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SpaceAge Automation Tutorial

Updated Aug 27, 2026   |   5.3 KB   |   docs/Automation_Tutorial.md

SpaceAge Automation Tutorial

This guide explains the current Automation workflow in SpaceAge. Automation changes a parameter over time while a clip plays. It does not change the notes in the Piano Roll.

1. Choose What Owns the Automation

  1. Open ARRANGER.
  2. Select the clip you want to automate, or click its lane badge.
  3. Click AUTOMATION in the Arranger toolbar or the AUTOMATION button on that lane.
  4. At the top of the Automation editor, choose an owner:
    • SHARED PTN: every linked clip using that pattern hears the same automation.
    • CLIP LOCAL: only the selected clip hears it.
    • LANE LOCAL: the automation belongs to the lane and can continue across its clips.

For a one-off change, use CLIP LOCAL. For repeated linked material, use SHARED PTN. For a continuous performance move across an instrument lane, use LANE LOCAL.

If a shared pattern should become independent before editing, make the clip a VARIANT first.

2. Choose a Parameter

Use the Automation type controls to choose what will move. Typical choices include:

  • Mod Wheel (CC1)
  • Expression (CC11)
  • Sustain (CC64)
  • Pan (CC10)
  • Pitch Bend (full 14-bit MIDI resolution)
  • Channel Pressure
  • A custom MIDI CC number

SpaceAge keeps performance automation here. Bank Select, Program Change, RPN, NRPN, SysEx, and other hardware setup information remain in MIDI PATCH or the hardware tools.

3. Add Automation

Add One Point

  1. Move the Arrangement playhead to the desired time.
  2. Set the value with the value slider.
  3. Click ADD POINT.

The point appears in the selected row. During playback, SpaceAge interpolates between continuous-controller points.

Draw a Ramp

  1. Choose a ramp length.
  2. Choose the destination value.
  3. Click DRAW RAMP.
  4. Use the curve-shape and strength controls when a straight line is not musical enough.

Switch-like parameters such as Sustain use discrete edges rather than a continuous slope.

4. Edit Existing Automation

  • Click a row to select it.
  • Click a point or switch edge to select that event.
  • Drag points directly to change time and value.
  • Drag a selection box around several points to edit them as a group.
  • Press Left/Right to nudge selected events in time.
  • Press Up/Down to adjust their value.
  • Use Ctrl+A to select every point or switch edge in the current row.
  • Use Ctrl+C, Ctrl+X, and Ctrl+V to copy, cut, and paste within a compatible automation row.

The graph should update immediately while editing, and audible parameters should follow the new curve during playback.

5. Delete Automation Completely

There are two distinct delete actions:

  • Delete/Backspace removes the selected point or switch edge.
  • DELETE ROW removes the entire selected automation row from the current owner.

Use DELETE ROW when you want to prove that a CC or other automated parameter is no longer present. After the row is removed, SpaceAge falls back to automation from the next effective owner, if one exists. If no owner supplies that controller, the parameter returns to its neutral or current manual state.

If you still hear movement after deleting a clip-local row, check whether the same controller exists under LANE LOCAL or SHARED PTN.

6. Focus and Navigation

  • Use SOURCE VIEW to see the automation against its musical source range.
  • Use FIT SOURCE to fit that range into the graph.
  • Use the focused graph mode when a curve needs more vertical editing room.
  • Press Esc or X to close the Automation editor.

7. Record Hardware Movement

When MIDI recording is armed, supported incoming CC, pitch-bend, pressure, and sustain messages can be captured with the performance. The lane's MIDI input routing and channel filters determine which controller is accepted.

Before recording:

  1. Select the destination instrument lane.
  2. Arm that lane's MIDI input.
  3. Confirm the intended hardware input and MIDI channel.
  4. Start recording from the Arrangement transport.
  5. Move the hardware control while playing.

Open AUTOMATION afterward to inspect and refine the recorded data.

8. A Safe First Exercise

  1. Create or select a melodic clip.
  2. Open AUTOMATION and choose CLIP LOCAL.
  3. Choose Mod Wheel (CC1).
  4. Put the playhead at the beginning and add a low-value point.
  5. Move the playhead near the end and add a high-value point.
  6. Play the clip and listen for the instrument's modulation response.
  7. Select the row and click DELETE ROW to remove the experiment completely.

This exercise proves the owner, timing, playback, editing, and deletion workflow without altering the notes.

Troubleshooting

  • The Automation button does nothing: select a real clip or lane first. Section markers and empty lanes do not own MIDI automation.
  • More than one clip changed: the automation is probably owned by SHARED PTN. Make a Variant or move the data to CLIP LOCAL.
  • Deleted movement is still audible: inspect the same controller under the other owners; the effective order is Shared PTN, then Lane Local, then Clip Local.
  • A CC curve has no audible effect: the selected instrument or hardware may not map that CC to a sound parameter.
  • Pitch bend sounds too wide or narrow: confirm the instrument's pitch-bend range. MIDI carries the bend value, while the receiving instrument determines its musical range.