Automoton

Automoton

The Automoton as an advanced effects machine that lets you draw custom LFO shapes for 64 parameters over 8 different effects.

The Automoton was made with a touch screen in mind, but can be equally used just as well with a mouse or trackpad.

Sending Audio to Automoton

You can send audio to the Automoton by changing the output source of any track to the FIRST chain in the Automoton group of tracks.

Automoton Device Options

The Automoton has some options contained in the device panel.

OPEN - Opens and closes the main popup interface.

ENABLED Button - Turns the Automoton on and off. Keep it off when not in use to save CPU.

CLEAR - Clears all the LFO shapes in the popup interface and reset to the default parameters.

INIT - Initializes all the mappings. Click this if the behaviour isn’t acting normally. I recommend clicking this each time you open the DJ Megaset.

Track Assignment - This popup window allows you to select the 8 tracks that the Automoton is controlling.

Default Parameters - This popup window is where the default parameter for each individual Automoton node is stored. By default these are set to what I believe to be the perfect values, but feel free to change them.

Automoton General Layout

The Automoton popup interface is laid out in a tabulated manner. Up the top you will find 8 tabs that correspond to the 8 different effects that it controls. By clicking on the name of an effect, the main view will change the nodes to control parameters of that effect.

Automoton Nodes

Each tab contains 8 nodes. Each one of these nodes is a custom LFO for the parameter specified in the background text of the node.

Each node is identical in functionality.

By default, there are no automation points in the LFO and the node transmits it’s default value as specified in the Default Parameter Matrix.

Node Main Window

The main window of the node is for drawing in custom LFO shapes. By left-clicking anywhere, a point is created (snapped to the grid). If you hold the left mouse button down, you can drag this point to where you want it before releasing it to lock it in place.

Each time you create a new point, it is linked together with a line. When the project is playing, the pattern will repeat itself over and over and the parameter the node is attached to will move accordingly.

You can shift click a point to remove it.

You can alt click and drag on a line to give it a curve.

Click “CLEAR” to remove the LFO.

Node Grid Size, Length and Presets

By using the up and down arrows, for both HOR (Horizontal) and VER (Vertical), you can increase and decrease the grid size to get more resolution.

By choosing an option from the LENGTH options, you can create different length loops (1, 2, 3, 4, 8 and 16 bar loops).

You can choose predefined shapes from the Presets drop down menu, such as Sin, Square and Saw shapes.

Node Retrigger, Freeze and Reverse

To retrigger the node quickly, click the “RETRIGGER” Button. You can do this very fast for an interesting effect.

The “FREEZE” Button will stop the playback of the LFO, and remain at the value which it was last at.

The “REV” toggle box will reverse the direction of the node, playing the LFO backwards.

Adding your own Effects

You can add your own effects to the Automaton by replacing the devices in the 8 “AUTO” group audio tracks.

The Automoton modulates the first 8 Macro dials in the first Audio Effect Rack it finds on that track, so if you put in your own effect, be sure to assign the 8 parameters you want to control to the first 8 Macros.

When you have your own effects in place, click the INIT Button to update the Automoton.