In my work (music research), being able to select multiple sections is indispensable.

Say, the file contains violin melody with piano accompaniment.

I can select violin melody (fundamental frequency only first) with digitizer pen using shift-drag method, then "copy to new" - now I have a file containing only the violin line (again fundamental only yet).

In the original file I can slide the selection up to the next upper partial of violin, copy-to-new, etc.etc..

After some cleaning up and mixing the new files, I have extracted violin from the original.

(except when violin/piano play the same note)

I do this in CS3. And I am very disappointed that CS5.5 / 6 won't let me do this, even though the manual says I can.

In this respect CS5.5 / 6 are unusable.

I was even hoping that they will add multiple selection with rectangle tool...

I filed a bug report, and hope they will fix it.

Hmmm...

Can you really do this?::

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Select a section with lasso tool

Hold SHIFT key ("Shift-drag" in manual) and try to ADD to the previous selection another section of the spectral display.

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With my copy of CS5.5 (registered) and CS6 (trial) as soon as you click (with Shift down) on another section, the previous selection goes away.

Shift-click option only works to extend a previously selected area to the clicked position and only works with the marquee tool. You can change the size of selected Marquee or Lasso area by selecting and dragging the handles that appear when the mouse hovers over the edges or corners of the selected area. Hovering over the selected area shows the Hand icon so that you can click and move the selected area elsewhere in your audio.

This part shown in the Help file doesn't seem to work as specified though.

"To add to a lasso or paintbrush selection, Shift-drag. To subtract from the selection, Alt-drag."



I#n# AA3 when you held the Shift or Alt key you got a + or - sign added to the tool icon that then allowed you to add to or subtract from your selection.