Recording control movements

You can move the controls in a StudioWare panel while playing back a project to adjust the levels or other MIDI activity that the panel is designed to accommodate. In addition, you can record changes that you make to the controls in a panel so that these changes become a part of your project. Recording changes so that they play back automatically is known as automation.

There are two general approaches to recording control movements, as indicated in the following table.

 

Approach	How it works
Snapshot	You set all the controls to the values you want, and then create a snapshot of these settings at a particular Now time. When you play back the project later, all the controls will snap back to these settings when you reach the appropriate Now time.
Real-time recording	You move controls in any way you like, recording the series of changes you make so they become part of your project. When you play back the project later, the controls move exactly as you recorded them.

The first approach is useful, for example, when your project contains a variety of distinct sections and you want to make a sudden change in one or more settings between the sections.

The latter approach is most useful when you want to create smooth transitions from one section to another. For example, you could slowly add modulation to a MIDI piano or move the faders on a digital mixing console. Once you record these changes, they will play back along with your project automatically.

StudioWare lets you record and re-record automation data as many times as necessary. When you record new movements for a control, any old events for that control are replaced by the newer ones. Movements of other controls are unaffected. You can re-record moves again and again until you’ve got the movement exactly the way you want it. You can also edit automation data using the Notes pane in the Piano Roll view.

There are three tools in the StudioWare toolbar that are used to control recording and automation:

 

Icon	Tool	What it’s for
	Update	Makes the controls in the panel update automatically during playback or when MIDI data is received by the panel
	Snapshot	Records a snapshot of the current position of all controls
	Record	Activates real-time recording of all control movements

Most StudioWare panels are designed to both send and receive MIDI data. This means two things:

If you move the controls on your external MIDI device, the StudioWare panel will be notified of the changes

When you play back a project containing automation data, the StudioWare panel is notified of the automation changes

The Update button in the StudioWare toolbar indicates whether these changes are played back visually on the StudioWare panel. Press this button to make sure that automation parameters and changes made on the external MIDI device are displayed in the StudioWare panel. Turn this option off if you do not want to see these changes.

If you are recording a snapshot while playback is in progress, you should probably disable Update. Otherwise, some of the controls may move as a result of previously recorded automation events, even while you are trying to position them correctly.

When you are recording real-time control movements, you probably want Update enabled, so that the controls will show the events that have already been recorded.

If you record automation data on a track that contains linked clips, Sonar automatically unlinks the clips so that the automation data do not apply to other instances of the linked clip. As an example, suppose you have four repetitions of a particular riff, stored in four linked clips that play in sequence. When you record a fade-out over these four clips, Sonar automatically splits the clips into four independent clips, each with automation data representing some portion of the fade.

If you record a snapshot of control positions on a track that contains linked clips, the clips remain linked, and the snapshot applies to all copies of the linked clip.

If you are not happy with the automation data you recorded, you can always use the Edit > Undo command to remove it.

The automation data you record using a StudioWare panel can be displayed and edited using either the Notes pane in the Piano Roll view or the Event List view. For more information about the Controller pane, see Controllers, RPNs, NRPNs, and automation data. For more information about the Event List view, see The Event List view.

To record a snapshot while playback is stopped

1.	Set the Now time to the point in the project where you want the settings to take effect.

2.	Move the controls to the settings you desire.

3.

Click .

Sonar records a snapshot of the current control settings.

If the Now time is the very beginning of the project, then the snapshot will change the track parameters to match the controls in the panel instead of recording automation events.

To record a snapshot while playback is in progress

1.	Make sure the button in the StudioWare toolbar is not pressed so that Update is disabled.

2.	Change the Now time to a few bars or seconds before the time you want to take the snapshot.

3.	Start playback.

4.	When you have reached the appropriate time, click on the Snapshot button.

Sonar records a snapshot of the current control settings.

To record control changes in real-time

1.	Make sure the button in the StudioWare toolbar is pressed so that Update is enabled.

2.	Make sure the button in the StudioWare toolbar is pressed so that Recording is enabled.

3.	Set the Now time to a few bars or seconds before the time at which you want to record control movements.

4.	Click or press SPACEBAR to start playback.

Note: Do not press the Record button in the Control Bar’s Transport module!

5.	Adjust the controls as you want while playback is in progress. Each time you adjust a control, the Record tool is activated.

6.	When you are done, click or press the SPACEBAR to stop playback.

7.	Click the button in the StudioWare toolbar to turn off real-time recording.

Sonar records the control changes that you entered while playback was in progress.