{"id":19488,"date":"2023-09-20T19:40:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-20T23:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/?p=19488"},"modified":"2025-10-02T11:39:47","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T15:39:47","slug":"what-is-automation-in-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/what-is-automation-in-music\/","title":{"rendered":"Automation in music: What it is and 5 creative ways to use it"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p style=\"font-size:15px\" class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Illustration:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michaelgh.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Michael Haddad (opens in a new tab)\"><strong>Michael Haddad<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Automation is one of the most fundamental yet flexible tools available in music production.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In this guide, let&#8217;s break down what automation is in the context of making music, and a few of the countless ways you can use it to achieve unique sounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let&#8217;s dive in!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is automation in music?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In music, <strong>automation<\/strong> is a technique that allows you to automatically (hence the name) adjust a specific parameter over time. Perhaps you want an instrument to be quieter for a particular section of a song, or you want your entire track to gradually fade out in the outro\u2014automation allows you to achieve these sorts of changes (and much more, as we&#8217;ll explore shortly).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to use automation in the DAW<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>All popular DAWs will have some sort of an <strong>automation curve<\/strong> feature, which allows you to adjust a parameter across specific moments in time by drawing in points and lines with your cursor that represent different values. If you own a <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/3-most-important-midi-controllers\/\" target=\"_blank\">MIDI controller,<\/a> you could also <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/youtube.com\/shorts\/aP1NLBlj54I?si=88LCQXEMqMdNzRJg\" target=\"_blank\">use its knobs or faders to record automation in real time.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That said, let&#8217;s assume that all we have is our DAW for the sake of this tutorial\u2014below, you can see how automation is manually added to the volume of a track in Logic Pro to create a fade-out effect:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" data-src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-gif.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-29109 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1920px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1920\/1080;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Take a listen to the resulting sound:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio alignwide\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/volume-automation.mp3\" preload=\"auto\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">Compare it with <a href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/sounds\/samples\/205d552c3e7bd4e0209223503a3a32d13e8f15908cae5dcb0e24c937537f8cf1\/-\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the unprocessed sample<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Notice how the volume stays consistent for the first half of the sample, but gradually decreases in the second half, following the line that we established with automation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In music production, automation tends to be most heavily associated with changes in volume like the one above. This is likely largely due to the fact that most DAWs first display automation lanes in relation to volume by default, unless you configure them in some other way (and in <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/how-to-make-music\" target=\"_blank\">the early days of your music production journey,<\/a> you might not even know that this is possible).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the reality is that automation can be used for volume <em>and<\/em> so much more\u2014and once you discover that it can be applied to add movement to literally any parameter, your sound design possibilities expand exponentially.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Using automation for sound design<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While there are a near infinite number of parameters that you can add automation to, below we take a look at five effects that you can get started with to get your creativity flowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. EQ<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Right alongside volume faders, EQ is one of the most fundamental tools that many of us find ourselves constantly adjusting across the tracks in our projects. It also happens to be something that can be a great entry point for creative automation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two particularly versatile tricks that you may want to try starting out with are automating the <strong>cutoff frequency<\/strong> of <strong>low-cut<\/strong> and <strong>high-cut<\/strong> filters over any number of beats or bars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Automating the former sounds like weight is gradually being added or removed to a sound:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio alignwide\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation_eq1.mp3\" preload=\"auto\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">Compare it with <a href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/sounds\/samples\/9092757d7795ffd04ab83d608f65357c255d0422fc6aec0a382aba473c1733c2\/splice-originals-live-sounds-drums-acoustic-breakbeat-breaks-sample\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"the unprocessed sample (opens in a new tab)\">the unprocessed sample<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"469\" data-src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-01-1024x469.png\" alt=\"automation-in-post-01\" class=\"wp-image-19514 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-01-1024x469.png 1024w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-01-400x183.png 400w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-01-355x163.png 355w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-01-768x352.png 768w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-01-1536x704.png 1536w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-01.png 1590w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/469;\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, automating the high-cut filter&#8217;s cutoff frequency creates the feeling of the sound being submerged or removed from under water:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio alignwide\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation_eq2.mp3\" preload=\"auto\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">Compare it with <a href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/sounds\/samples\/9092757d7795ffd04ab83d608f65357c255d0422fc6aec0a382aba473c1733c2\/splice-originals-live-sounds-drums-acoustic-breakbeat-breaks-sample\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"the unprocessed sample (opens in a new tab)\">the unprocessed