Automating audio changes in the Audio Mixer window
You can use automation to apply changes to an audio track's settings as a sequence plays back. You can automate the volume, pan, and mute settings of a track or its sends. For track effects, you can automate all effect properties, including the bypass setting.
Automation modes are set in the pop-up menu at the top of each track. For example, with automation set to Latch, Touch, or Write, drag a track's volume fader or pan control during playback. When you play back audio with a track's automation pop-up menu set to Read, Touch, or Latch, Adobe Premiere Pro plays back the track with the automated adjustments. As you make adjustments in the Audio Mixer window, Adobe Premiere Pro applies your changes by creating track keyframes in the Timeline window. Conversely, track keyframes you add or edit in the Timeline window automate values in the Audio Mixer window (such as fader positions) as the audio plays back.
For each audio track, the selection in the automation options menu determines the track's automation state during the mixing process:
Off
Ignores the track's stored settings during playback. Off allows real-time use of Audio Mixer controls without interference from stored automation settings.
Read
Reads the track's automation settings and uses them to control the track during playback. If a track has no settings, adjusting a track option (such as volume) affects the entire track uniformly. If you adjust a property for a track set to Read automation, then when you stop adjusting it, the value returns to where it was before the current automated changes were recorded. The rate of return is determined by the Automatch Time audio preference.
Write
Records adjustments you make to any automatable track settings that are not set to Safe During Write, and creates corresponding track keyframes in the Timeline window. Write mode writes automation as soon as playback starts, without waiting for a setting to change. You can modify this behavior using the Switch to Touch After Write command in the Audio Mixer window menu. When Switch to Touch After Write is on, all tracks set to Write mode switch to Touch mode after playback stops or a playback loop cycle completes.
Latch
Identical to Write, except that automation does not start until you begin to adjust a value, and the value remains where it was when you stopped adjusting it.
Touch
Identical to Write, except that automation does not start until you begin to adjust a value. When you stop adjusting a property, its value returns to where it was before the current automated changes were recorded. The rate of return is determined by the Automatch Time audio preference.
If you want to alter automation settings for some properties while leaving other properties unchanged, use the Safe During Write command on the context menu for a property. This option prevents that property from being edited when Write automation mode is on. When you set a property to Safe During Write, that property is protected across all tracks in a sequence.
For information about automating track settings using the Timeline window, see Working with keyframes in the Timeline window.
To automate track properties over time using the Audio Mixer window:
- In the Audio Mixer window or Timeline window, set the current time to the point where you want to start recording automation changes. In the Audio Mixer window, you can set the current time at the top left corner of the window.
- In the Audio Mixer window, choose an automation mode from the automation options menu at the top of each track you want to automate.
- If needed, prevent any property from being affected by the Write automation mode by right-clicking the property and selecting Safe During Write from the menu that appears.
- Click the Play button
in the Audio Mixer window to start automation. You can also click the Loop button 
to play the program in a continuous loop or click the Play In To Out button 
to play from the In point to the Out point. - As the audio plays back, adjust any automatable properties.
- To stop automation, click the Stop button
. - To preview changes, reset the current time to the beginning of your changes, and click the Play button .
To protect a track property from being altered by the Write automation mode:
Right-click the track property's menu or control, and choose Safe During Write from the menu that appears.
Note: Use the Audio Mixer window to automate track properties only, not clip properties. You can edit clip keyframes by selecting the clip and using the Effect Controls window or timeline track.
To set the Automatch Time for Touch mode:
- Choose Edit > Preferences.
- Select the Audio pane, and enter a value for Automatch Time; then click OK.