Mackie Control Wish

[Eli]

I realize that the MCU and other similar control surfaces are meant to be used in real time - that's really the whole point of them. But I wish there was a way to use them to create automation nodes while the transport is stopped. Basically, snap shot automation. Here's what I'd like to be able to do:

* Locate the playhead to a position where I'd like to create some automation.

* Press a button on the MCU to have it create a node there.

* Move the fader up/down to position the node.

And there are more nuances I could go into (selecting two nodes at a time, etc) - but basically this is the foundation of what I'd like to see possible.

Anyone have any thoughts on doing some sort of snapshot style automation in Logic?

 

[johnpitcairn]

The only way to do it is to set a very short cycle, play, and automate. Not good, not fun. I've been wishing for various flavours of automation snapshot while stopped for years now ... last-touched parameter, entire plugin, entire channel, entire mixer, multichannel vol/pan, etc.

 

[Eli]

In the old days, Logic used to have a "send fader values" and/or send selected faders values command in the Environment which allowed for a kind of poor man version of snapshot automation. I remember setting up those A-Playback and B-Playback channel splitters routed to audio objects each assigned to different midi channels, and using that send fader command to print a kind of snapshot automation on those splitter tracks. It wasn't particularly elegant, but worked. And that was pre control surface days....

 

[alienimplant]

This is a great suggestion. I suggested something similar elsewhere on the list which I need even more because I don't have a control interface, namely a key command to create a node at the SPL (song position line). I DESPERATELY need this. But you make a good point about functionality that I also need: two nodes, one at the original position and a 2nd one at the new position that automation must jump to. I'm not sure Logic currently supports to nodes at the same exact position, but I'll gladly except them being a nanosecond apart. The point is, I need this functionality too, but I need it in key commands, so I would like to see both: key commands and control surface support for this idea. It's a brilliant suggestion!