# Can I switch magnet regions during a transition timeline?

**URL:** <https://qa.fmod.com/t/can-i-switch-magnet-regions-during-a-transition-timeline/20873>\
**Category:** FMOD Studio\
**Created:** [November 14, 2023, 5:20am UTC](https://qa.fmod.com/t/can-i-switch-magnet-regions-during-a-transition-timeline/20873 "2023-11-14T05:20:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![MightyMuso](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/qa.fmod.com/mightymuso/32/9096_2.png) [@MightyMuso](https://qa.fmod.com/u/MightyMuso)\
**Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 5:20am UTC](https://qa.fmod.com/t/can-i-switch-magnet-regions-during-a-transition-timeline/20873/1 "2023-11-14T05:20:06Z")

</div>

I have two magnet regions set to switch between one another depending on a labelled parameter. Each block of audio in the ‘main’ instrument has a tail which should play into the next loop via the loop transition timeline, like so:

 ![Screenshot 2023-11-14 at 1.17.55 pm](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fmod/original/2X/f/fca1dcdfec184ed1ca320312faa860bd86a96e0e.png)

Unfortunately, during this transition timeline it won’t switch to the other magnet region. Is there a way around this?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![joseph](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/qa.fmod.com/joseph/32/264_2.png) [@joseph](https://qa.fmod.com/u/joseph)\
**Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 2:39am UTC](https://qa.fmod.com/t/can-i-switch-magnet-regions-during-a-transition-timeline/20873/2 "2023-11-15T02:39:28Z")

</div>

You cannot begin a new transition while the playback position is traversing a transition timeline. This is a technical limitation born of the fact that a transition timeline works by allowing three separate versions of an event instance’s timeline to exist simultaneously; to support transitioning within a transition timeline, the number of simultaneous timelines (and thus the resource cost of an event instance) would be increased substantially.

> [@MightyMuso](#):
>
> Is there a way around this?

Not while using magnet regions. If you’re able to switch from magnet regions to transition regions and destination regions, you might be able to work around this limitation by recreate the contents of your transition timelines on a distant section of the main timeline, and transition to that section of the timeline whenever a transition would occur instead of using a transition timeline.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![MightyMuso](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/qa.fmod.com/mightymuso/32/9096_2.png) [@MightyMuso](https://qa.fmod.com/u/MightyMuso)\
**Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 3:34am UTC](https://qa.fmod.com/t/can-i-switch-magnet-regions-during-a-transition-timeline/20873/3 "2023-11-15T03:34:11Z")

</div>

Dang! Makes sense though, but definitely makes things a bit trickier. I’d like to try your solution but I’m having a hard time visualising it. Are you able to provide an example?

My goal is to have the nested events (Kit Lead In and Kit Lead Out) play before switching tracks. I have two variants of the same audio, Unpowered and Powered, with the powered section containing the Kit that I want to lead in and out of.

 ![Screenshot 2023-11-15 at 11.31.24 am](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fmod/original/2X/7/790baa92e06046d8bacfe8b65bb13595b065ea5a.png)

I’ve placed everything in the one loop and set each track to trigger depending on the Power Status parameter (powered or unpowered). The issue I’m now facing is that the tracks don’t wait for the nested events to finish before switching.

Could I do something in my nested events to command the rest of the tracks to only play after a certain point? Or maybe I could delay the parameter itself?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![joseph](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/qa.fmod.com/joseph/32/264_2.png) [@joseph](https://qa.fmod.com/u/joseph)\
**Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 4:07am UTC](https://qa.fmod.com/t/can-i-switch-magnet-regions-during-a-transition-timeline/20873/4 "2023-11-15T04:07:52Z")

</div>

> [@MightyMuso](#):
>
> I’d like to try your solution but I’m having a hard time visualising it. Are you able to provide an example?

 ![Transition timeline workaround](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fmod/original/2X/4/43b1bae67d37e8d3df939d8220d3f7b8b921a650.png)  
I was imagining something like this: Instead of putting your content inside the transition timeline, you put it on a distant section of timeline, and set up your markers such that instead of entering the transition timeline, you jump to the distant section of timeline and play whatever content is there.

Because you’re technically never within a transition timeline, you can add transition markers and regions that can move the playback position whenever you want, including during the fake transition timeline.

The tricky part would be building the content of your transition timeline on the distant section of the timeline.

> [@MightyMuso](#):
>
> Could I do something in my nested events to command the rest of the tracks to only play after a certain point? Or maybe I could delay the parameter itself?

I’m afraid I don’t fully understand what behavior you’re trying to achieve. When you talk about “switching tracks,” do you mean that you’ve set trigger conditions on the instruments, such that they trigger or untrigger based on the value of the parameter? Or something else?