Automation dots - ARGH!!

[Junia]

What have Ableton done to the automation dots and WHY are they now terrible in Live 9?

In 8 I used to be able to select a bar and drag up or down to get automatic automation dots around it, it made a lot of automation very easy.

Now the dots are HELL to work with. There are times when even though I KNOW that the dot is selected (the DOT only lights up blue) and I try to move it it will move the ENTIRE automation line from beginning of the track to the end).

I use a lot of automation and this is REALLY driving me crazy, it's making the program VERY unpleasant.

Why did Ableton mess this all up compared to 8? Are there any tricks to dealing with the travesty?

[Hermanus]

your reaction is very common and lot of beta testers encountered the same one at the time of pre release beta.

Take the time to handle and get used to the new system in live 9 and be confident with it.
Finaly, You will enjoy it for sure.

i.e: one click - one dot... get back to live 8 after a while [a long one] and you will see how it feels

just my two cents

[Junia]

Sure, but one of the problems I have encountered is that I can see the dot is highlighted and ONLY the dot. The automation lines are not highlighted. I can move the mouse to verify this.

So with the dot highlighted I will drag it and the WHOLE automation line/lane (whatever) will come with it. This is not intended functionality I am sure.

The other complaint is that I could select a bar, drag it, get automatic dots and with some quick clicking create a very accurate triangle (for example) just on the bar.

There was no reason to change this since 8 and it's getting VERY frustrating and annoying.

[dewaldo]

+10000

[Hermanus]

when your mouse pointer is about to touch the line, the automation line changes color, meaning you can drag the whole line [between dots I assume]

this applies when automation is not selected.

[Junia]

Yes, I am completely aware that the line will change color, so will the dot when the mouse is over it only.

What I have observed and what is irritating me greatly is that when I confirm that ONLY the dot is highlighted, and I move it, that the WHOLE damn line moves as well. This behavior seems random and repeats whether zoomed out or heavily zoomed in.

It is tear your hair out frustrating.

The other complaint I have is that you can't highlight a bar and drag and get automatic automation dots anymore. A stupid thing to remove. I don't understand why a perfectly working system has been messed with and broken SO significantly.

[Hermanus]

on which version of live 9 do you work?

9.1.1 or 9.1.2b5?

[zwolf]

I find it annoying that you can't always see the number values when you hover over a dot or line.....

[jlgrimes]

Are there any tricks to dealing with the travesty?

I wish Ableton had more in-house Video tutorials for things like this.

[kirillov]

I love ableton live, and I use it every day, but:
automation lines and dots in ableton = not good.. just as many things in the arrangement view
sadly are still much better in every other "classic" DAW I know

[Junia]

on which version of live 9 do you work?

9.1.1 or 9.1.2b5?

Whatever the current RELEASED version is. I do not use betas. I am a customer, not a tester. I also value my time and my work and have no interest in losing work only to be told "well you are using the beta".

I would assume we are all professionals here with a similar mindset. Using a beta is NEVER going to be considered a reasonable answer for a paid product.

That said, it might point to improvements being made in the future, but until the beta is rolled out, and these problems are identified as being fixed, I am suffering with the problem in the now.

[dna598]

+10000

[Angstrom]

The actual source of the issue here is actually a slight bug in L8 which made it more usable, and they fixed it in L9 and it works worse!

Yeah. You read that right.

I'll explain. The Focus dropping bug

In Live 9 the issue of "moving one dot and several dots move" comes from the fact that the clip or region is selected. When the clip or region is selected then any automation movements in that area treat the mousedown as the handle for that whole region. You drag that one automation point up, you just dragged 87 automation points up.

In Live 8 it actually did the exact same thing: While an area/ region/ clip was focused then all your automation changes to one dot would apply to all focused dots. BUT the difference is: in Live 8 there was a bug (or feature) that the focus on the active clip was dropped in many circumstances. For example when selecting a dot, it would drop the focus on the clip. So now the region was not selected = now you are only moving just one dot, not all the dots in the clip region.


I guess that Ableton resolved to "fix" this "bug" of focus dropping, and so now in L9 a highlighted or focused clip region will remain active and focused, and will not drop focus. If you never drop focus on the region then you are always moving ALL the automation.
Additionally in L9 the actions changed. You click once to add a dot, or hover and drag to move automation in Live 9. That was the movement in L8 we all unconsciously learned and the movement which shifted focus to automation ONLY. In L9 The focus now remains with the active region, and we much actively check for focus and try to drop that selection.

Hope you understood that.

But personally i still strongly prefer the Live 8 method, and the Live 9 method always fucks up my automation. I do not like it. I have lost count of the songs where L9 automation dragging has invisible bollocksed my entire automation when I thought I was moving ONE DOT.

[Hermanus]

on which version of live 9 do you work?

9.1.1 or 9.1.2b5?

Whatever the current RELEASED version is. I do not use betas. I am a customer, not a tester. I also value my time and my work and have no interest in losing work only to be told "well you are using the beta".

I would assume we are all professionals here with a similar mindset. Using a beta is NEVER going to be considered a reasonable answer for a paid product.

That said, it might point to improvements being made in the future, but until the beta is rolled out, and these problems are identified as being fixed, I am suffering with the problem in the now.

I never told you to use the beta.
I asked a simple question, that's it!
why asking for specification about the version you use or the OS of your system brings half the time some anger response?
cool down, I'm just trying to help you.

Btw replying to your topic made come other users who try as well to help and answer your questions.

Angstrom said it all so, what else.

Sorry if I look misregarding about this bug.
I have just learnt to do with it and always move automation with care.


I hope you understand, if not I simply will not reply anymore in here as I'm so useless to you it seems

[Michael Hatsis]

Ive gotten used to alot of the awkward changes in Live 9. Still can't stand the single click automation and all of its consequences. Ridiculous that there is no option for this.