A linked clip is a copy that shares its pattern with the original. Edit the notes, the part of the sample it plays, the fades, or the gain on any one of them, and every linked copy changes with it. It’s the same idea as reusing a pattern in FL Studio or clip aliases in Bitwig, tailored to Gridshift: linking is same-track only, and you never have to name patterns. A clip has two parts:Documentation Index
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- Where it sits — its position on the timeline, plus its mute and quantize state. Always its own, per copy.
- Its pattern — the content: MIDI notes, the audio sample and the part it plays, time-stretch, fades, length, and clip gain. This is what linked copies share.
Creating Linked Clips
By default, duplicating a clip keeps it linked to the original:| Action | Shortcut / Gesture | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Duplicate | ⌘D | Linked copy directly after the original |
| Stamp | ⌘+click an empty area with a clip selected | Linked copy at the click position (same track) |
| Paste (same track) | ⌘C then ⌘V | Linked copy at the cursor |
| Duplicate a group | ⌘D on a group clip | Child clips are duplicated as linked copies |
Creating an Independent Copy
When you want a copy that evolves on its own, make a new pattern instead:| Action | Shortcut | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Duplicate as New Pattern | ⌘⇧D | Copy that starts identical but is no longer linked |
| Make Clip Independent | ⌘I / pattern picker | Stop the selected clip from sharing its pattern |
Make Clip Independent is bound to
⌘I (I for independent). You can also
run it from the Command Palette or the pattern
picker (see below), or reassign the shortcut in Settings → Shortcuts. It only
acts on a single focused or selected clip; a multi-clip selection is ambiguous
and is left untouched.Operations That Unlink Automatically
Some edits change a clip so much that it can’t sensibly stay linked. These quietly give the affected clip its own pattern:- Slicing or splitting a clip (
⌘E,⌘⇧E, or a mouse slice) - Duplicating only part of a clip (for example across a partial marquee selection)
- Moving or pasting a clip to a different track — linking is same-track only, so the destination always gets its own pattern
Visual Identity
Linked clips share a shade of the track color so you can see groupings at a glance:- A clip that is not linked uses the plain track color.
- Linked clips that share a pattern are tinted with the same shade. A different pattern on the same track gets a different shade, so you can tell groups apart.
The Pattern Picker
When you enter Focus Mode on a clip, the floating bar starts with a pattern picker — a colored swatch, a count of how many clips share this pattern, and a chevron.
- Click a row to switch the focused clip to that pattern. It immediately plays and displays the one you picked.
- Make Independent (footer) gives the focused clip its own pattern. It’s disabled when the clip isn’t linked to anything.
Escape to close the picker; a second Escape exits Focus Mode.
Things to Know
- Linking is same-track only. A clip can only link to other clips on its own track. This is why moving a clip to another track always makes it unique.
- Position, mute, and quantize stay per-copy. Only the pattern content is shared — each linked clip keeps its own spot on the timeline and its own mute state.
- Clip-gain number keys aren’t shared. The
0–9clip-gain keys on the timeline change exactly the clips you selected and leave linked copies alone. Use the gain slider in Focus Mode (or the inspector) if you want a gain change to carry across the link.