For different takes, that need different treatment I just use different channels, put all under the same VCA > done!
But again, there is no right or wrong way, just (less) efficient ways
As well as Larioso’s points, having specific volume changes in place while you compose makes the mixing stage a lot easier (& faster). Using trim to do this as opposed to regular volume automation leaves you fully in control of the fader at all times yet keeps your creative changes in place - keeping everything relative to whatever fader level you choose to have (which often changes a LOT as you progress with a project!)
That’s what I don’t understand about your (Raphie’s) argument about it being ‘redundant clutter’!
Others use VCA’s for that
So having a load of extra faders in the mixer as opposed to a lane of automation is your definition of less clutter?! 
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Yes, using 1 VCA rather than 7 gains, yes.
I’m not talking about 7 gains. I’m talking about volume trim on one channel - I’ve never suggested anything else.
If you can’t see the benefit of trim automation then it’s your loss IMO & I’ll just leave it at that.
Again, explain “volume”, have u ever used clip gain?
The volume trims already there are
- input gain
- output gain
- clip gain
- midi volume cc7
- VCA
- VST instrument volume
- VST FX volume
- group channel
If you can’t work your way with those, then maybe Cubase is not the DAW for u?
Fader in W and then R does the job for me. I tend to use track inspector fader most so I don’t have to open the mixer window and block my view (music making PC only has a single old skool 17 inch monitor and so screen tends to get cluttered). I then use the automation lanes and adjust/delete the break points sometimes. For an individual bounced part/audio clip, of course clip gain handle is quick and easy.
This covers pretty much everything I need to do volume wise when making an tune.
As I said, if you can’t see the benefit of trim automation (which you clearly can’t) then it’s your loss and that’s all there is to it. Best of luck with your particular way of working.
Here’s a situation that never fails to vex me as a project moves along:
I make a change to gain/volume for a male vocal (e.g.). It might be at the clip gain itself, or on the channel fader automation, or the input gain knob at any one of a number of channels to feed a comp or other plug-in at the right level, or in the male vocal subgroup, or in the overall vocal subgroup.
Then after a few days I decide a portion of the male vocal is not the right volume. Ideally, I’d see if it was possible to adjust the volume/gain at the same place I did a few days prior, but no, I can never remember where that volume/gain adjustment was made! So I make a change … somewhere in the chain.
The problem is that it gets very sloppy very quickly. A week or so later if I look hard, I’ll probably see that I turned down the volume/gain at one point in the chain, and for the same part of the vocal turned it up in another part of the chain!
I wish I had a standardized way to make volume/gain changes, so that I don’t wind up making them all over the project.
Workflow, learn the tools and their intended use and use them wisely. For me:
Input - s/n and unity level
Fader - volume movenent for the channel
vca - link volume relationships and offsets
Once input and fader are in check I only use VCA to make it sit in the mix
I agree with you that I like having my volume fader completely under my control and not locked after writing automation to it. After reading the responses on here, you can open the automation panel, click trim, and under the fill column click “To Start” and “To End”. The fader is then centered on the mix console and you can push it up or down however many db you want. After letting go, it will change your entire lane of volume automation by that much. Is there are shorter way of doing this? It seems like what I was looking for, but it is too many steps compared to just bumping the fader up or down after automating the volume via an insert plugin or VCA fader.
Exactly like that – +1
I believe this is the best case against directly automating a track’s fader. VCA faders seem like a good solution. (However, there is a limit of 32)
Old thread but i was wondering if you ever landed on a favorite way to do this. I agree 100% with all of your posts about keeping manual control of the fader.
Holy necro-post Batman!
I tend to work on a project basis these days. Whatever method fits the current job. Thanks to Covid and all the lockdowns we had here in Melbourne I’ve diversified a lot and now do all sorts of different mixing jobs so it depends on the content and how much control I need vs speed of working (the latter usually dictating the method).
I still stand by all my arguments above and maintain that keeping control of the fader is vital (for me). On occasion I’ll throw the odd VCA in here or there but usually I’ll still automate a plug in volume primarily or use clip gain for troublesome areas when time permits. Channel volume automation (main fader) I still leave til final mix whenever possible - like we had to in any case in the ‘good’ old days before automation was even a thing… 
Thx for your reply, even it’s a 6 yrs older version of you!
It indeed does depend on the job, since i recently switched from reaper (where you can pick whether the fader is the volume automation or the trim) i still have to figure out what fits best when but i agree that in a writing-setting where volume automation is part of the composing and creative process, being able to manually ride the fader is quite crucial to keep things in check. At least to me it is.
Adjusting the track volume per channel is by far the most adjusted thing during every stage of composition and arranging for me and way too common to be adjusting automation tiny envelopes for across the whole track or going to the mixer and change input gain (which will affect parameters of the fx).
Clip automation kind of works but its still not the same (and what about midi? Plugin volume is ok although dangerous sometimes when it bounces back loud after stop but still not the same bc what about lingering fx?)
Adding VCA’s isn’t a very attractive avenue for me as it’s already cluttered enough to compose in a 100+ tracks project.
I’ve seen someone adding a separate steinberg gain plugin on every track for this purpose. Could be good if it’s easy to set it up so that it will always be one every type of track you add (which i don’t think is possible) or assign a shortkey to the insertion of that effect (which i’m sure isn’t possible).
Hope global fader trim will become a feature at some point (i think most daw’s do this?), but i doubt it!
I’ll get used to it and quit whining, like you did, after all you’re still here 
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The method I use to trim automation is to select all events on the automation track and then edit the automation value shown in the info line, which updates all the automation points at once. Not sure if it’s of any help but I find it easier than using Cubase’s official automation trim functionality.
You can do this for more than one automation track at once if you want.
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