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# Control Hotkeys

In the Synesthesia control panel, you can manipulate controls using hotkeys. These hotkeys allow quick, convenient access to common functions. They can also be used performatively — try pressing them in sync with the beat!

Check out our video tutorial to see hotkeys in action.

## Selecting a Control

To use a control hotkey, you first need to select that control using your mouse. Selected controls are visually highlighted. You can either click on the control element itself or click on the label below it (this is useful for controls like toggle or bang that would be changed if clicked).

Once the control is selected, just press the key to execute the action.

## Hotkeys

Currently, there are 4 available hotkeys:

Hotkey | Description
--- | ---
`D` | "Default" — set the control to its default value
`R` | "Random" — set the control to a random value
`P` | "Preset" — set the control to its value stored in the current preset
`L` | "Lock" — toggle the control's lock state, which prevents it from being changed. This can be helpful when using the "random" buttons, since you can limit which controls are randomized