Select previously selected tracks when changing source or dest.

[Tacovision]

It is annoying that all audio tracks are selected every time one goes to another source or destination. It would be nice if the action behind it would first get the currently selected track(s), then go to the destination or other source, and select just the tracks that were selected before the action was triggered.

[cohler]

The vast majority of the time when you switch track groups it’s either because you are auditioning a selection, or you are selecting IN/OUT points to do an edit. So the obvious default is to select all tracks in the track group.

Why would you ever want to switch track groups and select a particular track or subset of tracks?

[Tacovision]

People might have different ways of working.

I will give you an example then... I'm editing a live opera recording and run into several issues in the horn section. I'm soloing the horns so it is easier to compare different takes, especially when one has to restore some parts almost note by note. But if I listen to another take in another source group, I have to deselect all tracks and select solo again for just the horns. And that every time I listen to another take...

Another example: During editing, I adjust the balance in the mix. Almost every time I want to change the gain, mute or solo a particular channel or channel group, I find myself doing that to all the tracks because I forget to first deselect all tracks and select just the track or group of tracks I was working on before selecting another source group or destination. So that means 1. undoing that, 2. deselecting all tracks, 3. selecting just the track I need, and 4. choosing the action I wanted in the first place.

Even though my request seems unnecessary to you, I would like to have at least the option to switch off that "all tracks get selected every time I go from one source or destination to another". That way I can use it as you advertise CC with everything being "one click away in CC" which now costs me several clicks every time.

[cohler]

I'm editing a live opera recording and run into several issues in the horn section. I'm soloing the horns so it is easier to compare different takes, especially when one has to restore some parts almost note by note. But if I listen to another take in another source group, I have to deselect all tracks and select solo again for just the horns. And that every time I listen to another take...

There's no need for those extra steps. Soloing, muting, volume, panning, and a few others are linked automatically between groups. Once you have soloed/muted/panned the horns in any track group, they will be soloed/muted/panned etc.. in any other group you go to. Zero clicks.

During editing, I adjust the balance in the mix. Almost every time I want to change the gain, mute or solo a particular channel or channel group, I find myself doing that to all the tracks because I forget to first deselect all tracks and select just the track or group of tracks I was working on before selecting another source group or destination.

So that means 1. undoing that, 2. deselecting all tracks, 3. selecting just the track I need, and 4. choosing the action I wanted in the first place.

• REAPER makes this issue very configurable, and as a result quite complicated, but the best solution is to FIRST click on any blank area of the track you want to modify to select it. This is a best practice in any situation, because whenever you are modifying ANYTHING, you want to make sure that you know precisely WHAT it is that you are modifying. Depending on what tracks are collapsed or uncollapsed, you cannot possibly know for sure what is or isn't selected, because you cannot always SEE what is selected. And REAPER's default behavior for its buttons and sliders is to apply those buttons and sliders to all selected tracks.
• You can also learn the modifier keys (page 92 of the REAPER Users Guide) below but you need to really understand what you are doing before using these. WARNING: This can get complicated very quickly, especially because of several REAPER bugs in this area. See below for more detailed discussion.
  
  
• REAPER has a preference under Edit => Preferences... => Editing Behavior => Mouse => Mouse click on volume/pan faders and track buttons changes track selection, which if checked, and if you click/drag on a button/slider on a currently unselected track, will select the track first and then click/drag the button/slider for that track only in all track groups.
  
  If, however, you click/drag on a button/slider on one of the currently selected tracks without using one of the above key modifiers, it does not change the track selection and it applies your click/drag to all tracks in the current track selection. This seems to be a bug in REAPER. We will report it to the REAPER developers and keep you updated.
  
  With that preference unchecked, you can click/drag on buttons and sliders on unselected tracks to change individual tracks without affecting the track selection or the button/slider states of the selected tracks.
• Now, if you use the Shift-click on Solo or Mute it toggles only the clicked-on track, HOWEVER, it does not toggle the corresponding tracks in the other track groups. This appears to be ANOTHER bug in REAPER, which we will report.
  
  In the meantime, we will also try to program a fix for it in Cohler Classical. One of the great benefits of Cohler Classical is that not only is CC itself guaranteed to be bug-free, but it also repairs dozens, if not hundreds, of REAPER bugs, all in the background, so they don't bother our users!

Let me know if you have any other thoughts on this...

[cohler]

@Tacovision Actually, I discovered that there are more options, and the complete answer is a bit more complex than what I posted previously. I've updated the post now. Check it out. Sorry for the delay in figuring this out.

[cohler]

@Tacovision We've fixed the 2nd REAPER bug mentioned above. Update to get latest version with the fix.

So here's another good solution for solo/mute.

Uncheck the Edit => Preferences... => Editing Behavior => Mouse => Mouse click on volume/pan faders and track buttons changes track selection setting.

Then for clicking on a button on either an unselected track or the only track that is selected, just click on it and it all works properly in all track groups without selecting the track first.

And if you are clicking on a track that is part of multiple selected tracks then use Shift-click for solo and mute. Our REAPER bug fix will ensure that all groups synchronize the same state in all groups.