Questions & Answers

Standardize Windows Modifier Keys/Shortcuts

+12 votes
1,067 views
asked Dec 30, 2015 in Studio One Feature Requests by Funkybot (21,640 points)
edited Feb 4, 2016 by Funkybot
Across just about every Windows application except S1, Ctrl+click is used for non-consecutive selection, in S1, Shift does this. In every other Windows application except S1, Shift+clicking selects the items themselves and everything in between the items you just clicked. S1 should modify the shortcuts to conform to other Windows applications (or at least offer it as an option). Ideally, it'd be the same rules as you'd find in something like Excel.

So just to elaborate:

Ctrl+Click = Select non-continuous events, clips, or tracks

Shift+Click = Select all clips, events, or tracks from the first item clicked to the last, with everything in between

6 Answers

+1 vote
answered Dec 30, 2015 by AlexTinsley (925,230 points)
Thanks for the suggestion.

If anyone else agrees or disagrees, please vote on it.
+3 votes
answered Feb 9, 2016 by Daw Stew (12,570 points)
totally agree. This is one of my major frustrations with S1 as it ignores the standards that we all get used to when using Windows.

Its inconsistent even with S1, Shift clicking tracks works as you would expect but try that with events on a track and it won't select all the events in between the first and last events you shift clicked.

Why is Ctrl the alternate modifier key for the Range tool? Surely that should be the ALT (alternate) key
0 votes
answered Feb 13, 2017 by Skaperverket (4,720 points)
I agree with you guys. Should be more predictable.
+3 votes
answered Feb 13, 2017 by Funkybot (21,640 points)

Put together this table to illustrate the inconsistency both within Studio One (it should at least be consistent with itself) and Windows (below).

Notice how having different behavior based on when you hit Ctrl can be confusing and how much more logical it would be to have the Alt key bring up the Alt tool in comparison?

+1 vote
answered Jun 22, 2018 by robertgray3 (42,810 points)
I've been using studio one every day the last six months and this still trips me up a few times a week. :) would be great if it followed Windows and Mac conventions for this (both are essentially the same) and was more consistent with itself as well.
0 votes
answered Apr 20, 2021 by Scoox (17,270 points)
edited Apr 20, 2021 by Scoox

+1 And I will add, modifiers in Studio One are all over the place. A complete mess. I find it disconcerting that Presonus doesn't pick up on these inconsistencies. They should fix the niggles before implementing new flashy features.

For example, to move a track it's click then drag, so you'd think to move an FX insert you'd just click and drag it. Wrong! That will copy, not move, the FX insert. Instead, to move an insert you have to Alt + Click, or Shift + Click, then drag it. That's as counter-intuitive as you can get. A well design user interface would resemble the way we naturally interact with objects. To move my cofee mug from one place to another I don't need to hold down a button—I just move it directly. Likewise, to move a track, or a clip, or a note in Studio One I just click and drag, non need for modifiers. Then what is so special about FX inserts that they require a modifier key to be held down?

But wait, it gets better! Ctrl + Click then drag is used in countless software applications for duplicating items. In Studio One itself it's used for copying clips, MIDI notes and tracks, so it wouldn't be unreasonable for users to expect that this would also be used for copying FX inserts. Well... wrong again! Ctrl + Click then drag—you guessed it—deletes FX inserts! I mean... seriously Presonus?

Here's a summary of how this works at the moment. MIDI notes, Clips and Tracks use the same modifier scheme, while FX tracks use a completely different scheme that's inconsistent with everything else:

And below is how I think it should work. Ctrl for Copy everywhere (as used by most software, not just Studio One). Alt for "special" Copy everywhere (except MIDI notes and FX inserts which don't have a special Copy). Shift for Delete everywhere, where applicable. No modifiers always moves things.

I would add, also the ability to delete multiple selected tracks and inserts by Shfit + Click then drag. At the moment FX inserts can't be selected, so we can only delete one at a time (this is by no means a deal breaker but certainly useful to be able to do).

PS: I think it's embarrassing that users have to waste their time to report problems that are obvious to everyone except, apparently, the people making the software. We are talking about problems that would be relatively easy to fix. We are not requesting a new synth plugin, or something mad like Mix Engine FX... just sayin'

...