I am frustrated with Auto Gain, because it requires way too much mouse work:

Please find a way to make audio mixing with Avid keyboard-mappable, and therefore faster! (In Final Cut,  Cmd-+ = +1db)

At least, please allow for a way to change a range between two keyframes in *one step*, since it is what I need to do 99.9% of the time.

you could get a midi control surface to mix with.  The Digi 002 or the Yamaha.  If you are doing any serious audio mixing in the Avid that is much better using a keyboard

ravi- can I ask you a question about midi control?

If you place several newly Captured clips onto the Timeline, each one overlaping on several tracks, can an editor simply begin using the midi controller to adjust levels while the Sequence is in Play, or do those first-time-on-the-timeline clips need to have some kind of set-up before that can happen.

Please tell me I don't have to click on each clip to engage rubberbanding.

You'll need to enter Automation Gain for that process. You basically start a mix session from in to out, enabling the tracks you want to mix. The faders on the Digi002 or Yamaha 01V(/96) will control the faders of the Automation Gain tool. It's like real mixing, rather than all the mouseclicking.

 Thanks again Job u r royalty around here. My "hang up" with Rubberbanding has always been the tedious process of using a mouse to add the necessary keyframes simply  perform a fade up from 0dB to whatever. So when you drop a new clip on the timeline, what level is the clip at? and how do you deal with that zeroDb to whatever level- is it faster, easier than simply adding a quick dissolve from Filler?

Not sure I follow.

I use two different methods of audio leveling in Avid, often at the same time. Generally, I'll set ballpark levels in the Audio Mix Tool. Simply select the track(s) you want to set level for and type the number (+3, -9, -20, whatever).

Then I use Automation Gain. By that time I'll usually have set ballpark levels as described before, or not, but I might use it to ride the levels over a piece or segment of the program, for example riding music against dialogue, or to maximize dialogue. You can set an in (or out) point, set the Automation Gain Tool to record. You can use the on screen faders in the Automation Gain Tool in the Avid, or have an external console like the Yamaha 01V or 01V96 or Digi 002 to control those faders. You are actually recording your rubberbanding that way. If you go into the tracks, you'll notice that you have actually set multiple keyframes in the process, just not by using a mouse, which I find too cumbersome. The default automation gain level is 0db (unity), and you can ride them down to minus infinity or up to +12dB.

Fiddle around with it a bit, and see if it is a method you like.

Reading your post again, I think the answer is that I'll usually use the Quick Transition for fading in (or out) elements in the timeline, I never do that with rubberbanding.

 Job- thanks for your perspective...

In addition to Quick Transitions from/to Filler, do you also sometimes use conventional audio dissolves at add-edits when making level changes within the same audio clip during the rough edit stage?

 I ask because I imagine both tools (conventional audio dissolves & rubberbandin/automation gain) each have different advantages for the editor based on where they are in the process- setting up or rough edit or final mixdown (or prepping a final sequence for omf export to the mixer). Do you have a rule of thumb? Just how much mix and match do you generally use or do you use automation gain 99% of the time except for those Filler Quick Transitions?

I'd estimate 90% add edits + dissolves to dip music levels, or to separate dialogue from the background (sort of manual gating), loads of fades in/out/cross. 10% Automation Gain with riding levels. Zero mouse-based rubberbanding (it's just not for me).

Like you already wrote, the big advantage of add edits is that they are easily adjusted by trimming or using extend, to match up to changes in other layers.

I don't think that sound editors like it that much, but I do.

Where there's a will....

I use a program called "Keyboard Maestro" to create macros for use in Avid.  I'm pretty happy with it overall.  I mainly use it to get around the things Avid won't let you assign to the keyboard, e.g., setting clip colors.  In your case, you can assign a macro to open the audio mixer (hopefully it's in auto gain mode), select a track, and adjust it up or down by 1db just by pressing a single key.

It's a bit fiddly and sort of a kludge, but once you have it working it can be a real time saver.  There's a demo version available on their website if you want to give it a try.

One hint: sometimes it seems like the macros go too fast for Avid to keep up, and they don't do what you expect them to do.  It's helpful to introduce a delay in these cases.  Unfortunately, the minimum delay KM allows you to insert is 1 second.  But, if you execute a shell script containing "sleep 0.1" you can put in much shorter delays.  Just experiment to see how long they have to be for the system to register them.

As for your second request, I don't quite understand...  What do you mean by changing a range between two keyframes?

I also work a lot with dissolves but it would be so much better if they wouldn't dissapear (at the heads & tails) when you move a clip in segment mode.

I have to add edits before and after the dissolve to move the clip with the filler but that's a bit complicated.