sample<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"469\" data-src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-02-1024x469.png\" alt=\"automation-in-post-02\" class=\"wp-image-19515 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-02-1024x469.png 1024w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-02-400x183.png 400w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-02-355x163.png 355w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-02-768x352.png 768w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-02-1536x703.png 1536w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-02.png 1562w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/469;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Automating different aspects of EQ can be great for both designing these sorts of pronounced effects as well as making more subtle moment-to-moment adjustments when <a href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/an-introduction-to-mixing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mixing<\/a> that create space for the different sounds in your arrangement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Panning (stereo image)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Another common target for automation is <strong>panning<\/strong>. By moving the stereo position of a sound over time, you can create an exciting effect where the sound source travels from one headphone or speaker to the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio alignwide\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation_panning.mp3\" preload=\"auto\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">Compare it with <a href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/sounds\/samples\/d00a493c1f2434d6330d202ba3934c40c4c9ba37151eb42a7d8b429847e4a154\/splice-originals-live-sounds-synth-vocals-chords-female-harmony-sample\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">the unprocessed sample<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"375\" data-src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-03-1024x375.png\" alt=\"automation-in-post-03\" class=\"wp-image-19516 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-03-1024x375.png 1024w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-03-400x147.png 400w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-03-355x130.png 355w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-03-768x282.png 768w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-03-1536x563.png 1536w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-03.png 2010w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/375;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You can further experiment with this sort of effect via <strong>stereo tremolo<\/strong> plugins. These will often let you also sync the movement with the BPM of your DAW for a more rhythmic character, without you having to painstakingly align your automation curves to the grid by hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio alignwide\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation_tremolo.mp3\" preload=\"auto\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">Compare it with <a href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/sounds\/samples\/d00a493c1f2434d6330d202ba3934c40c4c9ba37151eb42a7d8b429847e4a154\/splice-originals-live-sounds-synth-vocals-chords-female-harmony-sample\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">the unprocessed sample<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"326\" data-src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-04-1024x326.png\" alt=\"automation-in-post-04\" class=\"wp-image-19517 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-04-1024x326.png 1024w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-04-400x127.png 400w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-04-355x113.png 355w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-04-768x245.png 768w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-04-1536x489.png 1536w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-04-2048x653.png 2048w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/326;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Reverb<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In the real world, <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"reverb (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/effects-101-reverb-explained\/\" target=\"_blank\">reverb<\/a> is often an unchanging effect, determined by fixed properties like the size, shape, and reflectivity of the space we&#8217;re in. But what if we had the superpower to move and warp our walls dynamically?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Automation allows us to simulate this and more. Changing the <strong>size<\/strong> or <strong>decay time<\/strong> can make the virtual room feel like it&#8217;s expanding or shrinking, while adjusting the <strong>wet \/ dry<\/strong> <strong>balance<\/strong> can wash out a sound (as heard below) or bring it into focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio alignwide\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation_reverb.mp3\" preload=\"auto\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">Compare it with <a href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/sounds\/samples\/1260ea9ad46a7bc7b2706e78e772fab95977123b7d15248a9aade43793bd8799\/splice-pop-synth-layered-music-sample\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">the unprocessed sample<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1526\" height=\"720\" data-src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-05.png\" alt=\"automation-in-post-05\" class=\"wp-image-19518 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-05.png 1526w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-05-400x189.png 400w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-05-1024x483.png 1024w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-05-355x167.png 355w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-05-768x362.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1526px) 100vw, 1526px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1526px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1526\/720;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Pitch<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Have you ever wanted to achieve a tape stop or whammy effect? It turns out you might not need a specialized third-party plugin to pull these off\u2014all you need to do is automate the <strong>pitch<\/strong> of your sounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio alignwide\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation_pitch.mp3\" preload=\"auto\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">Compare it with <a href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/sounds\/samples\/07f709ed613a6cf488a5ff866e67385974d2abe200c7180145a5c588300529d2\/splice-edm-vocals-adlib-dry-future-bass-sample\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">the unprocessed sample<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"415\" data-src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-06-1024x415.png\" alt=\"pitch-in-post-06\" class=\"wp-image-19519 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-06-1024x415.png 1024w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-06-400x162.png 400w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-06-355x144.png 355w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-06-768x311.png 768w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-06-1536x623.png 1536w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-06.png 