An apparatus for casting metal, the apparatus comprising: a mold; a conduit configured to deliver molten metal to the mold, the conduit controllably occluded by a flow control device; a positioner coupled to the flow control device; a level sensor configured to sense a level (310, 410) of the molten metal in the mold; and a controller (52, 210) comprising a processor adapted to execute code stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium in a memory of the controller (52, 210), characterized by the controller (52, 210) being programed by the code to: accept or determine input in the form of a metal level setpoint (312, 412) that is variable over time according to a casting recipe having at least a first phase, a transition time, and a second phase, wherein the first phase has a first projected flow rate that differs from a second projected flow rate of the second phase, and wherein the transition time corresponds to a time between an end of the first phase and a beginning of the second phase (510, 610); accept input from the level sensor in the form of a detected metal level (560, 620); and provide a transition command signal configured to achieve a goal of reducing or eliminating an amount of undershoot or overshoot related to the transition time, the transition command signal configured to achieve the goal by causing at least one of: movement of the flow control device in the transition time toward a substitute flow control device position determined based on a difference between the first projected flow rate of the first phase and the second projected flow rate of the second phase; translation of the mold to change a height between the mold and the conduit by using a mold mover being coupled with the mold and capable of raising or lowering the mold; or alteration of a casting speed at or around the transition time to differ from during the second phase. a mold; a conduit configured to deliver molten metal to the mold, the conduit controllably occluded by a flow control device; a positioner coupled to the flow control device; a level sensor configured to sense a level (310, 410) of the molten metal in the mold; and a controller (52, 210) comprising a processor adapted to execute code stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium in a memory of the controller (52, 210), characterized by the controller (52, 210) being programed by the code to: accept or determine input in the form of a metal level setpoint (312, 412) that is variable over time according to a casting recipe having at least a first phase, a transition time, and a second phase, wherein the first phase has a first projected flow rate that differs from a second projected flow rate of the second phase, and wherein the transition time corresponds to a time between an end of the first phase and a beginning of the second phase (510, 610); accept input from the level sensor in the form of a detected metal level (560, 620); and provide a transition command signal configured to achieve a goal of reducing or eliminating an amount of undershoot or overshoot related to the transition time, the transition command signal configured to achieve the goal by causing at least one of: movement of the flow control device in the transition time toward a substitute flow control device position determined based on a difference between the first projected flow rate of the first phase and the second projected flow rate of the second phase; translation of the mold to change a height between the mold and the conduit by using a mold mover being coupled with the mold and capable of raising or lowering the mold; or alteration of a casting speed at or around the transition time to differ from during the second phase. accept or determine input in the form of a metal level setpoint (312, 412) that is variable over time according to a casting recipe having at least a first phase, a transition time, and a second phase, wherein the first phase has a first projected flow rate that differs from a second projected flow rate of the second phase, and wherein the transition time corresponds to a time between an end of the first phase and a beginning of the second phase (510, 610); accept input from the level sensor in the form of a detected metal level (560, 620); and provide a transition command signal configured to achieve a goal of reducing or eliminating an amount of undershoot or overshoot related to the transition time, the transition command signal configured to achieve the goal by causing at least one of: movement of the flow control device in the transition time toward a substitute flow control device position determined based on a difference between the first projected flow rate of the first phase and the second projected flow rate of the second phase; translation of the mold to change a height between the mold and the conduit by using a mold mover being coupled with the mold and capable of raising or lowering the mold; or alteration of a casting speed at or around the transition time to differ from during the second phase. movement of the flow control device in the transition time toward a substitute flow control device position determined based on a difference between the first projected flow rate of the first phase and the second projected flow rate of the second phase; translation of the mold to change a height between the mold and the conduit by using a mold mover being coupled with the mold and capable of raising or lowering the mold; or alteration of a casting speed at or around the transition time to differ from during the second phase.