Automation

What Is Automation?

In music production, automation is when you program certain changes to the mix during the playback of the song.

When you mix a song, you do not want everything to stay exactly the same from start to finish. You might want the guitars to get louder during the chorus. You might want a sound to move from the left speaker to the right speaker. Automation lets you program these changes so that they happen automatically every time the song plays.

Basic Automation Example

The most common thing to automate is volume.

A singer might whisper in the first verse but yell in the chorus. If you leave the volume knob in one place, the whisper will be too quiet and the yell will be too loud. You can use automation to turn the volume up during the whisper and turn it down during the yell.

If you are familiar with compression, this might sound familiar. A similar effect can be achieved with a compressor. The advantage of using volume automation is the finer control. The disadvantage is that it takes more work to program the automation than to set a compressor. It is common to use a combination of both techniques to get the best result.

Automating Plugins

You can also automate the parameters inside your plugins. Not every plugin will allow you to automate every parameter but it is common for plugins to support automation.

Imagine you have an EQ plugin on a drum loop. You can use automation to slowly cut out all the high sounds, making the drums sound like they are underwater. Then, right when the chorus hits, you automate the EQ to pop back to normal. This creates a huge burst of energy.

Another common automation is a “delay throw.” To do a delay throw, you only turn the echo effect on for the very last word or syllable the singer sings.

Drawing vs Recording

There are two main ways to program automations.

The first way is by drawing. In a DAW that supports automation drawing, you open a special automation lane. It looks like a long, straight line that runs parallel with the track it is affecting. You use your mouse to click on the line and drag it up or down at different points in the song.

The second way is by recording. If you have a physical MIDI controller with real knobs, you can connect it to your computer. You can assign a specific physical knob to a specific parameter that you want to automate. You hit record, grab a physical knob, and move it with your fingers while listening. The computer records your exact hand movements and saves them. This feels very natural and musical. It takes some skill but can be much easier and create a more human result than drawing.

Automation Modes

If you choose to record your movements, you need to know the four basic automation modes. These tell the computer how to listen to you.

Write Mode: This is the most dangerous mode. The computer erases any old automation and writes down exactly what you are doing right now. When you stop moving the knob, it stays exactly where you left it.

Touch Mode: The computer only records your moves while your finger is physically touching the knob. The second you let go of the knob, it automatically snaps back to its original position.

Latch Mode: The computer starts recording the second you touch the knob. But when you let go, it does not snap back. It stays at the new position until you hit stop.

Read Mode: This is the safe mode. When you are finished recording your moves, you put the track in Read Mode. The computer stops listening to you. It only reads the instructions you already saved and plays them back perfectly every time.