In music recording, mix automation allows the

mixing console A mixing console or mixing desk is an electronic device for Audio mixing (recorded music), mixing audio signals, used in sound recording and reproduction and sound reinforcement systems. Inputs to the console include microphones, signals fro ...

to remember the audio engineer's adjustment of faders during the

post-production Post-production, also known simply as post, is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording indivi ...

editing process. A timecode is necessary for the synchronization of automation. Modern mixing consoles and

digital audio workstation A digital audio workstation (DAW ) is an electronic device or application software used for Sound recording and reproduction, recording, editing and producing audio files. DAWs come in a wide variety of configurations from a single software pr ...

s use comprehensive mix automation. The need for mix automation originates from the 1970s and the changeover from studios mostly using eight-track tape machines to multiple, synchronized 24-track recorders. Mixing could be laborious and require up to four people, and the results could be almost impossible to reproduce. Manufacturers such as Solid State Logic and AMS Neve developed systems that enabled one engineer to oversee every detail of a complex mix, although the computers required to power these desks remained a rarity into the late 1970s. According to record producer Roy Thomas Baker,

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

's 1975 single "

Bohemian Rhapsody "Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock music, rock band Queen (band), Queen, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, ''A Night at the Opera (Queen album), A Night at the Opera'' (1975). Written by Queen's lead si ...

" was one of the first mixes to be done with automation.

Types

;Voltage Controlled Automation : fader levels are regulated by

voltage-controlled amplifier A variable-gain (VGA) or voltage-controlled amplifier (VCA) is an electronic amplifier that varies its gain depending on a control voltage (often abbreviated CV). VCAs have many applications, including audio level compression, synthesizers and ...

s (VCA). VCAs control the audio level and not the actual fader. ;Moving Fader Automation : a motor is attached to the fader, which then can be controlled by the

console Console may refer to: Computing and video games * System console, a physical device to operate a computer ** Virtual console, a user interface for multiple computer consoles on one device ** Command-line interface, a method of interacting with ...

(DAW), or user. ;Software Controlled Automation : the software can be internal to the console, or external as part of a DAW. The virtual fader can be adjusted in the software by the user. ;MIDI Automation : the communications protocol

MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface (; MIDI) is an American-Japanese technical standard that describes a communication protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, ...

can be used to send messages to the console to control automation.

Modes

;Auto Write : used the first time automation is created or when writing over existing automation ;Auto Touch : writes automation data only while a fader is touched/faders return to any previously automated position after release ;Auto Latch : starts writing automation data when a fader is touched/stays in position after release ;Auto Read : digital Audio Workstation performs the written automation ;Auto Off : automation is temporarily disabled All of these include the mute button. If mute is pressed during writing of automation, the audio track will be muted during playback of that automation. Depending on software, other parameters such as panning, sends, and plug-in controls can be automated as well. In some cases, automation can be written using a digital potentiometer instead of a fader.

References

* Stanley R. Alten. ''Audio in Media'', sixth edition. Wadsworth, 2002. * David Miles Huber and Robert Runstein. ''Modern Recording Techniques'', sixth edition. Oxford: Focal Press, 2005.

External links

Free open source Mix automation software
{{Music technology Automation Audio mixing

Types

Modes

See also

References

External links