Copy/paste behavior from 1 track to another

Hi, I'm trying to understand why Resolve acts a certain way when I'm trying to copy an audio file from one track to another. It looks like it doesn't work as it always just pastes into the source track.

Steps to duplicate:
1. Two audio tracks.
2. Audio file on A1. Right click to Copy.
3. Click on A2. Right click to paste. Audio file gets pasted on A1.

What's going on here?

Clicking on A1/A2 and turning them red does not set the destination for edits/copy-paste. It sets the destination for inserts from the Source window.

The other icon to the right (looks like "<>") is called the Auto Select button and it sets which tracks are affected by edits. For a paste, it will go into the Auto-Select-enabled audio tracks that are lowest-numbered. So in your case, you want to click on A1's "<>" to turn it off before pasting, and the paste should go into A2 (if it's "<>") is on.

Hi Wayne,
Thank for your reply!
I tested it and it does work if you turn off that <> setting, however, it just pastes into a new audio track. So, if you have A1, A2 and A3 and you want to copy from A1 to A2, it just pastes into A4.
This seems like a simple thing to ask but I'm not sure why Resolve doesn't just paste into the selected track like the Inserts do.

It's two different sets of mechanisms. The "selected track", as you call it, only has one video and two audio tracks possible, because that's what you can bring into the Source viewer. And there are various specialized insert options from the Source viewer. On the other hand, you could copy a dozen video tracks and two dozen audio tracks and then want to paste them. Different mechanism.

Did you have the <> set on in A2 (and off in A1) when you did your paste? I just tried copying an audio file in A1, having A1's <> off and A2's (and A3's and A4's) <> on and it pasted to A2. I believe it will paste to the lowest-numbered audio track that's enabled, or the original track it copied from if that's enabled. (Not sure of that last detail, though.)

Ah, I understand what you're saying now, Wayne.

I have to disable the <> for all the tracks up to the one I want to copy to. That works!

Clunky as heck but it works, thank you!

I don't do that much. Usually I can paste nearby and it works for me. But the manual does say:

To paste one or more clips to a different track: Pasting clips to a different track requires a slightly different procedure. Move the playhead to the frame where you want the pasted selection to start, then either Option-click any empty area on the track you want to paste the clip(s) to or Option-click the Auto Select control of that track to solo that track, and then choose Edit > Paste (Command-V). Pasted clips overwrite any clips in that track that are in the way. Pasted clips are automatically selected, ready for nudging left or right, or for other operations.

So you could copy your audio clip from, say A1, then move to the time in the timeline you want to paste. If you want to paste, say, into A4 you would solo it's <> by Opt-clicking A4's <> button, CMD-V to paste, then CMD-Opt-F9 to reenable all Audio track <>s. (The manual's Opt-click in a blank space doesn't work for me in v17. Not sure if it's a bug or something else.)

So Opt-click on A4's <> isn't very different from selecting A4 to get a red box. Same number of keystrokes, and same continuing effect until you change something. (Remember, the <> selection -- a lot like what I imagine you were thinking clicking on A4 would do -- has continuing effects on edits until you change things.)

Ah, great shortcuts and very helpful, thanks again!