Automation

You can automate more than 140 parameters in Ozone using host applications which support effects automation.

Automation allows you to specify changes to parameters over the duration of a mix - such as stereo widening during a chorus or boosting an EQ during a solo.

The implementation and specifics of automation are dependent on the host application, so we refer you to the documentation of the host app for setting up an automated mix. In general, though, you patch Ozone as an ordinary effect on a track, then in the track view of the host app assign automation envelopes to it. These envelopes control how Ozone parameters are changed over the course of the mix. In this case, most of your "tweaking" is done in the track view of the host app, dragging curves and envelopes as opposed to changing controls in Ozone. For example, in the screenshot below we're adjusting the gain of an EQ band in Ozone from a host application's track view.

Notes specific to Ozone automation:

1) Keeping track of all the parameters. We've done our best to provide the controls with intelligent names, but it can be overwhelming when you initially see the list of automatable parameters in Ozone. Don't panic. Scroll through the list, remember that each multiband module has up to 4 bands per parameter (e.g. you have high, high-mid, mid, mid-low, and low bands) and in the dynamics module each band can have three sections (limiter, compressor, expander). So, for example, "Dynamics: Comp Thresh Low-Mid" means in the Dynamics module, the compressor threshold (as opposed to the expander or limiter threshold), Low-Mid band.

2) CPU. It does take more CPU to run the Ozone under automatable control. As a master effect on a stereo mix that's not so much of a problem, but we don't recommend trying to use Ozone as an automatable track effect on multiple tracks. It just has to crunch too many numbers in its 64-bit analog modeled engine. If you're using the DirectX version of Ozone, you can set the "automation interval", or how often Ozone updates its  processing based on your automation envelopes. This option can be found in the General Options tab . 

3) When you automate a control from the track view, you can see the control on the Ozone interface move under the control of the host application. We purposely don't update the position of the control as often as we could. It takes CPU to redraw controls and it takes CPU to process audio. So we update the drawing of the control less frequently. Therefore, it may look like the control is moving in steps, but rest assured that the audio is being processed smoothly.

4) When automating in a track view with envelopes, but working mainly with the Ozone interface, we found it helpful to be able to "see through" Ozone so you can monitor Ozone meters and controls but see the track view and automation curves behind Ozone. So we provide an Opacity slider in the main options dialog. This allows you to see through Ozone to monitor both what Ozone is doing and what is happening with the automation curves. Note that this is not available in all host applications, and it does require more CPU than a standard "opaque" plug-in if you set the Opacity to less than 100%.