Audio Automation

In a professional mix, you rarely set a fader to -10dB and leave it there for the entire film. The music needs to swell during emotional moments and duck down (become quieter) when an actor speaks. Changing a parameter over time is called Automation.

Keyframing on the Timeline

The simplest way to automate volume is directly on the timeline.

1. Zoom in on an audio clip.
2. You will see a horizontal line running through the waveform (representing volume).
3. Hold Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) and click the line to create a keyframe point.
4. Create a second point, and drag it downwards.
5. You have just created a manual volume fade.

Real-Time Fader Automation

If you are mixing a complex scene, manually clicking keyframes is slow and robotic. Oraphim allows you to record your mouse movements (or a physical mixing console's faders) in real-time as the video plays.

Automation Modes

At the top of the Mixer, you will see a toggle for Automation (an icon with a curve). When enabled, each track gets an automation mode dropdown:

• Off: Fader ignores all automation.
• Read: The fader physically moves up and down on your screen automatically, following the keyframes you previously recorded.
• Write: The system overwrites all existing keyframes. The moment you press play, wherever your fader is, that data is recorded.
• Touch: The fader acts in "Read" mode until you physically click it. The moment you touch it, it switches to "Write" mode and records your movements. The moment you let go of the mouse, it snaps back to the existing underlying keyframe curve.
• Latch: Similar to Touch, but when you let go of the mouse, it does not snap back. It stays exactly where you left it, writing a flat line of new data until you stop playback.

Workflow Example

1. Set the Music Track to Touch mode.
2. Press Play. The music plays at a constant volume.
3. When the actor begins to speak, click the music fader and drag it down.
4. When the actor stops speaking, let go of the fader. It instantly snaps back up.
5. Stop playback. Switch the mode to Read.
6. Press play again. You will watch the fader move by itself, perfectly recreating the mix you just performed!