Studio One 3 – The hottest (Automation)-Curves in btown!

Summer is almost there! And guess who’s your perfect studio mate for this summer: right, Studio One! Today the Studio One squad shares a feature with you which makes Studio One stand out beside other DAWs! Nice curves!

Automation is a thing which adds life to productions and offers variety to the listeners’ ears.

So let’s begin with simple things:

How to set up automations.

To set up the automation, open the plugin whose parameter you want to automate. As in Pro Tools you need to open up a automation window in which you can choose the parameter from. You can find this window by clicking here:

A window pops up in which you can choose the parameter from, you want to automate. In this case it is the “Filter” knob.

While automating a plugin on a mixer track, a new Automation Track will be added to the arrangement window. At the other side by automating an instrument parameter it will show up in the instrument track. You make them visible by right clicking on the track and select “expand envelopes” or by pressing “A” by default. Now the automation can be adjusted.

Straight Automation. 

Okay, let’s set up a simple automation. Click on the blue line to create these blue little points and drag them around.

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Pitch Bend Automation Curve

Exponential Automation

A new feature of Studio One! Now another blue dot appears while hovering your mouse between a line automation. This creates a nice non linear curve.
Try this: In Studio One 3 even an Instrument’s Pitch Bend can be automated. Open the piano roll, select the Pitch Bend Tab and draw your line. The Exponential Automation is perfect for this as it creates super smooth curves!

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Automation Tools

Let’s have a look at the automation tools:

• Freehand: self explanatory: let it flow
• Line: Straight line. Draw the shortest way from one point to another
• Parabola: Create a curve similar to the exponential automation. The difference it creates several points to set up the automation which might result in a more edgy sound.
• Square: Creates squares. Use command, alt, shift and control to stretch, shift and adjust the curve.  
• Triangle: Creates Triangles. Use command, alt, shift and control to stretch, shift and adjust the curve.
• Saw: Creates Saws. Use command, alt, shift and control to stretch, shift and adjust the curve.
• Sines: Creates Sines. Use command, alt, shift and control to stretch, shift and adjust the curve.
• TRANSFORM!. 
  • my favourite tool! With transform it is possible to transform the wave in any thinkable way. Draw a square around the area and grab the edges. By doing so you can adjust the curve in a way which would cost a massive amount of time to create similar ones in other daws!