When using external effects, EQ or any outboard device/gear for your recording, automating parameter changes or patch changes during the song could help the process, and one can concentrate on the mixing of the song, rather than pressing buttons and turning knobs.
If your external outboard gear has MIDI connections, then this video will demonstrate the basics of setting up your DAW, in this case, PreSonus Studio One, to send MIDI Control Codes & Programme Changes to the outboard gear at set times required, controlling the device to change its parameters on the fly.
An example would be, if you are using a vocal harmoniser effect during the chorus and a special effects doubler during the bridge of the song, you can enable your DAW to send MIDI Program Change codes to the outboard gear at the correct times, so you don’t have to worry about manually selecting it every time you listen to the mix.