Automating Volume Clicks

[peter99]

if I'm automating vocals on protools I often do it by highliting the word I want to have louder and then pull it up a few dB - the problem with this is that I get a click sound (like a bad cut without a crossfade) from time to time because the fader is going up to fast (there's no time to move up - the line goes straight up 90 degrees)
so if I move the left automation point a bit to the left side and the right one a bit to the right side the click goes away

now I saw in a video tutorial a guy doing the same thing (highlighting a word and move the volume level up) AND on his volume move the fade move wasnt straight up and back down 90 degrees - it was less which means he has not to do the additional adjust volume move steps to get rid of clicks which is great
so I thought there must be a trick to do that... and you can probably tell it to me?

hope you understand my post - my english is not very good

thx

[laki]

I tend to do the following:

While you are looking at the Volume automation, make a selection that is a little larger than what you want to boost or cut.

Then hit Command+/ (This will make two break points)

Make the selection that you want to boost/cut (between those two break points)

Then hold Option and boost/cut to your liking.

PT will automatically glide the automation. The distance that your first selection is from the second selection will determine the slope of the glide.

[peter99]

ok thx - that works

but there must be another even easier trick to do it - just with selecting, pushing up the volume and thats it

nobody around here knows this one? kenny probably or crizdee?

[Kenny Gioia]

I've been using "cut" or command + x (control + x for PC) for this lately. Something new I figured out.

Raise the vocal line to the desired level.

Now select a small section at the transition and hit cut.

Do the same for the back end transition.

Experiment with how big of a glide you need.

I've never heard a click when doing hard automation edits though. I use them for De-essing all the time.

I use the cut trick more for transitioning sections.

Good luck.

[peter99]

cool thx kenny - I still think there is an easier eway to directly raise or pull down the volume with the same effect all in 1 step...

[crizdee]

Originally Posted by peter99

cool thx kenny - I still think there is an easier eway to directly raise or pull down the volume with the same effect all in 1 step...

Hi,

As long as the break points are beyond the boundaries of the region there should be no click!

or are you automating a bus after the track?

[Felix Rost]

Originally Posted by peter99

cool thx kenny - I still think there is an easier eway to directly raise or pull down the volume with the same effect all in 1 step...

I don't think so.

What you saw was maybe:
option+click/drag selection

the resulting volumes glides are up to the next breakpoint, which is a mess in most cases.

[Stig Eliassen]

Another possibility is that you saw the transition at sample level, which isn't 90 degrees?

If you've got QuicKeys you could program it to narrow the selection in one go (i.e. 100 ms nudge value):

• Shift-Option-plus to nudge selection start forward
• Shift-Command-minus to nudge selection end back

So, make the selection slightly wide and hit Command-/. Then hit the hot key for the QK string of commands. Now you simply Option-trim the selection up/down.

[jimlongo]

Or you could use the pencil tool to draw that automation.