FEATURE REQUEST - AUTOMATION

[Eric Seaberg]

So I'm doing production for the Miss California Pageant and have found something in PT (Academic) that I HATE, and I'll betcha it's in PTHD as well.

I've got different versions (lengths) of a production number (dancers/contestants, etc.) and have them as separate playlists on the same track. I've got automation changes (volume up/down) depending on when that version ends, but once I set the volume change for the "Wednesday" version and flip over to the "Thursday" playlist (which is a shorter version), the automation stays for the "Wednesday" version.

I would LOVE to have (as a preference setting) the option to have automation follow the playlist or NOT. My alternative was to have EACH version as its own track... PITA!!

I understand WHY this happens as it does, in case your 'comping' a vocal or something with multiple takes and want the automation to be the same... but GIVE US THE OPTION TO DO SO.



Thanks... sorry I'm so manic! I've been spending too much time with fifty 20-something year-old beautiful women. It has its good points and its bad ones.... they are still women, after all! ;-)

[tj_davies]

Eric,

why don't you use Pro Tools in its horizontal length? Each contestant a timecode (for example every minute) and use markers to jump to each contestant. That's much faster than playlists, as you have shortcuts to jump to the contestant (and you don't have shortcuts for the playlists unfortunately).

Still, yep great request. Unfortunately Digidesign doesn't seem to be able or willing to give us this long wanted feature.

Hope it helps on future projects.
Timothy

[Eric Seaberg]

Yeah I'm doing that, but the OPENING PRODUCTION NUMBER is built for each night of the show with a DIFFERENT opening announcer track. Everything after that is identical. I create multiple 'takes' of the announcer for Wed, Thu, Fri & Sat shows and just pop the one I want. Unfortunately, the Fri and Sat show has more "guests" and the announcer track is a bit longer so I want the music fade-up in automation to happen later. Once I create an automation move it remains the same for each take.

I'll have to look at Digital Performer again. I had used DP the last 6 or 7 years and was sure it would have automation follow the take. Seems simple enough to make it an option...