How to Scroll Vertically on a Track with Alt/Opt + Mouse Wheel on MacOS?

Cubase
1

Hello guys,

I’m looking for a way to scroll vertically on a track in Cubase using Alt/Option + Mouse Wheel, similar to how it works in other DAWs. I couldn’t find a way to do this natively, which surprises me because horizontal zooming with the mouse wheel works well (while holding cmd/ctr). It would make sense for vertical zooming with a mosue to be just as intuitive, hovering over a track and zooming in/out vertically should be a native feature IMO.

On Windows, I managed to achieve this behavior using a third-party app called X-Mouse Button Control. It allowed me to map Alt + Scroll Up to behave like Alt + Arrow Up and Alt + Scroll Down as Alt + Arrow Down, resulting in the desired functionality.

But, I looked for months for a solution on Mac and haven’t found anything that works. I’ve tried various third-party apps, but none have allowed me to map Option + Mouse Scroll to behave like Option + Arrow Up/Down.

Has anyone here faced this issue and found a solution for Mac to this specific issue?

Thanks

2

SOLUTION FOUND, GUYS!

For anyone dealing with this issue, I wanted to share what worked for me since none of the third-party apps (not naming them) did the trick. The only thing that actually worked was using Hammerspoon, a free app, to run a custom Lua script. Here’s how you can set it up:

  1. Install Hammerspoon
  • Download it from here (look for the file named hammerspoon-1.0.0.zip).
  • Install the app.
  1. Find the Hammerspoon Folder
  • Go to this location on your Mac: /Users/(your-username)/.hammerspoon/.
  • Note: This is a hidden folder, so you’ll need to enable “Show Hidden Files” in Finder. (You can also use Terminal, but let’s keep it simple.)
  1. Create the Script
  • Inside the .hammerspoon folder, create a new file called init.lua.
  • Open the file and copy-paste this Lua code into it:
local eventtap = hs.eventtap
local eventTypes = hs.eventtap.event.types

local function scrollToKeys(event)
    -- Check if the frontmost app is Cubase
    local frontApp = hs.application.frontmostApplication()
    if frontApp:name() == "Cubase" then
        local mods = event:getFlags()
        local scrollEvent = event:getProperty(eventtap.event.properties.scrollWheelEventDeltaAxis1)

        if mods.alt then
            if scrollEvent > 0 then
                -- Scroll up -> Alt + Arrow Down
                hs.eventtap.keyStroke({"alt"}, "down", 0)
                return true
            elseif scrollEvent < 0 then
                -- Scroll down -> Alt + Arrow Up
                hs.eventtap.keyStroke({"alt"}, "up", 0)
                return true
            end
        end
    end

    return false
end

-- Bind the function to scroll events
local scrollListener = eventtap.new({eventTypes.scrollWheel}, scrollToKeys)
scrollListener:start()
  1. Run Hammerspoon
  • Open the Hammerspoon.app. It’ll load and run the script automatically.
  1. Finnaly test it in Cubase
  • Go in Cubase, Highlight a selected track: hold down the Option key , and scroll with your mouse . The track should zoom vertically, bigger or smaller depending on your scroll direction.

NOTE: What this script does is simple: it triggers Option + Up/Down when you scroll the mouse wheel while holding Option. This is because Option + Up/Down already performs the desired action (vertical zoom), but it normally requires using the keyboard. With this script, you can achieve the same result using the mouse instead.
Additionally, this script is designed to only work when Cubase is the active app. If you switch to another application, like a different DAW, this behavior will not occur. This is good because it ensures that the script only applies to Cubase and doesn’t interfere with other apps, which is exactly what we want.

Hope it helps someone out there.

3

Hi there, looks like an interesting but also complicated solution to your problem. I work on a Windows machine, so I’m not sure if this solution will work for you, but I’ve been using an “MX Master 3” mouse from Logitech for operating Cubase.
→ MX Master 3S kabellose Maus – optischer 8K-Sensor | Logitech
Using the included Logitech app, I was able to apply my keyboard shortcuts for various scroll and zoom modi to the mouse buttons, and I can easily navigate my project horizontally and vertically, scrolling and/or zooming.

1 Like
4

Hey @themancable, thanks for the suggestion ;)))

On Windows, I already use autohotkey and X-Mouse Button Control to remap everything and perform various tasks. But, those options aren’t available on Mac, so I considered relying on some third-party apps, but none of them did the job for this specific use case, until I found this free alternative called Hammerspoon, which works perfectly with a bit of coding. I agree it requires some coding experience, but that’s not an issue for me.

I know that Hammerspoon might seem intimidating at first glance, but once you figure out how it operates, it’s actually quite straightforward. The most important thing is having a solution that works,and in this case, it does the job perfectly .

1 Like
5

Awesome!

6

You mean “zoom” vertically, not “scroll” - right?

By default Cubase uses Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + MW for that, no need for scrips & stuff.

7

Hey @antic604 , thanks for your message, and you’re absolutely correct,I was referring to vertical zooming, not scrolling. I appreciate you pointing that out.

The main goal here is adapting Cubase to use Alt + Scroll for vertical zooming, which isn’t natively customizable. As someone who switches between DAWs often, having consistent shortcuts, like Ctrl/Cmd + Scroll for horizontal zoom and Alt/Opt + Scroll for vertical zoom, is essential for a smooth workflow. (Shift+Scroll for Horizontal scroll)

Most DAWs I usedfollow this convention, so aligning Cubase with it makes transitions much easier for my current workflow.

Have a great day.

8

I’m not sure what you mean “most DAWs”?

  • Ableton Live uses Alt+MW for vertical zoom,
  • S1 uses Ctrl+MW(!),
  • Reason uses Ctrl+Shift+MW (like Cubase),
  • Bitwig uses Ctrl+Alt+MW (but that works only in piano roll).

No idea what FL and Reaper do, but their defaults probably require you to bend over and spit over your left arm, so I never bothered with them :wink:

So, by “most DAWs” you mean Ableton Live? :smiley:

9

@antic604
Yep, you got it The reason I avoided mentioning other DAWs in my original comment was to keep the discussion focused on Cubase. But yeah, I’m referring to the way I’m accustomed to working, where Alt + Scroll handles vertical zooming.

Using Cubase’s default settings hindered my workflow . It’s not just about this one behavior, if it were an isolated issue, I could easily adapt. The problem happens when there are numerous small inconsistencies between DAWs, which collectively slow down my workflow. Constantly having to re-adapt disrupts my workflow.

So,I’ve chosen to adapt newer software to match my established muscle memory, which allowed me work faster and more intuitively without having to second-guess every shortcut , each time I switch from One DAW to another. :wink: