New features in this release

Peter 03Apr17: ToDo-1 all new features to get a mention here or in the appendix.

This page is an overview of the key new functionality that has been introduced in Audacity 2.2.0

• Details of all the major changes since 2.1.3 can be found in Release Notes 2.2.0.

Contents

1. Menu reorganization
2. Themes
3. Default Append Record
4. New commands for using clips using the keyboard
5. Possible MIDI

Menu reorganization

To be provided ...

Peter 03Apr17: ToDo-1 TBP

• Peter 15Apr17: Later I'll probably place the menu comparison images side bu side and maybe scal them down

New File menu

Old File menu

Themes

Audacity now comes supplied with four pre-configured, user-selectable, themes. This enables you to choose the look and feel you prefer for Audacity's interface. see the Themes page for details.

• Light theme: this is a light theme loosely based on the look and feel of earlier Audacity versions, but given a modern twist with more modern-looking buttons and icons.
• Dark theme: this is similar to the Light theme, with the same buttons and icons, but given a dark twist.
• Hi Contrast theme: some users with poor eyesight benefit from a high contrast that is 'eye-popping' for most people.
• Classic theme: The one you know and loved. This theme is a re-creation of the look and feel of earlier Audacity versions.

	Light theme		Dark theme		Hi Contrast theme		Classic theme

In addition to the four pre-configured themes there is also a Custom theme. By default it looks the same as Classic theme - but, if you have the right programming skills and tools, you can use this template to create your own theme. Instuctions for how to do this may be found in the Audacity Wiki.

Appended recording on the same track in now the default

From Audacity 2.2.0 onward the default recording mode has changed so that when you click the Record button on Transport Toolbar, or use the R, Audacity will record at the end of the currently selected (or only) track.

To record on a new track

If you hold the Shift button down the Record button in Transport Toolbar will temporarily change to The Record New Track button. Then clicking on this modified Record button, or using the shortcut Shift + R will cause Audacity to create a new track and begin recording on that track from the current cursor position (or from the left edge of a region on the Timeline).

New commands for using clips using the keyboard

David states "The first two commands are on the cursor to sub menu, on the Transport menu. The next four commands are on the select sub menu, on the Edit menu. (These six are obviously subject to being moved almost anywhere in the reorganization :) ). The last two commands are occult."

Eight new commands, all of which interact with the clips on the focused track. As yet, there are no default shortcuts:

1. Transport > Cursor to > Previous clip boundary
2. Transport Cursor to > Next clip boundary
3. Select > Clip Boundaries > Previous clip boundary to cursor
4. Select > Clip Boundaries > Cursor to next clip boundary
5. Select > Clip Boundaries > Previous clip
6. Select > Clip Boundaries > Next clip
7. Clip Left (not on a menu)
8. Clip Right (not on a menu)

These are some notes on the functionality of the clip left and clip right commands. The aim is that they have similar functionality to using the mouse with the shift tool. So Clip left/right is roughly equivalent to clicking in the focused track at the time given by selection start, and dragging one pixel to the left/right. To be more precise:

1. If the focused track does not contain selected audio, then if selection start lies with a clip, that clip is moved, and selection start/the selection is also moved. (Using a mouse, selection start/the selection isn't moved.)

2. If the focused track contains selected audio, then if selection start lies within a clip, then that clip, along with all the other clips in any track which include audio which is selected, are moved, and the selected time range is moved.

3. If Sync lock tracks is one, then the relevant additional clips are moved.

Commands for moving the cursor to next/previous clip boundary on ANY track are pending. So as now, if the last clip in track one ends at 5s and the last clip in track two ends at 4s, there is no way to navigate between the clip ending at 4s and that ending at 5s without moving track focus.

Possible MIDI

To be provided ...

Peter 03Apr17: ToDo-1 TBP

Additional new features

This page New features in this release - appendix gives an overview of further new functionality that has been introduced in this release of Audacity.

Links

> Audacity Release Notes 2.2.0 - detailed release notes for this release of Audacity