Manual - 5 Qtractor Menus

[Manual - Table of Contents]

5. Qtractor Menus

5.1. Main Workspace

File

• New -- create a new session project

• Open... -- open a previously created session project

• Open Recent -- access a list of several of your last used session projects

• Save -- save your current session project

• Save As... -- save your current session project with naming conventions

• Properties... -- open the session properties dialog

• Exit -- exit the program

Edit

• Undo -- undo the last action

• Redo -- redo the last action

• Cut -- delete and copy an item to the clipboard

• Copy -- copy an item to the clipboard

• Paste -- paste an item from the clipboard

• Paste Repeat... -- paste an item from the clipboard multiple times, with a user-definable period in between each

• Delete -- delete the selected item

• Select Mode -- select Clip, Range or Rectangle edit modes, or Automation

• Select -- select All, None, Invert, Track, Track Range or Range

• Insert -- insert a range or track range

• Remove -- remove a range or track range

• Split -- after selecting a Range or Rectangle, split according to this selection

• Track -- add, remove and adjust the properties of tracks

• Clip -- create a new clip, edit an existing clip, or import/export a clip

Track

• Add Track... -- add either a new audio or MIDI track

• Remove Track -- remove a track

• Duplicate Track -- create a copy of the currently selected track, directly beneath it

• Track Properties... -- open the track properties dialog

• Inputs -- show current track inputs

• Outputs -- show current track outputs

• Instrument -- select the instrument name of a MIDI track, from those defined in the View / Instruments menu

• State -- set current track state: Record, Mute, Solo, Monitor

• Navigate -- navigate through tracks: First, Previous, Next, Last, None

• Move -- change position of current track: Top, Up, Down, Bottom

• Height -- adjust the vertical height of a track

• Auto-Monitor -- toggle current track auto-monitoring

• Auto-Deactivate -- deactivate plugins not producing sound

• Import Tracks -- import audio or MIDI file(s) as new track(s)

• Export Tracks -- export audio or MIDI track(s)

• Automation -- automate the parameters of a track or its plugins

Clip

• New... -- add a new clip to the currently selected track, bounded by the Edit-head and Edit-tail markers (blue vertical lines)

• Edit... -- edit the currently selected clip

• Take -- select from multiple takes recorded, or set a range to create a new one

• Unlink -- if a MIDI clip is copied within the same track, any subsequent changes will be reflected in both the original and copied clips. This unlinks the clips, deactivating this behaviour

• Record -- set a clip to be overdubbed on the next recording operation

• Split -- split the clip at the position of the play-head (red vertical line)

• Merge... -- merge two or more currently selected clips into one

• Normalize -- normalize the level of an audio clip to 0dB

• Tempo Adjust... -- adjust the clip's tempo and time signature

• Cross Fade... -- cross fade two overlapping clips

• Range Set -- set the edit boundaries (blue vertical lines) to the start/end of the currently selected clip

• Loop Set -- set a loop between the start/end of the currently selected clip

• Import... -- import audio or MIDI file(s) as new track(s)

• Export... -- export audio or MIDI track(s)

• Tools -- access a variety of tools to manipulate a MIDI clip

View

• Menubar -- toggle display of the menu bar. Restore with Ctrl+M

• Statusbar -- toggle display of the status bar

• Toolbars -- toggle display of various toolbars

• Windows -- choose which windows are displayed: File System, Files, Messages, Connections, Mixer

• Tool Tips -- toggle display of tool tips (despite the name, these are not tool tips for the GUI icons at the top of the screen, but for the information seen when hovering over a clip)

• Zoom -- zoom the main view: In/Out/Reset for Horizontal axis/Vertical axis/All

• Snap -- change the Snap/beat setting

• Refresh -- refresh the view contents

• Instruments... -- open the instruments dialog, where you can import/export patch names etc.

• Controllers... -- manage MIDI controllers

• Buses... -- open the buses editor dialog

• Tempo Maps / Markers... -- manage tempo and time signature changes

• Options... -- open the program options dialog (see below)

Transport

• Backward -- move playhead backward to the beginning of a range or session

• Rewind -- move playhead backward at greater than usual speed

• Fast Forward -- move playhead forward at greater than usual speed

• Forward -- move playhead forward to the next edit marker or end of the session

• Loop -- repeatedly play the range marked as a loop

• Loop Set -- mark selected range as a loop

• Stop -- stop the transport when rolling

• Play -- move playhead forward at normal speed to play all un-muted tracks

• Record -- prepare to record audio or MIDI on record-enabled tracks

• Punch -- prepare to record the selected punch range

• Punch Set -- mark the selected range for punch recording

• Metronome -- turn the metronome's audio or MIDI output on or off

• Follow Playhead -- enable view scrolling so that the playhead is always visible

