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Manuals and Reference

SpaceAge Shortcut Cheat Sheet

Updated Aug 27, 2026   |   5.0 KB   |   docs/Shortcut_Cheat_Sheet.md

SpaceAge Shortcut Cheat Sheet

Last updated: 2026-08-18

This sheet mirrors the current in-app Shortcuts popup and adds lane-badge shortcuts that are visible in tooltips.

Global

  • Space: Play / stop.
  • Home: Return the playback head to the beginning of the active timeline.
  • Ctrl+Left / Ctrl+Right: Rewind / fast-forward.
  • Ctrl+Z: Undo.
  • Ctrl+Y: Redo.
  • Ctrl+Shift+Z: Redo.
  • Ctrl+S: Open Library save options.
  • P: Preview the active sound.

Focused text editors keep all editing keys. Menus and sliders keep their value-entry/navigation keys, while safe global commands such as transport, Save, Undo, and Redo remain available after a passive control click. Esc remains the universal dismissal key.

Piano Roll And Chord Engine

  • Space: Play / stop from the current playback context.
  • Home: Move playback start to the beginning of the visible Piano Roll timeline.
  • End: Move playback start to the end of the visible Piano Roll timeline.
  • Ctrl+A: Select all notes and Chord Markers.
  • Shift+Lasso: Add notes and Chord Markers to the current selection.
  • Ctrl+Click Note: Add or remove one note from the selection.
  • Shift+Click Note: Add one note to the selection.
  • Shift+Drag Selected Note: Clone the selected note group.
  • Shift+Drag Selected Chord Marker: Clone the selected Chord Marker group.
  • Esc: Clear selection.
  • Delete / Backspace: Delete selected notes and Chord Markers.
  • Ctrl+C: Copy selected notes and Chord Markers.
  • Ctrl+V: Paste selected notes and Chord Markers.
  • Ctrl+D / Ctrl+B: Duplicate selected notes and Chord Markers.
  • Ctrl+U: Chop selected notes and Chord Markers using the current cut subdivision.
  • Ctrl+Left / Ctrl+Right: Nudge selected notes and Chord Markers.
  • Shift+Left / Shift+Right: Resize selected notes and Chord Markers.
  • Ctrl+Up / Ctrl+Down: Transpose selected notes and Chord Markers by octave.
  • Shift+Up / Shift+Down: Transpose selected notes and Chord Markers by semitone.
  • Page Up / Page Down: Horizontal zoom.
  • Shift++ / Shift+-: Zoom the Piano Roll in or out.
  • Ctrl+0: Reset the Piano Roll view.
  • Shift+D: Snap selected note lengths to the active grid.
  • F: Fit selected notes/chords, or reset the Piano Roll view if nothing is selected.
  • O: Fit the complete editable Piano Roll clip, including all notes and Chord Markers, at the largest useful scale. Selection does not change this overview.
  • Shift+4: Fit selected notes/chords, or reset the Piano Roll view if nothing is selected.
  • X / Esc: Close the honeycomb chord suggestions popup without changing the chord.

Arrangement Canvas

  • 1: Move the Arranger playback head directly to measure 1, step 1, regardless of loop, selection, or prior playhead target.
  • Home: Move the Arranger playback head directly to measure 1, step 1.
  • Ctrl+A: Select all clips.
  • Ctrl+C: Copy selected clips or Section Markers.
  • Ctrl+V: Paste copied clips or Section Markers at an explicit playhead target. SpaceAge inserts the widest copied span across the whole song and shifts later clips, Sections, and Lane Local automation together. A target inside a real primary Drum block is refused; move the playhead to its edge.
  • Ctrl+D: Duplicate selected clips or Section Markers.
  • Ctrl+U: Cut selected clips or Section Markers using the Arrangement cut subdivision.
  • F / Shift+4 / O / Ctrl+O: Fit the whole existing song into the Arrangement Canvas as large as possible. Lane height only compacts when all full-height lanes cannot fit.
  • Shift+O: Collapse every Arrangement lane to a compact overview height. Press it again to expand the lanes; this is independent from Fit.
  • Enter: Open the selected clip for editing.
  • Delete / Backspace: Remove selected clips while preserving time.
  • Esc: Cancel an active Arrangement drag, resize, clone-drag, or lasso, then clear Arrangement selection.
  • Ctrl+Shift+A: Select clips under selected Section Markers.

Lane Badge Buttons

These shortcuts open the vertical lane-badge command groups for the selected lane.

  • Alt+L: Lane Structure tools, including rename, order, collapse, and lane layout controls.
  • Alt+S: Lane Signal tools, including instrument, mixer, MIDI, and routing controls.
  • Alt+V: Lane View tools, including ghost notes, clip display, lane color, and visibility controls.

Automation

  • Arrangement AUTO / Piano Roll AUTOMATION: Open the Automation editor for the resolved target. +N means that target already contains automation rows.
  • Ctrl+A: Select every point or switch edge in the selected automation row.
  • Ctrl+C: Copy selected automation.
  • Ctrl+X: Cut selected automation.
  • Ctrl+V: Paste selected automation at the playhead.
  • Delete / Backspace: Remove selected automation.
  • Left / Right: Nudge selected automation timing.
  • Up / Down: Change selected automation values.
  • Pitch Bend automation keeps raw 14-bit curves. External hardware trust requires a Hardware Passport bend range and TEST BEND verification.