Hi Frank - Well, it definitely sounds like Logic is reading the mystery data as Track Automation.. About the only thing left I can think of is maybe try opening the Track Automation Event List (Control-Command-E) *,and see if it shows up in there.. If it does, that should at least identify what kind of Automation data it is. If it doesn't, then I guess it must be a bug or some corrupted data..? * I'm on 10.5, not sure if that key command is different in previous version(s), but you could always look it up in the Key Commands window..

Aha, yes! The data is right there -- in the Automation Event List. It's there for all the tracks. The position numbers match the time line. The Status for each event is Control. The Ch for each one is 1. The Num is 7. Each one says "Volume." Would seem we can make them active somehow.....

When I was first looking, the "Status" of each track was a graphic that looked like a fader. Then, for some reason, all of those graphics were replaced with the word "Control." I quit Logic and opened the file up again, essentially reverting to what it was before I checked the Automation Event List, and the graphic of the faders was back, instead of the word Control.

Aha.. If the status is "Fader" then it's regular Fader events (Logic's proprietary Automation data type), but if the status is "Control" then it's MIDI data (Control Change message #7), which also can be assigned to control channel fader levels.. Go to File menu > Project Settings > MIDI and see if the option "Control Change 7/10 controls Volume/Pan of channel strip objects" is checked or not—if it's not enabled, maybe that's why that Automation data is greyed out.. ?

Solved! Joe, you did it. Thanks for sticking with me. The 7/10 box wasn't checked. As soon as I checked it, k'zing! All of the thin brownish lines became yellow with nodes. Almost lightened up the room! Let me see if I understand. -- Automation can be controlled by a proprietary code. -- OR it can be controlled by MIDI. -- In this case (for some reason?) it was controlled by MIDI. -- So we go to Preferences / MIDI / General / Miscellaneous, and we check the box next to "Control Change 7/10 controls Volume/Pan of channel strip objects." Two questions: -- Why would Logic choose one coding over the other? It didn't for your attempt, but did for mine. Could it have to do with the previous file being converted to Logic from GarageBand? -- What in the world could "Control Change 7/10 controls Volume/Pan of channel strip objects" possibly mean? It's almost as if the name of the box was created by a random word generator. Can't tell you how much I appreciate your help. Amazingly prompt, amazingly thorough. You've restored my faith in humanity. Now all I have to do is move these automation points! Please do try to answer the above questions for me a bit if you have time. I'm just trying to find my footing.

Hi Frank - Great -- I'm glad that solved it! The Automation data in most DAWs is some kind of internal code, but many also support a few MIDI CC messages that are designed to control channel strip volume/mute/pan, mostly for people who have some general-purpose MIDI faders on their keyboards and would like to be able to make basic mix adjustments with them (as opposed to using a dedicated DAW control surface (like an external h/w mixer box) that employs SysEx or other some proprietary communication to control mixing functions. Not sure why that data was registered as MIDI (unless maybe it was entered from a slider on a MIDI keyboard/controller), or if GB could have had anything to do with it (registering volume automation as MIDI data for wider compatibility when sharing projects?).. I usually leave that Preference off..