Shortcuts that work anywhere on the desk
- Space
- Play or stop, unless you are typing in a box.
- Ctrl or Cmd with K
- Open Find a tool, even while typing.
- Ctrl or Cmd with Z
- Undo your last musical edit.
- Ctrl+Y, or Shift with Ctrl or Cmd and Z
- Redo.
- Esc
- Close whatever is open: the tool finder, then an overlay, then the project drawer, then focus mode.
Shortcuts in the piano roll
These work in Write while the piano roll has focus (click it first):
- Arrow keys and Enter
- Move the cursor, and place or remove a note at it.
- 1 to 7
- Choose the note length for new notes.
- A and S
- Accent and staccato.
- M and O
- Mute and solo the part.
- Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, Delete
- Copy, paste and delete the selected notes.
- Ctrl+D
- Duplicate a note ahead.
- Ctrl+1 to 8
- Switch to pattern A to H.
- Ctrl and the mouse wheel
- Zoom the grid; Shift and the wheel scroll it sideways.
TipOn the desk, Tab moves between controls rather than switching parts, so use the part tabs above the piano roll or the shelf to change instrument.
Find a tool
Find a tool, in the transport (Ctrl or Cmd with K), opens a search box: What do you want to make? Type part of a tool’s name or what it is for (mix, drums, ideas) and pick it from the list. Close Esc shuts it again.
The shortcut sheet
The ? button in the transport opens KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS: every shortcut, grouped as TRANSPORT, NAVIGATION, EDITING, NOTE LENGTH, MIXING and AUTOMATION.
Importing a MIDI file
A MIDI file holds notes rather than sound, so a song written anywhere else can be brought in and played by the studio’s instruments. Press MIDI in the transport (or in Finish) and stay on the IMPORT tab.
- Choose or drop a file on CHOOSE A .MID FILE. Files up to 5 MB work.
- Under VOICES → CHANNELS, choose which studio part plays each voice in the file, or — SKIP — to leave it out. Channels marked with a star belong to the expanded studio, and importing to them turns it on.
- Set QUANTIZE to snap the notes to a grid (1/64 leaves the timing as played), PATTERN to choose how many bars each pattern holds, and OUT OF RANGE for notes too high or low for the studio: FOLD OCTAVE, CLAMP or DROP.
- Leave REUSE REPEATS on so repeated sections become the same pattern.
- Press SAVE THIS SONG FIRST if you want to keep what you have, then IMPORT.
TipImporting replaces the open song and clears undo. The tempo comes from the file; swing, automation and the mix start fresh.
Playing a MIDI keyboard
The LIVE INPUT tab connects a MIDI keyboard or controller, in a browser that supports Web MIDI (the panel says so if yours does not).
- CONNECT A MIDI DEVICE
- Asks the browser for access, then lists your devices under DEVICE.
- CHANNEL and OCTAVE
- Listen to ALL MIDI channels or one, and shift what you play by up to three octaves.
- VELOCITY
- FROM KEYBOARD uses how hard you play; FIXED uses a set LEVEL.
- HEAR WHAT I PLAY
- Plays incoming notes through the part selected in the studio. Only melody parts can be played; each preview is a short, fixed-length note.
- STEP RECORD
- Writes the notes you play at the piano-roll cursor and steps on by the note length. Use it with the transport stopped in Pattern mode. One undo takes you back to before you armed it.