Fast automation events not registering.

Cubase
1

I work a lot with automation and have discovered that cubase reads it with lower resolution than it allows you to draw. This became very apparent when automating a delays bypass for the purpose of resetting a long feedback at desired locations in a song.

So what one would want is to draw a fastest possible bypass state change which goes from on to off and right back to on again, but when you do the fastest possible state change cubase will almost certainly not register it. In fact, from what i have tested, in order to be pretty sure that cubase registers it has to be like no less than 5 ticks in duration. And this is apparent even when bouncing mixdown non real time.

Is there any way to increase the read resolution because why would we otherwise be able to draw it more precisely then it can be read?

cubase 7.0.7
macbook pro 15" 2016
macos 10.12.6

2

Could you describe what it is that you’re doing that you need something that fast?

Lot of things wouldn’t react to changes that quick. May have to look for solution outside of automation.

3

As I described in my first post I want to automate bypass state of a plugin to reset its output instantly. This can be done by bouncing things to audio but that is what i am trying to avoid.

Anyways, I learned just recently that decreasing audio buffer size increases automation read precision in cubase. This is the opposite of what I expected and certainly is a troublesome trade off. It means that when you increase buffer size you get high quality playback of audio but you get low read resolution of midi/automation - and vise versa if you decrease the buffer size.

4

Buffer size is about latency.

The lower the latency the harder the computer works. I can’t see lowering the latency making the computer work better.

You keep lowering the latency until you gag the computer then raise it, that’s your tracking latency, lot of people raise the latency for mixing.

Have you verified that statement? You lowered the latency and it can do what you want?


Have you tried higher sample rates?

5

It is undeniable that automation precision increases with smaller buffer sizes. This increases the need of a computer with good performance and will eat the battery on laptops much faster.

I also found this post detailing this behaviour in some of the top DAW’s and it seems common. However, developers certainly can implement some features to improve things in this matter.