Effects and Automation

Miao has two effect surfaces:

• Track Effects on audio and MIDI tracks.
• Master FX on the final output.

It also has lane-based effect automation.

Master FX

Open Track, then Master FX. The output chain contains modules with visual skins, sliders, quick presets, and preview controls.

Master effect parameter groups:

• Utility gain.
• Filters and EQ.
• Dynamics.
• Drive and lo-fi.
• Modulation.
• Movement.
• Space and pitch.
• Limiter.

The master limiter has an explicit switch.

Use the preset chips on a module for musical starting points such as Safe, Loud, Warm, Bright, Glue, Wide, Room, or Hall. Click the small preview button beside a preset to audition it briefly without committing. Click the preset chip itself to apply it.

Track Effects

Select an audio or MIDI track, open Track, then Track Mix. Click Add Track Effect to open the Track Effects menu, then choose a module. The effect appears as a compact skinned module with bypass, remove, visual feedback, preset chips, preview controls, and parameter sliders.

Available Track Effects:

Track Effect	Main Parameters
EQ	High-pass, low-pass, low, mid, high.
Gate	Threshold, release.
Transient	Attack, sustain.
Compressor	Threshold, ratio, attack, release, makeup.
Saturation	Drive, mix.
Bitcrusher	Bit depth, rate reduction, mix.
Chorus	Mix, rate, depth.
Flanger	Mix, rate, depth, feedback.
Phaser	Mix, rate, depth, feedback.
Tremolo	Rate, depth.
Auto-pan	Rate, depth.
Auto-filter	Low-pass, depth, rate.
Delay	Mix, time, feedback, ping-pong.
Reverb	Mix.
Room	Convolution room mix and size.
Pitch	Semitone shift and mix.
Limiter	Ceiling and release.

Bus and master tracks do not use Track Effects in the current app.

Open Track, Track Mix, Add Track Effect on a selected audio or MIDI track to choose a Track Effect.

Effect Skins

Effects use distinct visual skins to make modules easier to identify:

• EQ curves.
• Gate/compressor threshold curves.
• Saturation and bitcrusher transfer/step views.
• Chorus/flanger/phaser modulation views.
• Tremolo/autopan movement views.
• Delay taps.
• Reverb/room tails.
• Pitch steps.
• Output meter/limiter ceiling.

The visual skin is decorative and diagnostic; the slider values control the sound.

Automation Lane

Automation is hidden until you ask for it. Open Track, then Master FX, and click the small A button beside a master effect parameter such as Reverb. Miao opens a contextual automation row directly below the Master track, titled with the automated parameter.

After an automation lane exists, you can reopen or hide it from the contextual bottom Automation control, the command palette, or the empty-workspace context menu.

In the current app, automation targets Master FX parameters. Track Effect automation is not exposed yet.

Use automation to change effect values over time, such as:

• Fade master gain.
• Sweep a filter.
• Increase delay during a transition.
• Open reverb at the end of a section.

Automation Points

Click the automation curve to add a point at the clicked time/value. Drag points horizontally to change timing and vertically to change value.

Right-click the automation lane and choose Add point here when you want exact context-menu placement. Automation points can be selected and deleted.

Right-click an automation point for:

• Delete point
• Linear interpolation
• Stepped interpolation
• Enable automation or Disable automation

Open automation from a Master FX parameter, then right-click the contextual lane to add points, enable or disable automation, and switch interpolation shape.

Linear vs Stepped

Shape	Behavior
Linear	Smoothly interpolates between points.
Stepped	Holds the previous point value until the next point.

Use linear for fades and sweeps. Use stepped for abrupt changes.

Undo

Automation edits are part of the app editing model where applicable. Use the global undo/redo controls or keyboard shortcuts when an automation edit should be reverted.