2 Feature requests.

[kosmokrator]

Hi there,
some suggestions:

1. please have an additional automation mode 'preview excluding fader'.
I always mix with all tracks in either latch or touch/latch, all plugin parameters automation enabled, preview enabled all the time.
That way I can always tweak all plugins, sends and pans on all tracks without accidentially writing automation.
Standard post production workflow.
Sometimes I forget to disable preview before doing a delicate fader move. This sucks.

2. Additional editing mode 'half-smart tool'. Have the smart tool but without the trim and fade modes. I don't know anyone using these. They are in the way and making you slow, especially in big sessions with very small track heights. Everyone uses a & s for trimming and d & f for fades.

Please Avid!

[Ryan Young]

I think you could come up with some sort of macro to warn you when you're in preview mode if you touch the fader. Regarding the smart tool, I love options but I use the trim and fade on the smart tool constantly even though d and g are more common for me.

I whipped up a crappy little app that you can run to let you know if you're in Preview mode. I'm sure you can do more automated things with it.

tell application "Finder"
tell application "System Events"
set PT to the first application process whose creator type is "PTul"
tell PT
activate
set frontmost to true
set automationMenuItem to menu item "Automation" of menu "Window" of menu bar item "Window" of menu bar 1
set status to value of attribute "AXMenuItemMarkChar" of automationMenuItem
if status is not equal to "✓" then
click automationMenuItem
end if
set xValue to value of button "Enable Auto Preview Mode" of window 1
if xValue is equal to "Selected" then
display dialog "GET OUT OF PREVIEW MODE!"
else
set allWindows to every window of PT
if length of allWindows is greater than 0 then
repeat with currentWindow in allWindows
if (count (buttons of currentWindow whose title contains "Suspend Automation")) is greater than 0 then
return
end if
end repeat
end if
end if
end tell
end tell
end tell

[smurfyou]

I think a better visual indicator that you're in Preview would be nice. I actually wouldn't mind two indicator lights in the toolbar area. One for Automation that lights if anything is currently writing. Another for Preview so you know at a glance if it's active.

[Ryan Young]

I’d love for that too. I wonder how difficult it would be to create something like The Cargo Cult’s AFE Alerter?

[kosmokrator]

Originally Posted by smurfyou

I think a better visual indicator that you're in Preview would be nice. I actually wouldn't mind two indicator lights in the toolbar area. One for Automation that lights if anything is currently writing. Another for Preview so you know at a glance if it's active.

Well that's actually not an issue for me. I'm on an S6 and colored the preview soft button as aggressively as I could.
Still happens sometimes. Probably would still happen if all screens would flash red.. :)

[midnightrambler]

Originally Posted by kosmokrator

Everyone uses a & s for trimming and d & f for fades.

a & s are all very well for trimming back, but what if you want to extend the clip? Surely you have to use the trim tool then?

[EdgarRothermich]

Originally Posted by kosmokrator

Hi there,
some suggestions:

2. Additional editing mode 'half-smart tool'. Have the smart tool but without the trim and fade modes. I don't know anyone using these. They are in the way and making you slow, especially in big sessions with very small track heights. Everyone uses a & s for trimming and d & f for fades.

Please Avid!

Personally, I like to have them on all the time, but it is all about options and preferences.
Other DAWs acknowledged that, i.e. in the Logic Preferences you have checkboxes to activate those "click zones" to customize your "preferred" editing workflow.

[kosmokrator]

Originally Posted by EdgarRothermich

Personally, I like to have them on all the time, but it is all about options and preferences.
Other DAWs acknowledged that, i.e. in the Logic Preferences you have checkboxes to activate those "click zones" to customize your "preferred" editing workflow.

Yeah, exactly like that!

[kosmokrator]

Originally Posted by midnightrambler

a & s are all very well for trimming back, but what if you want to extend the clip? Surely you have to use the trim tool then?

Actually don' have to extend regions without fades on them too often. If there's a fade you can grab that.
In these cases it would be OK to manually switch to trim mode.

[Farhoof]

Originally Posted by kosmokrator

Actually don' have to extend regions without fades on them too often. If there's a fade you can grab that.
In these cases it would be OK to manually switch to trim mode.

Be careful grabbing fades and moving them like that, since PT 2019.10 all the way up to 2020.12 there is a bug where automation is not moved along with the fade (when automation is written to clip length). Not just volume, but panning and inserts as well.

See http://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?t=413155