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Getting Started with ScratchTrack

Welcome to ScratchTrack — a digital audio workstation (DAW) for macOS with built-in version control, cloud sync, and collaboration.

Overview

ScratchTrack lets you record audio, compose MIDI parts, mix tracks, and collaborate with others — all with Git-like version control so you never lose a take.

Key features at a glance:

  • Multi-track audio recording and MIDI composition
  • Piano roll editor for MIDI
  • Audio Unit (AUv3) plugin support
  • AI-powered vocal isolation
  • Branch, merge, and revert your song history
  • Cloud sync and real-time collaboration (Pro)
  • Export mixes and individual stems as WAV

Creating Your First Song

  1. Open ScratchTrack. You'll see the song list in the left sidebar.
  2. Click the + button in the toolbar to create a new song.
  3. Your song appears under Local Songs — no account required.
  4. Click the song name to open it in the editor.

Songs are automatically named "Song 1", "Song 2", etc. To rename a song, click its title in the editor and type a new name.

The Main Window

ScratchTrack main window

The main window is divided into two areas:

  • Sidebar (left) — Your song library, organized into:
    • My Songs — Cloud-synced songs (Pro subscribers)
    • Local Songs — Stored on your Mac only
    • Shared with Me — Songs others have shared with you (Pro)
  • Editor (right) — The song editor with timeline, tracks, and controls

Setting the Tempo

Each song has a tempo (BPM) setting. To change it:

  1. Locate the BPM field in the song editor.
  2. Click the value and type a new tempo (range: 20–300 BPM).

The tempo affects the grid, count-in timing, and MIDI playback.

Adding Tracks

Click Add Track to add a new track to your song. You can choose:

  • Audio Track — For recording live instruments, vocals, or any audio input
  • MIDI Track — For composing parts with virtual instruments

You can add as many tracks as you need. Each track has its own volume, mute, and solo controls.

Transport Controls

The transport bar at the top of the editor provides:

Control Action
Play / Pause Start or pause playback (also: press ++space++)
Stop Stop playback and return to the beginning
Record Begin recording on armed tracks

The position display shows your current location in both time (MM:SS) and bar/beat format.

Saving Your Work

Auto-save

ScratchTrack uses an event-sourcing architecture — every change you make is automatically saved as an immutable event. There's no manual "Save" button because your work is always preserved.

Moving a Local Song to the Cloud

If you start with a local song and later subscribe to Pro, you can move it to the cloud:

  1. Right-click (or ++ctrl++ -click) the song in the sidebar.
  2. Select Move to Cloud.

Your song will then sync across devices and become available for sharing.

Next Steps