3 The initial <dfn>Session</dfn> dialog, displayed at each start of Ardour, consists
4 of several consecutive pages:
7 <h2>Open Session Page</h2>
10 <img class="mini" src="/images/session_setup.png" alt="The Session Setup Dialog">
12 The Session Setup Dialog
17 On this page, an <dfn>existing session</dfn> can be opened. Any <a href="@@snapshots">snapshot</a>
18 of a particular session can also be accessed by clicking on the arrow next to
19 the session name to display all snapshots, and then selecting one.
23 If the session is not displayed in the Recent Sessions list, the <kbd
24 class="menu">Other Sessions</kbd> button will bring up a file selection dialog
25 to navigate the file system.
28 Alternatively, a <kbd class="menu">New Session</kbd> can be created.
31 <h2 class="clear">New Session page</h2>
34 <img class="mini" src="/images/session_new.png" alt="The New Session Dialog">
36 The New Session Dialog
41 This page allows to type in the name of a session, select a folder to save it in, and
42 optionally use an existing <a href="@@session-templates">template</a>.
45 Under <dfn>Advanced Options</dfn>, some fine tuning can be done, like selecting
46 whether Ardour should create a Master Bus, or a Control Bus, and how many channels
47 the output should have.
50 Other options also decide whether Ardour should automatically connect all inputs
51 to the hardware's physical ports. Ardour will do so
52 sequentially and in round-robin fashion, connecting the first track's
53 input to the first input of the hardware and so on. When Ardour has used
54 all available hardware inputs, it will begin again with the first physical
58 The number of hardware channels used by Ardour can also be limited.
61 By default Ardour will connect all tracks and busses to the Master Bus if
62 there is one. However, it can also be told to automatically connect each
63 output to the physical outputs of the interface or sound card, and limit
64 the number of physical outputs used, as above.
67 <h2 class="clear">Audio/MIDI Setup</h2>
70 <img class="mini" src="/images/Audio-MIDI_Setup.png" alt="The Audio/MIDI Setup Dialog"/>
72 The Audio/MIDI Setup Dialog
77 This window exposes the different audio options to be used by Ardour for the
78 current work session, for hardware and software and is made of:
82 <tr><th>Audio System</th>
83 <td>Depending on the operating system, Ardour can possibly use different audio
84 systems, e.g. on Linux, both <abbr title="Advanced Linux Sound Architecture">
85 ALSA</abbr> and <abbr title="JACK Audio Connection Kit">JACK</abbr> are
90 On Mac OS X this will typically be <kbd class="menu">CoreAudio</kbd>. On Linux usually
91 this will be either <kbd class="menu"><abbr title="Free Firewire Audio Driver fOr
92 linux">FFADO</abbr></kbd>
93 or <kbd class="menu"><abbr title="Advanced Linux Sound
94 Architecture">ALSA</abbr></kbd>, depending on whether or not a firewire device
95 is used. Advanced users on all platforms may also
96 use <kbd class="menu">NetJack</kbd> which provides network audio I/O.
99 <td>The selector should show all availiable interfaces provided by the
100 driver above and which are capable of duplex operation.
102 When using an Intel Mac running OS X and the builtin audio
103 interface, its separate input and output devices must be <a href="@@using-more-than-one-audio-device">
104 merged</a> first into a single "aggregate device" before Ardour will be able
108 <tr><th>Sample Rate</th>
110 The selector will allow to select from any sample rate supported by the device
113 <tr><th>Buffer Size</th>
115 The size of the buffer used by the audio interface can be adjusted
116 to allow for either lower latency, or lower CPU usage and higher
119 <tr><th>Input/Output Channels</th>
121 Specifies the number of hardware channels to use. The
122 default is <kbd class="menu">all available channels</kbd>.</td></tr>
123 <tr><th>Hardware Input/Output Latency</th>
124 <td>Specify the hardware delay in samples for precise latency compensation.</td></tr>
125 <tr><th>Calibrate</th>
127 This button runs a semi-automated guided process to obtain
128 precise hardware latency measurements for the above option.</td></tr>
129 <tr><th>MIDI System</th>
131 Selects the MIDI driver to use. On Mac OS X, this will be <kbd
132 class="menu">CoreMIDI</kbd>. On Linux, it can be changed between two legacy
133 ALSA drivers or the (preferred) new JACK+ALSA implementation.</td></tr>