Multi-Tool - Audacity Manual

# Multi-Tool

From Audacity Development Manual

Multi-Tool mode on Tools Toolbar lets you access all of the four separate tools on this toolbar at once, depending on the location of the mouse and the modifier keys you hold down.

While paused, only Selection and Zoom are available.

The image above shows the Tools Toolbar with the Multi Tool selected.

- Click on this link to learn more about the Tools Toolbar.
- Click on other tools in the image to learn more about those tools.

| Selection Tool will always be selected upon reopening Audacity, irrespective of which of the separate tools was selected when you quit.

## Using Multi-Tool

To use Multi-Tool Mode, click the button on the Tools Toolbar or press F6 on the keyboard.

Multi-Tool Mode automatically selects one of the four tools on the Tools Toolbar according to mouse moves and key presses. The mouse pointer changes to show which of its functions is currently available (the pointer will appear similar to the button for the relevant tool on the toolbar).

## Selection Tool

Selection Tool is available when the mouse is in an area that does not trigger the Envelope Tool. The pointer will appear as . See Selecting Audio with the Mouse for more details.

  Click to position the cursor | Drag cursor to select a region

## Envelope Tool

Envelope Tool is made available by hovering the mouse pointer over the waveform either on the blue horizontal envelope boundary or at half the distance of the envelope boundary to the center line. The pointer then changes to . Click and drag with the mouse and then use envelope tool as you would use the standalone Envelope Tool.

  You can drag from the half-way point | You can drag from the envelope boundary

  Dragging from the half-way point | Dragging from the envelope boundary

| Note carefully that there is a bug whereby when using some effects on tracks that have envelopes, then the envelope is removed and the audio reverts to its full amplitude state prior to the effect being applied. Notable among these are the filters and the EQ effects. The workaround is to apply the envelope prior by using Mix and Render prior to using the problem effect. Please see Envelope Tool for a list of the effects that this bug impacts.

## Draw Tool

Draw Tool is made available by zooming in until you can see individual samples then hovering the mouse pointer close to the line joining the samples. The pointer then changes to a pencil tool and you can use it as you would use the standalone Draw Tool.

  Draw Tool prior to making a repair | Draw Tool after drawing the repair

## Zooming

For horizontal scale zooming.

### Zoom out

Right-click (Ctrl + click on a Mac) the mouse at a point to zoom-out by a factor of 2, centered on the click point.

Note that even though you are zooming out the zoom cursor magnifying glass inconsistently shows "+" zoom-in iconography.

### Zoom in

Right-click, drag and release to zoom-in to a drag-selected region.

| If you commence a horizontal or vertical drag to zoom by mistake, you can press Esc before releasing the mouse button to cancel the zoom operation.

The illustration below shows a right-click drag zoom-in.

  A right-click rightward drag to define the horizontal zoom | Releasing the right mouse button effects the zoom

Vertical scale zooming works, as normal, with any of the separate tools selected.