Head Chef 1 User Guide · Chapter 23
Menu reference
This chapter lists every command in Head Chef's menus, in the order the menu bar shows them, followed by the menus you open with a right-click or from a button. Use it to look up what a command does, its shortcut, and why it might be dimmed.
A dimmed command is unavailable at that moment. The most common reasons are:
- No session is open. Commands that change a session need one. Open or create a session first.
- A recording is in progress. From the moment a take is ready or counting in until it is finished and saved, Head Chef holds the session steady, so most editing, file and setup commands wait. See Recording audio.
- You are in the middle of a gesture. While you drag a fader, a clip or a control, or type in a text field, Undo and Redo wait until you finish.
Shortcuts use the Mac key symbols ⌘ (Command), ⌥ (Option), ⇧ (Shift) and ⌃ (Control). Keys marked Num are on the numeric keypad. Some shortcuts in the tables are not printed in the menu itself but do the same thing. See Keyboard shortcuts for every key.
File #
| Command | Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| New Session… | ⌘N | Opens the New Session dialog to start a new session. If the current session has unsaved changes, Head Chef first asks Save changes to this session? Unavailable while recording. |
| Import Audio… | ⇧⌘I | Opens the Import Audio window. Each file you choose becomes its own track, as one Undo step. Unavailable while recording and while an earlier import is still being read. See Importing. |
| Open Session… | ⌘O | Opens a Head Chef session, a MIDI file or a project saved by another music app. Unavailable while recording. See File formats. |
| Save Session | ⌘S | Saves the session. A session that has never been saved asks for a name and folder first. Unavailable with no session open and while a take is being recorded. |
| Save Session As… | ⌃⌘S | Saves the session under a new name, as a new file. Available whenever Save Session is. |
| Render Mix… | ⌥⌘B | Opens the Render Mix dialog, or the render progress window while a render is running. Needs a session with at least one track. Unavailable while recording. See Rendering. |
| Close | ⌘W | Closes the separate window you are working in, such as the Mix Window or a plugin window. In the main window it closes that window, asking first if you have unsaved changes. |
Edit #
| Command | Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Undo | ⌘Z | Undoes the last session edit. Unavailable when there is nothing to undo, while recording, while you drag or type, and while the Keyboard Shortcuts window is open. |
| Redo | ⇧⌘Z | Redoes the edit you last undid. Unavailable for the same reasons as Undo. |
With Options > Arrange Letter Shortcuts (A–Z) on and the Arrange timeline focused, Z and ⇧Z also undo and redo.
Settings #
| Command | Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Session Settings… | ⌘ Num 2 | Opens Session Settings for tempo, time signature, sample rate and pan depth. Needs an open session. Unavailable while recording. See Settings reference. |
| Audio Engine… | ⌘, | Opens Audio Engine for the output device, recording input device, buffer size and meter style. Unavailable while recording. |
| Control Surface… | None | Opens Control Surface to choose the MIDI ports of a hardware control surface. Always available. See Control surfaces and assistants. |
Track #
| Command | Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Add Track > Add Mono Audio Track | None | Adds an empty mono audio track. With no session open, Head Chef first opens New Session and adds the track to the new session. Unavailable while recording. |
| Add Track > Add Instrument Track > Voltage 80 | None | Adds an instrument track playing Voltage 80 with its default sound, and opens its window. |
| Add Track > Add Instrument Track > Voltage 78 | None | Adds an instrument track playing Voltage 78. |
| Add Track > Add Instrument Track > Substance | None | Adds an instrument track playing Substance. |
| Add Track > Add Instrument Track > Octet | None | Adds an instrument track playing Octet. |
| Add Track > Add Instrument Track > Mini Bar | None | Adds an instrument track playing Mini Bar. |
| Add Effect Return > MADRE Chorus | None | Adds an Effect Return channel (effect return) running MADRE Chorus. Needs an open session. Unavailable while recording. |
| Add Effect Return > Voltage Spaces | None | Adds an Effect Return running the Voltage Spaces reverb. |
| Add Effect Return > Char Press | None | Adds an Effect Return running Char Press. |
Every Add Instrument Track item, like the Add Instrument menu below, is unavailable while recording. Adding a track is one Undo step. See Tracks and MIDI and instruments.
