A trick for Autohotkey scripts is that you can look at the cursor type to store what was the previously selected tool.
Oh, neat. Code?
I lost my old right-click-to-erase script, I’ll share it when I find it.
Are you sure you used this in Cubase (with its custom cursors?) A_cursor doesn’t work in Cubase.
Interesting technique. I’ll have to have a look at the Auto Hot-Key program mentioned. Thanks.
I think the Range tool is excellent for what it does. I find multi-tools are more confusing and fiddly than selecting and using individual tools. The Abelton system is not superior as I see it. I’m not an expert Abelton User, but I do work with the program and I do like it, but in terms of tools, I prefer the Cubase system.
In the future, there could be perhaps options for multi-tools or even user-made tools in new program versions of Cubase or other DAWS and new paradigms will likely emerge over time. Let’s hope function is put over style in those decisions.
+1 for Range Tool in the Key Editor
I am sure, but it was in Cubase 8.
Looking forward to seeing the solution!
Under Preferences → Editing → MIDI, there are check boxes to Split Events and Split Controllers, if those are checked data is split and copied to the new location, I think. No?
He wants data beyond the range automatically selected though.
Thanks, but it looks like this file missed the boat on my backups. I’ll make sure to post it if I end up rewriting it.
I’m fine with them being separate and use both frequently.
First of all, learn the modifiers to start realizing it’s full potential:
-Holding Ctrl+Shift, allows the range selection to select your entire project range, bottom to top.
Commands: Cut Time, Paste Time, Delete Time, Insert Silence - are extremely useful in combo with the above modifier, as well as on individual events on single tracks.
It’s quick and accurate for creating a non-grid loop if you are looping based off transient visual of the region - eg, select selection tool, drag from transient of beat-1 and drag to end of part cycle, press ‘p’ (loop selection). It’s of coarse then also very quick for setting your punch in/out points which I have set up as ‘Alt+Shift+i’
Split range is great, for separating bits of audio from silence
‘Fade to range’ is a quick way of fading to an area of max-focus/volume.
‘Crop’ is nice to use sometimes to delete everything outside of your selection on individual regions (it keeps crossfades in mind)
‘Insert Silence’
‘Zoom To Selection’ I use all the time, I have setup as ‘Alt+S’, and then I have ‘Undo Zoom’ as 'Alt+z"
‘Play Selection Range’ If you’re looking through a lot of audio, have a huge project, want to quickly browse around, this is handy.
ALSO, to maximize use, you have to realize that a lot of the same hotkeys work both for the selection tool and the range tool, but you can get slightly different use out of the same hotkey depending on which tool you’ve selected. Example, ‘Select From Start to Cursor’/‘Select From End to Cursor’.
MACROS, you can really get creative with macros. here’s a couple I setup for myself that involve the range selection tool. I attatched pics below:
1.) Move Selection to new track
2.) Edit - Splice Selection - Decrease Volume by 6db (quick for reducing sibilance, slap bass transients, etc)
You could just select a bit extra, and then switch your grid mode, to grid relative, alt+drag to where you want it, and everything will still be lined up correctly.
For MAC, look into Keyboard maestro for doing similar scripting as AutoHotKey… I have totally reconfigured my interface with this, its awesome
yes, please do share if you happen to find it-- this would be a great workflow enhancement. thank you!
Exactamundo. I want Cubase to be ‘smart’ enough so that when I copy a range of -bars-, it automatically brings along the applicable controller and keyswitch data which I typically put a few ticks -before- the starting bar line (and sometimes a few ticks -after- the last bar in the range).
I view this as like how MS Word ‘knows’ to copy the formatting data when one copies/pastes a paragraph.
THIS IS A PARADIGM SHIFT: I want Cubase to think of copy/paste in terms of musical ‘objects’… themes, verses, choruses–each with their own attributes. In the same way Word works in terms of words, paragraphs and pages.
The thing I dislike fundamentally about the Range tool is that it works the way Word would work if it simply cut/pasted like Photoshop… ie. chopping a rectangular area. What it -should- do is be as intelligent with controller and keyswitch data as Word is WRT words/paragraphs/sentences.
I see. That would be great. The more I get into the program the more I feel it should have such musically relevant tools. Thanks for explaining that in more detail.
I’m fine with them being separate and use both frequently.
[…snip, see above]
Thanks for an excellent post. Great suggestions and examples. Just the other day I used one of your suggestions. I had a passage that really worked best when it started on what had been beat two of the first bar, the range tool made it very easy to accomplish that edit.
I’ve been checking out Dorico… I’m not finding it all that -useful- at the moment, but I -love- how Daniel is re-thinking the program in terms of actual -music- intelligent objects----as Word Processors and Desktop Publishers have done for years. It’s starting to work like it understands how a guy with pencil and paper works with real players.
Current music programs all seem to work -dumb-. The only objects that are ‘smart’ are individual notes. But larger ideas? Not so much.
But in a Word Processor or DTP, every object is -smart-. It has formatting. You can spell check or even grammar check for ‘correctness’. And when you move things around, they ‘see’ that a sentence is part of a paragraph.
There’s NOTHING like that in DAWs. A DAW should be like a Word Processor… when you move a verse around or a section with a repeat, Cubase should ‘see’ how the mix changes. Automation, controllers, inserts, sends, should all adjust… just like a Word Processor does when you move sentences and paragraphs and piccies around.
IMAGINE how much faster we could all work if we stop using DAWs like a ‘Mixing Board’ and a ‘Tape Recorder’ metaphor and could actually use it like a DTP.
I’m gassing on about it here because the Range Tool has always been the least intelligent tool in Cubase. Yeah, it’s useful, but that’s just because there’s nothing better. At the moment.
Someone should write a DAW that works like a DTP and not like a Tape Recorder or a Piano Roll.
Glad to hear! Another little secret I forgot but hinted at. Is by using ‘Cntrl+Shift Select’, Ctrl+C [copy], and then going to another section of the song you want to insert that part and nudge everything else over - ‘Paste Time Ctrl+Shift+V’. Imo, quickest way to make arrangement changes that I wish I started using alot sooner in my life.
just beware that once there are audio events with snap points other than the default (ie. snap points other than the beginning of the audio event), this may become buggy and unreliable (those events will paste displaced). another example of half-baked functionality unfortunately.