Skip to content

⌨️ AudioLab Keyboard Shortcuts

Custom keybindings optimized for AudioLab development workflow with ClaudeGrid 8-panel layout

📋 Table of Contents

  1. Overview
  2. Quick Start
  3. Installation
  4. Files in This Directory
  5. Key Features
  6. Customization
  7. Troubleshooting
  8. Learning Resources

Overview

Purpose: Provide comprehensive keyboard shortcuts for AudioLab development, including:

  • Layout Protection: Prevent accidental resizing of the 8-panel ClaudeGrid layout
  • Panel Navigation: Efficient movement between code panels (Alt+Arrows)
  • Claude Code Integration: Quick access to AI-assisted coding features
  • Audio Workflow: Shortcuts for build, test, validate, and launch plugins
  • Productivity Boost: 60%+ faster development with muscle memory

Designed for: - C++20 audio plugin developers - JUCE framework users - Multi-panel workspace users - Claude Code power users

Quick Start

1. Installation (3 minutes)

Windows/Linux:

# Open VS Code
code .

# Open keyboard shortcuts JSON
# Press: Ctrl+Shift+P
# Type: "Preferences: Open Keyboard Shortcuts (JSON)"
# Copy content from keybindings.json and paste

# Or use command palette shortcut:
# Ctrl+K Ctrl+S → Open Keyboard Shortcuts UI

macOS:

# Open VS Code
code .

# Open keyboard shortcuts JSON
# Press: Cmd+Shift+P
# Type: "Preferences: Open Keyboard Shortcuts (JSON)"
# Copy content from keybindings.mac.json and paste

2. Quick Test

After installation, test these essential shortcuts:

Panel Navigation Test: 

1. Open 8-panel workspace (Alt+1 to Alt+8 to jump)
2. Try Alt+Left, Alt+Right, Alt+Up, Alt+Down
3. Verify you can navigate all panels

Claude Code Test: 

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+C (Cmd+Shift+C on Mac)
2. Claude should open in new tab
3. Press Ctrl+Alt+C to open chat panel

Build Test: 

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+B (Cmd+Shift+B on Mac)
2. Build task should execute
3. Press F7 for CMake build

✅ Success: All shortcuts working? You're ready!

Installation

Step-by-step:

  1. Open VS Code Keybindings File

Windows/Linux: 

File → Preferences → Keyboard Shortcuts
Click 🔗 icon (top-right) → "Open Keyboard Shortcuts (JSON)"

macOS: 

Code → Preferences → Keyboard Shortcuts
Click 🔗 icon (top-right) → "Open Keyboard Shortcuts (JSON)"

  1. Choose Correct File

  2. Windows/Linux: Use keybindings.json

  3. macOS: Use keybindings.mac.json

  4. Copy Content

# Open AudioLab keybindings file
cd C:\AudioDev\audio-lab\2 - FOUNDATION\03_INFRA\03_00_development_environment\03_00_01_ide_configurations\vscode\keybindings

# Copy content (Windows)
Get-Content keybindings.json | Set-Clipboard

# Copy content (macOS/Linux)
cat keybindings.mac.json | pbcopy  # macOS
cat keybindings.json | xclip       # Linux

  1. Paste into VS Code

  2. Select all existing content (Ctrl+A / Cmd+A)

  3. Replace with copied content (Ctrl+V / Cmd+V)

  4. Save file (Ctrl+S / Cmd+S)

  5. Restart VS Code (Optional but recommended)

Ctrl+Shift+P → "Reload Window"

For users who want keybindings to auto-update with Git changes:

Windows (PowerShell as Admin):

# Navigate to VS Code user directory
cd $env:APPDATA\Code\User

# Backup existing keybindings
if (Test-Path keybindings.json) {
    Copy-Item keybindings.json keybindings.json.backup
}

# Create symlink to AudioLab keybindings
New-Item -ItemType SymbolicLink -Path keybindings.json -Target "C:\AudioDev\audio-lab\2 - FOUNDATION\03_INFRA\03_00_development_environment\03_00_01_ide_configurations\vscode\keybindings\keybindings.json"

macOS/Linux:

