If you’re like most people, you probably have a pretty rigid system for automating your Pro Tools rig. But what if I told you that there’s a way to make your automation less rigid, and even more powerful?
Here’s the thing: most people approach automation in one of two ways. Either they automate everything, or they automate nothing. But there’s a middle ground that can offer the best of both worlds: partial automation.
Partial automation is where you automate some aspects of your Pro Tools session, but not others. For example, you might automate the faders for your drums, but not the EQs. Or you might automate the send levels for your reverbs, but not the dry/wet levels.
The key to making partial automation work is to be strategic about what you automate. You want to automate the things that will make the biggest impact on your sound, but leave the rest up to your own creativity.
So, how do you decide what to automate? Here are a few tips:
1. Automate the things that are most important to your sound.
If there are certain elements of your sound that are essential to your style, then those are the things you want to automate. For example, if you’re a drummer who uses a lot of cymbals, you might want to automate the level of your cymbals so that they’re always sitting in the mix just the way you want them.
2. Automate the things that are most likely to change.
If there are elements of your sound that are likely to change from one song to the next, or even from one section of a song to the next, then those are good candidates for automation. For example, if you’re a guitarist who uses a lot of effects, you might want to automate the levels of your delay and reverb so that they change along with the dynamics of the song.
3. Automate the things that are most difficult to control.
If there are elements of your sound that are difficult to control manually, then those are good candidates for automation. For example, if you’re a vocalist who tends to move around a lot while singing, you might want to automate the level of your microphone so that it doesn’t get too loud or too soft as you move around.
4. Automate the things that you want to experiment with.
If there are elements of your sound that you want to experiment with, but you’re not sure how they’ll work, then those are good candidates for automation. For example, if you’re a keyboardist who wants to try out different synth sounds, you might want to automate the patch changes so that you can quickly and easily try out different sounds.
Once you’ve decided what to automate, the next step is to figure out how to automate it. The good news is that Pro Tools makes
Other related questions:
How do I smooth automation in Pro Tools?
There are a couple different ways to smooth automation in Pro Tools. One way is to use the “Draw” tool to create a new automation point, and then use the “Pencil” tool to draw a curve between the two points. Another way is to use the “Smooth” tool to smooth out the automation curve.
What is thin automation in Pro Tools?
Pro Tools’ thin automation feature allows you to automate the mixing process by automating the level, pan, and mute controls of individual tracks. This can be a great time-saver, as it can reduce the amount of time spent mixing and allow you to focus on other aspects of your production.
How do I change automation in Pro Tools?
There are a few different ways to change automation in Pro Tools. One way is to use the Automation Mode drop-down menu in the Edit window. This menu allows you to select which parameters will be automated. Another way to change automation is to use the Pencil tool. With the Pencil tool selected, you can click and drag on the automation line to create a new automation point.
How do I change automation volume in Pro Tools?
You can change the automation volume in Pro Tools by going to the “Automation” menu and selecting “Volume.”