Keyboard Shortcuts

frdgBeats supports computer keyboard note input. It is useful for previewing sounds and recording quick ideas.

Note Keyboard

The keyboard layout is similar to common DAW piano input.

Lower row:

z s x d c v g b h n j m

Upper row:

q 2 w 3 e r 5 t 6 y 7 u

Some British keyboard keys are also mapped:

, l . ; /
i 9 o 0 p [ = ]
- ' # \

The octave selector changes the note range.

Previewing Notes

Select a channel and press a mapped key. The selected channel plays that note.

This works for synth, sample, and SoundFont channels.

Recording Notes

The record button arms note recording from the keyboard.

While recording, key presses can place notes into the selected pattern as playback moves.

For clean results:

• Select the channel first.
• Select the pattern first.
• Set the octave first.
• Start playback.
• Record short ideas, then clean them up in the piano roll.

Mouse Controls

• Space: play or pause when focus is not inside a form control.
• Click empty piano roll cell: add note.
• Right-click note block: remove note.
• Middle-click note block: edit velocity.
• Drag note block sideways: move note timing.
• Drag note block vertically: change note pitch.
• Drag resize handle: change note length.
• Pick non-empty pattern from playlist dropdown, then drag pattern chip to lane: place pattern.
• Drag playlist clip: move clip.
• Right-click pattern clip: delete pattern clip.
• Drop audio file on playlist lane: add audio clip.
• Right-click audio clip: delete audio clip.
• Right-click waveform zone lane: create sample zone.
• Right-click automation cell: clear automation value.
• Shift-click automation cell: clear automation value.

Browser Focus

Keyboard input only works when the page has focus. If keys stop working, click inside frdgBeats and try again.

Also, browser shortcuts still exist. If a key combo belongs to the browser, the browser may steal it. Browsers are rude like that.