Broken track navigation in AudioSuite
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Martin (Punky) Sopart
Jul 2, 2026, 6:25:00 PMJul 2
to 'Stefan Albertshauser' via Pro Tools Accessibility
Hello team!
When using Gain and Normalize from the AudioSuite it's possible to navigate per clip and make clip selections inside the plug-ins windows.
But after clicking via VOCR the edit field for the dB value, entering a value and confirm the entry, the Tab key doesn't work any more to select the next clip etc.
Same when using the Normalize Macro "Enter dB Value".
Using VO to edit the values in the dB fields inside the FXTDMEditView Plugin area works as expected.
What' could be wrong here?
Thank you and best wishes! / Martin
When using Gain and Normalize from the AudioSuite it's possible to navigate per clip and make clip selections inside the plug-ins windows.
But after clicking via VOCR the edit field for the dB value, entering a value and confirm the entry, the Tab key doesn't work any more to select the next clip etc.
Same when using the Normalize Macro "Enter dB Value".
Using VO to edit the values in the dB fields inside the FXTDMEditView Plugin area works as expected.
What' could be wrong here?
Thank you and best wishes! / Martin
Slau Halatyn
Jul 4, 2026, 2:04:28 PMJul 4
to PTAccess List
Hi Martin,
What's going on here is a bit of what you might expect and a bit of what you might not expecct. I'll try to explain as best as I can.
There are essentially 2 ways to alter parameters in a plugin window (whether it's a real-time plugin or an AudioSuite plugin. The UI offers a method via a a slider (sometimes a knob) and the other option is by editing a numeric field. When you drag a slider or knob, nothing becomes highlighted, no insertion cursor appears and there's no editable text field. This is exactly the same as changing a value with the VoiceOver cursor. Another analogy is when you use a control surface to move a fader or encoder knob. Of course, this doesn't pertain to the Audio suite window because it doesn't support control surface interaction.
Anyway, when you change values in the AudioSuite window, your selection in the timeline responds to qwerty commands. However, once you double-click an edit field, you've broght keybaord focus to that edit field and the AudioSuite window thinks that anything you type is intended for the currently focused edit field. Even if you hit the Enter key to change from an insertion to a selected value in that field, any further typing will be interpretted as keyboard input and the timeline in the background will not respond to navigation and editing commands.
Now, if the AudioSuite window is not the frontmost focused window, the Edit window will respond as expeccted to navigation and editing keyboard shortcuts. So, technically, if you really need to enter values manually, you can do so in the AudioSuite window, apply the processing then switch to the Edit window, use whatever keystrokes you want and then go back to the AudioSuite window to process. It's quite tedious but it does work.
I was thinking/hoping that a simple mouse click anywhere else in the AudioSuite window might override the keybaord focus but, at least for me, it doesn't seem to. Keep in mind that, of course, if you have repetitive values or settings that you need to apply to multiple ranges or clips, you can always save those settings as an AudioSuite preset. Changing presets doesn't introduce the same result as double-clicking an eddit field so the navigation remains normal.
Hope that helps,
Slau
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What's going on here is a bit of what you might expect and a bit of what you might not expecct. I'll try to explain as best as I can.
There are essentially 2 ways to alter parameters in a plugin window (whether it's a real-time plugin or an AudioSuite plugin. The UI offers a method via a a slider (sometimes a knob) and the other option is by editing a numeric field. When you drag a slider or knob, nothing becomes highlighted, no insertion cursor appears and there's no editable text field. This is exactly the same as changing a value with the VoiceOver cursor. Another analogy is when you use a control surface to move a fader or encoder knob. Of course, this doesn't pertain to the Audio suite window because it doesn't support control surface interaction.
Anyway, when you change values in the AudioSuite window, your selection in the timeline responds to qwerty commands. However, once you double-click an edit field, you've broght keybaord focus to that edit field and the AudioSuite window thinks that anything you type is intended for the currently focused edit field. Even if you hit the Enter key to change from an insertion to a selected value in that field, any further typing will be interpretted as keyboard input and the timeline in the background will not respond to navigation and editing commands.
Now, if the AudioSuite window is not the frontmost focused window, the Edit window will respond as expeccted to navigation and editing keyboard shortcuts. So, technically, if you really need to enter values manually, you can do so in the AudioSuite window, apply the processing then switch to the Edit window, use whatever keystrokes you want and then go back to the AudioSuite window to process. It's quite tedious but it does work.
I was thinking/hoping that a simple mouse click anywhere else in the AudioSuite window might override the keybaord focus but, at least for me, it doesn't seem to. Keep in mind that, of course, if you have repetitive values or settings that you need to apply to multiple ranges or clips, you can always save those settings as an AudioSuite preset. Changing presets doesn't introduce the same result as double-clicking an eddit field so the navigation remains normal.
Hope that helps,
Slau
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Pro Tools Accessibility" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to ptaccess+u...@googlegroups.com.
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Martin (Punky) Sopart
Jul 6, 2026, 2:27:03 AMJul 6
to ptac...@googlegroups.com
Hello Slau!
