Keyboard Shortcuts

Every action in Meiji Sampler is a keypress. This page documents the main shortcut surfaces by context. For the native MPC Sample profile, see the sixteen physical SHIFT functions. Hold [SHIFT] to view the function matrix, use [DATA] for silent slot selection, and use [SHIFT+SAMPLE] for analog input selection. Chop retains [SHIFT+PAD] and [ERASE+PAD] marker clearing on all sixteen pads. All arrow key navigation supports h/j/k/l as alternatives:

Vim key	Arrow equivalent
`h`	`Left`
`j`	`Down`
`k`	`Up`
`l`	`Right`

These work everywhere arrow keys work: browser, pads, loops, scenes, mixer, editors, modals, and settings. Some contexts previously used h, j, k, or l for other actions — those have moved to shifted variants. See Upgrade And Migration Notes for details.

Lists

[PGUP/PGDN] jumps 10 rows and stops at the first or last row. Use it to cross long lists faster than [↑/↓], which moves one row and wraps around in some lists. It works in:

The browser, All Samples, Search, and Stars
Packs, Load Project, Internet Radio stations, Splice results and filters
The FX Library, the DJ Library, and Edit Bindings presets
MIDI mappings and menus, MIDI devices, the paused MIDI Monitor, and Settings sources
The input device list, Swap, Copy Loop, Copy Scene, the source picker, and the profile picker

Global

These work broadly across the app.

Key	Action
`Tab`	Cycle focus (Create: Browser → Details → Mixer; top-level: Create → Perform → Settings when Perform is enabled, or Create → Settings when it is not)
`?`	Open or close help
`,`	Open Settings tab
`/` or `Ctrl+F`	Open fuzzy search
`a`	Toggle autoplay
`b`	Open bounce modal outside Trim view
`[CTRL+R]`	Open audio recording
`Ctrl+S`	Save project
`Ctrl+Shift+S`	Save project as
`Ctrl+O`	Open project
`Ctrl+N`	New project
`Ctrl+I`	Analyze samples / ML classification flow
`[CTRL+K]`	Open sampler master compressor from Create or Perform. `[↑/↓]` selects, `[←/→]` adjusts, `[ENTER]` toggles bypass, `[ESC]` closes with live edits retained.
`q` or `Ctrl+C`	Quit

Function keys are reserved for the terminal and operating system. Use Tab for tab navigation and , for Settings.

Create tab

The core sampler workflow lives here.

Key	Action
`Up`/`Down` or `k`/`j`	Move selection
`Enter` or `Right` or `l`	Enter directory or confirm
`Backspace` or `Left` or `h`	Go up to parent
`Space`	Preview selected sample or cue scene depending on context
`1-9`, `0`	Trigger pads, control loop slots, or cue scenes depending on row
`Enter`	Open editor, details, or source-selection flow depending on context
`m`	Mute selected channel, loop, or track depending on context
`Esc`	Close modal, exit sub-mode, or cancel current operation

On Windows, going up from a drive root opens Windows drives. [↑/↓] selects a drive and [ENTER] / [→] opens it; [BACKSPACE] / [←] refreshes the drive list. See Browse.

Select Source

Key	Action
`[S]`	Open Splice search
`[SHIFT+S]`	Browse Splice Downloads when the local folder is available
`[R]`	Open Audio Record In
`[SHIFT+R]`	Browse Recordings when available

See Splice Integration for online search and local downloads.

