From the course: Pro Tools: Mixing and Mastering

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Understanding automation

Understanding automation - Pro Tools Tutorial

From the course: Pro Tools: Mixing and Mastering

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Understanding automation

When we start a mix in Pro Tools, the parameters in the mixer are by default static. That is to say, once you set them in a specific value or state, they will remain fixed until you decide to manually change them. This may be fine for a simple composition with fewer instruments but often presents a problem as track count and arrangement complexity increases. Automation allows us to record changes in the mixer over the course of the session, which is great because it gives us the ability to react dynamically as the arrangement or project evolves, expanding or contracting with the progression of the tune. So, for example, let's take a lead vocal in a song with a basic verse-chorus- verse-chorus-bridge-chorus structure, kind of like Take Me Down here. During the first verse, we can hear that the arrangement is a bit more sparse than let's say in the choruses or later in the song. So I might have one level that works great during that intro period, or the first verse, but as soon as I hit…

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