Hey Chris. To rename a track, interact with the tracks table and Vo shift M on the track you want to rename. On the popup menu, go down to rename and type your new name in that dialog and hit return.
Regarding automation, you could easily automate using the keyboard, but understand that the keyboard inputs fixed commands when you're moving a fader, so automating a fade or a pan will be somewhat choppy at best. You can indeed automate mutes and solos using the keyboard with the shift M and Shift S in the tracks table once you've set up the tracks to be automated. Hope this helps. Kevin