Browser-focused controls

Key	Action
`Space`	Preview selected sample
`[PGUP/PGDN]`	Jump 10 rows
`*`	Toggle star
`Shift+A`	Show all samples in the current folder and its subfolders, or return to folders
`.`	Show or hide dot-prefixed files and folders in the filesystem browser and All Samples
`/`	Search
`Enter`	Open folder or confirm selection
`1-9`, `0`	Assign the selected sample to a pad when no loop is armed or recording; trigger pads when a loop is armed or recording
`Shift+L`	Toggle loop mode for the selected file

Pads row

Key	Action
`1-9`, `0`	Trigger pads
`Left`/`Right` or `h`/`l`	Change channel
`Up`/`Down` or `k`/`j`	Change row
`Space`	Stop pad audio, or stop active loop transport
`Enter`	Open channel detail or source selection
`m`	Mute channel
`s`	Solo channel
`w`	Swap channels
`c`	Enter chop mode
`t`	Open trim workflow
`Shift+J`	Toggle pad jump mode
`Del`	Reset selected channel with confirmation

Channel detail

Key	Action
`Left`/`Right`	Adjust focused control
`Up`/`Down`	Move between controls
`1-9`, `0`	Trigger pads
`Esc`	Close channel detail

Trim view

Key	Action
`Left` and `Right`	Move playhead
`Shift+Left` and `Shift+Right`	Fine-move playhead
`Space`	Play or pause
`p`	Play from the last location where `Space` started playback
`r`	Restart playback from beginning
`s`	Set trim start at playhead
`e`	Set trim end at playhead
`Shift+S`	Clear trim start
`Shift+E`	Clear trim end
`Shift+C`	Confirm a new cropped asset for the assigned pad
`w`	Open Stretch/Repitch WARP duration editor
`Ctrl+Z`	Undo selected pad sample edit (separate sequence undo)
`o`	Toggle loop mode
`0-9`	Set or play from chop marker
`Delete` or `Backspace`	Clear active chop marker
`+` and `-`	Zoom in and out
`[` and `]`	Scroll waveform
`Shift+[` and `Shift+]`	Snap playhead to the previous or next transient point
`[A]`	Autochop current markers; choose First 10, Loudest, or Random when more than ten exist
`Alt+[` and `Alt+]`, or `<` and `>`	Lower or raise transient snap sensitivity
`b`	Cycle transient snap band: All, Lows, Mids, Highs
`{` and `}`	Legacy terminal fallback for transient snap seek
`Enter`	Confirm and exit
`Esc`	Cancel and exit

Higher transient snap sensitivity shows more ghost markers and accepts softer hits. Lower sensitivity keeps the snap points stricter. The snapping workflow is inspired by Cool Edit Pro’s bracket-key playhead movement, while the marker sensitivity model is inspired by ReCycle-style transient slicing. See Chopping And Slicing for the workflow guide.

Chop mode

Key	Action
`1-9`, `0`	Trigger chop segments
`g`	Toggle gate mode
`Shift+J`	Toggle pad jump mode
`c` or `Esc`	Exit chop mode

Loops row

Key	Action
`Left`/`Right` or `h`/`l`	Select loop slot
`Up`/`Down` or `k`/`j`	Change row
`[SPACE]`	Start cued or armed loop transport, start the only stopped loop when exactly one recorded loop exists, or stop active loop and overdub transport
`1-9`, `0`	Select the loop slot. Empty slots arm, idle stopped slots cue, idle cued slots stop, playing slots queue `STOP+`, and `STOP+` slots stop immediately
`[R]`	Open First Loop Setup before the first loop; later, arm recording, put a blank playing-transport slot in `OVR+` until the next loop iteration, or punch into overdub
`Enter`	Open sequence editor
`q`	Open quantize
`m`	Mute loop
`s`	Solo loop
`d`	Duplicate loop
`e`	Extend loop
`Shift+H`	Shorten loop by half
`[<]` / `[>]`	Half / double sequence event speed, retaining pitch and BPM
`[CTRL+Z]` / `[CTRL+Y]`	Undo / redo loop edits
`u`	Undo last loop edit
`Del`	Clear loop

Sequence editor

Key	Action
`Up`/`Down` or `k`/`j`	Navigate tracks
`Left`/`Right` or `h`/`l`	Navigate within track
`m`	Mute or unmute the selected track; when a running loop is muted, un-mute the loop, solo the selected track, and restart that track; or in ALL TRACKS view toggle loop mute, clearing all mutes if already muted
`s`	Solo the selected track; press again to un-solo
`Del`	Delete track events
`Esc`	Close editor

For the full mental model behind channel mute versus loop and track mute, see Muting And Soloing.

