3 Global <dfn>preferences</dfn> control general workflow and system
4 configuration, and should apply to all sessions. They are located in <kbd
5 class="menu">Edit > Preferences</kbd> and stored in Ardour's <dfn>user
6 configuration file</dfn> in the user's home directory.
10 <img src="/images/preferences.png" alt="The Preferences window">
12 The Preferences window
17 Preferences are conveniently grouped by category:
21 <li><a href="#preferences-general">General</a></li>
22 <li><a href="#preferences-appearance">Appearance</a></li>
24 <li><a href="#preferences-appearance-recorder">Recorder</a></li>
25 <li><a href="#preferences-appearance-editor">Editor</a></li>
26 <li><a href="#preferences-appearance-mixer">Mixer</a></li>
27 <li><a href="#preferences-appearance-toolbar">Toolbar</a></li>
28 <li><a href="#preferences-appearance-size-and-scale">Size and Scale</a></li>
29 <li><a href="#preferences-appearance-colors">Colors</a></li>
30 <li><a href="#preferences-appearance-quirks">Quirks</a></li>
31 <li><a href="#preferences-appearance-translation">Translation</a></li>
33 <li><a href="#preferences-editor">Editor</a></li>
35 <li><a href="#preferences-editor-snap">Snap</a></li>
36 <li><a href="#preferences-editor-modifiers">Modifiers</a></li>
38 <li><a href="#preferences-midi">MIDI</a></li>
40 <li><a href="#preferences-midi-port-config">MIDI Port Config</a></li>
43 <li><a href="#preferences-transport">Transport</a></li>
45 <li><a href="#preferences-transport-chase">Chase</a></li>
46 <li><a href="#preferences-transport-generate">Generate</a></li>
48 <li><a href="#preferences-plugins">Plugins</a></li>
50 <li><a href="#preferences-plugins-vst">VST</a></li>
51 <li><a href="#preferences-plugins-audio_unit">Audio Unit</a></li>
53 <li><a href="#preferences-monitoring">Monitoring</a></li>
54 <li><a href="#preferences-signal_flow">Signal Flow</a></li>
55 <li><a href="#preferences-metronome">Metronome</a></li>
56 <li><a href="#preferences-control_surfaces">Control Surfaces</a></li>
57 <li><a href="#preferences-metering">Metering</a></li>
58 <li><a href="#preferences-performance">Performance</a></li>
59 <li><a href="#preferences-video">Video</a></li>
62 <h2 class="clear" id="preferences-general">General</h2>
66 <dfn>Audio/MIDI Setup</dfn>
69 <dfn>Show Audio/MIDI Setup window</dfn> Shows the
70 <a href="@@audio-midi-setup">Audio/MIDI Setup</a> dialog.
73 <dfn>Try to auto-launch audio/midi engine</dfn> allows Ardour to try to
74 automatically launch the audio and MIDI system, driver and device, thus not
75 showing the <a href="@@audio-midi-setup">Audio/MIDI Setup</a> dialog. This
76 can save a little time if the system is always used the same way.
81 <dfn>Editor Undo</dfn> defines the behaviour of the Undo operations:
84 <strong>Limit undo history</strong> sets how many commands can be
85 undone using <kbd class="mod1">Z</kbd> or <kbd class="menu">Edit > Undo</kbd>.
86 Unchecking will keep an endless memory of operations to undo, at the
90 <strong>Save undo history</strong> sets how many commands are saved so
91 they are available to be undone after reopening the session. This can
92 also be unchecked to keep all actions undoable, at the cost of bigger
96 <strong>Verify removal of last capture</strong> when enabled prompts to
97 verify removal the last recording capture when
98 <kbd class="menu">Edit > Remove Last Capture</kbd> is executed.
103 <dfn>Session Management</dfn>:
106 <strong>Make periodic backups of the session file</strong> will create
107 a backup session file after changes to the timeline. The backup file is
108 the session name followed by <em>.ardour.bak</em>. The backup can be
109 used to recover from crashes when the session had not been explicitly
113 <strong>Default folder for new sessions:</strong> defaults the folder
114 where Ardour will create new session folders. This is used in the
115 <em>Session Setup</em> dialog displayed by
116 <kbd class="menu">Session > New</kbd>.
119 <strong>Maximum number of recent sessions:</strong> determines how
120 many of the last opened sessions shows in the <em>Recent Sessions</em>
121 dialog displayed by <kbd class="menu">Session > Recent</kbd>.
129 <strong>Drag and drop import always copies files to session</strong>
130 selects, and then disables changes to, the <em>Copy files to session</em>
131 option in the <a href="@@import-dialog">Add Existing Media</a> dialog.
