It would be nice to be able to activate a clip gain/volume automation lane on audio tracks to control the volume of the audio precisely before hitting the insert plugins. Somehow like the pencil tool or the volume handle for events, just with all the other nice automation tools, range tools and functions we have. Also this works for the entire track and not only for single events.
With the pencil tool you cannot add volume, just decrase, which is a big issue.
Also you cannot use all the other needed tools availble to work properly with this kind of automation. There is just the pencil tool.
No range tool, no handle between automation points, no value display, nothing. You cannot even delete (multiple) points properly, you cannot select and edit multiple points of them and you cannot copy/paste them, etc.
Also when working with multiple sliced events, the pencil tool is just not easy to work with. If you then want to switch out a take with a similar one, all the moves you did with the pencil tool are gone.
The pencil tool is completely outdated in this regard.
This is one of the few things, where I say this is handled better by other DAWs:
I wholeheartedly agree. The pencil tool is so cumbersome to use. Nice idea in theory, badly implemented.
+1 for proper clip gain. I’m pretty sure this has been requested many times!
+1, although I would prefer if it wasn’t an automation “lane” per se, but remained on the event level, so that we had clear seperation between volume automation and event volume.
Just to be clear, what I suggested would still be before the insert plugins and has nothing to do with the volume automation underneath the track (which is after the insert plugins).
Just think of a trim/gain plugin you put before all your insert plugins, and you automate that one.
The only difference is, that the automation lane would be displayed directly on the audio track and that the graphics of the waveforms get altered based on the volume you set.
But it would be already a step forward if we could have these improvements on each event seperately, tbh.
We’re on the same page. It’s just that Cubase doesn’t do “automation” on the main track like, say Cakewalk, so if it were to be implemented like this, it should be made very clear what the inline automation is exactly.
Same here. For me, if we had a tool that:
Selected like the range tool
The selection then was enclosed in that widget thing like in the MIDI controller lanes, where we can increase/decrease, tilt, compress/expand both horizontally and vertically, (and slip left/right)
Each node (automation event) spit out tooltips with data of the exact level
I don’t see how I could complain. It then becomes a game of “Define a range → Set the level”
It cuts out the Split Range middle step, and the consequent almost-mandatory bounce to get rid of all the cuts and stitches. We could draw an envelope, and then move the whole envelope up or down.
Or we could have all these implemented directly on the event, like variaudio’s smart controls. I don’t doubt the guys at Steinberg would do something interesting if they put their sights on this, and there are many ways to go about this, so I’ll just +1 and say “Please improve”, the exact details don’t bother me, as long as I am spared from the split-boost-draw envelope by ear part.
Edit: Actually, tooltips and track labels, while a boring and mundane thing, and an exceptionally hard sell compared to other exciting DAW features, are in need of a pass. Checking the info-line or to the side of the Key Editor for values when you are trying to focus on what the mouse is doing is a little bit fatiguing. The GUI guys with much important tasks on their plate will either pull their hair in despair or laugh a mighty laugh reading this, but since it came up…
Yeah I got you, /agree.
Since we’re talking also about tooltips, I just made a bug report about that today as well.
When altering automation with the range selection tool or with the handle between automation points there is no tooltip or something like that, like it is when moving single automation points around or using the pencil tool. This can get fatiguing very easily, as you say.
Hopefully this will not be forgotten, should they ever improve these clip gain functions.
I voted for this post but then I noticed that I already voted for an existing feature request from three years ago. (Clip/Part/event Gain Automation) might be better to concentrate votes on one post. Although I am not sure whether the number of votes has a big influence on what Steinberg decides they will actually implement…
You’re right, there are already 7 votes. I am gonna link this thread on mine, so people landing on my thread are gonna vote over there.
Thank you for letting me know and sorry I did not notice that one!
