The need for mix automation originates from the 1970s and the changeover from studios mostly using eight-track tape machines to multiple, synchronized 24-track recorders. Mixing could be laborious and require up to four people, and the results could be almost impossible to reproduce. Manufacturers such as Solid State Logic and AMS Neve developed systems that enabled one engineer to oversee every detail of a complex mix, although the computers required to power these desks remained a rarity into the late 1970s.[1]
the software can be internal to the console, or external as part of a DAW. The virtual fader can be adjusted in the software by the user.
MIDI Automation
the communications protocol MIDI can be used to send messages to the console to control automation.
Modes
Auto Write
used the first time automation is created or when writing over existing automation
Auto Touch
writes automation data only while a fader is touched/faders return to any previously automated position after release
Auto Latch
starts writing automation data when a fader is touched/stays in position after release
Auto Read
digital Audio Workstation performs the written automation
Auto Off
automation is temporarily disabled
All of these include the mute button. If mute is pressed during writing of automation, the audio track will be muted during playback of that automation.
Depending on software, other parameters such as panning, sends, and plug-in controls can be automated as well. In some cases, automation can be written using a digital potentiometer instead of a fader.
