Keyboard Shortcuts
A full reference to AnalogDAW's key commands. Shortcuts are most useful on macOS and iPad with a hardware keyboard; on iPhone the same actions are available through on-screen buttons and menus.
⌘= Command ·⇧= Shift · keys without a modifier work when the timeline has focus.
Session (global)
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
⌘N |
New Session |
⌘0 |
Front the main window, or bring it back after closing it with a plug-in editor open — Window ▸ (session name) (macOS) |
⌘⌥D |
Export Diagnostic Bundle (macOS) |
There is no keyboard shortcut for Save or Open — AnalogDAW autosaves, and Save / Open live in the main menu (☰).
Transport (global — works in Edit and Mix)
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Space |
Play / Stop |
R |
Record (start / stop) |
On macOS, these global shortcuts continue to work while an Audio Unit editor is active, unless the plug-in handles that key itself. Keystrokes stay local while you are typing in a plug-in text field.
Playhead & navigation (global — works in Edit and Mix)
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Return |
Go to the beginning |
⌘← |
Go to the beginning |
⌘→ |
Go to the end (last clip end) |
← |
Nudge playhead back one bar |
→ |
Nudge playhead forward one bar |
F |
Toggle Follow Playhead |
Editing (Edit view only)
These live with the timeline, so they are inactive while the Mix view is on screen — including Undo / Redo. Switch back to Edit (or use ☰ ▸ Undo/Redo) to reach them.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
⌘Z |
Undo |
⇧⌘Z |
Redo |
⌘X |
Cut selected clips |
⌘C |
Copy selected clips |
⌘V |
Paste at playhead starting on the selected timeline track; multi-track clipboards keep separate lanes |
⌘D |
Duplicate selected clips |
⌘A |
Select all clips |
Delete |
Delete selected clips (closes the gap when Ripple is on) |
⌘T |
Split selected clip(s) at the playhead |
⌘J |
Join selected clips |
Loop & markers (Edit view only)
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
L |
Toggle loop |
M |
Add a marker at the playhead |
Loop and markers remain available from the navigator's context menu and the ☰ menu in either view.
View & zoom (global — works in Edit and Mix)
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
⌘+ |
Zoom in |
⌘− |
Zoom out |
F |
Toggle Follow Playhead |
Tip: tap the zoom percentage in the timeline toolbar to reset zoom to 100%.
Mouse & trackpad
These pointer gestures work on macOS and on iPad when a mouse or trackpad is connected — iPadOS has full pointer support, so clicking, secondary-clicking for context menus, hovering, and scroll-wheel / two-finger scrolling all behave the same. Modifier-key gestures require an attached hardware keyboard on iPhone and iPad. Shift-drag fine adjustment for faders works on iPhone and iPad when a hardware keyboard is attached, using either a touch or pointer drag.
| Gesture | Action |
|---|---|
| Click a clip | Select it |
| ⌘-click | Add/remove from multi-selection |
| Drag empty lane | Marquee-select across tracks |
| Right-click track lane > Paste | Paste from that lane, even if another track is selected |
| Shift-drag timeline | Marquee-select across tracks, including when starting over a clip |
| Drag clip body | Move the clip |
| Option-drag clip body | Duplicate the clip, move the copy, and select the copy on release |
| Command-drag over clips | Select a time range inside clips; click the range to split it |
| Range Select cursor tool | Drag over clips to select a time range without holding Command |
| Drag clip edge | Trim |
| Drag clip top corner | Fade in / out |
| Right-click clip / track / marker / navigator | Select target and open context menu |
| Pinch | Zoom the timeline in / out |
| Drag an audio file in | Import it onto the timeline |
| ⇧-drag a fader | Fine (quarter-speed) level adjustment |
| Double-click a fader | Reset it to 0 dB (unity) |
| Double-click a channel-strip dB readout | Type an exact level |
| Double-click a track name in the timeline track header | Open the Rename Track dialog (on a channel strip, rename from its context menu) |
| Click a strip name plate | Select that strip (clicking the only selected strip clears it) |
| ⌘-click a strip name plate | Add / remove that strip from the selection |
| Two-finger tap a strip name plate | Same as ⌘-click — add / remove |
| ⇧-click a strip name plate | Extend the selection from the nearest selected strip |
Selecting two or more strips makes them edit together — knobs and faders move relatively, switches copy across. See Ganged editing.
The behavior of click-and-drag changes with the active cursor tool (Pointer, Marquee, Range Select, Slice, Slip, Gain, Eraser, Pencil, Move) — see Editing Clips.
macOS only: the Move tool pans the timeline by dragging anywhere, even directly over a clip. On iPad, pan by two-finger / trackpad scrolling instead — a single mouse-button drag over a clip does not pan there.
Touch (no pointer attached): on iPad & iPhone a one-finger drag on a track lane pans the timeline, so rubber-band selection moves to the Marquee tool, and you tap a clip to select it before dragging it to move. Pinch with two fingers to zoom.
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