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.
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.
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.