Ableton Forum

Hello,

My question is pretty straightforward: how do you create convex / convav automation fades?

I thought Live8 couldn't handle it until I saw a Live8 screenshot (courtesy of Robert Henke)full of convex / concav fades.
So how are these done? I couldn't pinpoint it!

Thank you for your answers!

Live itself does not utilize bezier curves, which is another term for convex or concave automation curves. This is a known downfall in Live, but there is a way to get something similar.

The long way is to click the start and end points of where you want you automation to start and end, and then click new points on that slope, and manually place them so they create "almost" a bezier curve. The more points you use here, the closer to a bezier curve you will get.

The other way is to write click and select draw mode. You can then draw the curve you would like with your mouse, and live will create that curve in steps. The size of the steps depends on the size of your grid (there are adaptable size options like small, smallest, large, etc. and there are static options based on the measure, like 1/4 1/8 1/16, etc. etc) I usually don't use this way because it is hard to draw a nice curve with your mouse, and it doesn't seem that this would replicate a true curve as well. You can still switch back away from draw mode though and edit the curve after you drew it, but if I need a more precise method, I usually use option one.

Hope this helps, and I hope Ableton will implement this feature in live 9!

Ps. link to that video you were referring to??

It might be a case that Henke was using a vst that allows bezier cures like Massive or something, but Live itself cannot make them.

Cheers

More likely he was using fades, which are curvaceous. Fade in, fade out, crossfade are all curvy, but almost everything else is quite linear.

Here, have a look:

http://hpics.li/e9b07de

Yep, fades.

They came in in Live8.

I have to reckon I was unaware of these...
I'll try to figure out how they work.

Angstrom wrote:More likely he was using fades, which are curvaceous. Fade in, fade out, crossfade are all curvy, but almost everything else is quite linear.

Oh eff I forgot about fades.

radiance wrote:Here, have a look:

http://hpics.li/e9b07de

Those are all hi-hat tracks?? I guess I am doing it wrong.

pedx1ng wrote:

radiance wrote:Here, have a look:

http://hpics.li/e9b07de

Those are all hi-hat tracks?? I guess I am doing it wrong.

Don't go there. Robert can only handle all that stuff because his brain directly interfaces with Live.