Help with the monitor button

I know there must be an easier way…help me out guys.

Here is my problem: - When recording the first take…all is great. Then comes punching in and out. How can I automate the monitor button? I am currently sitting there like an idiot with the mouse over the monitor button ready to punch it when the track gets to the punch in spot so that the talent can hear themselves up to this point.

I know you guys will know how to do this immediately (please don’t beat me up too bad for not knowing). Hopefully this post makes sense. I’d love to hear work arounds and workflows that you guys use.

Thanks in advance…love the community!

In the preferences goto VST…….auto monitoring. I think the setting you want is tape machine style.

In addition to Mrhehon’s suggestion, you can also set the locators and automatically punch in/out. Hover mouse over the Transport panel. You will find a Auto Punch In button and a Auto Punch Out button. You can anto just hit ‘I’ or ‘O’ on the keyboard to activate them. The selected and armed track will start recording at the beginning locator and end and the end one.