Ronman

Almost. I don't extend an event, I extend the selection by first selecting one or more events, then Shift-Alt-F6, and it keeps that selection but also selects everything else all the way to the end. I didn't create the shortcut, it just worked once it was pointed out to me.

Sometime in the past someone here, wish I could name them, told me about the Shift+Alt+F6 shortcut to extend a selection from a selected MIDI event in the PRV all the way to the end. Lifesaver! Now I'm looking for a similar shortcut that goes the other direction, from a selected event all the way to the beginning. I don't find it in the cheat sheets of shortcuts I've found. Where's it listed (if it exists)?

What's the easiest workflow for splitting the lowest notes of a track off into a separate track? I looked through the CAL programs and context menus but didn't see anything.

a) I agree with @Will., it's the reset of the dock that's the problem. I want to tell it, never dock, no matter what I do, even if I beg and scream...until I change the option. b) I thought @msmcleod's pointer to the Windows magnifier would do what I want, but no. It magnifies the whole screen, losing context of where you are in the bigger picture; and when you just need it for a second, you have to do the key combination to make it go away. I like rather the midi magnifier way.

Good info. Let me clarify one item. You said, "If you don't want something docked, un-dock it, close it and save as a custom workspace. Alternatively just hit "D" to hide the multi-dock." I don't want to close the dock window, I just want to be able to move it anywhere on the screen without the turquoise background coming up to indicate that it's going to be docked at the top or the bottom of the screen.

Here's my wish list: I'm constantly wondering about this or that control or feature, but the documentation is so voluminous and hard to search that I resist looking it up. How about a context search? Not another icon, please, just that when you hover over anything, the option to press F1 or some other function key and it automatically opens up the documentation to the section that describes that thing. I spend a lot of time trying to move my house just one or two pixels to click on some tiny control. How about a magnifier that works for the entire UI, not just MIDI editing? And a default that if you press an arrow key while the mouse button is depressed, it moves the cursor one pixel. And an option on the docket window in addition to the existing options for "docket top", "docket bottom" that says "never docket". I'm always moving that window around to be able to see a track underneath or an instrument config panel and it's a pain to have to remember to press the control key to prevent docking, and it takes an extra hand to do so. And a context menu on Arranger Sections for moving either end of the Section to the Now marker.

What's the usual way to do this? I want to add a little compression on the Master, but automate it so that I can vary the amount for different sections.

@msmcleod "Select Track Envelopes With Clips" worked for volume automation, but not for dynamics automation. I'll keep the idea of creating an arranger section for this, but I've found arranger sections hard to work with in the past because there's no function I know of to move the ends of the section precisely to the Now time. (And also seems like a lot of work just to play with timing and spacings in the process of composition.) @reginaldStjohn Using Ripple Edit worked to slide both volume and dynamics automation. The valuable doc page you linked to (tnx) gives scary warnings about unintended consequences, but I'm going to use it and see; too much of a time-saver not to try.

I searched in the user's manual pdf and found only one instance for 'slide'. What's happening is that when I select a track or several tracks and slide them, with 'Events in Tracks' checked, it slides the Events as expected, but all the automation tracks are left alone, so now the automation doesn't match the events. How do I slide automation along with notes? By the way, what is "Events in Tracks" there? Why else would I have chosen Slide?

I've been a software developer for 30 years so I'm very aware of the need for backup. That being said, in the DAW world it's true I've gotten lazy about backups in the rush to finish an arrangement, which, as you know, is a never-ending quest.

I'm finding that exporting Arrangement sections one at a time to digital audio to be edited in Audacity is much easier than working in Cakewalk alone, per @John Vere's suggestion. However, it still seems strange that Cakewalk doesn't have a command for moving either end of an Arrangement section to precisely coincide with the Now marker (or perhaps one tick away to allow a subsequent section to coincide). If I was working with digital audio in Cakewalk it would be even more of an issue, after taking the trouble to find a clean ending spot in the waveform to end a section, then you also have to tweak the boundary of the corresponding section, almost certainly not getting it exact by just using a mouse drag.

I've exported the whole file to Audacity and edited as a wave file. Much more enjoyable than doing it in Cakewalk, but I lose the labeling of Arrangement sections. But I think you're saying another way is to export each Arrangement section as a separate wave file, then assemble them in Audacity or another wave editor. I'm not clear why I would want to bring them back in to Cakewalk, though.

Doesn't using ripple edit in this way destroy the original full-length version, as you said by cutting automation, if not other things. I need the full version as-is, plus extracted from various parts shorter versions as well. For example, a 15 sec cutdown might consist of 5 secs. from three different spots that fit together musically but are not contiguous in the full-length version, plus an automated reverb in the last fraction of a second to make the end not sound abrupt.

I'll answer my own post. I replaced the AmpleSound VST3 plugin with the VST2 plugin for the same instrument. So far, so good.

I'm making cut downs, 15sec, 30sec, 60sec, etc. What would really, really help are three things. Are these currently possible? In the Arranger Track, automatically extend one or the other end of a section to precisely the position of the Now pointer (not using drag, which is inaccurate if you're not zoomed way in). In the Arrangement Inspector, it currently shows the total time, but also show the time of each section. Then I could see ways to split and combine sections to come up with the needed lengths. Increase/decease the tempo slightly ONLY for the arrangement, in order to make the total seconds come out right.