Scenes row

Key	Action
`Left`/`Right` or `h`/`l`	Select scene
`Up`/`Down` or `k`/`j`	Change row
`1-9`, `0`	Jump to and cue scene
`Space`	Start, cue, uncue, or stop the selected scene depending on scene state
`Enter`	Open scene editor
`c`	Copy scene
`Del`	Clear scene

Press [S] on the Scenes row for the ordered song editor. [CTRL+SHIFT+R] in Create captures a playing sequence or selected playing scene to the selected empty pad. [CTRL+R] retains input recording.

Scene editor

Key	Action
`Up`/`Down` or `k`/`j`	Navigate loop list or auto-advance row
`Space` or `Enter`	Toggle loop membership or auto-advance
`1-9`, `0`	Quick-toggle specific loops
`Left`/`Right` or `h`/`l`	Switch scene or adjust auto-advance cycles
`Esc`	Close editor

Mixer

Key	Action
`Left`/`Right` or `h`/`l`	Select channel
`Up`/`Down` or `k`/`j`	Adjust selected parameter
`Enter`	Open channel detail
`m`	Mute channel
`s`	Solo channel
`w`	Swap channels

Perform tab

Key	Action
`[←/→]`/`[↑/↓]` or `h`/`j`/`k`/`l`	Move focus between Bank slots and the FX Library
`[PGUP/PGDN]` on FX Library focus	Jump 10 FX Library rows in the same column
`[1]` through `[9]`, `[0]`	Trigger assigned fixed PerformFX slots
`[1]` through `[4]` on FX Library focus	Preview the focused FX Library preset; presets with A/B/C/D variants use the matching variant
`[a]` on FX Library focus	Assign the focused FX Library preset to the current default slot
`[ENTER]`	Open FX Params for the focused slot or FX Library preset
`[DELETE]` or `[BACKSPACE]`	Clear the focused assigned slot after confirmation
`[b]`	Toggle PerformFX bank
`[q]`	Cycle the active bank’s Quantize Bank mode: Default → Current Grid → Next Grid → Next Bar → Next 2 Bars
`[i]`	Show or hide the inspector
`[-]` / `[+]`	Decrement or increment the focused slot’s Grid value
`[SHIFT+K]`	Kill all active PerformFX effects

FX Params

Key	Action
`[←/→]`	Move between FX, Grid, and Params columns
`[↑/↓]`	Select a row
`[-]` / `[+]`	Decrement or increment the Grid value when the Grid column is active
`[1]` through `[9]`, `[0]`	Choose the target slot
`[ENTER]`	Save, or edit the selected Params row
`[R]`	Reset the current target slot settings to the selected preset defaults
`[DELETE]` or `[BACKSPACE]`	Clear the selected slot after confirmation
`[S]`	Save the current settings as a custom preset
`[ESC]`	Cancel when unchanged; save and close after slot edits

DJ tab

Key	Action
`[↑/↓]`	Move focus through Decks, each visible nonblank PerformFX bank, and Library
`[TAB]`	Switch to the next application tab
`[A]` / `[B]`	Focus deck A or B and return to the Decks zone
`[1]`–`[8]`	Set or trigger hot cues while Decks is focused
`[CTRL+1–8]`	Clear hot cues while Decks is focused
`[1]`–`[9]`, `[0]`	Trigger the focused PerformFX bank’s fixed slots while an FX row is focused
`[SPACE]`	Play or pause the focused deck
`[-]` / `[=]`	Move the focused deck’s pitch down or up (`[_]` / `[+]` for fine steps)
`[P]`	Cycle the focused deck’s pitch range: `±8% → ±16% → ±50% → ±8%`
`[Q]` / `[W]`	Hold to nudge the focused deck backward or forward
`[S]`	Sync the focused deck to the other deck
`[K]`	Toggle keylock on the focused deck
`[V]`	Toggle jog mode between Vinyl and Bend
`[Z]` / `[X]`	Zoom the deck waveform out or in
`[;]` / `[\']`	Halve or double the focused deck’s beatgrid BPM
`[,]` / `[.]`	Move the focused deck’s beatgrid anchor backward or forward
`[R]`	Start DJ master recording, or stop the active DJ master recording
`[CTRL+R]`	Open input recording. This does not start DJ master recording.