139 <dfn>Save loudness analysis as image file after export</dfn> allows, when the
140 <kbd class="option">Analyze Exported Audio</kbd> is checked in the
141 <a href="@@export-dialog">Export dialog</a>, to save the analysis graph
142 as a file named <code>session.png</code> alongside the exported audio
143 file(s) (in the same folder).
146 <dfn>Save Mixer screenshot after export</dfn> creates and exports
147 a graphical image of the Mixer window as a file named
148 <code>session-mixer.png</code> alongside the exported audio file(s)
149 (in the same folder).
154 <dfn>New Version Check</dfn>
157 <dfn>Check for announcements at application start</dfn> sends an
158 anonymous request to Ardour's server to check for a new version.
164 <h2 id="preferences-appearance">Appearance</h2>
171 <dfn>Lock timeout (seconds)</dfn>: locks the <abbr title="Graphical User
172 Interface">GUI</abbr> after this many idle seconds (zero being 'never lock').
173 The GUI can also be locked with <kbd class="menu">Session > Lock</kbd>. When
174 locked, a dialog will display a "Click to unlock" button.
177 <dfn>System Screensaver Mode</dfn>: can be used to prevent the
178 screensaver to be launched by the system, either while recording
179 (e.g. for long and unattended recording session), when Ardour is
180 simply started, or never (the screensaver is then able to start).
188 <dfn>Draw "flat" buttons</dfn>: when enabled, button controls
189 in the user interface will be drawn with a flat look. When disabled button
190 controls will have a slight 3D appearance.
193 <dfn>Draw "boxy" buttons</dfn>: when enabled, button controls
194 in the user interface will have square corners instead of being slightly
198 <dfn>LED meter style</dfn> if checked, the bar meters in the editor and
199 mixer will be styled to look like if they were made of LEDs, with a dotted
200 bar. Unchecking this option makes the bars flat and continuous.
203 <dfn>Icon Set:</dfn> Changes the mouse cursor icons used to indicate
204 different tool modes in the editor. An example would be the icons used to
205 indicate whether the cursor will select a region or change the length of a
211 <dfn>Graphical User Interface</dfn>
214 <dfn>Highlight widgets on mouseover</dfn>, when checked, makes Ardour's
215 widgets (buttons, sliders, …) slightly change color when the mouse
216 hovers them, visually indicating what a mouse action would interact with.
219 <dfn>Show tooltips if mouse hovers over a control</dfn> when checked,
220 displays a little help bubble about the control the mouse hovers. The mouse
221 pointer needs to stay idle for about 1 sec for the tooltip to appear.
224 <dfn>Update clocks at TC Frame rate</dfn>: Ardour updates its clocks every
225 100 ms. Checking this will make the clock refresh at every TimeCode
226 frame which is more responsive, at the cost of a bit more system stress.
229 <dfn>Blink Rec-Arm buttons</dfn>: when enabled, the record-armed
230 buttons on tracks will blink when they are armed but not currently recording.
231 When disabled, the record-armed buttons on tracks will be outlined in red
232 instead of blinking. The global record-arm button in the
233 <a href="@@transport-bar">Transport bar</a> is unaffected.
236 <dfn>Blink Alert indicators</dfn>: when enabled, the Alert indicators (like
237 the <kbd class="menu">Error Log</kbd> or the <kbd class="menu">Feedback</kbd>
238 button) will blink when they are active (when an error or feedback
239 has been detected, respectively). When disabled, the indicators will turn red instead of
245 <dfn>Graphics Acceleration</dfn>
248 <dfn>Disable Graphics Hardware Acceleration (requires restart)</dfn>:
249 Ardour uses hardware accelerated UI rendering by default for speed.
250 Sometimes though, a buggy driver can cause this to make the system slow or
251 unstable. Checking this will make Ardour draw its UI without
252 hardware acceleration, in software, improving stability and responsiveness
253 on those buggy systems at the expense of speed.
256 <dfn>Possibly improve slow graphical performance (requires restart)</dfn>:
257 Wherever gradients appear in the UI, Ardour uses hardware accelerated
258 gradients creation. Checking this will make Ardour draw its own gradients without
259 hardware acceleration for stability on systems with buggy drivers.
265 <h3 id="preferences-appearance-recorder">Recorder</h2>
269 <dfn>Input Meter Layout</dfn>
272 <dfn>Input Meter Layout</dfn>: in Recorder mode, determines if audio
273 inputs are displayed horizontally or vertically.
