Preferences settings that affect Edit behavior

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There are two settings in Tracks Behaviors Preferences that affect the operation of the Cut, Paste, and Delete editing commands:
  • unchecked checkbox Enable cut lines (unchecked by default)
    • When this setting is enabled, cutting a section of audio will leave a red vertical line at the left edge of the cut portion. You can click on this line at any time to restore the cut audio.
  • unchecked checkbox Editing a clip can move other clips (unchecked by default)
    • If this setting is enabled any clips following to right of the edit point can always move as necessary in response to pasting, cutting, deleting or other change that adds or removes content.

This page provides details and examples of how these preference settings affect editing operations.

The images on this page do not have the Clip-handle drag-bars shown (they were made with an earlier version of Audacity).

Contents

  1. Editing a clip can move other clips
  2. Enable Cut lines


Editing a clip can move other clips

If this setting is enabled (the default setting is "off") and the track has been split into more than one clip, any clips following to the right of the edit point can always move as necessary in response to pasting, cutting, deleting or other change that adds or removes content.

Unchecking this preferences "pins" clips so that they cannot move in response to an edit in another clip. When removing content, any following clips will not move back. When pasting, an error message will display if there is not enough room to paste without moving the following clips.

Note carefully that Sync-Lock trumps (over-rides) this setting:

If you have Sync-Lock enabled in the Tracks Menu, then clips can move even when this setting is turned "off".

Examples of the effect of changing "Editing a clip can move other clips"

Removing audio (Cut or Delete) shifts the audio to the right of the edit to close up the space

Before the cut or delete
Ex1a BeforeWithClips NoScroll.png


After the cut or delete with checked checkbox Editing a clip can move other clips turned "on" - clips to the right of the edit move left

Ex1a AfterWithClips NoScroll.png


After the cut or delete with unchecked checkbox Editing a clip can move other clips turned "off" - audio to the right of the edit within the clip moves left, clips to the right of edited clip do not move

Ex1a AfterWithClips NoMove.png


Pasting into a region selection removes the region and inserts the clipboard contents, adjusting the position of the following audio as needed and if allowed

Track with a region selected, before audio is pasted:
Ex1b Before.png


After the paste when the audio to be pasted is shorter than the selection with checked checkbox Editing a clip can move other clips - audio to the right of the edit moves left

Ex1b Short After.png


After the paste when the audio to be pasted is shorter than the selection with unchecked checkbox Editing a clip can move other clips - audio to the right of the edit within the clip moves left, clips to the right of the edited clip do not move

Ex1b Short After NoMove.png


After the paste when the audio to be pasted is longer than the selection with checked checkbox Editing a clip can move other clips - audio to the right of the edit moves right to make room for the longer region of audio

Ex1b Long After.png


After the paste when the audio to be pasted is longer than the selection with unchecked checkbox Editing a clip can move other clips - the clips to the right of edit cannot move, so the paste is not allowed

Ex1b Long After NoMove.png


Pasting into a point selection inserts the audio at that point and adjusts the position of the following audio

Track with with a point selection, before audio is pasted
Ex1c Before.png


After the paste into a point selection with checked checkbox Editing a clip can move other clips - audio to the right of the edit moves right to make room for the longer region of audio

Ex1c After.png


After the paste into a point selection with unchecked checkbox Editing a clip can move other clips - the clips to the right of edit cannot move, so the paste is not allowed

Ex1c After NoMove.png




Enable Cut Lines

When this setting is enabled (the default setting is "off"), cutting a section of audio will leave a red vertical line at the left edge of the cut portion. You can click on this line at any time to restore the cut audio. If you restore in error, use Edit > Undo Expand to get the cut line back. To remove the line without restoring audio, right-click over it. Edit > Undo Remove will restore the line if you make a mistake.

You can think of this as a kind of "persistent undo" in that clicking on the cut line undoes the cut, and the cut lines persist when you close and later re-open the project.

Advice
  • You must use Edit > Cut or its shortcut Ctrl + X (⌘ + X on Mac). Any other Edit command that removes audio will not produce a cut line.
  • Existing cut lines can be expanded even if the "Enable cut lines" setting is off.

Examples of using Cut lines

Creating and restoring cut lines

The settings for this example are
  • checked checkbox Enable cut lines
  • checked checkbox Editing a clip can move other clips

Before cutting a region of audio from the first clip

Ex2a Before.png


After cutting the region - note the red indication of the cut line

Ex2a After.png


Two more cuts are made

Ex2a After2More.png


We can now expand the first cut - without the use of cut lines one would have to Undo three times to get the first cut back, then redo the second and third cuts

Ex2a CutExpanded.png


Cut lines cannot be expanded if doing so would violate the "Editing a clip can move other clips" setting

The settings for this example are
  • checked checkbox Enable cut lines
  • unchecked checkbox Editing a clip can move other clips

Before cutting a region from the first clip

Ex2b Before.png


After cutting the region, then moving the second clip to the left so it touches the first clip

Ex2b AfterCutAndMove.png


After attempting to expand the cut line

Ex2b AfterExpand.png


Cut lines are not created if one or both edges of the region coincide with a clip boundary

The settings for this example are
  • checked checkbox Enable cut lines
  • checked checkbox Editing a clip can move other clips

Before cutting a region from the second clip - note that the left edge of the selection coincides with the left clip boundary

Ex2c Before.png


After cutting the region - note that there is no cut line

Ex2c After.png