Basic Operation
In the Sequencer’s Motion Effect Generator, the top of the effect slider is green, indicating the value that will be used when the effect begins. The bottom of the slider is red, indicating the value that will be used when the effect ends. By default, the red and green handles are locked together, which is indicated by the lock icon 
. In this mode, the value does not change during the course of the effect, and the value can be changed by dragging the top or bottom handle using your mouse.
Speed fixed at 12
However, if you double-click anywhere along the effect slider, the handles will become unlocked and you can set the start and stop values independently. In the example below, the speed will start out fast and then get slower during the course of the effect. To re-lock the start and stop positions, just double-click on the slider again.
Speed starts at 31 and slows to 12
Keyboard Operation
After clicking on a slider using your mouse, the slider will have "focus", meaning that the value can be adjusted using the left and right arrows on your keyboard. A slider with focus will have a box drawn around it, as shown below. You can move focus to the next control using the tab key. You can move focus to the previous control using the shift-tab keyboard combination.
A slider with focus
Transition Modes
You can customize how the value transitions from the start value to the end value by clicking on the icon to the right of the slider. This will open the menu of choices shown below:
Slider transition menu
Icon |
Mode |
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Slider is locked. The start and end values are always the same. |
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Slider value changes with the loudness of the music. The start value corresponds to low volumes, and the end value corresponds to high volumes. |
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Slider value smoothly oscillates between the start value and the end value (sine wave). |
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Slider value starts oscillating between the start and end values, but dampens to the mid-point between the start and end values when the effect finishes. |
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Slider value ramps back and forth between the start and end values (triangle wave). |
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Slider value ramps from the start value to the end value (linear). |
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The transition starts slowly and then speeds up. |
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The transition starts quickly and then slows down. |
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The transition happens all at once (step). |
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The slider value ramps from start value to end value and then returns back to the start value. |
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The slider value smoothly transitions from start value to end value and back to the start value |
Customizing the Transition
Opening the slider transition menu and selecting "Customize the transition" (last option) allows you to further customize how the transition occurs during the course of the effect. For transitions that oscillate, you can customize the oscillation frequency as shown below:
Customizing the oscillation frequency
For most transitions, you can also customize when the transition ends. This is specified as a percentage of the total effect length. It is especially useful for the step transition mode, as this controls when the step occurs. In the picture below, the step transition is customized to occur at 50% of the way through the effect.
Customizing the end of the transition