4. Add Custom Automation

The Add Automation dialog lists all available instrument and effects parameters for your selected track.

At measure 4, the regular drum track (Kits) begins to transition to the Beats track. To make the transition a little more exciting, let’s automate a one-measure flange effect to fully erupt on the Beats track, which already features a low-level flange effect. Select the Beats track, click the automation disclosure triangle to show the curve, and choose Add Automation from the automation pop-up menu. In the resulting dialog, click the Flanger disclosure triangle; select the Intensity, Speed, and Feedback checkboxes; and click OK. These three parameters now appear in the automation pop-up menu.

5. Change Up the Beat

By manipulating multiple parameter points, we create a stutter effect before the Beats track returns to normal.

On the Beats track, choose Intensity from the automation pop-up menu to display its curve (currently, a straight horizontal line). Click on the curve at measure 4 and measure 5 to add two anchor points at each end of the measure (keep them at 10%), add a point in the middle of the measure and drag it up to 89%, then add a point right before measure 5 and drag it up to 100%. Then choose Speed from the pop-up menu, add anchor points at measures 4 and 5, add a point just before the third beat of the measure and drag it up to 14.300Hz, then add a point just before measure 5 and drag it up to 13.400Hz.

Now choose Feedback from the pop-up menu, add anchor points at measures 4 and 5, drag the measure 4 point all the way down, add a point in the middle of the measure and drag it up to 99%, then add a point just before measure 5 and drag it up to 99%. Finally, choose Track Volume from the pop-up menu, add anchor points at measures 4 and 5, then add a point just before measure 5 and drag it down to -6 dB. This creates sort of a stutter effect—take a listen and then play around with the points if you want to customize it further.

6. Add Synthesizer Parameters to Automate

Some instruments provide a glut of instrument parameters for your tweaking pleasure.

To give you some inspiration for morphing instruments, let’s change the sound of the synth line to close out the performance. Select the Synths track and click the automation disclosure triangle to display the curve. From the pop-up menu choose Add Automation. Click the Hybrid Basic disclosure triangle and select Cutoff, Resonance, and Cutoff Envelope. Then click OK to make these parameters available in the automation pop-up menu.

7. Morph the Synth

By tweaking core sound generator parameters (such as the Resonance here), we changed the very nature of the synth sound.

Take a listen to the last four measures of your song to hear what the original synth line sounds like on its own. Now let’s morph the instrument to make it almost sound like it’s imploding into itself. Choose Cutoff from the automation pop-up menu to display its curve, add a point at measure 18, then add a point at measure 21 and drag it down to 0%. Then choose Resonance from the pop-up menu, add points at measures 18 and 21, add a point at measure 19 and drag it up to 100%, then add a point at measure 20 and drag it up to 81%. Finally, choose Cutoff Envelope from the pop-up menu, add a point at measure 20, then add a point at measure 21 and drag it down to 20.

Now take a listen to your handiwork, and feel free to tweak any of the settings, add more automation, adjust volumes, add effects, and do whatever else you want to make the bitty ditty your own.