Reference Guide

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Automation
Automation Methods
To Draw a Preset Shape
1. Activate the envelope you want to edit (click it with the Envelope tool ).
2. Enable the Envelope Draw tool: click in the Track view toolbar.
3. Set the Snap to Grid to the desired length of each cycle of the shape you want to draw. For
example, if you want to draw sine curves, and you want each complete sine curve to last one
beat, set the Snap to Grid to a value of Quarter. If the Snap to Grid is disabled, the default cycle is
one measure.
4. Click the drop-down arrow on the side of the Envelope Draw tool, and select the kind of shape
you want to draw. After you select a shape, both the Envelope Draw tool and the cursor display
the kind of shape you selected.
5. Click and hold the mouse button in the Clips pane at the place where you want to edit the
envelope. The place where you click also sets the vertical midpoint of the shape you’re creating.
6. Drag up or down to set the vertical range of the envelope, and then drag to the right or left to set
the length of your edit. As you drag, the cursor’s vertical distance from the midpoint (the point
where you originally clicked) determines the amplitude of the graph. To create a series of identical
shapes, hold the SHIFT key down while you drag. To gradually increase or decrease the
amplitude, gradually move the cursor farther from or closer to the midpoint.
7. Release the mouse when you’ve finished editing. The shape you selected appears, repeating
according to the Snap to Grid setting.
To Halve or Double the Shape Cycle Frequency
• To halve the cycle frequency (for example, if snap resolution = quarter note, make each cycle a
half note), hold down the CTRL key while you draw.
• To double the cycle frequency (for example, if snap resolution = quarter note, make each cycle an
eighth note), hold down the ALT key while you draw.
To Invert the Phase of a Pattern
• You can invert the phase of the pattern by dragging the cursor below the zero-line/center (where
you initially clicked to start the pattern).
To Toggle Between the Envelope Tool and the Envelope Draw Tool
• When the mouse button is NOT pressed, hold down the ALT key to momentarily switch between
the two tools.
To Stretch a Shape
1. Select the nodes in the part of the shape that you want to stretch: use the Envelope tool to drag
around the part of the shape you want to select. Nodes turn white when they are selected.
2. Drag one of the selected nodes in the direction that you want to move the selected area.
Stretching stops if any selected node bumps into an adjacent unselected node.
Drawing Envelopes on Clips