After all these years of using envelopes in Sonar (X3 now) I still am not able to perform these operations:

• Copy envelopes around, e.g. select envelops from one automation lane and copy into another automation lane in same track or different track. This is supposed to be possible in Sonar, but I've never been able to get it to work.
• Lower or raise a selected region of envelopes. When I try it, after lassoing a region of envelopes, and the mouse cursor changes to indicate I can lower or raise the region, I try dragging the selected region, and the region that moves doesn't correspond with what I lassoed. Instead the region is arbitrary, and includes nodes before and after the region I lassoed. Is this a bug?
• Copy midi controller events (e.g. pitch bend or mod wheel) to an automation lane as envelopes, and vice verse.

I consider envelopes to be an extremely powerful feature for music making. To me, controlling various parameters over time (e.g. volume, sends to reverb busses, synth filter cut-off, etc...) is the foundation of music, and being able to manipulate and move envelopes around with ease would be extremely liberating for me.
 
OK, now I'm stepping down from my soap box. Can someone please point me to a tutorial or video that will show me how to do these things (if they are indeed possible)? I want to know all there is to know about envelopes in X3!
 
Thanks!
Mike
 
 
 

Mike,
 
When adding nodes at either end of a selected range on a track, start by shift+clicking the envelope you want to add the nodes to.
 
Swipe in the bottom have of the track to select a range (swipe by left click and drag).
 
Hover at the top of the track until you get the new mouse pointer icon and then drag up or down. 2 envelope nodes will be added at either end of the selected range.
 
This always works for me.
 
To copy track and bus automation, select the track or range... click ctrl+alt+c... select track and bus automation only... uncheck others
 
move to the track you want to paste it too...
ctrl+v
It will paste from the Now Time forward, so make sure you RTZ before selecting and copying and then before pasting to get all the automation for a  given track.
 
I'm not really a great midi resource, so I'll let others handle #3.

Ok, I pulled up a midi track in X3, expanded the automation lanes, clicked the down arrow on the automation lane type in track view... clicked midi... boom... all kinds of fun midi choices.
 
?
 
Is this what you're asking for?

gswitz
Ok, I pulled up a midi track in X3, expanded the automation lanes, clicked the down arrow on the automation lane type in track view... clicked midi... boom... all kinds of fun midi choices.
 
?
 
Is this what you're asking for?

Thanks Gswitz. Some of what you suggested works for me:

• Left-click + drag in lower half of automation lane, then dragging mouse up or down in the top half -- this works. Thanks!

• Copying & pasting as you explained works as well. Thanks!

 
A couple issues still:

• I'm using simple instrument tracks. Therefore midi automation lanes aren't available. If I split the instrument track into audio and midi tracks, I get midi automation lanes on the midi track. 

• I'm not able to re-assign automation to synth controls. I can only re-assign to track sends, automated mute, or pro channel EQ. 

Thanks,
Mike

I'm out of my depth. I NEVER use simple instrument tracks. I always use a regular midi track. Just easier for me. So I'm not much help.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJiqjyJnAvg
 
This video shows how to add automation on lots of tracks at the same time for the same type of envelope for creating separation between tunes when lots of songs are in the same project.

I'm using simple instrument tracks. Therefore midi automation lanes aren't available. If I split the instrument track into audio and midi tracks, I get midi automation lanes on the midi track.

This is intended behaviour.
 
I agree with gswitz in that I NEVER use Simple Instrument Tracks, as having split Midi/Audio gives *me* much finer control over all manner of editing duties

mleghorn

• Copy envelopes around, e.g. select envelops from one automation lane and copy into another automation lane in same track or different track. This is supposed to be possible in Sonar, but I've never been able to get it to work.

To clarify one point, it's possible to copy and paste automation from one track to another (as others have described), but I do not think it's possible to do this between automation lanes on the same track...which would be really handy IMO, but I've not been able to find a way to do this.

I agree with Ston that it isn't that easy to copy a single envelope...
 
Here's how I do it...
 
Copy all the envelopes in a lane using the method described above to a new empty audio track.
 
Delete envelopes you don't want.
 
Right click on the envelope and assign it to something which does not have an envelope on the destination track.
 
Copy it to the destination track using the method described above.
 
Delete the extra audio track.

Cunning! :-)

One more thing, Mike...
Use the write enable button on the synth Window to enable writing of synth parameter automation.

For me, this is the easiest way to get the envelope correctly assigned to the control and to discover valid values.