3 In Ardour, work is done in two main windows: the <dfn>Editor</dfn> and the
7 <figure style="width:100%;">
8 <img src="/images/editor_map.png" alt="The Editor window" usemap="#editor_map" width="600" height="325">
9 <map name="editor_map">
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11 <area shape="rect" coords="336,0,600,8" href="@@status-bar" />
12 <area shape="rect" coords="0,8,68,28" href="@@transport-bar" />
13 <area shape="rect" coords="68,8,108,28" href="@@selection-and-punch-clocks" />
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16 <area shape="rect" coords="196,8,228,28" href="@@other-toolbar-items#playhead_options" />
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20 <area shape="rect" coords="384,8,428,28" href="@@selection-and-punch-clocks" />
21 <area shape="rect" coords="428,8,552,28" href="@@mini-timeline" />
22 <area shape="rect" coords="552,8,600,28" href="@@other-toolbar-items#mode_selector" />
23 <area shape="rect" coords="0,28,36,324" href="@@audiomidi-mixer-strips" />
24 <area shape="rect" coords="36,28,144,36" href="@@toolbox" />
25 <area shape="rect" coords="144,28,188,36" href="@@grid-controls" />
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34 <area shape="rect" coords="44,96,476,136" href="@@midi-track-controls" />
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37 <area shape="rect" coords="44,196,476,236" href="@@bus-controls" />
38 <area shape="rect" coords="44,236,476,296" href="@@control-masters-mixer-strips" />
41 <img src="/images/mixer_map.png" alt="The Mixer window" usemap="#mixer_map" width="600" height="325">
42 <map name="mixer_map">
43 <area shape="rect" coords="0,0,336,8" href="@@main-menu" />
44 <area shape="rect" coords="336,0,600,8" href="@@status-bar" />
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49 <area shape="rect" coords="196,8,228,28" href="@@other-toolbar-items#playhead_options" />
50 <area shape="rect" coords="228,8,348,28" href="@@transport-clocks" />
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52 <area shape="rect" coords="368,8,384,28" href="@@other-toolbar-items#monitor_section_info" />
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70 The Editor and Mixer windows. Click on a section to access its description.
75 The Editor and the Mixer share the same toolbar (the top of the window). The sections displayed in this toolbar can be customized to the user's workflow, by checking options in <kbd class="menu">Preferences > Appearance > Toolbar</kbd>.
79 Switching between the Editor and the Mixer windows is done:
82 <li>with the <a href="@@other-toolbar-items#mode_selector">Mode Selector buttons</a> in the upper right</li>
83 <li>with the <kbd class="mod2">M</kbd> shortcut</li>
84 <li>with the menu <kbd class="menu">Window > Editor <em>(or Mixer)</em> > Show</kbd>.</li>
88 Both windows can be visible at the same time (e.g. for a multi-monitor
89 setup) using <kbd class="menu">Window > Editor <em>(or Mixer)</em> > Detach</kbd> option in the same submenu.
95 The <dfn>Editor</dfn> window includes the editor track <dfn>canvas</dfn>
96 where audio and MIDI data can be arranged along a timeline. This is the
97 window where editing and arranging a project is done. The window
98 has a general "horizontal" sense to it: the timeline flows from left to
99 right, the playhead showing the current position in the session moves
100 from left to right—the window really represents <dfn>time</dfn>
101 in a fairly literal way.
104 It is possible to show a single channel strip in the editor window, and
105 some people find this enough to work on mixing without actually opening
106 the mixer window. Most of the time though, both of these windows will be
107 needed at various stages of a session's lifetime.
113 The <dfn>Mixer</dfn> window represents signal flow and is the window that will
114 probably be used most when mixing a session. It
115 includes <dfn>channel strips</dfn> for each track and bus in the session.
116 It has a general "vertical" sense to it: signals flow from the top of each
117 channel strip through the processing elements in the strip to reach the
118 output listed at the bottom.
121 To learn more about the process of mixing, see <a href="@@basic-mixing">Mixing</a>.