Need HELP with write and read buttons!

Cubase
1

Hello,

I’ve been working on a song for a LONG time and I finally have all the tracks recorded to my satisfaction and my last step is to go through every one and set the levels.

I have not used the write and read buttons very much but I’ve been planning on going through each track with the Write button pressed, adjusting the levels through the entire song, and then putting it in read mode so that when I play it again (or output a WAV file) it will play back as I set it with the write button pressed.

I’m finding some strange, unexpected results.

The first time I play through with the write button pressed, it seems work. When I replay with the read button pressed, it plays it back correctly.

But if I’m unsatisfied with the first take, and I go back and press the write button again and play through with different adjustments, when I play it back in read mode, the 2nd take didn’t take hold completely. The result appears to be a mix of the two takes. After wrestling with this for hours, I came to this conclusion: It seems to record ADJUSTMENTS I make in the controls but as soon as I let go and leave the slider alone, at that point in the playback (read mode) switches back to the previous or original WRITE.

This seems really strange, like a bug? Am I right? If I don’t like the settings in a WRITE take, can’t I just go through it again with the write button pressed and overwrite the entire track? Should leaving the slider in one place caust it to stop recording? Is there some reason I have to keep the slider moving in order for it to record the settings?

After hours of this I read the manual and found there is a view of the automation sub-track and a way to remove the automation sub-track from a track completely. I got so frustrated, and concerned that I just don’t know what I’ve done, considering the questionable results of running a 2nd write on top the 1st, that I removed all the automations I had created on all my tracks.

Before I start over again, I need to understand… Is there a bug in the software? Should I be able to overwrite an automation and just wipe the pervious one out? Or, do I need to manually delete an automation before I start a new one?

I’m running Cubase 1.08 and I’m wondering if upgrading would resolve any of this. But I’m also afraid to upgrade while I"m in the middle of a project, so I’d like to finish this one up with my current version first.

Any help with this is much appreciated!

Thank you
Gary in Vermont

2

I think there is an option in preferences with which you can change this behaviour. Not entirely sure what it’s called because I havent seen it in ages, but it should be there :wink:

3

Thank you Strophoid.

I looked all through the preferences and can’t find anything like this. Here’s a screenshot if it helps:

I thought maybe the Automation Reduction Level was the culprit but I read about it in the manual and also tried turning it down to zero and it had no effect on the problem.

I also confirmed the issue with an experiment. I started a new project, created just one short audio track and went back with the read and write buttons. I found that:

  1. The first time I record automation with the WRITE button on, the automation is saved.
  2. If I try to overwrite the automation, ONLY the MOVEMENTS in the sliders are recorded. AS SOON as I let go of the mouse and leave the slider in a steady position in WRITE mode, it stops writing the automation data and reverts to the previous WRITE automation.

This is really frustrating! It seems like a no-brainer… if I don’t like an automation I should be able to overwrite shouldn’t I? Is my only option to completely delete the entire automation and start over? I should be able to fix just a section of a track, without deleting the entire automation, shouldn’t I? Why is it only recording my adjustments in the 2nd automation and why does it “let go” of recording as soon as I stop moving the slider?

Unless there is something I’m missing in the preferences, my only option I suppose is to try to make my automations correct the first time I create one, and if they’re not perfect I have to completely delete the automation for the whole track and start over :frowning: There’s no way to go back and “tweak” a section of an automation; I have to delete the entire thing and start over. :frowning:

Unless someone has an idea what is going on here and how I can fix this! Please let me know if so!

thanks
gary in vermont

4

From Sx 1 Manual…

If it’s SL 1 then it’s only Touch Fader mode.

When recording automation, you can choose one of three automation
modes (available on the Project window toolbar):
• When Touch Fader mode is selected, the program starts writing the automation
as soon as you click the control and stops writing when you release
the mouse button.
• When Autolatch mode is selected, the program starts writing the automation
as soon as you click the control and stops writing when you turn
off the Write function.
This means that the last automation value will be continuously written until you turn off
Write.
The Autolatch mode is useful if you want to overwrite a long section of
previous automation, and also when you are recording automation from
a remote device (because then there is no way for the program to know
when you “release” the control). However, make sure you only touch
the desired control(s) when recording automation in Autolatch mode –
and remember to stop playback when you’re done!
• X-Over mode works like Autolatch mode, but with one difference: As soon
as you “cross” any existing (previous) automation curve, the writing is automatically
turned off.

In C6 the automation options are far more comprehensive

5

thank you! that seems like exactly the problem for me, I’m stuck in touch fader mode. However I don’t see any way to get out of that mode.

I basically resolved the problem by only setting my automations by plotting them on the graph instead of using the faders. this seems to work just fine.

I can’t really see how that touch fader mode would be useful. It seems to me that when the write button is down, you want to be writing.

For now I’m going to the graph and forgetting the faders. Thanks for your help!

6

You must have SL 1 then!

7

how can I tell? when I go to HELP>ABOUT, it says version 1.0.8 build 104. doesn’t mention anything about SL1.

probably not worth much more effort, as I’ve gotten used to the graph plotting and it seems to work fine.

8

I must admit to doing 99% of automation with the mouse.