Automation
Recorded parameter changes — faders that move by themselves
Related
Automation records changes to parameters: volume, pan, EQ, compression, synth knobs can be drawn as curves over time, and the software performs them on playback. It turns "one move of the hand on a fader" into a repeatable, editable part of the mix.
It differs from MIDI velocity: velocity is the strike strength of each note, automation is any parameter changing over time. The usual mistake is to think automation is only fade-ins and fade-outs — it can open a filter at the chorus or deepen reverb at a phrase ending; automation is the time dimension of mixing, not a patch.
Read deeper → DAW
Sources
- 自动化在 DAW 中的实现与用途，参通行录音教材（Huber & Runstein, Modern Recording Techniques）；本文为原创表述
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