On a Pioneer DDJ-REV7, the TEMPO RANGE button cycles the range of its own deck through the same values. The changed range immediately reinterprets that deck’s physical tempo fader and becomes one global default for the next track load on either deck. See DJ Mode for recording behavior, File Formats for the WAV format, and MIDI And Sync Problems for controller recovery.

MIDI tab

Key	Action
`Left` and `Right`	Switch between Mappings and Monitor sub-views

Mappings sub-view (Listening phase)

Key	Action
`Up` and `Down`	Navigate mapping list
`[PGUP/PGDN]`	Jump 10 mappings
`Enter`	Edit selected mapping
`Delete` or `Backspace`	Remove selected mapping
`Esc`	Leave MIDI tab

Mappings sub-view (Assigning phase)

Key	Action
`Up` and `Down`	Navigate menu
`[PGUP/PGDN]`	Jump 10 menu rows
`Enter`	Drill into category or confirm action
`Esc`	Go up one menu level, or return to Listening from top level (except during Keypress capture, where it assigns `[ESC]`)
`Ctrl+Esc` in Keypress capture	Cancel Keypress capture and return to the action menu
any supported key in Keypress capture	Assign that exact key, including case-preserved letters such as `[m]`/`[M]` and `[ESC]`
`Delete` or `Backspace`	Remove this control’s mapping, return to Listening
`Shift+Delete`	Clear all mappings, return to Listening

Monitor sub-view

Key	Action
`Space`	Pause or resume monitor display
`c`	Clear monitor history
`f`	Cycle monitor filters
`Up`/`Down` or `k`/`j`	Scroll or navigate
`[PGUP/PGDN]` while paused	Scroll 10 rows

Trim view

Key	Action
`Left`/`Right`	Move playhead (coarse)
`h`/`l`	Move playhead (coarse, same as arrow keys)
`Shift+H`/`Shift+L`	Move playhead (fine)
`s`	Set start point
`e`	Set end point
`Shift+S`	Clear start point
`Shift+E`	Clear end point
`o`	Toggle loop mode
`-`/`+`	Zoom out/in
`Shift+[`/`Shift+]`	Snap to previous/next transient point
`[A]`	Autochop current markers; choose First 10, Loudest, or Random when more than ten exist
`Alt+[`/`Alt+]`, or `<`/`>`	Lower/raise transient snap sensitivity
`b`	Cycle transient snap band: All, Lows, Mids, Highs
`{`/`}`	Legacy terminal fallback for transient snap seek
`Space`	Toggle playback
`Enter`	Accept trim
`Esc`	Cancel

Transient snap lands on useful hits and refines to a clean edit point when possible. The initial sensitivity targets roughly ten distinct attacks. Adjust with [<] and [>] or filter by band, then press [A]. Autochop keeps candidates inside the trim region, debounces attacks less than 120 ms apart, and assigns the chosen chops in timeline order. See Chopping And Slicing.

Audio recording

These shortcuts are available inside the audio recording flow (Ctrl+R).