279 <h3 id="preferences-appearance-editor">Editor</h2>
286 <dfn>Use name highlight bars in region displays (requires a restart)</dfn>:
287 when enabled, the region name is displayed, in the editor, in its own opaque bar
288 at the bottom of the region. When disabled, the region name is overlaid
289 at the top of the region, possibly over audio waveforms or MIDI notes.
292 <dfn>Region color follows track color</dfn>: when enabled,
293 the background color of regions in the editor will be displayed using
294 the color assigned to the track. When disabled the default region
295 background color will be used.
298 <dfn>Show Region Names</dfn>: when enabled, overlays the name of
299 the region over its waveform representation, in the top-left.
302 <dfn>Waveforms color gradient depth:</dfn> determines how much gradient
303 effect is applied to the inner of audio waveforms displayed in the editor.
304 Values range from 0.0, no gradient effect, to 1.0, maximum effect.
307 <dfn>Timeline item gradient depth:</dfn> Determines how much
308 gradient effect is applied to the backgrounds of regions displayed in the
309 editor. Values range from 0.0, no gradient effect, to 1.0, maximum effect.
312 <dfn>Track name ellipsis mode:</dfn> when the track header is not
313 wide enough to display the track's name in full, selects how the
314 name will be shorten between:
316 <li><em>Ellipsize start of name</em> will show only the end of the name</li>
317 <li><em>Ellipsize middle of name</em> will show only the start and end of the name</li>
318 <li><em>Ellipsize end of name</em> will show only the start of the name</li>
322 <dfn>Add a visual gap below Audio Regions:</dfn> selects whether or
323 not the audio regions fit the height of the track or leave a gap at
324 the bottom, either small or large.
332 <dfn>Show waveforms in regions</dfn>: when enabled, shows a visual
333 representation of the region's audio waveform.
336 <dfn>Show waveforms while recording</dfn>: when enabled, will draw
337 the audio waveform in regions being recorded, in near real time.
338 When disabled, only a region block will be drawn while recording,
339 reducing CPU requirements.
342 <dfn>Show waveform clipping</dfn>: when enabled, the waveform
343 displayed will show peaks marked in red if they exceed the clip level.
346 <dfn>Waveform Clip Level (dBFS)</dfn>: sets the level at which the
347 waveform shown in an audio region will be drawn in red to indicate
348 clipping. Setting lower than 0.0 dBFS can be useful if any tool in
349 the audio chain has problems near 0.0 dBFS.
352 <dfn>Waveform scale</dfn>: when waveforms are shown in audio regions,
353 they can be displayed using a <em>linear</em> or a <em>logarithmic</em>
354 scale. See <a href="@@waveform-display">Waveform display</a>.
357 <dfn>Waveform shape</dfn>: when waveforms are shown in audio regions,
358 they can be displayed using a <em>traditional</em> or a <em>rectified</em>
359 shape. See <a href="@@waveform-display">Waveform display</a>.
364 <dfn>Editor Meters</dfn>
367 <dfn>Show meters in track headers</dfn>: when enabled, shows
368 a small meter in the Editor's <a href="@@audio-track-controls">track headers</a>.
369 The meter is shown on the right side area of the header and provides an
370 instant, if unprecise, view of the levels on this track/bus.
373 <dfn>Limit track header meters to stereo</dfn>: if a track has more than
374 two outputs (e.g. with a drum plugin), limits the number of meters in the
375 track header to the first two ones. Only affects audio meters, not MIDI.
380 <dfn>MIDI Regions</dfn>
383 <dfn>Display first MIDI bank/program as 0</dfn>: when patches and bank changes
384 are displayed in the editor, if this option is checked, the numbering will
385 be zero-based instead of one-based, i.e. banks/programs will be numbered
386 O, 1 ,2… instead of 1, 2, 3…
389 <dfn>Don't display periodic (MTC, MMC) SysEx messages in MIDI Regions</dfn>:
390 if checked, will hide these control messages from the MIDI regions for better
394 <dfn>Show velocity horizontally inside notes</dfn>: when on, each note
395 of a MIDI region (in <em>Sustained</em> mode) displays its velocity
396 (0-127) with a darker fill proportional to its value.
399 <dfn>Use colors to show note velocity</dfn>: if checked, makes the
400 saturation of the notes color proportional to its velocity, hence making
401 a more veloce note more intense in color.
