Automation Clips

[Rusty]

Add automation clips capability to automation lanes in the arrangement view similar to FL Studio and Reason. Currently, automation is linked to the track or a clip that’s shared with the notes and other parameters. This feature suggestion is to decouple the automation from the current clips and have the ability to add separate clips for each automation lane.

The full wishlist:

1. Ability to loop clips
2. Ability to slice/join
3. Ability to color clips
4. Ability to mute clips
5. Ability to add common default shapes - Ramp up/down, LFO, etc.
6. Ability to resize (scale) the clips and its events with a modifier key - like Audio
7. Ability to comp clips with take lanes. Envision an automation shape library that could be dragged into take lanes and comped together. This would be hugely creative.
8. Ability to drag clips between different device automation lanes - similar to Reason. This could factor in the min/max values of the initial parameter and scale to the parameter it’s being dropped on e.g. 0-127 > 0-10 would keep the same relative automation curve adjusted to the new values.

What problem(s) would this feature resolve?

It makes for a much simpler and modern workflow to treat automation as clips similar to Midi and Audio data. Instead of having to select automation nodes, you can group them into clips. Then duplicating, moving, etc is simple and quick.

How does this feature fit in Bitwig as a product?

It would speed up our workflows by enabling an automation clip library with reusable shapes.

Is there already an alternative way to achieve this on Bitwig?

Yes, see the workaround

Could it be implemented using Bitwig components or APIs, without Bitwig team’s support?

No

Could it be provided by a VST or something else reasonably integrated with Bitwig?

No

Are there other products that offer this feature?

Reason
FL Studio

Relevant links (optional)

FL Studio - Automation Clips

Reason - Manual

[icaria36]

Hi @Rusty, welcome to Bitwish. Is this comment useful?

Save automation per clip

automations work on either track or clip level. if you write automation on clip level, then it will be saved with the clip. moreover, on clip level you get options for 2 relative automations additionally to absolute mode, each can have independant start/end marker and loop region. of course, to retrive saved automation in clip you need to drop it on empty space so it can create new track and place device chain that was used, otherwise I think only MIDI automation can be retained if you drop suc…

[Rusty]

Thanks. I had seen that before and it doesn’t quite solve the issue and feature I’m proposing – exposing automation in a lane that’s actually not tied to a midi/audio region

Here’s an example from Reason:

The two automation lanes all contain the same automation curve which I drew once. Using the resize, reverse, and duplicate commands, you can easily manipulate that one shape to create a range of automation easily.

[Rusty]

After some tinkering, I found a workaround that accomplishes the workflow but it also illustrates how much simpler it would be to have this capability baked in.

Device Group Track (Midi CC mappings to parameters)
    1. Notes (Inst - note output to group)
    2. CC (Inst - note output to group)
    3. CC (Inst - note output to group)