• Auto Backward -- have the playhead return to the beginning of a range or session automatically when it stops

• Continue Past End -- have the playhead continue to move forward even after it reaches the end of the session

• Mode -- set the JACK Transport mode: None, Slave, Master, Full

• Panic -- stop any MIDI or audio that may be playing, either via the Tracks pane or the Files pane

Help

• Shortcuts... -- list the keyboard key combination equivalents for various menu items, commands and MIDI Controllers. The content of this menu differs from that of the MIDI Editor's shortcuts menu

• About... -- view information about Qtractor

• About Qt... -- view information about Qt, the graphics toolkit used for Qtractor's user interface

5.2. MIDI Editor

File

• Save -- save the current clip

• Save As... -- save the current clip with naming conventions

• Unlink -- if a MIDI clip is copied within the same track, any subsequent changes will be reflected in both the original and copied clips. This unlinks the clips, deactivating this behavior

• Record -- set a clip to be overdubbed on the next recording operation

• Properties... -- open the clip properties dialog

• Range Set -- set the edit boundaries (blue vertical lines) to the start/end of the currently selected clip

• Loop Set -- set a loop between the start/end of the currently selected clip

• Track -- set the inputs, outputs and properties of a track

• Close -- close the current clip

Edit

• Undo -- undo the last action

• Redo -- redo the last action

• Cut -- delete and copy an item to the clipboard

• Copy -- copy an item to the clipboard

• Paste -- paste an item from the clipboard

• Paste Repeat... -- paste an item from the clipboard multiple times, with a user-definable period in between each

• Delete -- delete the selected item

• Select Mode -- select On, Off or Draw edit modes

• Select -- select All, None, Invert or Range

• Insert -- insert a range

• Remove -- remove a range

• Tools -- access a variety of tools to manipulate the clip

View

• Menubar -- toggle display of the menu bar. Restore with Ctrl+M

• Statusbar -- toggle display of the status bar

• Toolbars -- toggle various toolbars on and off

• Windows -- toggle display of the Events window

• Tool Tips -- toggle display of tool tips (despite the name, these are not tool tips for the GUI icons at the top of the window, but for the information seen when hovering over a note/MIDI controller data)

• Note Duration -- visualise note durations in the bottom pane

• Note Color -- set notes/values to be displayed in different colors according to pitch

• Note Type -- display either Note On or Key Press events

• Value Color -- set notes/values to be displayed in different colors according to velocity value

• Value Type -- determine the information to be displayed in the bottom pane

• Drum Mode -- displays MIDI Note On events as diamonds instead of rectangles

• Zoom -- zoom the view: In/Out/Reset for Horizontal axis/Vertical axis/All

• Snap -- change the Snap/beat setting

• Scale -- lock the addition/editing of notes to a particular scale, from the common to the esoteric

• Refresh -- refresh the view contents

• Preview Notes -- toggle whether notes are audible when inputting/editing in the matrix

• Follow Playhead -- enable view scrolling so that the playhead is always visible

Tools

At least one note must be selected for this menu to be active.

• Quantize -- quantize the timing or scale of notes

• Transpose -- transpose the pitch of, or shift the timing of, a note/notes; reverse a sequence of notes

• Normalize -- normalize the velocity value of notes using a percentage amount or absolute number

• Randomize -- randomize note pitches, times, durations or velocity values by percentage amounts

• Resize -- resize note durations or velocity values

• Rescale -- rescale note times, durations or velocity values

• Timeshift -- alter the timing of notes on a curve, such that the acceleration from the beginning note to the ending note is either increased or decreased

Transport

See Main Workspace above.

Help

• Shortcuts... -- list the keyboard key combination equivalents of menu items and other commands. The content of this menu differs from that of the main workspace's shortcuts menu

• About... -- view information about Qtractor

• About Qt... -- view information about Qt, the graphics toolkit used for Qtractor's user interface

5.3. View / Options

• General -- configure global options, such as UI behaviour, session templates, back-ups and transport mode

• Audio -- set capture/export format, playback options and metronome

• MIDI -- set capture/export format, playback options, control options and metronome

• Display -- configure the look-and-feel of the UI, including colours and fonts, plus enable/disable logging

• Plugins -- set plugin paths, toggle plugin editor GUIs, toggle dedicated audio outputs for tracks and enable/disable various experimental features