User Manual

Chapter 50: Automation 1157
Cutting, Copying, and Pasting
Automation
Cutting automation data is different from deleting
it, and yields different results (although both
change the existing automation data). Copying au-
tomation leaves the original automation data in-
tact.
You delete automation data by selecting a range of
breakpoints and pressing Delete (Mac) or Back-
space (Windows). See “Deleting Automation” on
page 1149 for details.
You cut automation data by selecting a range of
breakpoints from an automation playlist and se-
lecting the
Cut command.
When you cut automation data and when you paste
it into a new location, anchor breakpoints are
added to the beginning and end points of the data.
This is done to preserve the true slope (of continu-
ous controls, such as Volume faders or pans) or
state (of switched or stepped controls, such as
Mutes) of the automation data both inside and out-
side the selection.
The following illustrations show the difference be-
tween cutting and deleting automation data. In the
following figure, a track is set to display volume
automation, and a range of automation data is se-
lected.
If the
Cut command is chosen, anchor breakpoints
are created at each end of the selection, and the au-
tomation slope on either side of the cut data is pre-
served, as shown in the following figure.
If the data is deleted by pressing Delete (Mac) or
Backspace (Windows), the automation data is re-
moved, and automation values span the gap be-
tween pre-existing breakpoints, as shown in the
following figure.
In addition, if cut or copied data is pasted else-
where in a track, breakpoints are created at the end
points of the pasted data to preserve its “neighbor-
ing” (incoming and outgoing) automation value
and slope, as shown in the following figure.
Selecting automation data
After cutting the automation data
After deleting the automation data
After pasting the automation data in another location
You cannot cut or copy automation data
from an automation playlist unless that
playlist includes at least one breakpoint in
it. The selection you are cutting or copying
does not need to include any breakpoints,
but without at least one breakpoint on an
automation playlist, there is no automation
data to copy.