Reference

Keyboard Shortcuts

Every shortcut in one place. Single letters work when the matching window is focused, so S in the arrangement toggles snap and S in the piano roll does the same there.

Global

These work anywhere in the app.

Keys	Action
`Space`	Play or pause.
`⇧Space`	Play from the start.
`Return`	Stop.
`⇧Return`	Return the playhead to the start.
`⌘Z` / `⇧⌘Z`	Undo / redo. The piano roll and pitch editor keep their own histories.
`⌘N`	New project.
`⌘O`	Open a project.
`⌘S` / `⇧⌘S`	Save / Save As.
`⌘W`	Close the project (asks to save).
`⌘E`	Export your mix.
`⌘P`	Show or hide the chord pad.
`⌘D`	Show or hide the drum machine.
`⌘M`	Show or hide the mixer.
`⌘,`	Open Settings.
`⌘?`	Open this documentation.
`⌘Q`	Quit (asks to save unsaved changes).

Arrangement

These work in the main window, over the tracks and clips.

Keys	Action
`S`	Toggle snap.
`M`	Toggle the metronome.
`L`	Toggle loop playback.
Hold `C`	The splice blade: click or drag across lanes to split clips.
`⌫`	Delete the highlighted range, or the selected clips.
`⌘X` / `⌘C` / `⌘V`	Cut / copy / paste clips or a highlighted range.
`⌘A`	Select every clip.
Right-drag	Marquee-select: clips over the lanes, tracks over the header column.
`⌥`-drag a clip	Drag out a copy. The original stays put.
Scroll over the timeline	Zoom in and out (pinch works too).
`⇧`-click a header	Select a range of tracks.
`⌘`-click a header	Add or remove one track from the selection.

Piano roll

These work when the piano roll window is focused.

Keys	Action
`S`	Toggle snap.
`Q`	Open the quantize menu.
`H`	Open the humanize menu.
`V`	Toggle velocity mode: a slider on every note.
`M`	Merge selected same-pitch notes into one.
`L`	Toggle loop playback.
Hold `C`	The splice tool: cut notes, straight or diagonal.
`⌫`	Delete the selected notes.
`⌘A`	Select every note in the clip.
`⌘X` / `⌘C` / `⌘V`	Cut / copy / paste notes. Paste lands at the scrubber and advances it.
`⌘Z` / `⇧⌘Z`	Undo / redo in this clip's own history.
Scroll	Trackpad scroll pans, a mouse wheel zooms, pinch zooms.
`⌥`-scroll	Zoom the note height.

Chord pad typing keys

With the chord pad open, the top of your keyboard becomes two piano octaves. The letter row plays the white pads and the number row plays the black pads above them, just like a piano. Q is the lowest pad and ] is the highest.

Keys	Pads
`Q` `W` `E` `R` `T` `Y` `U`	The lower octave's white pads, left to right.
`2` `3` `5` `6` `7`	The lower octave's black pads, sitting above their white neighbors.
`I` `O` `P` `[` `]`	The upper octave's white pads.
`9` `0` `=`	The upper octave's black pads.

Note

The full row reads Q 2 W 3 E R 5 T 6 Y 7 U I 9 O 0 P [ = ]. Toggle the pad off and the typing keyboard is yours again.

Pitch editor

These work in the NeonPitch editor window.

Keys	Action
Drag a note up or down	Retune it.
Drag a note left or right	Adjust its drift.
Hold `C`	The cut tool: split a note where you click.
Right-click a note	Offer to reset an edited note to the scale.
Right-drag	Marquee-select notes.
`⌫`	Remove the selected notes.
`⌘A`	Select every note.
`⌘Z` / `⇧⌘Z`	Undo / redo pitch edits.
Scroll wheel	Zoom (trackpad scroll pans, pinch zooms).
`⌥`-scroll	Zoom the note height.

Launch

Keys	Action
Hold `⇧` while NeonDAW opens	Skip reopening the last project, just this once.