Scenario: I found I like using some effects setups on individual events, but want to apply them more broadly, so “moving them up a hierarchy to a group” is the intent.
This is the manual process I’ve been going through, is there anything I’m missing?
Copy the effect from the event and paste it into the desired mixer group (Routing tab > Mstr > Grp).
If the effect is in an effect chain, it will need to be broken out, because effect chains can’t be used in mixer groups.
If it’s a convolution reverb, it will have lost its IR (as noted here), so add that back in.
Expand the Automation section. ALSO oddly, the parameter that was previously automated still appears to have a red dot next to it, but it isn’t hooked up to anything now? Is this a bug or am I missing something?
In the effect in the mixer group, right-click the parameter and Clear Automation.
Right-click the parameter and re-add the automation.
Care needs to be taken that if I add a New Parameter at the group level, as soon as the Add Parameter dialog comes up, I need to be sure to check Global — NOT the default Local — otherwise it shows me the error: “The object you are trying to automate can only be automated by a global parameter.” and I need to go to Window > Preset Browser and correct it from there before I can re-assign the parameter.
Anyway, at this stage, I notice I can also copypaste the curve from the local to the global parameter, which helps with at least matching that.
This isn’t a bug. When you copy and paste an effect to a new location, we try to preserve its property values as much as possible. As part of this, if any of the original effect’s properties are subject to automation, we assume that you want those properties to be automated for the copy of the effect, even if the copy’s location does not support the specific parameters used by the original effect.
If I’m being pedantically accurate, I should say that the colored dot that appears next to a property control doesn’t actually indicate that the property is controlled by automation; rather, it indicates that the property has an automation widget and so is not subject to control by the “parameter linking” feature.
You actually can automate properties in the mixer on local parameters, but only within the context of a snapshot. This works because snapshots are instanced in the same manner as events, and so support having different parameter values for each snapshot instance.
Assuming you’re not working within a snapshot, however, you’re correct that you must use global parameters when automating properties in the mixer.
The best kind of pedantry! Thanks for being laser-sharp about that distinction.
And for the subtlety with snapshots. You’re always full of clever “exceptions to the general rule” and creative ideas to make FMOD Studio work better for us!
