Qtractor: move play head without shift

[Lyberta]

I'm learning Qtractor and I'm really frustrated that I need to hold shift to move the play head. Is there a setting somewhere where I can change it?

[kobraji]

Yeah, I think it's a bug,
but when playing, starts from the right place.
Well, this does not affect my work flow
calm. Rui will fix this.

[rncbc]

i'm terribly sorry. it is not a bug whatsoever. in fact it is like so since day one (11yo!)

there's an alternative though:
you may turn on View > Options... > General/Reverse middle-button modifier role (Shift/Ctrl), and then use the middle-button click to set the play-head without pressing shift or ctrl.

hth.
cheers

[Lyberta]

i'm terribly sorry. it is not a bug whatsoever. in fact it is like so since day one (11yo!)

there's an alternative though:
you may turn on View > Options... > General/Reverse middle-button modifier role (Shift/Ctrl), and then use the middle-button click to set the play-head without pressing shift or ctrl.

hth.
cheers

Can a setting to reverse shift modifier be added? So clicking moves playhead and shift clicking sets the region.

[bluebell]

i'm terribly sorry. it is not a bug whatsoever. in fact it is like so since day one (11yo!)

there's an alternative though:
you may turn on View > Options... > General/Reverse middle-button modifier role (Shift/Ctrl), and then use the middle-button click to set the play-head without pressing shift or ctrl.

hth.
cheers

Can a setting to reverse shift modifier be added? So clicking moves playhead and shift clicking sets the region.

Don't you like the middle button? The workflow is perfect for me: middle click sets playhead position, left and right click set the markers. So my left hand only presses the space bar to start/stop.

[Lyberta]

Middle click is always hard because you can move the wheel instead. I hate middle clicking.

[PatS]

Middle click is always hard because you can move the wheel instead. I hate middle clicking.

This concept of left, right and middle click in Qtractor makes perfect sense to me. Personally I'm fine with middle clicking. Never accidentally moved the wheel.
Which brings me to another question.
Can the mouse wheel be used for anything other than scrolling the track view up and down? Like horizontal zoom, for example?
Oh, and while I'm at it hijacking the thread: Is it possible to mute clips?
...been making my first steps with Qtr.

[rncbc]

Can the mouse wheel be used for anything other than scrolling the track view up and down? Like horizontal zoom, for example?

shift/ctrl + wheel will zoom in and out, centered from current mouse pointer.

Oh, and while I'm at it hijacking the thread: Is it possible to mute clips?

no, but there's one hacky workaround: set clip properties gain to -70dB (audio) or volume to 0% (midi).

hth.
cheers

[PatS]

shift/ctrl + wheel will zoom in and out, centered from current mouse pointer.

Great! That's what I needed. Any chance of setting the wheel sensitivity for this? If not, never mind. Great feature nonetheless.

no, but there's one hacky workaround: set clip properties gain to -70dB (audio) or volume to 0% (midi).

I was thinking of doing that.
Thanks a lot.

[tnovelli]

you may turn on View > Options... > General/Reverse middle-button modifier role (Shift/Ctrl), and then use the middle-button click to set the play-head without pressing shift or ctrl.

I don't have a middle button! (and I don't want one)

Could you create a "Set Playhead" keyboard shortcut?

...and/or add an option to swap 'shift' role? (set playhead be default, hold shift to set loop points)

[rncbc]

I don't have a middle button! (and I don't want one)

unless you're using a mac, or have no wheel-mouse, the middle-button is usually emulated by clicking the left+right buttons simultaneously or 3-finger tapping on the touchpad. of course it varies on the X11 and/or DE configuration.

Could you create a "Set Playhead" keyboard shortcut?

feasible. though a new main menu command must here be introduced, say Transport > Set Playhead, then it will up to you to assign a keyboard shortcut (or even a MIDI controller) on your own.

however (i do always prompt this, don't i? ), i don't find this way of setting the playhead any egonormically better than just shift+click on the time-ruler: you still have to point the mouse over the timeline and then hit some key-combination on the keyboard, a two-hands job anyway.

...and/or add an option to swap 'shift' role? (set playhead be default, hold shift to set loop points)

i cannot agree with this one, sorry. just clicking on the timeline would make things very hard to work with, specially when playback or recording is rolling: clicking would just interrupt and/or skip the roll and i'm afraid that would be way too many and often an accident to occur :/

hth.
cheers

[Lyberta]

What?

Rosegarden and lots of other DAWs use left click to set the playhead. I've never seen a problem with them.

[rncbc]

What?

Rosegarden and lots of other DAWs use left click to set the playhead. I've never seen a problem with them.

maybe because those other DAWs don't let you make edits on-the-fly? or away from where the playhead is currently rolling?

nevermind, that's not the point.

the truth is, i won't make it like so any time soon.

anyway. my stance is kinda personal. i've made it like, a decade ago, as i do like myself. and there are probably few others who don't see a problem here either. so, let me tell you also that i haven't copy from anything else, and most of all and importantly, i try to never pay any credit do what comes from the cupertino neighborhoods --one never knows when a stupid patent cease-and-desist threat will come from those fellas

cheers

ps. the bitten-fruit corp. as referred earlier is most probably to blame for that one single button is plenty for all. i don't agree and won't ever regret not following those dumbed-down user interface commandments.

pps. however, everyone is free to propose a pull-request for that matter, as long it doesn't break old behavior, nor the GPL

[tnovelli]

unless you're using a mac, or have no wheel-mouse, the middle-button is usually emulated by clicking the left+right buttons simultaneously or 3-finger tapping on the touchpad. of course it varies on the X11 and/or DE configuration.

No macs here! I have a laptop where left+right click is very awkward, and a trackball with no middle button. And Qtractor is the ONLY program I use that assumes I have a middle button.

3-finger tap might work on the laptop, and I could remap a button on the trackball. But those options disappeared from the easy mouse settings GUIs in DEs a few years ago, and I've wasted a lot of time screwing around with xinput and xorg.conf before, so I'm not keen on that solution. It's not that important to me.

Left click would be the obvious choice though...

...and/or add an option to swap 'shift' role? (set playhead be default, hold shift to set loop points)

i cannot agree with this one, sorry. just clicking on the timeline would make things very hard to work with, specially when playback or recording is rolling: clicking would just interrupt and/or skip the roll and i'm afraid that would be way too many and often an accident to occur :/

I do use shift-click to skip around during playback. Not a problem. As for recording accidents, it's pretty easy to hit the big fat spacebar too.

I could see it being a problem on a trackpad with "tap to click" enabled, but who uses that?

pps. however, everyone is free to propose a pull-request for that matter, as long it doesn't break old behavior, nor the GPL

I might.. wouldn't be my first foray into the Qtractor code. Bonus: instant gratification

[Lyberta]

pps. however, everyone is free to propose a pull-request for that matter, as long it doesn't break old behavior, nor the GPL

I might.. wouldn't be my first foray into the Qtractor code. Bonus: instant gratification

Maybe you can provide the file names that handle preferences GUI and left click. I guess I can venture into code too.