407 <h3 id="preferences-appearance-mixer">Mixer</h3>
411 <dfn>Mixer Strip</dfn>
414 This table enables (checked) or disables (unchecked) the display of controls
415 in the <a href="@@audiomidi-mixer-strips">mixer strip</a>. Controls whose
416 display can be toggled are:
417 <strong>Input</strong>, <strong>Phase Invert</strong>,
418 <strong>Record & Monitor</strong>, <strong>Solo Iso/Lock</strong>,
419 <strong>Output</strong>, <strong>Comments</strong> and VCA Assigns.
422 <dfn>Use narrow strips in the mixer for new strips by default</dfn> When
423 enabled, new mixer strips are created in narrow format. When disabled,
424 they are created in wide format. Existing mixer strips width can be toggled
425 with the width control at the top left of the mixer strip.
428 <dfn>Limit inline-mixer-strip controls per plugin :</dfn> Whether or
429 not, and how many, controls each plugin can show in the mixer strip.
430 These mixer-strip controls are added by checking <em>plugin context-menu
431 > Controls > □ control parameter</em>.
437 <h3 id="preferences-appearance-toolbar">Toolbar</h3>
441 <dfn>Main Transport Toolbar Items</dfn>: this section allows to toggle the
442 visibility of some elements of the main toolbar:
445 <dfn>Display Record/Punch Options</dfn> toggles the visibility of the
446 <a href="@@selection-and-punch-clocks#punch_controls">punch and record</a> slice of
450 <dfn>Display Latency Compensation Info</dfn> toggles the visibility of the
451 Latency Compensation slice of the main toolbar.
454 <dfn>Display Secondary Clock</dfn> toggles the visibility of the
455 <a href="@@transport-clocks">secondary clocks</a> slice of
459 <dfn>Display Selection Clock</dfn> toggles the visibility of the
460 <a href="@@selection-and-punch-clocks#selection_clocks">selection clocks</a> slice of
464 <dfn>Display Monitor Section Info</dfn> toggles the visibility of the
465 Monitor Info slice of the main toolbar.
468 <dfn>Display Navigation Timeline</dfn> toggles the visibility of the
469 <a href="@@mini-timeline">navigation/mini timeline</a> slice of
473 <dfn>Display Master Level Meter</dfn> toggles the visibility of the
474 <a href="@@other-toolbar-items#mode_selector">selection clocks</a> slice of
480 <dfn>Display Action-Buttons</dfn>
483 <dfn>Column <em>n</em></dfn> enables or disables the visibility
484 of the six possible columns of <a href="@@other-toolbar-items#mode_selector">Lua script buttons</a>.
485 Each columns contains two user-assignable buttons.
491 <h3 id="preferences-appearance-size-and-scale">Size and Scale</h3>
495 <dfn>User Interface Size and Scale</dfn>
498 <dfn>GUI and Font scaling:</dfn> allows the display size of most of the
499 text and buttons in the user interface to be scaled up or down. May
500 require a restart to take effect.
506 <h3 id="preferences-appearance-colors">Colors</h3>
513 <dfn>Color Theme</dfn> allows to switch between some presets bundled with
514 Ardour, changing both the palette and items colors, hence styling Ardour
518 The table allows to change the color settings in Ardour by acting on three
522 <dfn>Items</dfn> that allow to choose any color from the palette (see below)
523 to color a UI element. Clicking on a color sample in the <strong>Color</strong>
524 column bring up the Palette, to choose from.
527 <dfn>Palette</dfn> that allows to create a set of colors that will be used
528 in the UI. Using a palette allows for better consistency, instead of
529 picking "free" colors for each UI element. Clicking on a color patch brings
530 up a full color selector, to assign this color to this patch of the palette.
533 <dfn>Transparency</dfn> where possible, allows to select, with a slider,
534 the transparency of the UI element, with 0 (slider to the left) being
540 <dfn>Restore Defaults</dfn> turns all the palette, item colors and transparency
541 back to Ardour's default base setting, in case Ardour's appearance has turned
542 into a toddler's toy.
548 <h3 id="preferences-appearance-quirks">Quirks</h3>
552 <dfn>Various Workarounds for Windowing Systems</dfn>: As Ardour is available
553 on a number of platforms and windowing systems, some specific workarounds are
554 sometimes required to provide a smooth experience to the user.
557 <dfn>Use visibility information provided by your Window Manager/Desktop</dfn>
558 allows the system window manager's rules for the windows visibility to
562 <dfn>Show/Hide splash screen instead of setting z-axis stack order</dfn>:
563 Hides the splash instead of re-layering it. This setting requires a restart
564 of Ardour to take effect.
567 <dfn>All floating windows are dialogs</dfn>: when enabled, Ardour will
568 use type "Dialog" for all floating windows instead of using type
569 "Utility" for some of them. This may help usability with some
570 window managers. This setting requires a restart of Ardour to take effect.