Add Instrument #
This menu is a shortcut to the same instruments as Track > Add Track > Add Instrument Track.
| Command | Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Voltage 80 | None | Adds a Voltage 80 instrument track with its default sound and opens its window. With no session open, Head Chef first opens New Session. |
| Voltage 78 | None | Adds a Voltage 78 instrument track. |
| Substance | None | Adds a Substance instrument track. |
| Octet | None | Adds an Octet instrument track. |
| Mini Bar | None | Adds a Mini Bar instrument track. |
The whole menu is unavailable while recording.
View #
A check mark shows which items are on.
| Command | Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Arrange | ⌘= toggles | Shows the Arrange view in the main window. |
| Mix | ⌘= toggles | Shows the Mix view in the main window. |
| Arrange Mix Layer | None | Shows Chicken Strip controls on each track in Arrange. Turning it on hides the clip gain line. Needs an open session. Unavailable while you drag a clip and while recording. |
| Clips | None | Shows or hides the CLIPS list at the right of Arrange. The list appears only when the window is at least 1280 points wide. |
| Plugin Browser | None | Shows or hides the plugin browser. See Plugins. |
| Clip Gain Badges | ⌃⇧= | Shows or hides the clip gain readout on each audio clip in Arrange. On when Head Chef starts. |
| Clip Gain Line | ⌃⇧- | Shows or hides the selected audio clip's editable gain line in Arrange. Turning it on turns off Arrange Mix Layer. |
| Zoom In | ⌘], or T with letter keys | Zooms the timeline in around the cursor. |
| Zoom Out | ⌘[, or R with letter keys | Zooms the timeline out around the cursor. |
| Fit Selected Clip | ⌥F | Fills the timeline with the selected clip. Needs a selected clip. |
| Fit Session | ⌥A | Shows the whole session. In a session with only audio tracks it reads Fit Audio. Needs an open session. |
| Taller Selected Track | ⌘↑ | Makes the selected track one height taller: Micro, Tiny, Small, Medium, Large, Jumbo. Needs a selected track. Undo restores the previous height. |
| Shorter Selected Track | ⌘↓ | Makes the selected track one height shorter. Needs a selected track. |
| Taller All Tracks | ⌥⌘↑ | Makes every track one height taller. Needs an open session. |
| Shorter All Tracks | ⌥⌘↓ | Makes every track one height shorter. Needs an open session. |
| Taller Waveforms | ⌥⌘] | Doubles the drawn size of audio waveforms (waveform), up to 16 times. Unavailable at 16 times. What you hear does not change. |
| Shorter Waveforms | ⌥⌘[ | Halves the drawn size of waveforms, back to normal size. Unavailable at normal size. |
The zoom, fit, track height and waveform shortcuts work when the Arrange timeline has keyboard focus. Press ⌥⌘1 to give it focus. The track height and waveform keys also need Arrange Letter Shortcuts (A–Z) on.
Options #
| Command | Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Tape Scrub Sound | None | When on, dragging along the ruler plays the session forwards or backwards at the speed you drag. When off, dragging moves the cursor silently. On until you turn it off; Head Chef remembers your choice. |
| Arrange Letter Shortcuts (A–Z) | None | Turns the single-letter Arrange keys on or off. In Arrange it also gives the timeline keyboard focus. On when Head Chef starts. |
| Count-In | Num 8 | Turns the count in before recording on or off. The item shows the current length, for example Count-In (2 Bars). Choose the length in the metronome settings. |
| Metronome Click | Num 7 | Turns the metronome click on or off. |
Neither the count-in nor the click adds a step to Undo. See Transport and navigation.
