As someone working on a lot of samples and hundreds of events, I come across these niche little workflow points that could be enhanced with some simple preferences.
I use the mouse Alt+Shift+Click Cursor Location modifier a lot, just for general location… but also a lot for fine editing.
I find my self in this situation plenty, where I want Events to be snapping to grid, but I want this Alt+Shift+Click Cursor Location modifier to be free from snap.
I would probably, I think, leave this preference on almost all the time as I also use my Location Key Commands for ‘Nudge Cursor Left’ / ‘Nudge Cursor Right’, ‘Nudge Cursor -1bar’ / ‘Nudge Cursor +1bar’, ‘Locate Event Start’, etc, etc, for when I need to locate precise to grid.
Also, (and maybe a separate preference), Cursor Locating by mouse clicking in the project main Ruler could maintain relationship to Snap. Between the two, location workflow would be fantastic.
I am turning Snap On and Off - soooooooooo much. This would reduce that greatly. It would also make Cursor based functions and commands (like Fade To Cursor) more immediately useful.
edit
I’ve done a gif example.
-First snap is off, and I can freely move the playback cursor, but, I want to get the event to grid.
-Turn snap on to grid the event, but now the alt+shift+click/drag cursor location is also snapped.
I’m not sure if it’s grid-less, but, I would say pretty well unrelated… or maybe more accurate would be, inadequate in fulfilling my FR.
For one, I click in empty space as a method of de-selection far to often (although recently I’m trying to force myself to use Shift-A ‘Select None’) to have that preference on.
Secondly, it’s a very non-appeasing workaround for the workflow enhancement I’m suggesting because ‘Alt+Shift+Click’ allows you to click anywhere and isn’t confined to having to click in the background (of which, there may be no empty background available on the screen at any given time), which allows you to say, locate to just before a transient on a waveform.
Alt+Shift+Click, also lets you drag the Cursor (which I wish was Scrub), wheres ‘Locate When Clicked In Empty Space’ does not.
I just checked, locate when clicked on empty space does not snap to grid. But the point about running out of empty space is valid. This rarely happens to me, and when it does I click (hold), press ctrl (hold), then move mouse and release at the desired position on the main ruler, or any other ruler track to locate to non-grid. So I’m not really hit by this.
But I understand you. if you’re working all day like this, it would be a problem.
You might be misunderstanding the FR or what I’m talking about, or I’m misunderstanding what you are suggesting.
Click(hold)+Ctrl(hold) is done typically to negate snap to move an event.
In the context of the actual FR, I’m not talking about moving events, I’m talking about moving the playback cursor.
The use case I gave, I used the example of having this FR preference turned on, AND leaving snap on so that events still snap, but playback cursor location (using Alt+Shift+Click/Drag) does not.
I’ve done a gif example.
-First snap is off, and I can freely move the playback cursor, but, I want to get the event to grid.
-Turn snap on to grid the event, but now the alt+shift+click/drag cursor location is also snapped.
I’m just trying to find quicker workflows beyond what most of us reach at first to accomplish basic tasks.
I suppose alternatively, instead of a preference, they could script in an additional modifier to the alt+shift+Click/Drag protocol whereby adding ‘Ctrl’ negates snap. This is at least in line with how Ctrl modifier works as you’ve mentioned with moving and resizing events.
But who knows, maybe for some reason devs couldn’t use ctrl+alt+shift+click/drag
I think I’ve got what you’re asking for. But I’m offering a workaround for now. I probably didn’t write it clear enough. So, again, more clearly:
On any ruler: Be it the main project ruler, or any other ruler track you have interjected between your wall of events, so that you can locate easier.
- Click and keep your left mouse button pressed. (Once you click, you see that the cursor goes to the nearest snap point if you have snap on, but pe patient and keep the button down.) - Press Ctrl (and keep it down) - Start moving your mouse to the off-snap position you desire. - Release left mouse button.
If all went well, your cursor stays to that off-snap position.
So, when you want to locate to the grid, you keep using alt shift click anywhere, even on the event itself, and when you want to locate off-grid, you click(ctrl)release on a nearby ruler.
Edit: I’m all for more assignable modifiers, and documenting all those semi-hidden ones.
ahh, I see what you’re saying, with ctrl+clicking with a ruler track (or main ruler). I do do this sometimes… But it’s still not as “good” as what I want… ie my mouse has to leave its editing position and click within a fairly constrained width in order to accomplish your suggestion. I still do use your suggestion sometimes though… My FR is more in the domain of micro-time-management doing full-day fine editing across hundreds if not thousands of events.
