# Sync-Locked Track Groups - Time Shifting

From Audacity Development Manual

## Time shifting operations on Sync-Locked Track Groups

### Align Tracks

Tracks > Align Tracks: All of the "Align Tracks" commands (with the exception of the "Align Together" command) will move all tracks in a group by the same amount, even if this means pushing the start(s) of some track(s) before zero on the timeline. By its nature the Align Tracks Together command cannot respect sync-lock since its job is to align the selected tracks so they all start at the same point on the timeline.

### Time Shift Tool

When moving an audio clip left or right with the Time Shift Tool:

- The audio clip under the mouse pointer is moved,
- Any audio clips within the track group that overlap time-wise with the clip being moved, are also moved,
- All labels within the track group are moved.

In addition, if there is a time selection, and the Time Shift Tool is used within the selection, then:

- All selected audio clips are also moved.

Note that:

1. A clip will not move unless it overlaps with a track being moved, or is within a selection that is being moved.
2. All labels in the track group move with the audio clip(s) being dragged.
3. If you want non-overlapping clips to move too, select over all clips you want to move then drag from inside the selection.

| Using the Time Shift Tool you must click on an audio track and not on a label track. If you click on a label track and drag with the Time Shift tool the entire label track will move keeping its labels synchronized with each other but no audio will move.

| Top Tip: If you want to ensure that all audio (tracks and clips) and label tracks remain aligned as you move a Sync-Locked Track Group, add an extra track of generated Silence for the entire length of the Sync-Locked Track Group (this then "overlaps" all the audio in the project, this ensuring that all audio clips move in synchronization).

## Example-1: Start to Cursor/Selection Start

Before Tracks > Align Tracks > Start to Cursor/Selection Start

  After Tracks > Align Tracks > Start to Cursor/Selection Start

  Result: The selected track is moved so the start of the track aligns with the cursor.
  The Sync-Locked track moves by the same amount.

## Example-2: Time Shifting

Before time shifting the tracks with the Time Shift tool

  After time shifting the tracks

  Result: All the tracks move together.

## Links

> Forward to: Sync-Locked Track Groups - Time Stretching

< Back to: Sync-Locked Track Groups - Editing

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