Horizontal zooming with ThinkPad x60

[UpTilDawn]

I've been struggling with this one for some time and haven't figured out a way to do what I want.

Anybody have any ideas on how to get the MT in SAW to horizontally zoom using this old ThinkPad x60?

I can vertically scroll the MT easy enough with the down/up arrows as I would with any standard keyboard and I fully expected the Left/Right arrows to do the trick with horizontal zooming, but no go.

[Soundguy]

I don't have SAW but on any DAW I am familiar with, vertical zooming is a different animal compared to horizontal because you are limited by the track height boundries.

So first you must increase the track height, then you can increase/zoom in on the waveform height ... so two separate issues? I don't think the commands would be different for any particular Windows computer like a thinkpad.

Soundguy

[karagjoz]

I think he is talking about horizontal zooming, not vertical.
On machines without numpad of the keyboard the only way is mouse scroll.... So, get a mouse :-)
X60 is a good computer...

[UpTilDawn]

I think he is talking about horizontal zooming, not vertical.
On machines without numpad of the keyboard the only way is mouse scroll.... So, get a mouse :-)
X60 is a good computer...

Yeah, I like the x60 a lot.

Now that I think about it some more, I think I can use the Fn key to get the numpad function and zoom horizontally that way.... But IIRC, it's also a PITA because it's so easy to forget you've turned it on and that leads to major head scratching. I guess I'll have to try and develop some kind of workflow using the Fn key... Maybe I'll get it down in a month.

[UpTilDawn]

I don't have SAW but on any DAW I am familiar with, vertical zooming is a different animal compared to horizontal because you are limited by the track height boundries.

So first you must increase the track height, then you can increase/zoom in on the waveform height ... so two separate issues? I don't think the commands would be different for any particular Windows computer like a thinkpad.

Soundguy

You're right... two separate issues... one I have covered with regular key and mouse moves. The horizontal zoom is the other issue, which is not so easy and not doable at all with the l/r arrow keys, unfortunately.

[RBIngraham]

If you're talking about zomming in and out on the time axis then there is always the simple method of just clicking on the button that zooms in and out. Or am I missing something?

Bottom left corner of the multi-track window.

If you're talking about track height that would be Page Up and Page Down. But that also changes the size of the Multi-track window which I have always found rather annoying frankly.

[Dave Labrecque]

Yeah, I like the x60 a lot.

Now that I think about it some more, I think I can use the Fn key to get the numpad function and zoom horizontally that way.... But IIRC, it's also a PITA because it's so easy to forget you've turned it on and that leads to major head scratching. I guess I'll have to try and develop some kind of workflow using the Fn key... Maybe I'll get it down in a month.

I was gonna suggest the Fn key approach if the computer has that PITA numpad ability (numbers and +/- keys), but you're onto that. Really, the best thing IMO is to use a mouse with a scroll wheel. When that came into being for zooming in SAW, it changed my life. Any chance you can add a mouse w/ scroll wheel to this bad boy?

[Dave Labrecque]

If you're talking about zomming in and out on the time axis then there is always the simple method of just clicking on the button that zooms in and out. Or am I missing something?

Bottom left corner of the multi-track window.

If you're talking about track height that would be Page Up and Page Down. But that also changes the size of the Multi-track window which I have always found rather annoying frankly.

RBI -- if you don't know -- shift+PgUp and shift+PgDn will do 'vertical zoom' without altering track height or MT size. Also ctrl+scroll wheel.

[UpTilDawn]

If you're talking about zomming in and out on the time axis then there is always the simple method of just clicking on the button that zooms in and out. Or am I missing something?

Bottom left corner of the multi-track window.

...

Yeah.... that's one of the irritating things about using the x60 until I find something that works more smoothly/efficiently. That's been my "workaround".... but I don't really feel it's much of one.

On a desktop PC with standard keyboard, the whole thing is much easier.

[UpTilDawn]

I was gonna suggest the Fn key approach if the computer has that PITA numpad ability (numbers and +/- keys), but you're onto that. Really, the best thing IMO is to use a mouse with a scroll wheel. When that came into being for zooming in SAW, it changed my life. Any chance you can add a mouse w/ scroll wheel to this bad boy?

Yeah, mouse with scroll wheel I use all the time on the desktop PC. Love it.

Tying a mouse to the x60 defeats part of the purpose for me.

In fact, I really like that little red button instead of the mouse pad on the typical laptop, but also find it extremely awkward when I try to use it for certain other things in combination with the modifier keys in SAW.