573 <dfn>Transient windows follow front window.</dfn>: when enabled,
574 transient windows will follow the front window when toggling between the
575 editor and mixer. This setting requires a restart of Ardour to take effect.
578 <dfn>Float detached monitor-section window</dfn>: as the <a href="@@monitor-section">
579 monitor section</a> can be detached from the mixer, this option makes it a
580 floating window, which may be handled differently by the windowing system
581 and easier to access.
587 <h3 id="preferences-appearance-translation">Translation</h3>
591 <dfn>Internationalization</dfn>
594 <dfn>Use translations</dfn> sets if Ardour should use a translated
595 version of all the messages. The default (unchecked) is English (US). When
596 checked, and if a language file exists for the system language, this file
597 will be used to translate Ardour.
603 <h2 id="preferences-editor">Editor</h2>
607 <dfn>Region Information</dfn>
610 <dfn>Show xrun markers in regions</dfn> puts a marker on the region(s)
611 while recording, when a buffer over/underflow happens.
614 <dfn>Show cue markers in regions</dfn> determines if cue markers,
615 that are bounded to regions, are displayed or not.
618 <dfn>Show gain envelopes in audio regions:</dfn> sets in which
619 <a href="@@toolbox">modes</a> the gain envelope is displayed in audio regions.
620 The gain envelope is superimposed over the region in the selected modes, and
621 hidden otherwise for a better legibility.
626 <dfn>Scroll and Zoom Behaviors</dfn>
629 <dfn>Zoom to mouse position when zooming with scroll wheel</dfn>: by default,
630 Ardour zooms to the <a href="@@edit-point-control">edit point</a>. When this
631 option is checked, and the zoom is done with <kbd class="mod1n"></kbd> + mousewheel,
632 the zoom will happen at the mouse cursor position regardless of the edit point
636 <dfn>Zoom with vertical drag in rulers</dfn> allows, when checked, to click
637 anywhere in an empty zone of the <a href="@@ruler">ruler</a> zone and drag
638 up to zoom in or down to zoom out.
641 <dfn>Double click zooms to selection</dfn> allows by double clicking, to zoom
642 on the selection, both on the time and tracks axes. If the selection has been
643 done with <kbd class="mod1n"></kbd> or <kbd class="mod3n"></kbd>, then this
644 key should still be pressed when double clicking for this to work, otherwise
645 the first click breaks the group selection.
648 <dfn>Update editor window during drags of the summary</dfn>: when
649 enabled the contents of the editor window will redraw the tracks area
650 as the selection rectangle in the <a href="@@summary">summary</a> area is
654 <dfn>Auto-scroll editor window when dragging near its edges</dfn>
655 when enabled will scroll the editor window automatically when dragging a
656 region. This can make it easier to see where to position the region.
659 <dfn>Auto-scroll speed when dragging playhead:</dfn> chooses how fast the canvas
660 scrolls when dragging the playhead outside of the visible canvas.
663 <dfn>Limit zoom & summary view beyond session extents to:</dfn>
664 prevents the zoom out both in the editor and the summary, to show anything past
665 the chosen time after the end marker, restraining the vision to only useful
671 <dfn>Editor Behaviour</dfn>
674 <dfn>Move relevant automation when audio regions are moved</dfn>,
675 when enabled, causes automation data to stay with a region when the
676 region is moved inside the playlist. When disabled, the automation is
677 not affected by movement of regions.
680 <dfn>Ignore Y-axis click position when adding new automation-points</dfn>
681 allows to create new automation points at the x-position of the mouse, without
682 using the Y-position as the value, hence creating a new automation point at
686 <dfn>Automation edit cancels auto hide</dfn> determines wether automation
687 lanes that have been automatically shown because of the
688 <kbd class="option">Edit > Show Automation Lane on Touch</kbd>
689 option should be kept visible if the automation has been touched.
692 <dfn>Default fade shape:</dfn> sets which <a href="@@create-region-fades-and-crossfades">
693 fade shape</a> is the default.
696 <dfn>Regions in edit groups are edited together:</dfn> sets
697 the criteria to see if editing actions apply to tracks grouped together
701 <dfn>Layering model:</dfn> Ardour allows <a href="@@layering-display">layering</a>
702 multiple regions in the same track. This selector defines how these layers are
703 managed, either manually or by placing the latest on top.
