Manual Run Mode vs Auto Run Mode
Every transition runs in one of two modes, and the difference between them is a single question: who owns the timing?
In Manual Run Mode, you do. The crossfader is the clock. Move it where you want, when you want, and the fusor follows: slowly through the meat of the transition, quickly through the end, backwards to repeat a phrase, or not at all. The transition takes exactly as long as you take.
In Demo: Manual Run Mode is unavailable — the toggle is greyed and every transition runs in Auto. See Licensing.
In Auto Run Mode, the clock does. The transition's bars and BPM define a timing window, and the fusor runs at the pace needed to finish at the end of it. You can pause it, but you can't speed it up or slow it down by performance.
In Demo: grabbing the crossfader during an Auto run does not hand you control the way it does in a licensed player. Fusor keeps driving the fader from the clock and says so in the status line. See Licensing for the rest of what Demo holds back on the player.
Both modes walk the transition from 0% to 100% and apply the same automation on the way. They differ only in what drives the walk.
Choosing a mode
| Mode | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Manual Run Mode | The mix is a performance. You want to stretch a build, linger at a midpoint, or feel out where the transition should land. |
| Auto Run Mode | You want an even pace over a long window, or your hands free for cueing, effects and the headphone mix. |
| Auto Run Mode | You're using Tempo Ramp to bring two different-BPM tracks together. |
Manual is the safer default when you're unsure: you can always perform a steady Auto-style run by hand, but you can't add expressive freedom to an Auto run once it's under way.
The Tutorials run a transition both ways, which teaches the difference faster than reading about it.
Reading the fusor's intent
A fusor's author can describe how they meant it to be used in the fusor's notes field, reachable from the info icon next to the fusor picker:
Move crossfader to center and hold until you wish to begin fade out of background while keeping vocals in foreground. Last 20% of transition adds echo and cuts vocals: let it ride out.
Notes like that imply a mode. This one all but requires Manual Run Mode, because it asks for a deliberate hold. A fusor authored as one uninterrupted sweep reads as Auto instead. The author's intent isn't binding, and any fusor runs in either mode, but the notes usually tell you which one it was built for.
Switching modes
Manual is the default, and your last choice is remembered across sessions. The toggle and its states are in Transport Controls.
You can switch modes while a fusor is loaded but not yet running. Once a transition starts the mode is locked, with one exception: an Auto run while Online can be taken over by hand and converted to manual from that point on. Manual to Auto mid-transition is not possible. See Manual takeover for the mechanics.
For the lifecycle both modes share — arming, the start trigger, pausing, completion — see Arming and Running a Transition.