# Navigate to VS Code user directory
cd ~/Library/Application\ Support/Code/User  # macOS
# cd ~/.config/Code/User  # Linux

# Backup existing keybindings
cp keybindings.json keybindings.json.backup

# Create symlink
ln -sf "/path/to/audio-lab/2 - FOUNDATION/03_INFRA/03_00_development_environment/03_00_01_ide_configurations/vscode/keybindings/keybindings.mac.json" keybindings.json

Advantage: Keybindings auto-update when you git pull

Disadvantage: Cannot customize without affecting Git repo

Method 3: Import via Extension (Future)

🚧 Coming Soon: VS Code extension to auto-import AudioLab settings

Files in This Directory

1. keybindings.json

Platform: Windows, Linux

Content: - 80+ custom shortcuts - Ctrl-based key combinations - Layout protection (prevents resize) - Panel navigation (Alt+Arrows) - Claude Code integration - Build/debug workflow - Audio-specific tasks

Usage: 

// Example shortcuts
Ctrl+Shift+C     → Open Claude in new tab
Ctrl+Alt+R       → Launch plugin in DAW
Alt+Left/Right   → Navigate panels
F7               → CMake build

2. keybindings.mac.json

Platform: macOS

Content: - Same 80+ shortcuts as Windows version - Cmd-based key combinations (instead of Ctrl) - Option-based navigation (instead of Alt) - macOS-specific conventions

Differences from Windows: - Ctrl → Cmd - Alt → Option - Some terminal shortcuts use Ctrl (native macOS)

Usage: 

// Example shortcuts
Cmd+Shift+C      → Open Claude in new tab
Cmd+Option+R     → Launch plugin in DAW
Option+Left      → Navigate panels
F7               → CMake build

3. shortcuts-cheatsheet.md

Purpose: Quick reference guide for all shortcuts

Content: - Organized by category (Navigation, Build, Debug, etc.) - Side-by-side Windows/Linux vs macOS comparison - Visual panel layout diagram - Printable quick reference cards - Learning path (Week 1-5 progression)

Usage: 

# Read in VS Code with Markdown preview
code shortcuts-cheatsheet.md
Ctrl+Shift+V  # Open preview

# Or print for desk reference
# File → Print → Save as PDF

Best Practice: - Print "Printable Quick Reference" section - Keep near monitor for first 2 weeks - Remove when shortcuts become muscle memory

4. README.md (this file)

Purpose: Installation and usage guide

Content: - Installation instructions - File descriptions - Customization guide - Troubleshooting tips

Key Features

🔒 Layout Protection

Problem: Accidentally pressing Ctrl+K Z or resizing panels breaks the 8-panel grid.

Solution: Disabled shortcuts that affect layout:

// Disabled shortcuts (you can still use Command Palette if needed)
- Ctrl+K Z           : Zen Mode (disabled)
- Ctrl+K Ctrl+M      : Maximize panel (disabled)
- Ctrl+K Shift+←→↑↓  : Manual resize (disabled)

Result: 8-panel grid stays intact during development.

🧭 Panel Navigation

Problem: Mouse navigation between 8 panels is slow and breaks flow.

Solution: Arrow-based navigation for instant panel switching:

Alt+Left/Right/Up/Down  : Navigate between panels
Alt+1 through Alt+8     : Jump directly to panel 1-8

Visual Reference:

┌─────────┬─────────┬─────────┬─────────┐
│ Alt+1   │ Alt+2   │ Alt+3   │ Alt+4   │
├─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┤
│ Alt+5   │ Alt+6   │ Alt+7   │ Alt+8   │
└─────────┴─────────┴─────────┴─────────┘

Movement:
  Alt+←  : Left panel
  Alt+→  : Right panel
  Alt+↑  : Panel above
  Alt+↓  : Panel below

Productivity Gain: ~60% faster navigation vs mouse

🤖 Claude Code Integration

Problem: Clicking Claude UI elements interrupts coding flow.