708 <dfn>Split/Separate</dfn>
711 <dfn>After a Separate operation, in Range mode:</dfn> determines what
712 should become of the Range selection after a Separate operations:
714 <li>Clear the Range Selection: nothing is selected anymore</li>
715 <li>Preserve the Range Selection: the range selection is kept</li>
716 <li>Force-Select the regions under the range: the regions that
717 were in the range selection are selected in Grab/Object mode</li>
721 <dfn>After a Split operation, in Object mode:</dfn> determines which,
722 if any, regions are selected after a split operation. The options are:
724 <li>Clear the Region Selection: nothing is selected anymore</li>
725 <li>Select only the newly-created regions BEFORE the split point:
726 </li>if regions have been affected by the split, then the regions
727 created by the split before the split point is selected
728 <li>Select only the newly-created regions BEFORE the split point:
729 same as above, for the regions created after the split point</li>
730 <li>Select the newly-created regions: sum of the two above, i.e. all
731 the regions that are created as a result of the split are selected.</li>
732 <li>Preserve the existing selection, AND select all newly-created regions:
733 same as above (all the parts that have been created by the split) plus
734 the unaffected regions that were selected before the split.</li>
741 <h3 id="preferences-editor-snap">Snap</h3>
745 <dfn>General Snap options:</dfn>
748 <dfn>Snap Threshold (pixels):</dfn> is the maximum distance between
749 a snap anchor and an object for Ardour to force the object to be
750 placed precisely at that anchor.
753 <dfn>Approximate Grid/Ruler granularity (pixels):</dfn> Ardour tries
754 to show a reasonable number of grid lines at the current zoom level
755 and in the available screen estate. This value tells Ardour what the
756 approximate absolute distance between two closest grid lines should
757 be, so that it displays the most relevant grid scale to approximately
761 <dfn>Show "snapped cursor"</dfn> If the Edit point is not the playhead,
762 shows the currently selected Edit point as a blue line, to indicate
763 where the next editing operation will occur.
766 <dfn>Snap rubberband selection to grid</dfn> makes the highlighted
767 zone created by an area selection also snap to grid, i.e. the beginning
768 and end of the resulting selecting box will both be grid anchors.
771 <dfn>Grid switches to alternate selection for Internal Edit Tools</dfn>
772 Two levels of grid mode can coexist in Ardour, one for global regions
773 manipulations, and one for finer, in-region editing (e.g. for placing
774 MIDI events in a MIDI region). When this option is checked, entering
775 Internal Edit mode makes the grid mode switch from one mode to the other.
778 <dfn>Rulers automatically change to follow the Grid mode selection</dfn>
779 If enabled, changing the Grid mode also makes the relevant
780 <a href="@@ruler">ruler</a> visible, while hiding the other ones.
785 <dfn>When "Snap" is enabled, snap to:</dfn>
786 Lists the different possible anchors to which an object should snap to, among:
789 <li>Region Sync points</li>
790 <li>Region Starts</li>
797 <h3 id="preferences-editor-modifiers">Modifiers</h3>
800 This page allows to choose how things are done in the editor. This is a very
801 flexible way for Ardour to match an existing workflow, or speed up the editing
802 process based on the user's most used actions.
805 The <kbd class="menu">Reset to recommended defaults</kbd> button at the bottom
806 provides a way to revert any user made change to its default value.
809 <h2 id="preferences-midi">MIDI</h2>
816 <dfn>Allow non quarter-note pulse</dfn>: by default, Ardour understands the <a
817 href="@@tempo-and-meter">tempo</a> as the number of quarter notes in a minute.
818 Checking this option allows to set the tempo based on any division of the note,
819 from whole to 1/128th. This is reflected in the <kbd class="menu">Edit
820 Tempo</kbd> window (accessed by double clicking a tempo marker) that shows a
821 "Pulse" menu when this option is checked.
824 <dfn>Initial program change:</dfn> Ardour will send a MIDI program
825 change message on the <code>ardour:MMC out</code> MIDI port when a session
826 is loaded and whenever this field is changed. A value of -1 means don't
827 send any program change message.
835 <dfn>Sound MIDI notes as they are selected in the editor</dfn> will play
836 any selected or added MIDI note when in Draw or Internal Edit modes. The
837 note is sent as MIDI as if Ardour was playing it withe the session, so the
838 processors and signal routing will be applied.
843 <dfn>Virtual Keyboard</dfn>
846 <dfn>Virtual Keyboard Layout:</dfn> selects which (if any) computer
847 keyboard layout is used to be mapped on the keys of the musical
848 keyboard of the Virtual Keyboard (<kbd class="menu">Window > Virtual Keyboard</kbd>).