Window #
| Command | Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Mix Window | ⇧⌘= toggles | Opens the mixer in its own window. A check mark shows when it is open. Choosing the menu item again leaves it open; press ⇧⌘=, click Dock or press ⌘W in that window to close it. |
| Region Editor Window | None | Opens or closes the selected clip's editor in its own window. |
| Floating Transport | ⌘ Num 1 | Opens or closes the small transport window that stays on top. |
| Open Multi-Window Studio Workspace | None | Shows Arrange in the main window and opens the Mix Window and Floating Transport together. |
Transport #
| Command | Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Play | Space or Num 0 | Starts playback from the cursor. The item's name changes to say what it will do next: Pause while playing, Cancel Playback while Head Chef prepares playback, Start Recording when a take is ready, Cancel Recording Start during preparation or the count-in, and Finish Recording while recording. Needs a session with at least one track. |
| Stop | Return in Arrange | Stops playback or recording and returns the cursor to the start. Needs an open session. |
| Record | F12, ⌘Space or Num 3 | Gets the armed track ready to record. When ready the item reads Record Ready and shows a check mark. Unavailable while playing, without a saved session, and until a track is armed with an input. The keys start the take straight away when the input is ready. See Recording audio. |
Help #
| Command | Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Head Chef 1 User Guide | None | Opens this guide in your web browser. |
| Keyboard Shortcuts… | ⌃⇧K | Opens the searchable list of every shortcut. |
Right-click menus #
Track header #
Right-click a track's header in Arrange to open Track Actions for that track. Head Chef also selects the track.
| Command | Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Toggle Solo | ⇧S for the selected track | Turns solo on or off for the track. |
| Toggle Mute | ⇧M for the selected track | Turns mute on or off for the track. |
| Reset Gain to 0.0 dB | None | Sets the track's fader to 0.0 dB. |
| Reset Pan to Center | None | Sets the track's pan to the center. |
| Track Height > Micro to Jumbo | None | Sets the track to one of six heights: Micro, Tiny, Small, Medium, Large or Jumbo. Unavailable while recording. |
| Plugins… | None | Opens the plugin browser for this track. Unavailable while recording. |
| Open and the plugin's name | None | Appears only when the track has a plugin. Opens the window of the track's first plugin. |
| Add Track > Add Mono Audio Track | None | Adds an empty mono audio track. |
| Add Track > Add Instrument Track | None | Adds an instrument track playing the instrument you choose. |
The menu closes by itself if the session changes while it is open, for example when playback moves a control.
Empty space in Arrange and Mix #
Right-click any of these places to open the Add Track menu with Add Mono Audio Track and Add Instrument Track:
- the empty area below the last track header in Arrange;
- an empty part of a track's lane in the Arrange timeline, away from its clip, or the empty area below the last track;
- the empty space to the right of the last channel strip in Mix, or in the Mix Window.
Right-clicking a clip does nothing, and right-click menus do not open while recording. Mix channel strips have no right-click menu; use their buttons, described in Mixing.
Menus you open from a button #
| Where | Button | Commands |
|---|---|---|
| Toolbar, narrow windows | More ▾ or ⋯ | Add Track…, Plugins, Mixer Window, MIDI Keyboard… and Region Editor Window, for the buttons that do not fit. A dot shows an open window or panel. Jam ↗ opens Jam directly from the toolbar. |
| Edit toolbar | The arrow on GRID | Absolute Grid, Relative Grid and Snap to Grid: On or Snap to Grid: Off. See Editing audio. |
| Channel processing | + Built-in Effect or + Insert above | MADRE Chorus, Voltage Spaces and Char Press, added at the end of the chain or above that stage. In narrow panels the first button reads + Effect. |
| Channel processing | … on a stage | Open, Move up, Move down and Remove. Move up and Move down are unavailable at the ends of the chain, and Remove appears only for stages you can remove. |
| Piano roll and audio clip editor | Zoom | Zoom In and Zoom Out for that editor. |
The menus in the MIDI keyboard settings and the Mini Bar panel list your connected devices and sounds. See MIDI and instruments.