Solution: Keyboard shortcuts for all Claude operations:

Ctrl+Shift+C     : Open Claude in new tab
Ctrl+Alt+C       : Open Claude chat panel
Ctrl+Shift+A     : Apply all suggestions
Ctrl+Enter       : Accept current suggestion
Ctrl+Shift+Enter : Reject current suggestion
Ctrl+Alt+N       : New conversation

Use Case: Generate code → Apply → Continue coding without mouse.

🎧 Audio Workflow Shortcuts

Problem: Audio plugin development requires frequent DAW testing, validation, benchmarking.

Solution: One-key shortcuts for common audio tasks:

Ctrl+Alt+R  : Launch plugin in DAW (Reaper/Logic/Ableton)
Ctrl+Alt+V  : Run PluginVal (VST3 validator)
Ctrl+Alt+P  : Process audio test file
Ctrl+Alt+B  : Benchmark DSP performance
Ctrl+Alt+T  : Build and run unit tests

Workflow Example:

1. Edit DSP code
2. Ctrl+Shift+B (build)
3. Ctrl+Alt+R (launch in DAW)
4. Test in DAW
5. Ctrl+Alt+V (validate)
6. Repeat

Time Saved: ~15 seconds per iteration × 50 iterations/day = 12 minutes/day

🔨 Build & Debug

Unified shortcuts for CMake, build, and debugging:

BUILD:
  Ctrl+Shift+B        : Default build task
  F7                  : CMake build
  Ctrl+Shift+F7       : Clean rebuild
  Ctrl+Alt+Shift+C    : CMake configure

DEBUG:
  F5                  : Start/Continue debugging
  Shift+F5            : Stop debugging
  Ctrl+Shift+F5       : Restart debugging
  F9                  : Toggle breakpoint
  F10                 : Step over
  F11                 : Step into
  Shift+F11           : Step out

Familiar to: - Visual Studio users (F5, F9, F10, F11) - CLion users (similar shortcuts) - Xcode users (mostly compatible)

Customization

Adding Custom Shortcuts

Method 1: VS Code UI

1. Ctrl+K Ctrl+S (open keyboard shortcuts UI)
2. Search for action (e.g., "format document")
3. Click + icon → Press desired key
4. Press Enter to save

Method 2: JSON Edit

// Add to keybindings.json
[
  {
    "key": "ctrl+alt+f",
    "command": "editor.action.formatDocument",
    "when": "editorTextFocus"
  }
]

Overriding AudioLab Shortcuts

To change an AudioLab shortcut:

  1. Find the command name:
# Search keybindings.json for shortcut description
# Example: Find "Launch plugin in DAW"
grep -n "Launch in DAW" keybindings.json
# Returns: "command": "workbench.action.tasks.runTask"
  1. Add override to your keybindings.json:
// Override: Change "Launch in DAW" from Ctrl+Alt+R to Ctrl+F5
[
  {
    "key": "ctrl+f5",
    "command": "workbench.action.tasks.runTask",
    "args": "Launch in Reaper"
  }
]
  1. Disable original shortcut (optional):
// Disable Ctrl+Alt+R
{
  "key": "ctrl+alt+r",
  "command": "-workbench.action.tasks.runTask"
}

Platform-Specific Shortcuts

To create shortcuts that only work on specific OS:

// Windows only
{
  "key": "ctrl+alt+w",
  "command": "myExtension.windowsOnlyCommand",
  "when": "isWindows"
}

// macOS only
{
  "key": "cmd+option+m",
  "command": "myExtension.macOnlyCommand",
  "when": "isMac"
}

// Linux only
{
  "key": "ctrl+alt+l",
  "command": "myExtension.linuxOnlyCommand",
  "when": "isLinux"
}

Troubleshooting

Issue 1: Shortcuts Not Working

Symptoms: - Pressing shortcut does nothing - Original command still executes (not overridden)

Solutions:

  1. Check keybindings.json syntax:
# Open VS Code
Ctrl+Shift+P → "Preferences: Open Keyboard Shortcuts (JSON)"

# Look for red underlines (syntax errors)
# Common errors:
# - Missing comma at end of line
# - Extra comma after last entry
# - Unmatched brackets
  1. Reload VS Code:
Ctrl+Shift+P → "Reload Window"
  1. Check for conflicts:
Ctrl+K Ctrl+S → Search shortcut (e.g., "Ctrl+Alt+R")

# If multiple bindings exist:
# - VS Code uses first match
# - Add "-command" to disable default (see example above)
  1. Verify command exists:
Ctrl+Shift+P → Type command name

# If command doesn't appear:
# - Extension not installed
# - Command name typo
# - Feature not available in your VS Code version

Issue 2: Panel Navigation Not Working

Symptoms: - Alt+Left/Right doesn't switch panels - Alt+1-8 doesn't jump to panels

Solutions:

  1. Check multiple editor groups exist:
# Must have 8 editor groups open
# Open AudioLab workspace: AudioLab-ClaudeGrid-8.code-workspace
# Or manually create groups: Ctrl+\ (split editor)
  1. Check focus is in editor (not sidebar):
# Panel navigation only works when editor has focus
# Click inside an editor pane first
# Or press Ctrl+1 to focus first editor group
  1. Check Alt key not captured by OS:
# Windows: Alt key triggers menu bar
# Fix: File → Preferences → Settings
# Search: "window.menuBarVisibility"
# Set to: "toggle" or "hidden"

Issue 3: Claude Code Shortcuts Not Working

Symptoms: - Ctrl+Shift+C doesn't open Claude - Claude commands not found

Solutions:

  1. Check Claude Code extension installed:
Ctrl+Shift+X (Extensions view)
Search: "claude-dev"

# If not installed:
Install → "Claude Dev" by Saoud Rizwan
Reload VS Code
  1. Check command names match extension version:
# Extension may have renamed commands
# Check current commands:
Ctrl+Shift+P → Type "claude"

# Update keybindings.json with correct command names
  1. Check extension activated:
# Open Output panel
Ctrl+Shift+U

# Select "Claude Dev" from dropdown
# Look for activation errors

Issue 4: Audio Workflow Shortcuts Not Working

Symptoms: - Ctrl+Alt+R doesn't launch DAW - "Task not found" error

Solutions:

  1. Check tasks.json exists:
# Tasks must be defined in .vscode/tasks.json
# Example location:
C:\AudioDev\audio-lab\.vscode\tasks.json

# If missing: Create tasks for build, test, launch, etc.
  1. Check task names match:
// In keybindings.json, "args" must match task "label"
{
  "key": "ctrl+alt+r",
  "command": "workbench.action.tasks.runTask",
  "args": "Launch in Reaper"  // Must match task label exactly
}

// In tasks.json:
{
  "label": "Launch in Reaper",  // Must match
  "type": "shell",
  "command": "..."
}
  1. Test task manually:
Ctrl+Shift+P → "Tasks: Run Task"
Select task from list

# If task runs: Keybinding issue
# If task fails: Task configuration issue

Learning Resources

Official Documentation

AudioLab Resources

Community

Learning Path

Week 1: Panel Navigation

Goal: Navigate 8-panel grid without mouse

Practice: 

1. Open 8-panel workspace
2. Set timer for 5 minutes
3. Practice: Alt+1 → Alt+2 → ... → Alt+8 (repeat)
4. Practice: Alt+Left/Right/Up/Down navigation
5. Goal: Navigate entire grid in <10 seconds

Expected Result: Muscle memory develops by Day 3-4

Week 2: Claude Code

Goal: Interact with Claude without mouse

Practice: 

1. Ctrl+Shift+C (open Claude)
2. Type prompt
3. Ctrl+Enter (accept suggestion)
4. Edit code
5. Repeat workflow 10 times

Expected Result: 50% faster Claude interaction

Week 3: Build & Debug

Goal: Full build/debug cycle keyboard-only

Practice: 

1. Edit code
2. F7 (build)
3. F9 (set breakpoint)
4. F5 (start debugging)
5. F10 (step over)
6. F11 (step into)
7. Shift+F5 (stop)