854 <dfn>MIDI Port Options</dfn>
857 <dfn>MIDI input follows MIDI track selection</dfn> allows Ardour to automatically
858 connect the MIDI input to the selected track. Selecting a different MIDI
859 track results in Ardour disconnecting the MIDI device from the former track
860 and connecting it to the newly selected one, so that the MIDI device is
861 always connected to the selected track. Which MIDI device will follow
862 selection can be chosen below.
868 <h3 id="preferences-midi-port-config">MIDI Port Config</h3>
871 This page allows to set options for input and output MIDI devices, such as:
875 <li><kbd class="menu">Music Data</kbd>: whether Ardour should accept/send note events from/to selected MIDI device</li>
876 <li><kbd class="menu">Control Data</kbd>: whether Ardour should accept/send control events (Control Change, or CC) from/to selected MIDI device</li>
877 <li><kbd class="menu">Follow Selection</kbd>: whether Ardour should connect this device only to a selected track (only applicable to input devices)</li>
881 You can also give a more meaningful name to any input and output MIDI device
882 here. Double-click the name of the device, enter a new name, then press
883 <kbd>Enter</kbd> to confirm.
886 <h2 id="preferences-transport">Transport</h2>
893 <dfn>Prompt for new marker names</dfn> when enabled, popup a dialog
894 when a new <a href="@@working-with-markers">marker</a> is created. This allows
895 markers to be named as they are created.
898 <dfn>Stop at the end of the session</dfn> causes the transport to
899 stop during playback when it reaches the end marker. Behavior during
900 recording is not changed.
903 <dfn>Keep record-enable engaged on stop</dfn> leaves the global
904 record-enable engaged after transport is stopped. Does not affect track
905 level record-enable which is never changed on stop.
908 <dfn>Reset default speed on stop</dfn> when the
909 <a href="@@transport-bar">Shuttle speed control</a> is in <em>wheel</em>
910 mode, i.e. the transport speed can be constantly changed, enabling this
911 option makes these changes temporary, and the transport speed reset
912 each time the transport is stopped.
915 <dfn>Disable per-track record disarm while rolling</dfn>, when
916 enabled, will not allow the any track's record-enable to be disarmed
917 during record, preventing accidentally stopping the recording of a take.
920 <dfn>12dB gain reduction during fast-forward and fast-rewind</dfn>
921 when enabled will reduce the unpleasant increase in perceived volume
922 that occurs when fast-forwarding or rewinding through some kinds of audio.
925 <dfn>Rewind/Fast-forward buttons change direction immediately</dfn>
926 sets wether Rewind and Fast-forward transport operations
927 (<kbd class="menu">Transport > Forward/Rewind</kbd>) changes the
928 playback direction and speed abruptly, or gradually.
931 <dfn>Allow auto-return after rewind/ffwd operations</dfn>
932 if <a href="@@other-toolbar-items#playhead_options">Auto return</a>is engaged, sets wether
933 it applies to rewind and fast-forward operations.
936 <dfn>Preroll:</dfn> sets the duration of the preroll for playing and
937 recording when using a preroll. Can be a musical duration (in bars) or a
946 <dfn>Play loop is a transport mode</dfn> changes the behavior of the
947 loop button, turning it into a toggle. When enabled, the loop button does
948 not start playback but forces playback to always play the loop. Looping
949 stays engaged when the transport is stopped. Playback continues where the
950 transport stopped and continues to loop. When disabled, the loop button
951 starts playing the loop but stop then cancels loop playback.
954 <dfn>Loop Fades:</dfn> when the transport moves from the end of the loop
955 range back to the beginning, clicks might be audible. This parameter
956 allows for adding fades (in, out or cross-) to prevent those clicks.
961 <dfn>Dropout (xrun) Handling</dfn>
964 <dfn>Stop recording when an xrun occurs</dfn> will stop the transport
965 when an xrun occurs during recording, ensuring no audible glitches are
969 <dfn>Create markers where xruns occur</dfn> will create a new
970 <a href="@@working-with-markers">marker</a> when an xrun occurs during
971 recording at the location of the xrun. This marks where possible xruns
972 might produce audible glitches.
975 <dfn>Reset x-runs counter when starting to record</dfn>, when enabled,
976 sets the x-run counter in the <a href="@@status-bar">Status bar</a>
977 to 0 each time a recording is started, hence showing only the relevant
978 number of x-run while recording.
986 <dfn>Silence plugins when the transport is stopped</dfn> when stopping
987 playback or recording, if this option is checked, the plugins that still
988 emit sound (reverbs, etc…) will be stopped. If unchecked, the plugins
989 will continue playing after the transport stop.
