Cubase 14 here. Please have a look at screenshot #1. It is a track with initial automation of the pan to center. Later (at bar 21), the automation “resumes”. Look where my project cursor is. FWIW it’s a stereo track. Now, I play the track, get to the channel - either in the mixconsole or in the channel “inspector” part - I hard pan to the right using the mouse. I still hold the click of the mouse, and the sound pans hard right. Then, I release the mouse click and the pan still looks visually the same (hard right - as expected) but the sound jumps to the center…
Seems like a bug to me… I think I experioenced that also in the past with previous versions, but I don’t recall exactly when.
The “sound jumps to the center” because you have Read Automation (R) active, and the automation is set to Center. If you want it to pan hard right, why don’t you draw that in, or enable Write Automation?
Do you expect the manually-adjusted channel settings to override the automation while Read Automation is active?
(1) EVEN IF the pan needs to jump to the center because of the read automation that is enabled (which I will argue against in #2 below) then I would expect the visual indication of the panning in the fader to jump as well - this is the standard behavior in cubase and creating a disonnance between where the sound is coming from and where the pan position is displayed in the fader display is a bug.
(2) If you look more carefully on the track screenshot I sent, then there is an INTENTIONAL HOLE IN AUTOMATION - I’m using this a lot, it both clears the screen as well as allows me to freely / manually modify the automated parameters in the “hole” area. So, I tend to believe that the intended behavior of the pan control when I play the audio within the period of “hole in the automation” is that I will be able to manipulate it (e.g., by using the mouse) and be able to release the mouse click and still see the effect of my manipulation - well, at least until the playing stops or until the playing reaches the area that is surrounded by the automation.
I think #1 is unarguably a bug. As for #2, I believe I understand the intended functionality, but I will be more than happy to learn I’m wrong (and if I’m indeed wrong then what is the purpose of the ability to create “holes” in the automation in the first place?)
The “Virgin Territory” created by terminator nodes (Terminator = Yes) allows quick manual tweaks without needing to delete or rewrite automation curves.
Yes, that’s how it should be!
Of course one can discuss the behaviour in areas without Automation. I.e. whether the Fader should follow the Level (your preference) or the Level should follow the Fader (my preference). Anyway, I think the two should ALWAYS be in sync!
You’re right. The automation “hole” is only affecting (freeing) the pan-control–not the panning itself, which shouldn’t jump back to center. Maaaaybe it’s a “UX issue.” Do you have Use Virgin Territory enabled in the Automation Panel?
It doesn’t matter if “use virgin territory” is enabled or disabled - the problematic behavior is the same. In fact, I just realized it’s not only the pan. It’s also the volume (level).
Please see the screenshot below. Look at track #hdj 1. When the playback is, say, at bar 44 (as the cursor shows). If I change the fader (e.g., lower it down to -25db) while still the mouse left button is pressed, it changes the actual sound level (to -25db) as well as changes the fader UI accoringly (showing the fader in -25db). Then if I release the mouse left button (while the playback is still ongoing), the UI of the fader remains “down” (-25db) but the actual sound level jumps “up” (in this case to 0db as that’s the last automation value set in bar 41).
This makes the entire “virgin” concept useless. In addition, it creates an awful dissonance between what the mixer show and what is really going on.
