Key Editor ? - Key command to scroll by beat, bar, or

Finding and clicking the tiny tiny triangle to scroll the key editor left or right on multiple large screen is very time consuming – can’t find anything in the Key commands list that does this function … is it possible?

William,

See this thread where I asked a similar question. There are key command to “nudge cursor” left or right, and also key commands to advance the cursor by full measures.

Cubase’s navigation is woefully lacking. I really, really wish they’d update the behavior. For instance, while zoomed in fairly close in the Key Editor, using the scroll bar, the screen jumps far too much and quickly. It should a smooth movement – or at least controllable. I find myself overshooting many measures ahead and having to back up, losing the cursor, having to hit the key command for autoscroll to get the cursor back into view, etc. etc. To my mind, it’s an ergonomic nightmare when doing a lot of MIDI editing – which is pretty much all I do.

And another thing! :imp: When autoscroll is on, the cursor should jump back to be in the center of the screen, not on the left hand side. Too many times, I need to edit the note before the cursor as well as the note at the cursor. I constantly find myself having to back up to get that note on screen. That’s why I don’t use autoscroll except to locate the cursor when I’ve lost it.

Mahlon

Great description of the issues, Mahlon. Having to continually fiddle with the focus is time consuming, distracting, and makes for grumpy customers.

The arrows on the scrollbar move the editor by one bar. If you get more familiar with Cubase’s key commands you will find many ways to navigate.

A quick zoom-in/zoom-out (‘H’, ‘G’) will center the cursor, for example.

Thanks for the zoom in/out tip, that helps.

In the OP, it was implied that the little arrows work. But on a big screen, on three big screens, they are tiny, hard to find, and hard to hit. And as far as I can tell, they can’t be ‘key-commanded’. So, perhaps this is a feature request: it’s mouse-clickable? make it key-commandable.

I was responding to the other user.

In Key Commands:

Transport — Nudge Cursor Right/Left will move the cursor based on the current quantize value, which can be anything you want and be assigned to a key itself (and is shown in the Key Editor by vertical lines of varying brightness).

Transport — Step Bar/Step Back Bar will move the cursor by whole bars.

For the (auto)scrolling issue and the cursor or notes getting lost outside of the window, I find “Zoom — Zoom Full” to be very helpful. As a matter of fact I always open the Key Editor with a macro which does “Open Key Editor + Zoom Full” so I always see the entire part when I open it.

Just my 2c.

Now that is handy. Thanks! I’ve been using Zoom to Event, but Zoom Full looks a bit better as it gets the entire Part in view. I wonder if there’s a way to make a macro to zoom full if you click a Part in the Project Window? I leave the Key Editor open at all times, so the Part switches automatically depending on what Part is selected.

Mahlon

True that. I do love Cubase. I just want the jumpiness of moving about the Key Editor to be more congruous between zoom levels without having to necessarily move the cursor. I’d really welcome the OP suggestion of key commands to access the Windows arrows. But methinks that’s a Windows thing and can’t be controlled by Cubase.

Mahlon

Autohotkey scripts are great for that on Windows.

Thanks, Steve. When you say “Autokey scripts”, are you talking about the Macros you can make from multiple key commands, or something else?

Mahlon

i wonder what you’re comparing to (if you’re comparing to another DAW at all). i find compared to other DAWs the navigation possibilities are quite vast (compared to, say, ableton, where i always feel restricted when it comes to navigating around a project).

Sorry, I meant Autohotkey- http://www.autohotkey.com/

Very cool. Thank you.

Mahlon

I was not accurate when I said woefully lacking. And perhaps a bit too dramatic. :wink: I’m mostly saying that the visual part of the experience (especially navigating the Key Editor) could be smoother; not saying that the many ways to manipulate the navigation are not there.

Mahlon