3 <img src="/images/track-layer-dialog.png" alt="The Track layering menu">
5 The Track layering menu
9 <!--style="clear:both"-->
11 Ardour allows arbitrary <dfn>layering</dfn> of regions—there can any number
12 of regions at a given position. By default, the regions are
13 <dfn>overlaid</dfn> in the editor window, to save vertical space.
16 However, this display mode can be confusing for tracks with many overdubs,
17 because its not obvious in which order the overdubs are layered. Although
18 there are other methods of moving particular regions to the top of an
19 overlapping set, and although Ardour also has playlists to manage
20 <a href="@@playlist-usecases">takes</a> a bit more efficiently than just continually
21 layering, there are times when being able to clearly see all regions in a track
22 without any overlaps is reassuring and useful.
25 The exemple below shows a track with a rather drastic overdub situation,
26 viewed in normal <dfn>overlaid mode</dfn>:
29 <img src="/images/overlaps_layered.png" alt="Overlapping regions in overlaid mode">
31 Overlapping regions in <em>overlaid</em> mode
36 This display can be changed by <kbd class="mouse">right</kbd> clicking on the
37 track header, showing the menu displayed above. There are two choices for layers, and
38 <kbd class="menu">overlaid</kbd> is currently selected. Clicking on <kbd
39 class="menu">stacked</kbd>, the track display changes to:
42 <img src="/images/layers_stacked.png" alt="Overlapping regions in stacked mode">
44 Overlapping regions in <em>stacked</em> mode
49 Regions can still be moved around as usual, and can be dragged so that they overlay
50 each again, but when the mouse button is released, things will flip back to them all being
51 stacked cleanly. The number of <dfn>lanes</dfn> for the track is determined by
52 the maximum number of regions existing in any one spot throughout
53 the track, so if you a track has stacked up 10 overdubs in one spot,
54 it will end up with 10 lanes. Obviously, using a large track height
55 works much better for this than a small one.