Adjusting the timing of an automation event, without having to RTZ?

[Pongo]

Hi Arlo,

Is there a way to scrub the recording playback forward to see if automation timing changes that have been edited, work?

As an example:
I have an automation track with many events (Recording Start/Stop, Auto Scroll, MIDI patch changes, etc.). If I discover, during playback, that some of the events are not hitting at the right places, I'd like to edit the timing in the event list and the play the automation from the start and the drag the recording slider forward (close to where I've made the changes) to see/hear if it works better.

When I do this now, the audio plays from the correct spot (and the display on the recording control is correct), but the MIDI changes are nowhere close.

Do I have to play back the automation from zero (Return to Zero) and then wait until the section of the recording passes, to determine if it worked or not? Since the automation track is still playing, why doesn't it seem to know that 2.33 on the recording control is still 153.00 seconds in the automation event log? As long as I manually slide the audio to say...145.00, shouldn't this still play any and all automation from that point in the automation track?

I suppose the other option would be to delete the event and overdub again, but that would still require playback from 0.00 to evaluate the change(s).

Thanks,

[arlo]

The automation track is not dependent on a recording, so moving the playback head of the recording does not change the current time of the automation track.

Adding an option to play an automation track from different points is already on my wish list (you requested it earlier), but it would be difficult to link the recording in the way you're imagining.

[Pongo]

Ok...so what does the automation track reference as the `clock' that it is following?

This means that there's really no efficient way to audition an edit to existing automation timing, without listening back from the beginning, correct?


I think the real problem, for me, is that I'm expecting the automation in SLM to work like an automation track in Pro Tools would work, which I see now that it doesn't.

[arlo]

Ok...so what does the automation track reference as the `clock' that it is following?

It has its own timer that starts when you start recording or playback.

This means that there's really no efficient way to audition an edit to existing automation timing, without listening back from the beginning, correct?

Yes, you cannot currently skip ahead in an automation track. This is on my wish list.

[Pongo]

Fair enough.

I thank you again for your time in responding to my questions. It's unfortunate that you don't have a support staff to handle these matters, but I suspect that you very much enjoy responding and solving these questions yourself...in a masochistic sort of way.

It's only a matter of time until you truly reap the well deserved rewards, financial and otherwise, of your hard work and stellar customer support. You sir, are a class act.

Now excuse me while I try to find more `problems' with my use of SLM. LOL!

[arlo]

I thank you again for your time in responding to my questions. It's unfortunate that you don't have a support staff to handle these matters, but I suspect that you very much enjoy responding and solving these questions yourself...in a masochistic sort of way.

Yeah, I guess that sums it up! 

[arlo]

In the new app version 2022-12-12 released today, you can add the new Automation Controls item to a layout. This shows the elapsed and total time, with a slider to move around in the automation track, plus the waveform of associated recordings or videos and the location of automation events for reference. This is shown in the last screen shot on this page:

http://www.setlistmaker.com/tutorials/automation_tracks.html