piano roll stuck on pencil, can't get cursor

[live bit]

such a silly problem this, how does one get the cursor back in the piano roll? whenever I open piano roll my cursour changes to a pencil and I can't work out how to get the cursor back so I can select sections.?

using CbB v2021.11

Edited December 3, 2021 by live bit

[Promidi]

Smart tool?

[John Vere]

Press T. To bring up the tools. 

[live bit]

thankyou did that and the arrow was highlighted but I still get the pencil. I tried changing to different tools  but when I highlighted the cursor in the tools I still get the pencil ?

[Andres Medina]

I think by default you get the write tool the first time you open the PRV.

One way to speed up your workflow is by creating keyboard shortcuts for this tools.

I created one for Select Tool (shift+S)

Another for Smart Tool.

See pics-

[Promidi]

+1 for keyboard short cuts for the tools, except I use D > draw, S for Smart tool, m > move, e > edit

[scook]

Here are the default tools shortcuts

[Starship Krupa]

F5-F9 select the various tools.

However, bigger issue, you may be doing what I was doing for a long time when I started using Cakewalk: you're using the Select Tool where you would be better off using the right mouse button.

Try it. Hold your right mouse button down and drag a selection. No need to switch tools, it works no matter what tool is selected.

Edited December 8, 2021 by Starship Krupa
Only with Smart Tool

[sjoens]

This is normal. To select, hold the right-click button and drag over the notes or switch to the Move tool.

Edited December 8, 2021 by sjoens

[Andres Medina]

On 12/3/2021 at 5:09 PM, Starship Krupa said:

F5-F9 select the various tools.

However, bigger issue, you may be doing what I was doing for a long time when I started using Cakewalk: you're using the Select Tool where you would be better off using the right mouse button.

Try it. Hold your right mouse button down and drag a selection. No need to switch tools, it works no matter what tool is selected.

Didn't know that! 

I tried and it's WAY better!  thanks!  

Anyway , for this to work, you have to be active on the Smart Tool. Doesn't work if you are using others.

[Starship Krupa]

7 hours ago, Andres Medina said:

Anyway , for this to work, you have to be active on the Smart Tool. Doesn't work if you are using others.

Oops, you are correct. Thank you.

Glad you find right mouse button select so useful. It would be nice if there were some way to emphasize this in the documentation. Learning to select with the right button is, IMO, almost essential to getting fast with Cakewalk.

My MIDI editing speed was like a glacier until I figured out this technique. It's not as big a deal in Track View, because the Smart Tool switches to select mode pretty easily, but for Piano Roll, wow, what a difference.