Thanks for this excellent thread!
Maybe a bit off topic, but real time savers
- replace your HD with an SSD
- move to 64bit (W7, Cubase, plugins)
- say goodbye to any plugins that cause crashes
- use a wireless keyboard with key commands for recording (arm, rec, play/pause, go left, undo) so you have kind of remote control
Key commands have been mentioned already. If you have trouble remembering them, invent some system and make them somewhat failsafe. For example, my first level key commands are all non-destructive (mainly zoom an transport functions), so I won’t accidentally delete an entire project by just hitting the wrong key. Shift is mainly for audio functions (like gain, pitch), and CTRL will mostly open editors. I always try to associate a word with the letter of the key, so it’s not so hard to remember. Maybe not your preferred way, but I think you get the picture…
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