1 Before you begin

1-1 About Dawesome

Dawesome is a free, open-source digital audio workstation (DAW) for macOS, Windows and Linux. You arrange samples and recordings on a playlist, build patterns of samples and VST3 instruments in a pattern sequencer and piano roll, record from your audio interface, add VST3 effects, mix on a channel-strip mixer and export the result to a WAV or MP3 file.

Its controls are modelled on a cassette four-track: latching transport keys, LEDs, rolling counters and a tape deck with a cassette that winds as the song plays.

CAUTION

Dawesome is at an early stage of development. Save your projects often, and keep copies of recordings you can't make again.

1-2 How this manual is written

1-2-1 Keys

Keys are written in bold. The Mac key comes first, with the Windows and Linux key in parentheses:

⌘S (Ctrl+S) — hold Command (Control) and press S.
⇧⌘S (Ctrl+Shift+S) — hold Shift and Command (Control) and press S.
Space, S, Shift+J — the same on every system.

1-2-2 Mouse actions

Mouse actions are written in italics: click, double-click, right-click, drag, Shift-drag (hold Shift while you drag).

1-2-3 Controls and menus

Buttons, fields, tabs and menus are written in bold, with the label the app shows. A menu path is written with ▸: File ▸ Save As… means "open the File menu and choose Save As…". Many buttons have no printed label; the name used here is the tooltip you see when you hold the pointer over them. On-screen buttons are called keys, as on a tape deck: the Play key, the R key on a mixer strip. A key you press on the keyboard is always written with its keyboard name, as in 1-2-1.

File and folder names are written in code.

1-2-4 Notes and cautions

NOTE

Useful extra information.

CAUTION

Something that can lose work, or damage your hearing or equipment.

1-3 How chapters are numbered

Chapters and sections are numbered, as in a hardware owner's manual. "6-2" means chapter 6, section 2; "6-2-1" is the first part of that section. Other chapters refer to sections by these numbers.

1-4 Contents

Every key and mouse shortcut is listed on the Shortcuts page.

1 Before you begin ​

1-1 About Dawesome ​

1-2 How this manual is written ​

1-2-1 Keys ​

1-2-2 Mouse actions ​

1-2-3 Controls and menus ​

1-2-4 Notes and cautions ​

1-3 How chapters are numbered ​

1-4 Contents ​