Steps in pre-mixing and mixing: How do the pros do it?

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In addition to track automation, you can adjust levels with track inserts. Try inserting a gain, or compressor insert. You can also modify your existing autiomation in the wave / volume view. You might consider bussing all guitar tracks to a stereo bus with a parametric eq insert. This will give uniform volume controll over all guitar tracks at once - nice when you have 8 guitar tracks.

[da BaSsTaRd!]

Originally posted by j20056:
In other words, if track1 was at -4.2dB when we added a simple v-shaped volume drop, then I can't change the -4.2dB volume of the traqck, because PT views that level as part of the automation.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">use the rtas trim plugin for that. if you just need to boost or cut the whole track a bit, its perfect and its real time, so you don't have to mess around with audiosuite nonsense...

[j20056]

I am in the final rounds of tracking with a band, we have about 28 tracks total. In the process of recording, we already added some volume automation to some tracks. For instance, a guitar solo has a couple of sections that we wanted to fade out, then fade-in quickly, same of some backup vocals.
The problem is that we haven't really started the final mix, thses were just adjustments that the musicians felt we could do immediately to improve the music quality.
The problem is that now that I am ready to do the real mix, I am kinda stuck with the levels of all the tracks where we did some volume automation, however little. In other words, if track1 was at -4.2dB when we added a simple v-shaped volume drop, then I can't change the -4.2dB volume of the traqck, because PT views that level as part of the automation. So if my final mix would require to be at -1.7dB, I can't really adjust the levels with the faders, I'm forced to edit automation, which is very frustrating.
So my question has to do with the way that the pros do these tasks, and in which order.
Do you first adjust the overall levels of each track, and then do any type of volume automation once the base line volume has been determined?
What is the optimal order to do things, from EQ to effects, to mixing to volume/pan automation and else?

[where02190]

You can change automation settings at any time, eithr by going into auto touch mode or manually by changing your vie in edit mode to volume.

Hope this is helpful.

[Jopry]

Go to the edit window, change it to volume view, highlight everything you want to change volume of (the whole track or just a piece), change to the smart tool, move to the right edge (past the area you want to change the volume of, but still in the main edit window) move the tool until the cursor turns horizontal and then left click and hold. Adjust the volume to where you want it (by moving the cursor up or down on the screen, just don't let go of the left click until you have it where you want) and you haven't lost any of the automation, but the volume has changed overall up or down. Hope this helps.