1818w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/415;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>What&#8217;s key for achieving these effects is to make sure you&#8217;re automating the <strong>fine pitch<\/strong> (which is displayed in <strong>cents<\/strong>), rather than the <strong>transposition<\/strong> (which is displayed in <strong>semitones<\/strong>)\u2014this will ensure that your glides are smooth and continuous, rather than occurring in staggered half-step increments. Combining it with panning and delay edits can also further help the effect come to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Synthesis parameters<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Last but not least, things also get really interesting when you start automating different aspects of synthesis within your software instruments and effects. What if a synth pluck&#8217;s sustain evolved over the course of a melody? What if you sped up or slowed down an LFO rate over time, or shifted the balance between two parameters on an XY pad? The sky is truly the limit here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Below, we&#8217;ve automated the <strong>Nasal,<\/strong> <strong>Formant,<\/strong> <strong>Humanize,<\/strong> and <strong>Output<\/strong> <strong>Level<\/strong> parameters of modules across <a href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/plugins\/38599625-vocalsynth-2-vst-au-by-izotope\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">iZotope&#8217;s VocalSynth<\/a> to achieve an evolving, otherworldly effect with our vocals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio alignwide\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation_synthesis.mp3\" preload=\"auto\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">Compare it with <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/sounds\/samples\/f292cf78b718da535f3245788058ecffd9d1dd7d8b59d4dbbbc046a097590eb1\/splice-edm-vocals-dry-female-hooks-sample\" target=\"_blank\">the unprocessed sample<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"319\" data-src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-07-1-1024x319.png\" alt=\"synthesis-in-post-07\" class=\"wp-image-19542 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-07-1-1024x319.png 1024w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-07-1-400x125.png 400w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-07-1-355x111.png 355w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-07-1-768x239.png 768w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-07-1-1536x479.png 1536w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/automation-in-post-07-1-2048x639.png 2048w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/319;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">If you look closely, you can see all of the other automation lanes underneath the one that&#8217;s currently being displayed<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to use audio buses for automation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether it&#8217;s the gradual release of a high-cut filter for an intro or a climb in pitch that builds anticipation before a drop, let&#8217;s say that you want to add the same automated effect to a bunch of different tracks. Of course, one thing you can do is add the effect plugin to every relevant track, and then draw or copy-and-paste the same automation curves on each of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, a more efficient path (for both your time and <a href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/ways-to-optimize-cpu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">your CPU<\/a>) could be to use <strong>audio buses,<\/strong> which can let you route all of your tracks to just one instance of the effect. To learn how to do this for your specific DAW, be sure to check out <a href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/audio-bus-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">our in-depth guide on busing and routing audio tracks.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As you can see, the intersection between automation, mixing, and sound design is incredibly vast\u2014and we&#8217;ve truly only scratched the surface here. Did any of these examples spark any new ideas for you? What parameters do you enjoy automating in your music that we didn&#8217;t cover above? Share your thoughts and creative results with a community of other musicians over at <a href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/features\/community\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the Splice Discord.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Explore Splice INSTRUMENT, our virtual instrument plugin that puts an ever-growing catalog of free and premium sounds at your fingertips:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button aligncenter\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/instrument\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Download for free<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From shape-shifting reverbs to bouncing stereo effects, we explore just a few of the infinite ways you can use automation to achieve unique sounds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":19489,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1698,1846,1696],"tags":[657,159,333,1473,546,1254,1664],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What is Automation in Music? 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A Complete Guide - Blog | Splice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"From shape-shifting reverbs to bouncing stereo effects, here are just a few of the infinite ways you can utilize automation in music.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/what-is-automation-in-music\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Blog | Splice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Splice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-09-20T23:40:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-02T15:39:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Exploring_Automation_Curves_BlogPost.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Harrison Shimazu\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/bitly.com\/namaboku-twt\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@splice\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Harrison Shimazu\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/what-is-automation-in-music\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/what-is-automation-in-music\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Harrison Shimazu\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1ed73f890efad66c4808440680e9e50d\"},\"headline\":\"Automation in music: What it is and 5 creative ways to use it\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-09-20T23:40:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-02T15:39:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/what-is-automation-in-music\/\"},\"wordCount\":1207,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/what-is-automation-in-music\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Exploring_Automation_Curves_BlogPost.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"eq\",\"izotope\",\"plugins\",\"rent-to-own\",\"reverb\",\"sounds\",\"vocalsynth 2\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Mixing\",\"Sound Design\",\"Tips &amp; Tutorials\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/what-is-automation-in-music\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/what-is-automation-in-music\/\",\"name\":\"What is Automation in Music? 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