Automation and Missing Anchor Points

[New Hope Media]

Since the advent of ProTools 6.7 the way that automation breakpoints are written with all manual and auto write operations has changed. NO BREAK POINTS ARE WRITTEN.

The result is that if you change plugin presets while in STOP the changes aren't recalled. Similarly if you use a write to END while playing the change in the preset may be written back to the beginning of the session. I say may because it is dependent on the way you make the change.

This appears to be a deliberate change in the way ProTools is designed to work. Why?
I have no idea but it is having disasterous and random effects in mixing for film and television post production.

Typically I would set up an EQ plugin preset at the beginning of a dialogue track. I'd then normally commence mixing, having set up all other tracks, auxillaries, plugins etc in write mode and then select write to END. I'd then conitinue mixing in either Touch or Latch mode as required. When I come to a region on a track that requires different EQ I'd stop, drop out of automation in that track and loop play the region adjusting the EQ to get the desired sound.
I'd place the track back into write, then play from the beginning of the region thereby writing the new EQ until I stopped. This would normally have written the EQ change only from the point I pressed play while in write until I pressed stop.

Now, however, I find that if I do this the EQ change is written back to the session start and forward to the end of the session even though I have written an EQ setting through to the end of the mix when I started the mixing session.

ABC TV in Sydney (they are 'blessed' with 5 D-Control consoles and have just received the latest 6.9.3cs3 patch but are seriously wondering about 7.0) has been questioning Digigesign and AVID about these bugs and received a reply from Digidesign Customer Support ASIA Pacific indicating that:-

"The problem... starts if you change the plug-in setting while in stopand the playhead is behind the very last breakpoint. In this case no automation value differences can be recognised related to the playhead position.
All parameters will just switch to the new value of the recalled (sic changed) preset starting beyond the last breakpoint on every write enabled track.
From version PT7.0 on, even in normal write mode no breakpoints will be written unless parameters have been entered while in playback. If nothing is changed the current setting is applied globally to the full track"

The reply goes on to say they were enquiring of Digidesign's Engineering Department why the breakpoint behaviour was modified.

Well I'd certainly like to hear their explanation.
Was this change implemeted by the same genius who arbitrarily decided to remove video capture in the early version of PT6?
It's a total disaster that needs to be recitified as a matter of urgency. I can no longer trust ProTools to automate the way it is meant to. I make minor plugin changes and find it has overwrittien automation for whole tracks. This is not progress and it doesn't make any logical sense.

Digidesign it needs to be rectified in both version 6.7x -> 6.9.x and version 7.0 as well.


Stephen Hope
Freelance Audio Post Production Specialist

[garret]

Hey,
We are still using 6.2.3 for native capture of video so we don't have this problem but it does sound worrying because we are looking to upgrade to 7.0 as it supports native capture of video. But this kind of unreliable automation would make me reconsider. I wonder if digi have any more info on this??

[Rail Jon Rogut]

Typically I would set up an EQ plugin preset at the beginning of a dialogue track. I'd then normally commence mixing, having set up all other tracks, auxillaries, plugins etc in write mode and then select write to END. I'd then conitinue mixing in either Touch or Latch mode as required. When I come to a region on a track that requires different EQ I'd stop, drop out of automation in that track and loop play the region adjusting the EQ to get the desired sound.
I'd place the track back into write, then play from the beginning of the region thereby writing the new EQ until I stopped. This would normally have written the EQ change only from the point I pressed play while in write until I pressed stop.

Now, however, I find that if I do this the EQ change is written back to the session start and forward to the end of the session even though I have written an EQ setting through to the end of the mix when I started the mixing session.

Just did exactly that here and is works as expected. I instantiate an EQ and set it the way I want... set all parameters to be automated... put the track in automation write mode, hit play and in the Automation Window set the automation to be written from start to end - hit stop. Now automation is written for the complete session.

In your prefs - set the automation to "No Change" in After write switch to.

Make a selection I'd like to change the EQ for - put the automation mode into write and loop playback -- start playing back the section and adjust the EQ .. when it's right hit STOP and Write To All Enabled (Ctrl+Alt+/).

If you prefer to not alter your preference for After write switch to... you can turn off automation for the track while adjusting the EQ.

The changes were made to enhance automation for users with control surfaces and to add automation JOIN functionality.

Rail

[garret]

Rail,
That exactly how i work now on 6.2.3. Does it just mean that you can't play through with write on and have the change written; you have to write to all enabled?? If thats the case its a minor point.

[Rail Jon Rogut]

You should be able to play it through -- I was just demonstarting the way I would do it.. which doesn't require you to play it through the selection.

Rail

[New Hope Media]

Rail

Are you running ProTools on a Mac or PC. Further information yesterday from Digidesign Asia Pacific indicates that the problem is Windows based and that Macs aren't suffering this fault.
We are totally PC based, ABC changed from Mac G4s at Digidesign/AVID Australia insistance when upgrading to the ICON consoles in October 2004.

Let me be very clear that Digidesign customer support in Australia have viewed the problem and haven't been able to help with it other than to question Digidesign US engineering. To date we don't have their answer.

I agree the changes were made to accommodate the join functions on the ICONS/D-Controls but they have changed the functionality of the automation in a way that make it extremely difficult to predict whether it will do what is intended.

Stephen Hope

[Rail Jon Rogut]

I'm using an XP based HD3 Accel system running pro Tools 7.

Rail