06/18 12:38:39
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It would be nice to be able to assign the envelope to the track volume for automation of vocal gain. That doesn't seem to be an option. Does some wild things on the compressor input however. Ghetto vibe.
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guthrart
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Re:Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
2011/06/19 03:55:04
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Dear Bub,
What if you assign the envelope to the threshold of the vintage channel, or other compressor, so as it rises, the compression threshold lowers and the compression reduces those frequencies? I can't get to the computer, but it sounds like it should work!
J.C.
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guthrart
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Re:Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
2011/06/20 17:59:41
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Continued...Would this be similar to a automatic vocal gain rider effect as middleman suggested?
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STinGA
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Re:Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
2011/06/20 18:39:54
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Bub
STinGA
Hi Bub, Nice post! I am a bit of a newb, so could you explain a bit more please. I just tried what you said but then got a bit confused when assigning to the EQ. Which parameter should I be assigning to Gain, Q, Freq? Is the idea to EQ first and then apply the envelope to one of the parameters. Or is the idea to automate from a flat EQ line? Sorry if this is a bit of a newb q, but trying to learn.... I look forward to your reply then I can get amongst it again.
Hi STinGA,
If you're using X1, the options to assign the envelops to the Pro Channel EQ are already there. It's called 'Track EQ'. If you want to use another EQ, add it to the FX Bin, then you'll see it come up in the list.
1. Pick which Analyzer envelope you want to assign to an EQ.
2. Right click on the Envelope you selected above and pick which EQ you want to use.
3. Select which EQ parameter you wan the envelope to control. Leave the EQ up (or watch the Pro Channel EQ if you used it) to see the controls move with the envelope.
Hi Bub, Thanks for this, sorry for taking time to reply, I only just saw your response today - you must think me rude. the photo's make it patently clear what is required thanks so much for the reply and post.
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bitflipper
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Re:Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
2011/06/20 20:13:36
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What if you assign the envelope to the threshold of the vintage channel, or other compressor, so as it rises, the compression threshold lowers and the compression reduces those frequencies? I can't get to the computer, but it sounds like it should work! Actually, something like this is a time-honored technique for de-essing. But it's only suitable for very specific scenarios, when you want the entire signal to be lowered based on the level of a specific frequency band. Like for de-essing. To ride a band of frequencies, you'd need a multiband compressor, but if you've got that you already have the desired effect self-contained within a single plugin without need of generating automation for it for sidechaining it. Side-chainable multiband compressors do exist, btw, both hardware and software versions, but that's pretty esoteric stuff.
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guthrart
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Re:Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
2011/06/20 20:52:32
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Thanks for the response Bitflipper.
Would anything useful happen if the threshold would be mapped to an envelope generated by the Analyst, compared just to running the track through a set threshold?
Hey, what about an amount of reverb , or saturation amount, so as frequcies increase in amplitude, they become saturated, or more aturated without dirting up the whole track?
I'm thrifty... there's got to be a great use for this plug...
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A1MixMan
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Re:Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
2011/06/20 22:18:27
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I could be useful for Analyst. I guess that's why it's called AN-879...  I'll have to check it out. Thanks Bub!
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bitflipper
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Re:Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
2011/06/21 01:11:40
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I'm thrifty... there's got to be a great use for this plug... I agree. It should be good for something. I just haven't figured out what. I suppose you could have an Analyst-generated automation envelope drive the sidechain of a compressor for purely creative effects. For example, a sidechained compressor on a reverb bus could be controlled by one of Analyst envelopes. Two problems, though: first, the envelope might not give you enough variance or too much variance. With no scaling feature, it would not be practical to manually scale the envelope. Second, the polarity of the envelope might be wrong for the effect you have in mind. With no feature for inverting envelopes, you're out of luck. OTOH, you might accidentally stumble onto a nice-sounding effect. Unlikely, but possible.
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garyhb
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Re:Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
2012/04/02 11:17:05
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Bub, that's an excellent tip - playing with it now! Many thanks Gary
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Keni
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Re:Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
2012/04/02 12:02:47
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Interesting find...
And I can see how much it would benefit with more development...
I'm sue there are situations where even this minimal toolset could be useful tho I can't think of such at the moment...
Maybe when the Bakers finally get the approval to work on this, it will become more useful?
Keni
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bvideo
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Re:Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
2012/04/02 12:57:31
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(old thread, but ...) Now that the FX chain has "mod matrix", you can invert, scale, and offset envelopes at will, indirectly. Assign an envelope to an FX chain control and assign the mod matrix of that control to invert the operation of some plugin's control.
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cclarry
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Re:Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
2012/04/02 13:52:39
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I've been using this for years....just figured everyone already knew...
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Plazma
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Re:Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
2012/04/03 14:35:24
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Has anyone come up with a good use for this interesting feature of Analyst?
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trimph1
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Re:Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
2012/04/03 14:59:36
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Great thing to find for sure....
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musicroom
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Re:Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
2012/04/03 15:30:18
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cclarry
I've been using this for years....just figured everyone already knew...
Asi es la vida!
No we didn't - 
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Anderton
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Re:Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
2012/04/03 19:52:14
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Plazma
Has anyone come up with a good use for this interesting feature of Analyst?
There's a chapter in my Advanced Workshop: The Next Level video called "Enhance Vocals with Dynamic Filtering" that uses the Analyst. It's a pretty cool technque that can make vocals sound more animated when done subtly.
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Crg
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Re:Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
2012/04/03 20:28:12
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's an Analyst, it writes what is there in an envelope? In the event you're not happy with what you have, you adjust the envelope the Analyst has written?
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Bub
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Re:Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
2012/04/03 21:45:13
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Crg
Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's an Analyst, it writes what is there in an envelope? In the event you're not happy with what you have, you adjust the envelope the Analyst has written? Yep, that's exactly how it works. It creates envelopes with lots of nodes. Even if you find it not usable, it's still cool to look at. :)
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...wicked
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Re:Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
2012/04/03 21:57:00
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Yeah I'm a little confused as well. What's it writing, the volume of a specific freq at a given point in time? If so what does applying that to an EQ do? Raise, lower, or no change in level?
I'm just confused as to whether analyst is telling you what frequency IS in these envelope writes.
And, following along, am I reading right that these envelopes can only be assigned to EQ bands? Meaning you can't assign them to...well to ANYTHING else? I would think once it's generated an envelope is an envelope.
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Bub
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Re:Cakewalk AN-879 Analyst in X1
2012/04/03 22:22:41
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It automatically creates envelopes in the ranges I showed in the screenshots above ... but you can go in after it creates them and change them to anything you want.
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