> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.gridshift.studio/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Plugin Strip

> Shows every effect on the selected track as a card along the bottom of the window, with the plugin's own interface scaled down. Hold ⌘ and drag a control to change it right on its card.

## Adjust a plugin on its card

<video src="/videos/plugin-strip-knob.mp4" poster="/videos/plugin-strip-knob.jpg" aria-label="Holding Command, the Mix knob on the reverb card's scaled-down interface is dragged up without opening the plugin window" title="Holding Command, the Mix knob on the reverb card's scaled-down interface is dragged up without opening the plugin window" muted loop playsInline preload="none" />

Hold `⌘` and drag or click a control on the card to change it in place. A plain click opens the [full view](#open-the-full-view), and a plain drag reorders the card.

## Bypass a plugin

<video src="/videos/plugin-strip-bypass.mp4" poster="/videos/plugin-strip-bypass.jpg" aria-label="The power button on the card's left edge turns red and bypasses the plugin; a second click switches it back on" title="The power button on the card's left edge turns red and bypasses the plugin; a second click switches it back on" muted loop playsInline preload="none" />

Click the power button at the top of the card's left edge. It turns red and the plugin is out of the signal path. Click it again to switch the plugin back on.

## Open the full view

<video src="/videos/plugin-strip-full.mp4" poster="/videos/plugin-strip-full.jpg" aria-label="Return opens the selected plugin at full size; meanwhile the card shows its Sidechain and Parameters tabs" title="Return opens the selected plugin at full size; meanwhile the card shows its Sidechain and Parameters tabs" muted loop playsInline preload="none" />

Click the plugin's interface on its card, or press `Return` with the card selected. The plugin opens at its native size in its own floating window. Press `Esc` or click the window's close button to put it back on its card.

## Duplicate or remove an effect

<video src="/videos/plugin-strip-edit.mp4" poster="/videos/plugin-strip-edit.jpg" aria-label="Command D duplicates the selected effect with its settings; Delete removes it" title="Command D duplicates the selected effect with its settings; Delete removes it" muted loop playsInline preload="none" />

Click the free space on a card beside the plugin's interface, or press `⌘3` to move the keyboard to the strip. Press `⌘D` to duplicate the effect right after it, or `Delete` to remove it.

## Paste an effect onto another track

<video src="/videos/plugin-strip-paste.mp4" poster="/videos/plugin-strip-paste.jpg" aria-label="The reverb card of one track is copied with Command C and pasted onto the Snare track's strip with Command 6 and Command V" title="The reverb card of one track is copied with Command C and pasted onto the Snare track's strip with Command 6 and Command V" muted loop playsInline preload="none" />

Select the card and press `⌘C`. Select the other track, press `⌘3` and then `⌘V`; the effect lands after the selected card, with its settings.

## Reorder effects

<video src="/videos/plugin-strip-reorder.mp4" poster="/videos/plugin-strip-reorder.jpg" aria-label="The reverb card is dragged one place to the right, past the Squash card, which slides aside" title="The reverb card is dragged one place to the right, past the Squash card, which slides aside" muted loop playsInline preload="none" />

Drag a card left or right. The cards beside it slide out of the way, and the signal runs through the new order.

## Good to know

* **The strip follows the track you select.** Automation tracks have no effects, so the strip is hidden while one is selected. Adding effects: [Load Instruments and Effects](/sounds/load-instruments-and-effects.md).
* **To paste into a track with no effects, click its empty strip first**, then press `⌘V`.
* **A bypassed plugin uses no CPU.** An orange power button means [Zero Latency Monitoring](/record/zero-latency-monitoring.md) is bypassing the plugin for now.
* **Switch Preset and Save Preset sit under the power button.** See [Effect Presets](/sounds/effect-presets.md).

> **Details**
>
> * **`⌘3` selects the first card if none was selected.** The selected card has a selection ring. `Esc` moves the keyboard back to the timeline.
> * **A pasted effect keeps its parameters, bypass, Mix settings and sidechain routing.**
> * **Duplicate, remove, cut and paste are each one step for `⌘Z`.**
> * **`⌘` is only the trigger and is not sent to the plugin.** Modifiers the plugin uses itself still work: `⇧`-drag for fine adjustment, or `⌥`-click to reset, wherever the plugin supports it. A plain click opens the full view, a plain drag reorders the card.
> * **On a few GPU-rendered plugins the pointer can jump when you release a drag.** The value you set is still correct.
> * **`⌘`-drag works on the instrument and MIDI-effect cards in the Inspector too.**
> * **While the full view is open, the card shows two tabs instead of the plugin.** **Sidechain** sets the plugin's [sidechain](/mix/sidechain.md) source, and **Parameters** lists its parameters as sliders.
> * **Plugins without a custom interface show parameter sliders on the card**, a scrollable list with names and values.
> * **Move to Return Track creates a new Return named after the plugin.** The effect moves there with its settings, and a silent send from your track feeds it. It works on sample, instrument and group tracks, and one `⌘Z` puts everything back. Sends: [Sends and Returns](/mix/sends-and-returns.md).
> * **Moving a plugin to a Return resets Apply to to All**, because a Return is fully wet.
> * **Everything outside the Apply to part passes the plugin untouched** and comes back in time with it. With a plugin that does nothing, the result sounds exactly like the original.
> * **Input never changes the dry signal.** That is why an automated Input makes a clean throw: the tail rings out, where Wet would cut it off.
> * **With Apply to on a band, Mid or Side, Dry is the unprocessed copy of that part only.**
> * **The Mix button turns orange when anything differs from the default.** **Reset** puts every setting back. The card adds the chosen part after the plugin name, for example *Low \< 180 Hz*.
> * **Several plugins on the same band: set each one to that band.** For EQ, compression, delay and reverb this sounds the same as one shared band. A saturator's added harmonics stay in the signal and are not split again.
> * **The card menu (right-click) holds** **Open Full View**, **Bypass**, **Copy**, **Cut**, **Paste**, **Move to Return Track** and **Remove**. The left edge holds the power button, **Switch Preset**, **Save Preset** and the plugin's name; the right edge **A** (Gain Match), **Mix** and a stereo level meter: RMS bars, peak bars and a peak hold marker that decays after a short hold.

