SAWStudio / SAC User Group

I thought I'd start a new thread on this rather than just keep adding to the "Same Color Automation Challenge" thread.

Todd R wrote: Wed Jun 24, 2026 4:32 am

Dave Labrecque wrote: Tue Jun 23, 2026 6:24 am This is gonna sound crazy, but I asked AI if there was a way, and it maybe hallucinating, but here ya go:

The absolute best way to open a specific group of VST plug-ins simultaneously in SAWStudio is by using the Control Track feature. While F-Key views only track native windows, a Control Track allows you to record and trigger exact window-open commands using MIDI or internal automation commands. How to Set Up a Plugin Macro via Control Track Activate the Control Track: Go to the top menu and select Options > Control Track > Active to turn the feature on. Open the Control Track Window: Select View > Control Track to open its dedicated timeline interface. Record the Open Commands: Place the playback cursor at a specific timeline spot (e.g., bar 1).Click Record on the Control Track. Open the specific VST plugin interfaces you want from your mixer or track patch windows. SAWStudio will write an automation entry for each interface you open. Hit Stop. Trigger the Group: Whenever you navigate the cursor to that specific timeline spot or trigger that automation marker, all chosen plugins will snap open instantly.

OK. wow, I have used Control Track quite a lot in this job and have run thru a lot of paces. Thanks for this idea, I will give it a go!

Well, after the heat wave...it's a bit miserable over here at the moment!

OK, I don't find: "Activate the Control Track: Go to the top menu and select Options > Control Track > Active to turn the feature on"

"Options > Control Track > Active" is not a menu item that I find in SS.

Anyway, I can follow my nose...let's see how it goes

OK, Dave, seems the AI is unclear and/ or confused.

"How to Set Up a Plugin Macro via Control Track Activate the Control Track: Go to the top menu and select Options > Control Track > Active to turn the feature on."
-There is not a menu item in the Options menu for "Control Track"

"Open the Control Track Window: Select View > Control Track to open its dedicated timeline interface."
-OK, yes, this is how to open the Control Track window

"Record the Open Commands: Place the playback cursor at a specific timeline spot (e.g., bar 1)."
-using what? The mouse? Key commands? A midi controller?

"Click Record on the Control Track."
-This doesn't exist as far as I can tell. The Input Tracks have "REC" enable UI buttons; Control Track in the MT does not have a "REC" UI button.
-Control Track window also has no record enable controls far as I can tell. I don't know how the mouse could be bound to a Control Track event.

"Open the specific VST plugin interfaces you want from your mixer or track patch windows."
-Using what input hardware? Mouse? Keyboard command? Midi Controller? I'm using mouse and typing keyboard"

OK, I have found another solution
for my scenario, I just need to "cancel 'Always On-Top' status" for VSTs and set up some other F-Key views :-)

after working in SAW a couple hours with Cancel Always On-Top status, what would be a massive help in SS would be VST group windows to show/hide open sets of VSTs; where say for example all Rvb vsts in one group, EQs in another, etc...or however user wants to set it up

Bummer, right? I just read through the AI response for the first time. Gemini was clearly smoking something.

I don't use the control track very deeply, so I don't know how the custom commands work. It'd be cool if you could create a custom command that would open your plugin interfaces of choice, right? Doesn't seem doable.

All I can think of is to create a macro using a third-party program that would double-click on your desired plugins in the relevant FX patch view windows when looking at a specific F-key view. Workflow to bring up a pre-defined plugin group would be something like:

1) Go to F-key view that you've built your macros around
2) Hit your macro hot key for the plugin group you want to open
3) Go to F-key view that you've built to accommodate your plugin group displays (optional)

Note that the macro could involve all kinds of navigation within a single F-key view or even switching among different F-key views. The main thing that comes to mind, especially for larger projects (more tracks) would be scrolling to the tracks or channels (if they extend beyond the current view) involving the plugin instantiations of choice to be able to access their respective FX patch views windows.

Just the kind of rabbit hole I'm drawn to without regard for how much time it would take to set up (vs. just working the old-fashioned way on a given project) or how many idiopathic failures are in my immediate trial-and-error future (or whether the thing will end up consistently working at all).

Dave Labrecque wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2026 6:19 amI don't use the control track very deeply, so I don't know how the custom commands work. It'd be cool if you could create a custom command that would open your plugin interfaces of choice, right? Doesn't seem doable.

All I can think of is to create a macro using a third-party program that would double-click on your desired plugins in the relevant FX patch view windows when looking at a specific F-key view. Workflow to bring up a pre-defined plugin group would be something like:

Sure this is doable. The last time I did something like this was adding project-wise custom track ordering F-keys

I was hoping somebody else might take an interest in AutoHotKey and we could extend the capabilities:

The link to it is in this thread is about ini files. The track reordering is in there. Both of those features work very well - as does tempotool.

..but if nobody is going to use it, what is the point of adding capabilities?

I'm working on something else now anyway. I figure if I can't give things away, perhaps you guys would prefer to buy something. Hint: something cool is coming (if I can finish it).

OK, I just want to update that after a couple weeks now, that managing "Cancel Always On Status" is working well for me as I said earlier :-)