Laptop Loopers Tip: Apple Automator for complex setup

["Warren Sirota" <wsirota@wsdesigns.com>]

Because I'm running 2 audio programs the communicate with each other
via the Jack audio server, I have about 5 minutes of audio
configuration at startup (and if anything goes wrong) where a lot of
things need to happen in the correct order, and i can easily forget a
step if say, I'm at a gig and not 100% focused on infrastructure like
configuration.

So last night I sat down and in about 45 minutes had not only learned
enough of Automator to get a beautiful script that opens Jack, starts
the audio, opens Mainstage, opens my looper in Max, switches back to
Jack, opens the Routing window and loads a Studio Setup file that
routes all the audio correctly. It still takes a while (but a little
less time because some think time is cut out), but I can start it and
let it run while i go set up my guitar or (if in mid-gig, grid forbid)
put an ipod track on or talk to the audience. When it's done, i'm
ready to play.

Feels like a nice safety net.

Warren