> **Move an effect to a Return**
>
> <video src="/videos/plugin-strip-return.mp4" poster="/videos/plugin-strip-return.jpg" aria-label="With the drum loop's reverb card selected, Move Effect to Return Track in the command palette takes it off the track and puts it on a new Return above the Master" title="With the drum loop's reverb card selected, Move Effect to Return Track in the command palette takes it off the track and puts it on a new Return above the Master" muted loop playsInline preload="none" />
>
> Select the card and run Command Palette → **Move Effect to Return Track**, or right-click it and choose **Move to Return Track**. Turn up the new [send](/mix/sends-and-returns.md) to hear the effect in parallel.

> **Gain Match**
>
> Click the **A** button at the top of the card's right edge and switch **Gain Match** on; it turns green. Play the track for three seconds, then compare with the bypass button.
>
> * **Gain Match takes loudness out of the comparison.** Louder sounds better, so a plugin that adds level wins every A/B. Gridshift listens to the signal going into the plugin and coming out, then sets a fixed gain after it so both are equally loud.
> * **The matched gain holds until you change the plugin.** Turning a knob, switching a preset or moving the Mix faders makes it listen again, and while you turn it follows along so the level stays put. Automation and the bypass button do not trigger it.
> * **Click Relearn to listen again on purpose**, for example after moving to a louder part of the song. A compressor or saturator reacts differently to quiet and loud parts.
> * **The learned gain is saved with the project and used in bounces.** A duplicate or a paste on the same track keeps it; pasted onto another track, the effect learns again.
> * The popover shows **State** (waiting for playback or signal, learning, or holding), **Gain** (the gain applied after the plugin) and **Residual** (how far the match is off on what played since it learned).

> **Preview on hover**
>
> Switch on `Settings` → `Experimental` → `Plugin preview on hover`. Point at the plugin interface on a card and it opens at its native size right above the card. Move the pointer away and it shrinks back.
>
> * **The preview takes keyboard focus only once you click into it.** While it is open, the card below shows its sidechain settings and parameter controls.
> * **It works on Inspector cards too.** Instrument and MIDI-effect cards open right over the card, and the same switch lets an instrument track's icon in the [track list](/tracks/tracks.md) open its instrument on hover.

> **Mix: parallel, band and mid/side processing**
>
> <video src="/videos/plugin-strip-mix.mp4" poster="/videos/plugin-strip-mix.jpg" aria-label="In the Mix popover, Dry is raised next to the compressor, and the Mix button turns orange" title="In the Mix popover, Dry is raised next to the compressor, and the Mix button turns orange" muted loop playsInline preload="none" />
>
> Click **Mix** on the card's right edge. Pick the part of the signal in **Apply to**, or raise **Dry** next to a heavy compressor for parallel compression.
>
> | Setting | What it does |
> | - | - |
> | **Apply to** | The part of the signal the plugin works on (below) |
> | **Input** | How much signal goes into the plugin, from silent up to +12 dB |
> | **Dry** | The unprocessed signal, **−∞ dB** (default) |
> | **Wet** | The processed signal, **0 dB** (default) |
>
> | Apply to | Part |
> | - | - |
> | **All** (default) | The whole signal |
> | **Low**, **Mid**, **High** | One frequency band. Crossovers at 180 Hz and 2.5 kHz by default; type a new value in the field under the pop-up |
> | **Mid (mono)** | Only the mono part |
> | **Side (stereo)** | Only the stereo part |
>
> | Use | Setting |
> | - | - |
> | Parallel compression | Raise **Dry** next to a heavy compressor |
> | Saturate only the lows | **Apply to** **Low** on a saturator |
> | Widen only the sides | **Apply to** **Side (stereo)** on a chorus or reverb |
> | Reverb or delay throws | Automate **Input**: pull it down and the tail rings out |

> **Keys**
>
> | Key | Action |
> | - | - |
> | `⌘3` | Focus the strip (**Focus Plugin Strip**) |
> | `←` `→` | Select the previous or next card |
> | `Return` | Open the selected plugin's full view |
> | `⌘D` | Duplicate the effect, with its settings, right after it |
> | `Delete` | Remove the effect |
> | `⌘C` / `⌘X` | Copy or cut the effect, with its settings |
> | `⌘V` | Paste after the selected card, on this track or another one |
> | `Esc` | Move the keyboard back to the timeline |


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