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Using the Cut/Copy Head and Tail Commands
Four additional commands make it easy to cut or copy portions of one or more clips that intersect the playhead, either from the In point to the current position of the playhead (the Head), or from the current position of the playhead to the Out point (the Tail).
1 Using these commands, there’s no need to make a partial selection, so you can use either the Selection (press A) or Range Selection (press T) modes.
2 Select the track that contains the clip you want to copy or cut. If one or more tracks are already selected, you can use the Control-Option-Up or Down Arrow key shortcuts to move the track selection state up or down to the tracks with the clip you want to cut or copy.
3 Move the playhead so that it intersects the clip you want to cut or copy at the frame you want to define, either the end of the head or the beginning of the tail. If the playhead intersects a clip on a selected track, that clip should automatically become selected. You should note that even if you use the mouse to select a clip without selecting a track first, you should still move the playhead to intersect the clip you’re copying or pasting, as this sets up an important reference point for the operation.
4 Choose Edit > Cut/Copy Head/Tail to cut or copy the portion of the selected clip you want to paste. That portion of the clip will immediately become highlighted.
5 At this point, there are two things you can do to position the cut or copied head or tail of the clip to the position in the Timeline at which you want to paste it:
a) Moving the playhead will now also move the clip you cut or copied, shown as a ghost clip with waveform that’s “attached” to the playhead at the frame you chose. Whether you drag the playhead with your mouse or use JKL to move the playhead through the Timeline, the cut or copied clip will move along with it so that moving the playhead repositions the cut or copied clip on that track.
b) If you want to move the cut or copied clip to another track, use the Control-Option-Up or Down Arrow key shortcuts to change the selected track; the ghost clip will move along with change in track selection.
This way, you can use the playhead to align the ghost waveform with other audio clips surrounding it in preparation for pasting it.
6 When the clip is positioned where you want it, press Command-V to paste the clip at the position you’ve chosen (you can also right-click a track and choose Paste from the contextual menu). The clip becomes solid, and you’re finished.