Keyboard Shortcuts and Startup Tips
Find keyboard shortcuts, skip guided tips, and turn startup tips back on in every BeamTracer app.
Global shortcuts use the Ctrl+ modifier (or Cmd+ on Mac). Individual tools also have context-specific keys, including standalone keys and Studio lyric-timing combinations.
The Shortcuts Modal
Every app has the same two ways to see its shortcuts:
- Open the Settings gear in the header, then select SHORTCUTS
- Press
Ctrl+/(Cmd+/on Mac)
Ctrl+/ opens the current app's Settings modal directly on its SHORTCUTS tab; from the gear, select SHORTCUTS yourself. The list follows the same section order in every app and only shows actions that work in the module or mode currently on screen.
How do I turn the tool tips back on?
In BeamTracer, open the Settings gear, select DISPLAY, and find TIPS. Turn on Show tips to restart the guided tips, or select REPLAY TIPS to start again from the first card. Close Settings to see the tips in your current tool. This works in Laser, OSC-1, Visualizers, Performer, and Studio.
- Got it advances to the next tip. Each card’s More details link opens the full guide for that feature.
- Skip all tips skips the current tool’s tour. Other tools and modes keep their own progress.
- Turn off Show tips to hide guided tips across all apps in this browser.
- REPLAY TIPS turns tips on and resets every tour, including skipped tours. Visit another tool or mode to see its tips again.
- The SHORTCUTS tab also has Show startup hints again, which replays tips without leaving your current tool or changing your work.
Tips pause while Settings or another dialog is open. Close the dialog to continue. Your choice and tour progress are saved in this browser; another browser or device can show tips again. Tips stay hidden on the separate output stage.
For a first result, follow the guides for Image to Laser, Text to Laser, OSC-1, Visualizer, Performer, or Studio.
Why Ctrl+, Not Alt+ or Bare Keys
OSC-1 Oscilloscope has a QWERTY keyboard synth — pressing A, S, D, F, G, H, J, K plays notes. Using bare letter keys for shortcuts would conflict with synth input.
The solution: shared global shortcuts across BeamTracer apps use Ctrl+ as the modifier. This lets users switch between synth mode and shortcut mode without remapping.
Space is the shared transport exception wherever the current module has playback, and it doesn't conflict with synth input. A few bare keys remain inside focused performance modules where their meaning is unambiguous; they are never used as alternate panel-hiding controls.
The Convention
| Pattern | Use |
|---|---|
Ctrl+[Key] | All global shortcuts |
Ctrl+[ / Ctrl+] / Ctrl+\ | Left / right / both panels in every two-panel workspace |
Space | Play / Pause when the current module has a transport |
| Arrow keys | Navigation (non-conflicting contexts) |
Undo and Redo
OSC-1, Animation Studio, and Audio Visualizers share the same undo and redo controls in the global header. The buttons stay visible but disabled until an action is available, and their tooltip names what will be undone or redone next.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl/Cmd+Z | Undo the most recent edit |
Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+Z | Redo |
Ctrl/Cmd+Y | Redo (alias) |
A slider drag is one history step, even if it passes through many values. Multi-part actions such as applying a preset or resetting a session also return as one step. History is kept for the current app session and is cleared when you reload or leave the app.
When your cursor is inside a text field, these shortcuts keep their normal text-editing behavior instead of changing the app. Click outside the field to undo app changes again.
Per-App Shortcuts
- BT Laser Studio shortcuts
- OSC-1 Oscilloscope shortcuts
- Audio Visualizer shortcuts
- Studio shortcuts — the same global keys, plus the lyric timing set