LFO controller as automation track pass-through

[pauljs75]

This is a neat trick or hack fellow LMMS users might find useful.
(At least until the next version comes out whenever... If they ever fix it so the workaround isn't needed.)

I found some dials or knobs don't seem to work at all if you try to control them directly from an automation track. (Particularly those controls that have discreet steps to them.) They simply just don't respond, or the automation track window doesn't have the correct number of steps to do anything. However there is a workaround of sorts that seems to work in 0.4.13. (And likely the two previous versions.)

So the fix is to use an LFO controller as a passthrough for the automation track control. You set the LFO amount setting to 0 (so the generated waveform is flattened out), and then have the automation track control the base level setting of the LFO. This LFO is then used to control the dial that you originally wanted to automate. Ok, so you don't have the discreet steps in your automation track so now what? Well, dials controlled by the LFO seem to automatically round to their nearest setting as a percentage of rotation value of the dial. (At least in most cases, but some bugged instruments as those in VSTs may crash.) So you automate at a guesstimated value of rotation for the LFO base which in turn passes through to the dial or setting on an instrument.

Neat, huh? Have fun automating those things you didn't think you could get at before!

[orpheon7]

Hmm...didn't think of setting lfo amp to 0.

What we need is some form of dummy controller, and maybe even support for mathematical expressions for input->output control.

[musikbear]

Good find paul, but i think i may have an alternative
- what specific knob have you had greefs from? I would like to try with that one(s).

br.

[pauljs75]

Good find paul, but i think i may have an alternative
- what specific knob have you had greefs from? I would like to try with that one(s).

br.

Never had much luck automating the waveform selector on an oscillator within the 3xO or LB-302 directly from an automation track. I've noticed some other distinctly stepped controllers are that way too. Automation track control seems to like I/O controls or controls that go smoothly from one value to the next. Yet passing the automation through the LFO (which also produces a smooth output range) automatically breaks down each step into a percentage.

At least this is an issue in the Win32 build, dunno if 'nix or any other versions have this problem.

Now if it worked ideally, I wouldn't need this workaround and would be able to directly edit an automation track with distinct steps for each selection value that it could control or whatnot. I would prefer that as this "hack" takes a bit of guesswork to hit each notch on the thing being controlled as a percentage value.

Perhaps using "global" automations might work, but I honestly hate using those as they aren't presented in an obvious way via the UI and are kind of borked in regards to undoing other than trying to use Notepad++ to weed through some big bunch of .xml that the song file consists of and not break it in the process. Not to mention the "global controls" are a PITA when trying to do something like remix a MIDI or whatever, I like having the things my song is doing right there where I can see them.

[musikbear]

You are correct -
waveform automation control can only be made with the LFOcontoller. This is a good find!
Thank You.

[pauljs75]

YouTube video, if anyone needs it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goOvCN2D ... 3025CD9B18