Expected Result: Debug without touching mouse

Week 4: Code Editing

Goal: Edit code efficiently

Practice: 

1. F12 (go to definition)
2. Shift+F12 (find references)
3. F2 (rename symbol)
4. Ctrl+/ (toggle comment)
5. Ctrl+Shift+F (format)

Expected Result: 40% faster code navigation

Week 5+: Audio Workflow

Goal: Complete plugin workflow keyboard-only

Practice: 

1. Edit DSP code
2. Ctrl+Shift+B (build)
3. Ctrl+Alt+R (launch in DAW)
4. Test in DAW
5. Ctrl+Alt+V (validate)
6. Repeat

Expected Result: Save 12+ minutes per day

Keyboard Shortcut Principles

Good Shortcut Design

1. Mnemonic (Easy to Remember): 

Ctrl+Shift+F → Format (F for Format)
Ctrl+Alt+R   → Run in DAW (R for Run)
Ctrl+Alt+V   → Validate (V for Validate)

2. Consistent Modifiers: 

Ctrl+Shift+... : Primary actions (Build, Format, Open)
Ctrl+Alt+...   : Secondary actions (Run, Validate, Test)
Alt+...        : Navigation (Panel switching)
F-keys         : Debug actions (F5, F9, F10, F11)

3. No Conflicts: 

# Avoid overriding essential shortcuts:
Ctrl+S  : Save (never override)
Ctrl+C  : Copy (never override)
Ctrl+V  : Paste (never override)
Ctrl+Z  : Undo (never override)

4. Platform Conventions: 

Windows/Linux : Ctrl-based
macOS         : Cmd-based (not Ctrl)

FAQ

Q: Can I use these keybindings with other projects (non-AudioLab)?

A: Yes! The shortcuts work for any C++ project. Audio-specific shortcuts (Ctrl+Alt+R, etc.) require corresponding tasks in .vscode/tasks.json.

Q: Will these keybindings conflict with my existing shortcuts?

A: Possibly. Check Ctrl+K Ctrl+S for conflicts. AudioLab keybindings are designed to minimize conflicts, but you may need to adjust.

Q: Can I contribute new shortcuts to AudioLab?

A: Yes! Submit pull request to AudioLab repo with: 1. New shortcut in keybindings.json and keybindings.mac.json 2. Documentation in shortcuts-cheatsheet.md 3. Explanation of use case

Q: How do I reset to default VS Code shortcuts?

A: Delete keybindings.json from VS Code user directory: 

# Windows
del %APPDATA%\Code\User\keybindings.json

# macOS
rm ~/Library/Application\ Support/Code/User/keybindings.json

# Linux
rm ~/.config/Code/User/keybindings.json

# Then restart VS Code

Q: Can I use these shortcuts in VS Code remote (SSH, Docker)?

A: Yes! Keybindings sync automatically to remote environments. Install "Settings Sync" extension for multi-machine sync.

Version History

  • v1.0.0 (October 2024)
  • Initial release
  • 80+ shortcuts
  • Windows/Linux + macOS versions
  • Layout protection
  • Claude Code integration
  • Audio workflow shortcuts

Contributing

To contribute improvements:

  1. Fork AudioLab repository
  2. Edit keybindings files (both Windows and macOS versions)
  3. Update documentation (cheatsheet, README)
  4. Test shortcuts (ensure no conflicts)
  5. Submit pull request with description

Guidelines: - Follow existing shortcut patterns - Document all changes - Test on target platform (Windows/macOS) - Update cheatsheet with new shortcuts

License

MIT License - Feel free to use, modify, and distribute.

Credits

Created by: AudioLab DevOps Team Maintained by: Community contributors Inspired by: Visual Studio, CLion, Sublime Text keyboard shortcuts

Special Thanks: - VS Code team for excellent keybinding system - Claude Code team for AI-assisted coding tools - AudioLab community for feedback and testing

Contact

Questions or Issues?

Want to Contribute?

Happy Coding! 🎹🎧💻

Optimized for speed, designed for workflow, built for AudioLab.