Fender Studio Pro 8.1 - Discussion Thread

[Vocalpoint]

Do you guys have any Accessibility or Sticky Keys turned on within Windows 11 by any chance?

VP

 

[Vocalpoint]

After pressing the Alt key, the menu is being selected and keys pressed after that navigate and execute menu items.

Your signature indicates - Windows 10. Is this what you are running because so am I and I have no issues with the Alt key.

There must be something either turned on or "additional" running for some folks here that is influencing this.

I cannot replicate - no way - no how.

VP

 

[Kisnou]

After pressing the Alt key, the menu is being selected and keys pressed after that navigate and execute menu items.
Reaper does not do that.

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Exactly! Thank you for confirming. I reported this to support, but it would be great if you could also help me out on this.

 

[AAV]

After pressing the Alt key, the menu is being selected and keys pressed after that navigate and execute menu items.

Yes, exactly

 

[Kisnou]

Do you guys have any Accessibility or Sticky Keys turned on within Windows 11 by any chance?

I personally checked these already and they are not enabled (It's what Claude first recommended checking). With both Claude and Chatgpt I went through multiple steps, even checking registry keys, but everything failed, to the point even both of them said it's a Windows baked-in feature apparently. I also asked some friends who know more than me about windows and they don't know why this is happening now.

 

[Vocalpoint]

I personally checked these already and they are not enabled (It's what Claude first recommended checking). With both Claude and Chatgpt I went through multiple steps, even checking registry keys, but everything failed, to the point even both of them said it's a Windows baked-in feature apparently. I also asked some friends who know more than me about windows and they don't know why this is happening now.

EDIT: here is where I last tested this:

Fender Studio Pro 8.0.1 - Discussion Thread

Long shot - Can you try the same thing you did last time turning off HDR and DPI scaling off? I have DPI scaling off, actually it works fine with DPI scaling on (although it looks like crap), wasn't aware of the facility until now. If I set DPI to "ON" in the VSTi GUI then I can confirm...

studiooneforum.com

Post 157.

And today as then - (just tested this a moment) ago:

v8.1.1: If I press the Alt key, the "FILE" menu highlights at the top left of the program. Pressing Alt again un-highlights the FILE menu, then pressing Alt highlights the File menu. Pressing ALT repeatedly 20 more times - highlights (and unhighlights) the File menu - forever.

While the above is absolute - what I think is really happening here - is Studio Pro is now binding it's main menu to (ALT+ a letter that corresponds to an actual command IN the main menu) and this binding takes priority

So if you press ALT-T - it first highlights Track and then if you keep ALT down and hit T again - it moves to the Transport command.

Same for ALT-E (Event), ALT-S will alternate between "Session" and "Studio Pro" and so on.

The actual ISSUE - is only an issue if you have created a custom key command that interferes with this "built-in" behavior.

This explains why all my ALT commands work fine - as none of mine conflict with the main menu - so to sum up....

1. Is this by design OR a bug? Looks like it is by design and not a bug.

2. Is Fender trying to provide (what appears to be) an undocumented method of quickly navigating the main menu while not explaining the repercussions if you have a conflicting key command? It appears so.

3. Should Fender have documented this and explained it better? Yes.

4. Is it a hassle if I have a conflicting command ? Yes.

5. Do I need to change my commands - to stay out of the way of this main menu? Until Fender comes clean and explains this design choice - or offers workarounds - It would probably save you grief.

Also want to add - when I still had v7.2.3 installed and tested this back in mid Feb 2026 - this ALT-Main menu letter thing - was identical in execution in that version too.

So this has been like this for a long time (at least Oct 9, 2024) and I believe - has nothing to do with Windows 11 specifically.

VP

 

[Kisnou]

And why it is not happening in Windows 10 either.

Now - before I forget - I DID experience this for just a day or two - about 3 months ago as I recall.

It just came on suddenly out of the blue and for the life of me - I cannot remember what I did - but I did manage to get it to stop.

I need to dig back in the archives here...

VP

Hmm, that's weird. All I can say is that this has been going on for a few months now and since then it hasn't changed. Can't tell exactly when, but it definitely started this year. Maybe 3-4 months.. but it's hard to tell. If it's really related to a Windows Update, that makes it even harder to guess as not everybody gets them at the same time.

 

[AAV]

1. Is this by design OR a bug? Looks like it is by design and not a bug.

2. Is Fender trying to provide (what appears to be) an undocumented method of quickly navigating the main menu while not explaining the repercussions if you have a conflicting key command? It appears so.

Well - I think it's a bug. I have ALT commands that I am fairly certain I did not create (Fairly, because I concede I am an elderly sod), including the ALT F and ALT H commands I checked in my example previously. If that's the case, Fender as a minimum introduced the "feature" very sloppily/carelessly (IMO). Anyway if you're seeing it too, it's clearly not a Windows 11 issue.

 

[Vocalpoint]

I have ALT commands that I am fairly certain I did not create (Fairly, because I concede I am an elderly sod), including the ALT F and ALT H commands I checked in my example previously.

