
Actually, the options for the drums provide a level of control over the Apple’s automatic drums that you wouldn’t have otherwise. For example, the options to configure for the drums are completely different from the piano. The “Smart Controls” section of the options vary from instrument to instrument. Volume controls how loud a track is, Pan shifts a track’s sound towards one ear, and Echo and Reverb are very similar with a key difference: an echo on a track is distinct from the original track, almost like the track was copied and delayed for a short time, and a reverb on the track is a very short echo that sounds blended together with the original track. The basic options for every instrument are Volume, Pan, Echo and Reverb.

If you click the dropdown menu, you can see a list of the options you can automate.

With sharp drops, you can effectively mute certain areas of a track. By creating slopes in between points, you can automatically adjust the volume as the track plays, creating a fade-in or fade-out effect. You can make new points by Command-clicking and dragging existing points around with your mouse. Start by holding down Command and clicking anywhere in the track region, which will create a new point. Note that if you want to add new loops or edit existing ones, you will have to disable the automation editor by clicking the button again. We’ll start by automating the track’s volume.

Your loops will turn dark, and you should now see a dropdown window of all the different options you can automate for each instrument. Make sure you have at least one track and at least one loop in that track, or you won’t have anything to automate. To begin automating a track, click the unlabeled “Automation Button” at the top of the instrument list, which should toggle and turn yellow.
