Keyboard Shortcut Philosophy
Shared keyboard conventions and where to find shortcut help in each 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.
Where available, the SHORTCUTS tab also contains a "Show startup hints again" button — it turns tips back on and replays the app's first-run guided tour from step one. In Visualizers and Performer, Settings → Display → Tips has the same REPLAY TIPS plus a Show tips switch to turn every tip off or on. (The same replay can be triggered by adding ?welcome=1 to the app's URL.) See Getting Started for what the tour covers.
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