Effect automation lanes in instruments' tracks

Have any feature requests? No promise they'll get to Reason Studios, but you can still discuss them here.
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antic604

10 Dec 2017

Let's say I have - in Rack - Subtractor and Pulveriser just below it (or as an Insert). When I want to automate Subtractor's filter cut-off, the automation lane + clips will show up in its Sequencer track below MIDI notes*. If now I'd like to add automation to Pulveriser's grit parameter, Reason will create additional track for Pulveriser in Sequencer and put automation lane + clips there. If I'd like to do the same for other effects like Echo, M-Class EQ, Synchronous - all still affecting Subtractor - then I'd end up with several tracks for only just one instrument... With the music I make - psychedelic trance - this can quickly turn into a project of 10 tracks generating sound, with additional 40-50 tracks for effects and their automation. This is difficult to manage (tracks automatically get different colours, they can be placed wherever) and even harder to go back to old project after some time...

I have few ideas to remedy that situation:
  • we could choose if effect's automation - in this example Pulveriser's, Echo's, EQ's and Synchronous' - is contained in their dedicated Sequencer tracks (as it is now), or that it's added as a yet another automation lane in instrument track to which it's connected,
  • we could group & collapse instrument & effect tracks in a single meta-track in Sequencer,
  • at minimum, the effect tracks could be made to look more like they "belong" with the instrument track, e.g. by making sure they're the same colour and in right place, have an indentation in the header and by removing (or reducing) the horizontal spacing between instrument track and effect tracks.
None of the above ideas would impact Rack or Mixer, so they'd be cosmetic (especially the last two), but would greatly improve readibility of the projects. I'll try add mockups in the evening :)

* assuming automation isn't recorded to MIDI clip, as per setting in Options.

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