6 Automation Techniques Every Producer Needs to Know

Published Feb 09, 2025

Modern DAWs offer an incredible level of control, yet many of us barely scratch the surface of their true potential. Imagine the possibilities if we fully embraced the power of automation in our mixes.

5 Automation Techniques Every Producer Needs to Know

Back in the days of analog-only music production, final mixdowns were a collaborative, hands-on affair. It wasn’t uncommon to see engineers, band members, and even producers gathered around the mixing console, carefully adjusting knobs and sliding faders in real-time as the track was recorded down to its final stereo output. This wasn’t just a spectacle, it was an integral part of bringing the music to life.

Today, that scene is a relic of the past. With modern DAWs, those critical adjustments can be pre-programmed as automation, executed with flawless precision, all without anyone hovering over a console. But here’s the question: are we really taking full advantage of this powerful tool?

Is Automation the Lost Art of Mixing?

While most producers incorporate some level of automation in their music, it’s far from routine to see a mix fully infused with automated adjustments. Often tucked away behind a menu in most DAWs, automation is easy to overlook. Yet its potential is immense, something those hands-on band members and engineers from the analog days would have embraced wholeheartedly.

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Mastering automation requires both experience and a deep understanding of the tools at your disposal. With this expertise, you can strategically plan your mixes and trust your instincts to bring your creative vision to life. To fast-track your journey to becoming an automation and mixing guru, check out our 3 Golden Rules for Mixing with a Vision mini-series.

If automation has become a bit of an afterthought in your workflow, this article aims to uncover what you might be overlooking and show you how to harness its full potential once more.

A Basic Example – Introducing Elements

Imagine a song beginning with a solo piano and vocal, setting an intimate tone. Gradually, more tracks join in for the second verse, and by the time the first chorus hits, the arrangement is at its fullest. For many, this is where mixing begins, focusing on balancing the complex arrangement, but this should be just one part of the process.

Now, think about how that solo piano and vocal would sound if they were mixed the same way as the full arrangement. They’d likely not feel rich enough, lacking the depth and character to stand on their own. This is where automation shines, allowing you to tailor the mix to each section to help bring out unique qualities where needed while creating a more dynamic and engaging experience for the listener.

Using automation with reverb and delay effects

When Could we Automate Reverb and Delay?

Automating any effects in general can be an effective way of adding more dynamics and variety to your structure, however, reverb and delay automation is not as common as something like a simple high-cut filter. Why? Perhaps lack of creative ingenuity. These two effects can still bring powerful alterations to your track, adding emphasis, drama and richness to intense sections, whilst enhancing stillness and isolation when cut in shallower regions.

For example a song’s chorus, where there’s often more going on, could benefit from increased levels of delay and reverb, or… on the contrary, maybe a reduction of these effects (compared to the previous verse section) could be all you need to draw a prominent distinction between these sections.

Perhaps the most elegant and advanced usage of reverb and delay automation is targeting its focus on transitions between sections. For example, a reversed reverb, in addition to a slow increase in volume, can serve as a luscious riser. And, a sudden automated cut of both delays and reverbs where the tail should naturally continue, can really help to emphasise a dramatic transition to a new segment or end of a song.

Automating Whole Track Sections

With automation, the creative potential is boundless. Some electronic music Picassos get very intricate with their automation, making surgical level mix alterations as the song progresses. And, why not? After all, this is another sure-fire way to keep the listening experience engaging and life-like.

Imagine this… your track breaks into the third verse section after a breathtaking composition thus far, and suddenly, the verse sequence and mix are the exact same as the first verse. Boring! In comparison, imagine, the mix changes slightly, with a completely different feel altogether. Something is different but you can’t quite put your finger on it immediately. This leaves a memorable mark on your listeners and can be achieved by automating your overall mix.

Let’s say the drums were primarily in the background and in mono in the first verse. When you get to the third verse you make the drums feel slightly wider and punchier.

You shouldn’t radically transform the entire mix, but subtle changes from section to section can create a whole different vibe even if there’s not much going on with the music. Imagine pairing this automation with an introduction of a new instrument, or by cutting a pre-existing one. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

Adding Automated Filters

As previously mentioned, the most common type of automated effect we hear is the use of simple filtering. It’s not uncommon to see this effect applied across most track sections in all electronic music genres. The method is simple: feature a low-pass filter with a slow automation curve, until… Boom! The section drops and the filter is removed. This is an always reliable way to create impact between transitions, however, there are also some other special use cases for EQs and filter automation outside of this as well.

An opposite technique to the one above is to isolate the tops of a drum kit for a breakdown section by using a high-pass filter, then suddenly dropping the bass and low end back in together at the next transition. You can also use both methods (low-pass and high-pass) to tease the listener, giving the illusion that a drop is coming, but postponing it for another few bars.

Another good use for automation when it comes to EQing is by enabling/disabling the specific band EQ curves. For example, it might be that you made the decision to slightly cut the low end of your piano track because it clashes with your bass. But, what about the section you just added where the bass isn’t playing and the piano is? Well, you can automate the low end back in so the listener can experience the fullness of the isolated piano track.

Remove Elements Entirely

Another go-to automation technique we can always rely on is the trusty removal of different elements, and we can use an automation envelope to either cut them suddenly for a transition, or phase them out incrementally with a fade. Either way, it’s important to remember that periods of rest and silence are just as important in music composition as action-packed choruses and hard-hitting basslines.

Combining the removal of elements with the same transitional automation mentioned in the reverb and delay section can really take your tracks’ transitions to the next level. Something so simple can be so effective at drawing the line between pro and amateur in the world of music production, so we really encourage you to get experimental here.

Create an Evolving Track with Automated Panning

We touched briefly on the idea of re-introducing a low end cut you might’ve added for a piano track in the Adding Automated Filters closing paragraph, however, we’d like to take this one step further. You can combine this type of EQ-blending automation with stereo panning effects to create a truly evolving mix.

In the piano example we discussed, the intention of the hypothetical low cut was to help the piano blend with the bass, but you might also have the same intention when you pan a high-end-rich violin to the right and pan a deep, hearty, low-end cello to the left. The reason: so each element has its own space in the mix. But, we can now add an automation curve so that the instruments swap sides.

We can then alter any blending EQ curves we might’ve added to reflect this change. If our bass moves slightly to the right, our Piano’s low-end can also breeze over into its newly vacated space. When combined, automation techniques like these can immerse the listener in a mix that feels truly pulsing with its own life and breath. Although, when using this method, it’s important to move our elements symbiotically, in a balanced, and usually subtle manner. Harsh, abrupt and movements can sound too chaotic and absurd.

A watered-down but still handy automation technique that’s along the same lines as this is the simple sweeping of an instrument from left to right continuously over a repeated measure of music. Combine this with an alternating pulse of a filter and you can turn a stagnant synth pattern into a sensational, textured limb of your track.