Studio Accessibility

Studio layout overview

The Studio is organized into several areas, each with its own keyboard navigation patterns:

Track list

• Each track header contains instrument, options, record, solo, mute, and automation buttons
• Controls are labeled with the track name for context

Composition area

• Audio and note regions act as sliders with position announced as bar and beat
• Tab moves between regions and their toolbars

Bottom sidebar

• Contains Instrument, Piano Roll, Effects, and Patterns panels
• Use arrow keys to switch between tabs

Effects editor

• Effect cards are focusable
• Knobs and sliders report their current values
• Power toggles use switch semantics with on/off state

Automation editor

• Control points use a two-dimensional slider pattern, navigable with all four arrow keys

Loops browser

• Up and Down browse loops
• F favourites a loop
• P or Space previews a loop
• Enter adds a loop to the project
   

Screen reader announcements

The Studio announces important state changes to screen readers automatically. These include:

• Effects being added, removed, enabled, or disabled
• Tracks being added or removed
• Preset changes
• Progress updates
• Cycle marker state changes
• Clipping warnings from the stereo meter

Urgent notifications, such as errors, interrupt immediately. Non-urgent notifications are announced at the next natural pause.
 

Collaboration announcements

When another user joins a collaborative session, the Studio offers to enable live announcements.

Press Alt+Shift+D (Option+Shift+D on Mac) to toggle screen reader announcements for:

• Collaborator join and leave events
• Track additions and removals

Press the same shortcut again to turn them off.
 

Musical notation for screen readers

Chord symbols and pitch names are read aloud as descriptive text rather than raw notation. For example:

• C#7 is announced as "C sharp dominant-seventh"
• Key signatures use names like "C flat" instead of "Cb"
• Durations are spelled out, such as "1 minute 30 seconds"
   

Musical Typing

The Studio's built-in Musical Typing functionality assigns musical notes to letters and numbers on the computer keyboard so notes can be played by pressing the corresponding keys.

This can interfere with some assistive technologies, such as screen readers and voice control software. Users affected by this issue can disable Musical Typing using the toggle switch in Settings → Keyboard.