Key	Phase	Action
`Space`	Idle	Arm recording
`Space`	Armed/Recording	Stop recording and enter review
`Space`	Review	Replay the recorded take
`N`	Review	Toggle peak normalization
`[M]`	Any	Toggle input monitoring
`U` or `Backspace`	Review	Undo and discard the take
`Enter` or `K`	Review	Keep and save the take
`Esc`	Any	Discard or close

Modals

Key	Action
`Up`/`Down` or `k`/`j`	Navigate options
`[PGUP/PGDN]`	Jump 10 rows in lists
`Left`/`Right` or `h`/`l`	Adjust values
`Enter`	Confirm or select
`Esc`	Cancel or close

Key	Action
`Up`/`Down`	Navigate options
`Space`	Toggle selected option
`Left`/`Right`	Cycle WAV bit depth (on the WAV Audio row, when WAV is enabled)
`Enter`	Start bounce
`Esc`	Cancel (stops an in-progress bounce)

Settings tab

The Settings tab uses a two-pane layout: sidebar (categories) and content (fields). Sidebar:

Key	Action
`Up`/`Down` or `k`/`j`	Switch category
`Enter` or `Right` or `l`	Enter content pane
`Esc`	Return to previous tab (saves automatically)

Content pane:

Key	Action
`Up`/`Down` or `k`/`j`	Move between fields
`Left`/`Right` or `h`/`l`	Adjust value or go back from project picker
`Enter`	Confirm action, open picker, or activate button
`Space`	Tap tempo (on the Tempo field — tap rhythmically, then `Enter` to apply)
`Esc` or `h`	Return to sidebar

MIDI Devices

Open Settings → MIDI → Devices.

Key	Action
`[R]`	Rescan MIDI inputs from either pane without restarting
`[↑/↓]` or `[K/J]`	Select a device in the content pane
`[PGUP/PGDN]`	Jump 10 devices
`[ENTER]` or `[A]`	Open automap for the selected device in the content pane
`[←]` or `[ESC]`	Return to the sidebar from the content pane

Metronome

Key	Action
`[M]`	Open the metronome controls dialog
`[SPACE]`	Start, stop, or count in transport while the metronome controls dialog stays open

Lowercase m still follows the active mixer context, such as channel or loop mute, where that binding already exists.

First Loop Setup

This dialog appears when [R] starts the first loop in an empty project.

Key	Action
`[ESC]`	Cancel and return to the previous view
`[↑]`/`[↓]` or `[K]`/`[J]`	Move between setup fields
`[←]`/`[→]` or `[H]`/`[L]`	Adjust the selected field
Digits and `.`	Type a BPM while Tempo is highlighted
`[SPACE]`	Tap tempo with a click from any field, switch to Fixed mode, and focus Tempo
`[ENTER]`	Apply the selected mode and arm recording

Reference

Troubleshooting

Release Notes

Vim-style navigation

Lists

Global

Create tab

Select Source

Browser-focused controls

Pads row

Channel detail

Trim view

Chop mode

Loops row

Sequence editor

Scenes row

Scene editor

Mixer

Perform tab

FX Params

DJ tab

MIDI tab

Mappings sub-view (Listening phase)

Mappings sub-view (Assigning phase)

Monitor sub-view

Trim view

Audio recording

Modals

Settings tab

MIDI Devices

Metronome

First Loop Setup

​Vim-style navigation

​Lists

​Global

​Create tab

​Select Source

​Browser-focused controls

​Pads row

​Channel detail

​Trim view

​Chop mode

​Loops row

​Sequence editor

​Scenes row

​Scene editor

​Mixer

​Perform tab

​FX Params

​DJ tab

​MIDI tab

​Mappings sub-view (Listening phase)

​Mappings sub-view (Assigning phase)

​Monitor sub-view

​Trim view

​Audio recording

​Modals

​Bounce modal

​Settings tab

​MIDI Devices

​Metronome

​First Loop Setup

Vim-style navigation

Lists

Global

Create tab

Select Source

Browser-focused controls

Pads row

Channel detail

Trim view

Chop mode

Loops row

Sequence editor

Scenes row

Scene editor

Mixer

Perform tab

FX Params

DJ tab

MIDI tab

Mappings sub-view (Listening phase)

Mappings sub-view (Assigning phase)

Monitor sub-view

Trim view

Audio recording

Modals

Bounce modal

Settings tab

MIDI Devices

Metronome

First Loop Setup