Thanks for your explanation.
After using the Enter dB Value macro in the Normalize plug-in without rendering, I'm not able to get on track again.
I tried Command+Equals respectively Control+F4 to move to the Edit or Mix window and after that Control+F6 respectively VO+F2 to get back into the Normalize plug-in window.
No Tab navigation for the timeline at all.
I have to close and reopen the plug-in to get it work again.
Latest Pro Tools and MacOS.
Any ideas left?
Best wishes! / Martin
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ptaccess/D0D8F4CF-615F-424D-8169-7E584383CDDD%40gmail.com.
Thanks for your explanation.
After using the Enter dB Value macro in the Normalize plug-in without rendering, I'm not able to get on track again.
I tried Command+Equals respectively Control+F4 to move to the Edit or Mix window and after that Control+F6 respectively VO+F2 to get back into the Normalize plug-in window.
No Tab navigation for the timeline at all.
I have to close and reopen the plug-in to get it work again.
Latest Pro Tools and MacOS.
Any ideas left?
Best wishes! / Martin
Slau Halatyn
Jul 6, 2026, 12:35:14 PMJul 6
to PTAccess List
Hi Martin,
I'm not sure what's going on for you. This works fine for me. Perhaps we can verify that everything is behaving as expected otherwise? That is, rather than using a mouse click to change the value, try changing the parameter with VoiceOver and then tabbing or selecting ranges. When you change the value with VoiceOver, does the keybaord navigation work as normal?
> To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ptaccess/008601dd0d10%247f0eff30%247d2cfd90%24%40cakewalker.de.
I'm not sure what's going on for you. This works fine for me. Perhaps we can verify that everything is behaving as expected otherwise? That is, rather than using a mouse click to change the value, try changing the parameter with VoiceOver and then tabbing or selecting ranges. When you change the value with VoiceOver, does the keybaord navigation work as normal?
Martin (Punky) Sopart
Jul 7, 2026, 2:49:09 AMJul 7
to ptac...@googlegroups.com
Hello Slau!
Yes, when changing values with VoiceOver the keyboard navigation works as expected.
I'm able to set the dB value inside the slider using VO+Left- -RightArrow and after it the clip navigation and selection is still possible.
After using the Enter dB Value macro...
Pressing Tab allows to enter a new dB value. So I have to press Escape here to be able for session transport etc. again.
Switching to the mix window by pressing Control+F4 and then Control+F6 to refocus the Normalize/AudioSuite, does not bring back the Tab key functionallity.
Pressing Tab still allows to enter a new dB value. So I have to press Escape here to be able for session transport etc. again.
Very strange.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ptaccess/FC0146AE-B200-4023-AE59-8C3730E896DF%40gmail.com.
Yes, when changing values with VoiceOver the keyboard navigation works as expected.
I'm able to set the dB value inside the slider using VO+Left- -RightArrow and after it the clip navigation and selection is still possible.
After using the Enter dB Value macro...
Pressing Tab allows to enter a new dB value. So I have to press Escape here to be able for session transport etc. again.
Switching to the mix window by pressing Control+F4 and then Control+F6 to refocus the Normalize/AudioSuite, does not bring back the Tab key functionallity.
Pressing Tab still allows to enter a new dB value. So I have to press Escape here to be able for session transport etc. again.
Very strange.
Martin (Punky) Sopart
Jul 7, 2026, 8:40:09 AMJul 7
to ptac...@googlegroups.com
Hello Slau and team!
In addition to my previous mail...
I knew that Control+Option+Command+W hides all floating windows and I sometimes used this hotkey to close plug-in windows.
Now I learned that the same hotkey also reopens the last plug-in window.
Using this the Tab key becomes available for the timeline again.
The following hotkeys don't work regarding the Tab key:
Command+Equals
Command+Tilde
VO+F2
Control+F4 and Control+F6
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ptaccess/002901dd0ddc%24b48cde80%241da69b80%24%40cakewalker.de.
In addition to my previous mail...
I knew that Control+Option+Command+W hides all floating windows and I sometimes used this hotkey to close plug-in windows.
Now I learned that the same hotkey also reopens the last plug-in window.
Using this the Tab key becomes available for the timeline again.
The following hotkeys don't work regarding the Tab key:
Command+Equals
Command+Tilde
VO+F2
Control+F4 and Control+F6
Slau Halatyn
Jul 7, 2026, 11:04:43 AMJul 7
to PTAccess List
Just curious if you've tried VO+f2 twice to bring up the Window Chooser menu?
> To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ptaccess/008001dd0e0d%24be41f420%243ac5dc60%24%40cakewalker.de.
Martin (Punky) Sopart
Jul 12, 2026, 8:26:06 AM (9 days ago) Jul 12
to ptac...@googlegroups.com
By writing "VO+F2" I also ment "VO+F2 twice".
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ptaccess/E1279978-123A-47DF-BD8E-3EC1EF4AFDD6%40gmail.com.
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