Automating mixes with envelopes (CS5.5)

By automating mixes, you can change mix settings over time. For example, you can automatically increase volume during a critical musical passage and later reduce the volume in a gradual fade out. See this video tutorial to watch mix automation in action.

Automation envelopes visually indicate settings at specific points in time, and you can edit them by dragging keyframes on envelope lines. Envelopes are nondestructive, so they don’t change audio files in any way. If you open a file in the Waveform Editor, for example, you don’t hear the effect of any envelopes applied in the Multitrack Editor.

With clip envelopes, you can automate clip volume, pan, and effect settings.

On stereo tracks, clip volume and pan envelopes appear by default; you can identify them by color and initial position. Volume envelopes are yellow lines initially placed across the upper half of clips. Pan envelopes are blue lines initially placed in the center. (With pan envelopes, the top of a clip represents full left, while the bottom represents full right.)

Clip envelopes are visible by default, but if they interfere with editing or are visually distracting, you can hide them.

With track envelopes, you can change volume, pan, and effect settings over time. Adobe Audition displays track envelopes in an automation lane below each track. Each automated parameter has its own envelope, which you edit just like clip envelopes.

Track envelopes let you precisely change track settings at specific points in time.

In the Editor panel or Mixer, you can choose one of the following modes for each track:

Keyframes on envelope lines change clip and track parameters over time. Adobe Audition automatically calculates, or interpolates, all the intermediate values between keyframes using one of two transition methods:

• Hold  transitions create an abrupt change in value at each new keyframe.

• Linear  transitions create a gradual, even change between keyframes.

You can also apply spline curves to an entire envelope, overriding the keyframe-specific setting above to create natural-sounding transitions that change in speed near keyframes. (See About spline curves for graphs.)

Add a keyframe

Do either of the following:

• Position the pointer over an envelope line. When a plus sign  appears, click.

• Position the current-time indicator where you’d like a track parameter to change. Then click the Add Keyframe icon  in the track controls.

Navigate between track keyframes

Select multiple keyframes for a parameter

• Right-click any keyframe, and choose Select All Keyframes.

• Hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS), and click specific keyframes.

• Hold down Shift, and click to select a series of keyframes.

Reposition keyframes or the envelope line

• To reposition selected keyframes, drag them. (To maintain time position or parameter value, hold down Shift and drag.)

• To reposition a segment of an envelope without creating a keyframe, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS), and drag.

Change the transition between two keyframes

Apply spline curves to an entire envelope

Delete keyframes

Disable keyframe editing

To avoid inadvertently creating or moving keyframes, disable keyframe editing.