Fun with the Avid Automation Gain Tool
by Robert Brakey
A recent addition to the Avid Media Composer and Film Composer software is the Automation Gain Tool. A vast improvement over the Audio Mix Tool, this new feature uses an interface that simulates a traditional mixing console, allowing the user to program a sophisticated audio mix of their project. Once recorded, the mix information is stored with the sequence itself. Mixes can easily be modified, improved, even removed and redone. When finished, your sequence playbacks and outputs will benefit from a precise and refined audio mix.
First, a quick tour of the buttons and windows within the tool interface itself (seen at right). At the top left is the Audio Effect Mode selector menu. The "hamburger" button at the top right is for the Automation Gain Fast Menu. Below these menus are the Record button, the Recording Status light and the Cancel button, all reminiscent of the Digitize Tool. To the right of the Ignore Volume checkbox is the menu for switching from Direct Out to Stereo Mix. Windows for setting your pre-roll and post-roll follow these buttons. The "HW" button to the right of the post-roll box is the hardware toggle button. At the heart of the tool window are the individual track sliders, each with a volume display and controls for soloing or ganging tracks.
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Starting Your Mix
The first step in recording a mix is to mark the in and out points of your sequence. Select the track(s) you want to mix in the Timeline window. The Automation Gain Tool is launched from under Tools in the menu bar. Select Direct Out in the upper right menu to mix your tracks independently. Set your preroll and postroll in number of seconds (five is usually sufficient). If you are using an external mixing console with MIDI interface, click the HW toggle button to activate control from this device. If you would like to solo one or several tracks for mixing, select the track(s) by clicking the green speaker buttons above the sliders. Likewise, click the gang buttons above the sliders for the tracks you want to gang mix simultaneously.
When you click Record, your sequence will begin to run at the pre-roll. If you are mixing with the mouse, click the corresponding slider, moving your mouse up and down to adjust the volume. Keep in mind that when using a mouse to mix, your cursor can only be in one place, so you may only adjust one slider at a time (unless multiple tracks are ganged). If you are mixing with an external console connected via MIDI interface, you can save time by adjusting as many tracks as you can keep your hands on. The sequence will play through to the end of your post-roll. You can cancel your mix at any time by clicking the Cancel button, but you lose all mix information you may have programmed on this pass by canceling midstream.
If you are mixing only one or a few tracks each pass, start your next pass on other tracks by changing your track selection and repeating the process. Only tracks selected in the Timeline window and adjusted in the Automation Gain Tool window will change to your instructions on a pass. Once you have mixed all tracks in your sequence, you can playback using the Play In to Out button at the top of the tool window, or back in your Composer window.
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You can either remix all or part of your previous mix using the Automation Gain Tool. Select the section you want to polish by marking new in and outs, selecting your track(s) and then clicking Record. All mix information outside of your in and out marks will remain intact. If you want to make a global adjustment on a section, mark an in and out, select your track(s) with the gang button above its slider, and use the Fast Menu, accessed with the "hamburger" button.
The Fast Menu allows the user to remove all mix information within any section of a track (or tracks) marked by in and outs. If you have previously used the Audio Mix Tool on a section, you can also remove these settings using the Fast Menu. Or if, for example, you would like to lower a section of the music track to clear dialogue, select the music track(s), mark in and out, and select Adjust Pan/Vols - In/Out from the Fast Menu to bring up a window that allows for a global reduction in volume or pan.
Modifying Your Mix Within the Timeline Window
When working with the timeline, you must first modify your Timeline window settings to see the mix information in the audio tracks. Enlarge the track(s) you want to work on, and select Volume from the Audio Data pop-up menu at the bottom left of the Timeline window. Your tracks will look like this:
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The enlarged audio tracks with Volume Data shown give a graphical representation of your mix information, with adjustable triangular key frames. Use in and out marks to adjust a group of key frames, or remove them to work with specific key frames. To raise or lower the volume of a key frame (or frames), click and drag the key frame(s) with the mouse. To move a key frame (or frames) to another point in the sequence - for instance, to stretch a fade - hold the Option key while you click and drag. To delete a key frame(s), select it and hit Delete. The line will then travel from the key frame before to the key frame after the one you delete. Remember that with in and out marks, any adjustment to a key frame in the highlighted section affects all key frames in that section.
Robert Brakey is an assistant editor.
If you have any comments or feedback on this column,
or an idea or suggestion for a future topic, e-mail him.
Please include the word Avid in the subject of your e-mail.
Reprinted from
The Motion Picture Editors Guild Newsletter
Vol. 20, No. 3 - May/June 1999
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