How to Edit Audio Faster Using NeonWaves Keyboard Shortcuts: Full Cheat Sheet
Every click you skip is time you save. If you’re editing audio regularly, learning a handful of keyboard shortcuts can turn a slow, click-heavy workflow into something that feels almost automatic!
This cheat sheet covers every shortcut in NeonWaves, grouped by what you’re actually doing.
You can also watch this hands-on video here:
General Shortcuts
These handle the basics of working with files in NeonWaves.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+N (Cmd+N) | New Instance |
| Ctrl+O (Cmd+O) | Open audio file |
| Ctrl+S (Cmd+S) | Save |
Use New Instance when you want to start a fresh project without closing your current one.
Transport Shortcuts: Play, Pause, Record
Transport shortcuts control playback and recording without touching your mouse, which is especially useful while you’re listening closely to a section.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Space | Play / Pause (toggle) |
| Escape | Stop playback and jump to the cursor position |
| P | Pause / Resume |
| R | Start / Stop Recording |
| fn + < | Go to start of track |
| fn + > | Go to end of track |
Edit Shortcuts: Cut, Copy, Trim, and More
This is where keyboard shortcuts save the most time, since editing usually involves repeating the same actions over and over.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+Z (Cmd+Z) | Undo |
| Ctrl+Shift+Z (Cmd+Shift+Z) | Redo |
| F2 | Repeat Last Command |
| Ctrl+X (Cmd+X) | Cut |
| Ctrl+C (Cmd+C) | Copy |
| Ctrl+V (Cmd+V) | Paste |
| Delete / Backspace | Delete selection |
| Ctrl+A (Cmd+A) | Select All |
| Ctrl+Shift+T (Cmd+Shift+T) | Trim (keep selection, delete rest) |
A few worth calling out:
- F2 (Repeat Last Command) lets you reapply your last edit instantly — handy when you’re making the same change across several sections.
- Trim (Ctrl+Shift+T) keeps only your selection and deletes everything else, which is faster than manually cutting away both sides of a clip.
View Shortcuts: Zoom In and Out
Zooming lets you work precisely on small edits or step back to see the whole track.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| + | Zoom In |
| − | Zoom Out |
| F | Zoom to 100% (fit all) |
If you ever lose track of where you are after zooming in tight, press F to snap back and see your entire track at once.
Cue Shortcuts: Marking Points in Your Track
Cues are useful for marking spots you want to come back to, a section that needs cleanup, a spot to trim, or a point you want to jump to later.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| F8 | Add Cue at cursor position |
Why Learn These Shortcuts?
You don’t need to memorize every shortcut on this list right away. Start with the ones you’ll use most:
- Space to play and pause
- Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Shift+Z to undo and redo
- Ctrl+Shift+T to trim a selection
- F to reset your zoom
Once those become second nature, add the rest as you need them. The time saved on a single editing session might be small, but across dozens of recordings, it adds up fast!
Bookmark this cheat sheet, keep it open while you edit, and within a few sessions, reaching for the mouse for basic actions will start to feel unnecessary.
And if you want to save even more time then visit this post: How to Automate Audio Editing.
You will find all of the tutorials here: All Tutorials.
