After you create automation points and curves, you can easily change things to meet your needs. You can copy automation within a track or between tracks and can move automation within a track. When moving regions, you can choose whether or not to move any existing automation with it.
You can only use the Automation Select and Automation Curve tools to select and bend automation curves when Show Advanced Tools is selected in the Advanced preferences pane.
Do one of the following:
Drag across any selection of automation points and curves.
Click the automation curve with the pointer or Automation Select tool.
Do one of the following:
Hold down Shift and drag across multiple non-contiguous automation points and curves.
Hold down Shift and click multiple non-contiguous automation points and curves with the pointer or Automation Select tool.
Sometimes you may want to only select a specific range of automation points and curves in a time range. Rather than every automation point and curve. You can do this by holding down the Option key.
Hold down Option and drag across a range of automation curves both vertically to select a value range, and horizontally to select a time range.
Note: This also selects any automation curves connected to points that have been selected, even if those curves continue outside the selected range.
Select the points or curves you want to copy, then Option-drag the selection to a different location on the track.
Any existing points in the target location are deleted.
Hold down Shift while dragging a selection within the automation area.
Choose Edit > Copy (or use the corresponding keyboard shortcut).
Select the track you want to copy the automation to.
Choose Edit > Paste (or use the corresponding keyboard shortcut).
Select the points or curves you want to move, then drag them horizontally or vertically.
Any existing points in the target location are deleted.
When two automation points with different values are connected by a vertical automation curve—in other words, they occur at the same moment—it creates the effect of an instant parameter change. This can be useful if you wish to create an “instant on” or “instant off” type of effect, rather than a gradual parameter change.
Drag an automation point or curve to the left, toward an automation point with a higher or lower value.
The automation point you are dragging magnetically “snaps” to a straight, vertical position above or below the stationary automation point.
You can also drag an automation point to the right toward an automation point with a higher or lower value, but the automation point you are dragging does not magnetically snap into a vertical line automation curve.
Choose one of the following Move Automation with Regions options in the Preferences > Automation pane:
Never: Does not move automation when you move regions.
Always: Always moves automation when you move regions. The automation area encompassed by the region boundaries is moved.
Ask: A dialog prompts you to move the automation—or leave it where it is—whenever you move a region.
Control-click the track lane, then choose one of the following options from the shortcut menu that appears:
Never move Automation with Regions
Always move Automation with Regions
Ask to move Automation with Regions
Drag across the region with the Marquee tool.
Choose Edit > Copy from the Tracks area menu bar.
Select the track you want to copy the automation data to, then move the playhead to the insertion point.
Choose Edit > Paste from the Tracks area menu bar.
The region selection, along with its automation, is copied to the target track at the playhead position.
Do one of the following:
Drag an automation curve with the Automation Curve tool.
Hold down Control-Shift while dragging an automation curve with the Pointer tool.