Automation¶
Automation is the third member of MAGDA's modulation family, alongside Modulators and Macros. Where modulators and macros generate or proxy a value continuously, automation records parameter changes into a lane and replays them in sync with the transport.
Any parameter that has a slider, knob, or fader in MAGDA can be automated.
Automation Lanes¶
A lane is a curve drawn underneath a track in the Arrangement View that controls a single parameter over time. The parameter follows the lane's value during playback.
To open a lane:
- Right-click any parameter slider → Show Automation Lane, or
- Right-click an automation-aware control (macro knob, LFO Rate slider) and pick the same item.
The lane appears below the track. Drag points to edit the curve; double-click to add or remove points; right-click points for shape options.
Multiple lanes can stack on the same track — one per automated parameter — and modulators, macros, and automation can all drive the same parameter at once. Their effects combine.
A device parameter gets its lane from the same place you link modulation: right-click the parameter and choose Show Automation Lane. (Parameters on a post-FX device cannot be automated, so the item is disabled there.)
Curve Shapes¶
A segment is the line between two points. Right-click a segment to change its shape:
| Shape | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Linear | Straight line between the two points |
| Bezier | Smooth curve; drag the handles to shape it |
| Step | Holds the first value, then jumps at the next point |
| Hard Corner | Two straight segments meeting at a sharp, draggable apex |
Editing Points¶
- Add / remove a point — double-click in the lane.
- Inline value — right-click a point to type its value directly, in the lane's real units (dB, pan %, Hz, …). Press Enter to commit.
- Point Inspector — select one or more points to open the inspector, which shows the target name and point count, an editable Value field, and the Position (beat) of a single selected point. Editing the value across a multi-selection applies the change as a delta, preserving the relative shape.
Lane Header Controls¶
Each lane header carries a row of toggles:
| Control | Function |
|---|---|
| Lane mode | Switch the lane between one free-drawn curve and discrete automation clips (tooltip Lane mode: clips / free draw) |
| Snap edits to beat grid | Snap point positions to the bar/beat grid while editing |
| Snap values to parameter grid | Snap point values to the parameter's natural steps |
| Automation on/off | Bypass the lane without deleting it; the parameter ignores the curve while off |
| Delete automation lane | Remove the lane and its curve |
Automation Clips¶
A lane can hold its automation as discrete automation clips instead of one continuous curve. Switch a lane to clip mode with the Lane mode toggle in its header. Clip-based automation is handy when you want the same move to repeat, to loop, or to move and copy a shaped gesture around the timeline like any other clip.
On a clip-based lane:
- Double-click an empty part of the lane to drop a one-bar automation clip.
- Hold Alt and drag to draw a clip of a specific length (a plain Alt-click makes the default one-bar clip).
- Right-click a clip for Edit Curve, Duplicate, Loop (a checkmark toggle that repeats the clip's curve to fill its length), and Delete.
Double-click a clip to open the automation-clip editor. Its header carries:
| Control | Function |
|---|---|
| SNAP X | Snap edits to the time grid; the adjacent division button (tooltip Snap division) sets the resolution |
| SNAP Y | Snap edits to the value grid; its division button sets the value step |
| Overlay track content | Show the underlying track's clips behind the curve for reference |
Inside the editor, left-click an empty spot to add a point and drag points to move them. Right-click a point to type its exact value; right-click a segment for Hard Corner and Simplify Selected Points.
Baking Modulation¶
You can convert a live modulator (an LFO or envelope linked to a parameter) into automation you can edit by hand. Right-click the linked parameter and choose Bake Modulation to Automation to write the modulator's movement into lane points, or Bake Modulation to Automation Clip to capture it as an automation clip.
Master Automation¶
The master channel has its own automation band above the master strip. Click the Automation button in the master header (or right-click the header) to open the master automation menu, where you can show or hide existing master lanes, hide them all, or Add New Lane for:
- Track Volume — the master output level
- Tempo — see below
- any parameter of a device on the master chain, plus master macros and modulators
Alt-click the Automation button to toggle every automation lane in the edit on or off at once.
These master lanes include edit-scoped targets like tempo and master volume that aren't tied to a specific device.
Tempo Automation¶
Tempo can be automated over time as a curve in the master automation band. Open the master automation menu, choose Add New Lane → Tempo, and the tempo lane appears in the master band. Edit it like any other lane — drag points, set curve shapes, type exact BPM values via the point inspector. The curve drives the project's tempo, so the song speeds up and slows down along the curve during playback.
Automation Modes¶
The transport bar shows the automation icon 
next to the play/stop controls, with a single letter under it indicating the active mode:
| Letter | Mode |
|---|---|
| (none) | Off — read-only playback |
| W | Write |
| T | Touch |
| L | Latch |
Click the icon to cycle through the modes. The choice controls how parameter movements during playback are written into a lane.
| Mode | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Off | No recording. Lanes play back; user gestures don't write anything. |
| Write | Record every parameter change while the transport is rolling. The classic behavior: anything you touch becomes part of the lane. |
| Touch | Record only while you're physically holding the control. Release the mouse and the lane's existing curve takes over again. |
| Latch | Same as Touch on the way in: recording starts when you grab the control. After release, the last value you held is latched and continues writing into the lane until the transport stops. |
When to use which¶
- Write for a first pass on an empty lane — sketching the shape from scratch.
- Touch for nudging a single section of an existing curve without erasing the parts you don't touch.
- Latch for "set and hold" gestures — sweep a filter to its destination, release, and the rest of the lane is rewritten at that target value.
- Off when you've finished writing and want playback only. Same effect as a per-DAW "Read" mode.
Touch and the Override Highlight¶
In Touch and Latch modes, the parameter you're holding paints a coloured highlight around its slider. That highlight is your visual cue that the parameter is currently overriding the lane — you, not the curve, are in charge of that value right now. When you release:
- Touch drops the highlight and lane playback resumes.
- Latch keeps the highlight until the transport stops; the held value continues to be written.
Recording Tips¶
- Automation only records while the transport is playing. Moving a control with playback stopped is not captured.
- Each playback pass creates one undoable group — if a take goes wrong, Cmd+Z removes the whole pass at once.
- The lane stays visible after stop. You can keep editing it manually with the curve editor.
Interaction with Modulation¶
A lane can target a parameter that is also being driven by a modulator or macro. The values are summed:
final value = automation lane value + modulator output + macro output
This means a slow LFO can wobble around an automation curve, or a macro can offset the whole lane up and down — same parameter, three sources, all live.
Duplicating Clips with Automation¶
When you duplicate a clip, you can decide whether its automation comes along. Right-click a clip and choose Duplicate With Automation to carry the lane data into the copy, or Duplicate Without Automation to leave it behind. See Clips — Editing Clips.
Removing Automation¶
To remove a single point: right-click → Delete Point. To clear the whole lane: right-click in the lane → Clear Lane. To hide the lane (keeping the curve): right-click the lane header → Hide Lane. Show it again from the parameter's right-click menu.