Manual: Main Toolbar

Main Toolbar

The Main Toolbar allows quick access to frequently-accessed functions, while also providing readouts for important global song settings such as tempo, and the global VU meter.

Customizing the Main Toolbar

The readout display can be configured either from the Toolbars sub menu in the View menu, or by opening the context menu through a right-click. The context menu contains the same menu entries as the View menu.

The toolbar can also be detached from the main window by dragging the empty space above and beyond the toolbar contents or to the left and right of the toolbar. When the toolbar is in this floating state, dragging it to the top, left, right or bottom of the main window will attach the toolbar to the respective edge of the window. The floating toolbar window can also be resized, which distributes the toolbar items on a varying number of rows.

Toolbar Entries

File

• New: Creates a new song. You can select the module type from the sub menu or choose a template. Directly clicking on the icon uses the default track settings as specified in the general settings.
• Open: Loads one or more songs you want to open and adds them to the Recent Files list. OpenMPT can open a variety of file formats, listed in the Module formats section.
• Save: Saves the file in its current directory with its current name. If the file is new and was never saved, a dialog is opened where you can specify a location you wish to store the file to.

Edit

• Cut: Copies the selection to the clipboard and then erases all data from the selected area.
• Copy: Copies the selection to the clipboard.
• Paste: Transfers a copy of the clipboard contents where the cursor is located, overwriting any data within the bounds of the pasted data. For pattern data, the clipboard content will be pasted in the same cell as the cursor location, even if the cursor is not in the first column of the event. For sample data, pasting replaces the complete samples.

Playback and Recording

• MIDI Record: Toggles MIDI recording. If no MIDI device has been set up before, or if opening the chosen MIDI device did not succeed, the MIDI Setup is opened automatically. By using the dropdown menu next to the icon, any available MIDI input device can be chosen.
• Stop: Stops all audio processing and resets the playback position.
• Play / Pause: Starts playback or pauses the song.
• Play from Start: Resets the playback position to the beginning of the first pattern in the Order List, and begins playback.

Readouts

• Base Octave: This readout shows the currently chosen base octave for entering notes. It can be changed by either using the spin buttons next to the readout, or pressing digit keys 0 through 8 while the readout has keyboard focus.
• Tempo: If a song is playing, this readout shows the current tempo. It can be changed by either using the spin buttons next to the readout, or entering a new tempo into the edit field. In the MPTM format, pressing the spin buttons increments or decrements the tempo in 0.1 steps; holding Ctrl changes the increment to 0.01 steps.
• Ticks / Row: If a song is playing, this readout shows the current ticks per row (speed). It can be changed by either using the spin buttons next to the readout, or entering a new speed into the edit field.
• Rows / Beat: If a song is playing, this readout shows the current rows per beat. It can be changed by either using the spin buttons next to the readout, or entering a new speed into the edit field. If the currently playing pattern uses a custom time signature, the pattern time signature is updated; otherwise the global time signature is updated instead.
• Global Volume: If a song is playing, this readout shows the current global volume. It can be changed by either using the spin buttons next to the readout, or entering a new global volume into the edit field.

Miscellaneous

• Setup: Opens the Setup window.
• Panic: Stops all sample, OPL and plugin instrument voices.
• VU Meter: Shows the current output volume. If the output clips (i.e. distorts), the rightmost volume indicators remain lit until you restart playback or click the VU meters.