Newbie Question - How to automate inserted FX part way through

[octoruss]

I apologize for what is probably a very basic and simple question, and I've read forums and manuals but not sure how best to do this.

I have a song where I'd like to insert a STEREO WIDTH FX on the master fader, but have the FX start and stop repeatedly throughout the song. Almost as if part of the song is in mono, then the stereo kicks in, then it kicks out again. I can put the FX on the master fader as an insert, but how do I automate it so the FX turns on and off when I want it to?

Thanks for your help in advance!

[Brian Hudson]

Originally Posted by octoruss

I apologize for what is probably a very basic and simple question, and I've read forums and manuals but not sure how best to do this.



I have a song where I'd like to insert a STEREO WIDTH FX on the master fader, but have the FX start and stop repeatedly throughout the song. Almost as if part of the song is in mono, then the stereo kicks in, then it kicks out again. I can put the FX on the master fader as an insert, but how do I automate it so the FX turns on and off when I want it to?



Thanks for your help in advance!

Try automating the bypass button on the FX, but it will be a sudden change as it kicks in and out, alternatively automate the levels of the FX that control the panning, you can then view and edit these by switching the view of the track to the FX level controls, you can then draw in the levels by hand using the pencil tool, hope it helps



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[albee1952]

Hit youtube and look for tutorials on "automate plugins in pro tools"(without the quotes). Once you SEE it done, you'll be all set

[dg27]

Originally Posted by Brian Hudson

Try automating the bypass button on the FX, but it will be a sudden change as it kicks in and out

I automate plugins all the time. Sometimes automating the bypass works fine, other times not. I believe it depends on the plugin.

I've tried automating a change in the settings other than bypass in some reverb PIs and sometimes you can hear a slight click when the new setting kicks in. It's pretty much trial and error, I believe.

Originally Posted by octoruss

I'd like to insert a STEREO WIDTH FX on the master fader

I'll let others weigh in, but I don't think it's advisable to insert this on the master fader. I would create an aux input and insert it on that.

[albee1952]

Quote:
Originally Posted by octoruss View Post
I'd like to insert a STEREO WIDTH FX on the master fader

I'll let others weigh in, but I don't think it's advisable to insert this on the master fader. I would create an aux input and insert it on that.

Weighing in
It depends on what the intended effect is. Normally, I would not use a widening plugin on the master because of how they work(which is fudging with phase). Having said that, if the intent is something interesting or obvious, that might be just the way to do it(but know that if the final mix is played on a mono system, all the effect is likely to be lost). If the intent is to try to make a narrow mix sound wider, then there are probably better ways to make that happen. Some ideas on that front would be:
Pan things harder
Use double-tracking(play/sing some parts twice and pan them to opposite sides)
Use a widener plugin on certain parts like keyboard/synth pad or reverb and delay AUX tracks.
And one of my favs;if I have 2 tracks of electric guitars, I pan them hard left and right. Then I send each to a MONO AUX track with a mono verb(Dverb is my "go to" for this), set the verb around 1.8-2 seconds and pan hard the other way(so each guitar's reverb is on the opposite side of the original guitar). It worked great for Jimmy Page