5 Studio One Pro 7 Keyboard Shortcuts You NEED to Know for a Better Workflow

Studio One 7 is an incredible DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) for music production. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro, mastering its keyboard shortcuts can drastically improve your workflow and make the creative process more enjoyable. In this post, we’ll explore five (actually, more!) must-know shortcuts that will level up your music production in Studio One 7. Let’s dive in! 🎧

1. Duplicate Tracks Like a Pro

Duplicating tracks is something every producer does regularly. Here’s how to do it efficiently in Studio One:

The Basics:

 • Right-click on a track (audio or MIDI) and select Duplicate Track or Duplicate Track Complete.

 • Duplicate Track creates a copy of the track without its events.

 • Duplicate Track Complete copies both the track and its events.

Shortcut Hack:

Skip the menus! Use these shortcuts instead:

 • Command/Control + Drag Down: Activates Duplicate Track.

 • Option/Alt + Drag Down: Activates Duplicate Track Complete.

Why It Matters for MIDI Tracks:

For MIDI, always use Duplicate Track Complete. The standard duplicate option ties the new track to the same VST instance, which can cause issues if you want to use a different patch or layer sounds. The complete duplicate creates a fresh instance, giving you full control.

💡 Pro Tip: If you want to duplicate a track without copying events, download my free Productivity Toolbar. It streamlines this process even further.

2. Master Event Duplication

Whether it’s loops or single shots, duplicating events is key to building your tracks.

Basic Shortcut:

Press D to duplicate any selected event. Select multiple events, and pressing D duplicates them all in one go.

The Loop Function (New in Studio One Pro 7):

Hover over the bottom-right corner of an audio or MIDI event until you see a rewind icon. Drag it out to loop the event as many times as needed.

 • Changes made in one looped section are mirrored across all loops. Perfect for quick adjustments!

Shared Copies:

If you like the mirroring feature but want independent placement:

 • Press Shift + D to create shared copies.

 • A ghost icon will appear on the event, indicating shared status. Adjustments to one shared event reflect in all others, but they’re free to move independently.

3. Time-Stretch Like a Wizard

Need to stretch audio or MIDI to fit a specific timing? Studio One makes it super easy.

How to Time-Stretch:

 1. Hold Option/Alt and hover over the end of an event.

 2. A clock icon will appear—drag to stretch or compress.

Time-Stretch MIDI Events:

This trick works for MIDI, too! Compress or expand MIDI note progressions to fit any measure. It’s as simple as:

 • Hold Option/Alt, hover over the edge of the MIDI event, and drag.

🎹 Example: Have a two-measure chord progression but want it squeezed into one measure? Drag it in. Want to expand it over four measures? Stretch it out.

4. Revive Deleted Audio

Studio One’s non-destructive editing ensures no audio is truly lost.

Restore Deleted Audio:

 • After cutting or deleting a portion of audio, simply drag the event’s edges to reveal the original audio.

Reveal New Portions of Audio:

To adjust what part of the original audio is displayed within a specific event:

 1. Hold Command/Control + Option/Alt.

 2. Drag the event left or right to “slide” the audio within the event boundaries to use the Slip Edit feature.

This is great for fine-tuning edits without affecting your overall arrangement.

5. Zoom Like a Studio Ninja

Navigating your project quickly is essential, especially in larger sessions. Here’s how to zoom effectively:

Horizontal Zoom:

 • Hold Command/Control and scroll with your mouse wheel to zoom in and out horizontally.

Vertical Zoom:

 • Hold Command/Control + Shift and scroll to adjust the height of your tracks.

Area-Specific Zoom:

 • Hold Option/Alt + Shift to activate a magnifying glass. Drag to highlight an area and zoom in instantly.

 • To return to your previous view, repeat the shortcut and click anywhere.

Bonus: Why Shortcuts Are Game-Changing

Learning these shortcuts might seem like a small effort, but the time and frustration they save are immense. Whether you’re duplicating tracks, tweaking events, or zooming into a specific section, these tips streamline your workflow so you can focus on what truly matters—creating music! 🎶