Copy Automation bug

Hey there,
I noticed a bug when copying automation, which messed up one of my recent projects quite a bit.
If your track list starts with the STEREO OUT/MASTER or a GROUP track and you then copy paste automation points, the points will not be pasted on the same track, but on the track above.
This is true for every group track in that list, until there comes one of the other track types (AUDIO, MIDI, TEMPO, etc). All group tracks below the first audio/midi/etc. track, wont have that problem.

Here a small video to demonstrate the issue, just check where the automation points get pasted, as long as there ist the MASTER track on top of the track list. As soon as I move an audio track on top, the automation points get inserted correctly:

Steps to reproduce:

  • create a project
  • put a GROUP track or STEREO OUT on top of the track list
  • put another GROUP track as second track in the track list
  • draw automation on the second track and copy paste it on the same track
  • the automation will be pasted on the 1. track
  • now add an audio track and put it on top of the list
  • if you now copy paste your automation, it will be done correctly

Heres a preparated project to test it yourselves, its the one in the video:

AUTOMATIONCOPY.zip (93.6 KB)

2 Likes

What in the world is that bug :rofl:

I confirm this, although here’s more details about it :

  • It only happens when the topmost track in the track list is an “automation-like” track, that is, Group, FX, VCA or In/Out Busses. In which case, any contiguous “automation-like” track starting from the topmost one will exhibit the issue. Putting any other track type in between prevents the issue from spreading.
  • The automation needs to be copied from one of the aforementioned glitched tracks.
  • The offset is imbedded at the time we do the Copy command.
  • Once the offset is caught into the “copy” it will remain wherever we try to paste it in the project.
  • Because of the offset, it isn’t possible to paste the automation on Audio or MIDI Tracks that have only one automation lane visible (nothing happens), because it would be pasted directly on the track itself, which isn’t an automation lane.
    The same happens with the topmost track, it would end above on a lane that do not exist.
  • Selecting a normal track/lane (non-automation) or folder, and trying to paste the automation on it, will still paste it on the automation lane above, if there is any.

This issue seems to share the same behavior as another bug you have discovered earlier :
Moving of events not possible if automation track in between (but works when copying/pasting)

Cubase doesn’t make any difference between actual Tracks and “lanes”, and that is the problem, or at least it is a major clue for developers to look at.

Yeah, took me a while to figure out as well, wtf :rofl::rofl:
Thanks for adding more details to the bug! /muchappreciated #asalways

Thanks for posting this! I was experiencing the same behaviour (cubase 12 as well) and couldn’t work it out, realised I had to select one track below the one I wanted to paste my automation into!

Was this ever reported to Steinberg?

I think not, but eventually I’ll make another report batch.
Now it’s a little late because Cubase 13 is already on track but it’s not impossible that the developers got their hands on the bug list here and started working on fixes.

This is still happening for me in C13. I run into it in literally every project because the top-most four tracks are Groups in my sessions.