Well - in my testing - ALT-F will activate the File Menu and ALT-H will activate the Help menu item - both part of the Main Menu.

Based on what I am seeing - this is the intended behavior.

To be sure I wasn't seeing things - I also went line by line through all the key commands possible - and exactly none of these "main menu" shorties appear anywhere.

My conclusion: If you did create any custom key command in the past that attempt to override ANY of these Main Menu key commands - you lose and Studio Pro wins.

Again - just a theory - but I cannot explain it any other way. That is until Fender shines a light on this.

VP

 

[Kisnou]

If this is intended behaviour, then it makes no sense. Why would I want to change focus to the context menu after pressing alt? You know that this also involves any combination that includes the ALT key (ALT+SHIFT+etc; CTRL+ALT+etc;CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+etc)?

Another case scenario: after dragging a sample with alt to duplicate it, the focus will still change to the context menu just because I tapped ALT. Press F after that, and you will open up the File context menu even if you have technically let go of ALT. Again, if this is intended behaviour, it makes no sense. It goes against the Studio Pro workflow and native shortcuts themselves.

 

[Vocalpoint]

If this is intended behaviour, then it makes no sense. Why would I want to change focus to the context menu after pressing alt?

Hey - I am not saying it's good or that it makes sense - all I can verify is what I see in my testing.

And yes - I tested your use case about dragging a sample - yes ALT will highlight the "File" item for an instant - but as soon as you combine that with any letter (that has nothing to do with the main menu) - like say ALT-F1 - the whole "file" thing becomes moot. "file" is simply ignored and you carry on with another valid command.

Since this ALT+ (very) specific letter on keyboard) ONLY applies to the Studio Pro Main menu - it would be way too much of a coincidence if this was not by design.

From what I can see so far - this is what it is - for a reason.

Would need Fender to tell us what that is.

VP

 

[BobF]

Hey - I am not saying it's good or that it makes sense - all I can verify is what I see in my testing.

And yes - I tested your use case about dragging a sample - yes ALT will highlight the "File" item for an instant - but as soon as you combine that with any letter (that has nothing to do with the main menu) - like say ALT-F1 - the whole "file" thing becomes moot. "file" is simply ignored and you carry on with another valid command.

Since this ALT+ (very) specific letter on keyboard) ONLY applies to the Studio Pro Main menu - it would be way too much of a coincidence if this was not by design.

From what I can see so far - this is what it is - for a reason.

Would need Fender to tell us what that is.

VP

I have a digital art application that has the same ALT behavior

 

[AAV]

As a minimum it should have been communicated. Fender's forte, right?

 

[Kisnou]

I have a digital art application that has the same ALT behavior

Yes, other apps have this too, but Studio Pro didn't have this until a while ago. Now it does, and it even breaks its own native shortcuts which makes no sense.

 

[Vocalpoint]

Studio Pro didn't have this until a while ago. Now it does, and it even breaks its own native shortcuts which makes no sense.

Can you clarify what you mean by this? Exactly which "native" shortcuts (assuming "native" means shipped and designed by Fender as defaults in Studio Pro) are broken because of this.

I could not find one.

VP

 

[Kisnou]

Alt+T is Transform Range by default, Alt+E which is Redo Zoom, Alt+S which is Zoom To Selection horizontally..

All these are now triggering actions in the context menu, and these are mentioned in the manual itself Pretty sure there's Alt+A as well

 

[Vocalpoint]

Alt+T is Transform Range by default, Alt+E which is Redo Zoom, Alt+S which is Zoom To Selection horizontally..

All these are now triggering actions in the context menu, and these are mentioned in the manual itself Pretty sure there's Alt+A as well

Right you are. Apologies - I wonder what the heck I was looking at.

This definitely changes the vibe and quickly takes things into the "WTF" area quickly....

FWIW - I hit up some of the company crew over in the FB groups - they have taken this to support to find out exactly what is going on here.

VP

 

[Kisnou]

Right you are. Apologies - I wonder what the heck I was looking at.

This definitely changes the vibe and quickly takes things into the "WTF" area quickly....

FWIW - I hit up some of the company crew over in the FB groups - they have taken this to support to find out exactly what is going on here.

VP

Thank you so much!

Yes I am also in touch with support, hopefully we can figure it out soon.

 

[BobF]

Right you are. Apologies - I wonder what the heck I was looking at.

This definitely changes the vibe and quickly takes things into the "WTF" area quickly....

FWIW - I hit up some of the company crew over in the FB groups - they have taken this to support to find out exactly what is going on here.

VP

Yep. For some reason ALT-s is working fine for zoom. The others, not so much. Checked 7.2.3. Everything seems fine

 

[Vocalpoint]

Yep. For some reason ALT-s is working fine for zoom.

And over here - ALT-S for me - highlights the "Session" command when that combo is first pressed and then if I press the combo again - the "Studio Pro" command on the main menu is highlighted. And I can go back and forth all day long.

ALT-S <> any kind of Zoom here.

VP