995 <h3 id="preferences-transport-chase">Chase</h3>
999 <dfn>MIDI Machine Control (MMC)</dfn>
1002 <dfn>Respond to MMC commands</dfn> when enabled Ardour will respond
1003 to MIDI Machine Control commands received on the <code>ardour:MMC in</code>
1007 <dfn>Inbound MMC device ID:</dfn> is the only device ID Ardour will
1008 respond to when an MMC command is received on the <code>ardour:MMC in</code>
1014 <dfn>Transport Masters</dfn>
1017 <dfn>Show Transport Master Window</dfn> Opens the Transport masters
1018 window, where all the timecode sources are shown to be selected
1019 and/or synchronized; same as clicking <kbd class="menu">Window >
1020 Transport Masters</kbd>
1023 <dfn>Match session video frame rate to external timecode</dfn>
1024 controls the value of the video frame rate <em>while chasing</em>
1025 an external timecode source. When enabled, the session video frame rate will be
1026 changed to match that of the selected external timecode source. When disabled,
1027 the session video frame rate will not be changed to match that of the selected
1028 external timecode source. Instead, the frame rate indication in the main clock
1029 will flash red and Ardour will convert between the external timecode standard
1030 and the session standard.
1036 <h3 id="preferences-transport-generate">Generate</h3>
1040 <dfn>Linear Timecode (LTC) Generator</dfn>
1043 <dfn>Enable LTC generator</dfn> when enabled Ardour will
1044 output an LTC timecode signal on its <em>LTC-out</em> port.
1045 If this option is checked, the two options below are active:
1048 <dfn>Send LTC while stopped</dfn>, (only available when the previous
1049 <em>Enable LTC generator</em> is on) when enabled Ardour will
1050 continue to send LTC information even while the transport (playhead)
1054 <dfn>LTC generator level [dBFS]:</dfn> specifies the peak volume of
1055 the generated LTC signal in dbFS. A good value is 0dBu=−18dbFS
1056 in an EBU calibrated system.
1059 <dfn>LTC Output Port:</dfn> selects to which port (if any) the
1060 LTC generator will be connected by default.
1065 <dfn>MIDI Time Code (MTC) Generator</dfn>
1068 <dfn>Enable MTC Generator</dfn> when enabled Ardour will generate MIDI
1069 time code on the <code>ardour:MTC out</code> MIDI port.
1072 <dfn>Max MTC varispeed (%):</dfn>
1073 MIDI time code generation will be disabled when the transport speed is
1074 greater than normal speed plus this percentage or less than normal minus
1080 <dfn>MIDI Machine Control (MMC)</dfn>
1083 <dfn>Send MMC commands</dfn> when enabled Ardour will send MIDI Machine
1084 Control commands on the <code>ardour:MMC out</code>
1088 <dfn>Outbound MMC device ID:</dfn> is the MIDI device ID Ardour will
1089 use when it sends MMC commands.
1094 <dfn>MIDI Beat Clock (Mclk) Generator</dfn>
1097 <dfn>Enable Mclk generator</dfn> when enabled Ardour will generate a
1098 (tempo dependant) beat clock at a rate of 24 pulses per quarter note on
1099 the <code>ardour:MIDI clock out</code> port.
1105 <h2 id="preferences-plugins">Plugins</h2>
1108 The content of this preference page varies heavily between versions or Ardour:
1109 both the platform and the build-time options can make Ardour support some types
1110 of plugins and not others. While this documentation tries to show all possible
1111 options, most systems will only show a subset of the options hereunder, e.g.
1112 AudioUnits are macOS only…
1117 <dfn>Scan/Discover</dfn>
1120 <dfn>Scan for Plugins</dfn> will initiate an immediate scan of the system
1121 for available plugins. Useful to get a newly installed plugin recognised
1125 <dfn>Scan Time Out</dfn> sets the time that Ardour will try to find
1126 any plugins in known paths until it gives up.
1134 <dfn>Scan for [new] Plugins on Application Start</dfn> When
1135 enabled new plugins are searched, tested and added to the cache
1136 index on application start. When disabled new plugins will only be
1137 available after triggering a 'Scan' manually.
1140 <dfn>Always Display Plugin Scan Progress</dfn> When enabled a
1141 popup window showing plugin scan progress is displayed for indexing
1142 (cache load) and discovery (detect new plugins).
1145 <dfn>Verbose Plugin Scan</dfn>: adds information about the plugin in the
1146 <a href="@@status-bar">Log window</a>.
1149 <dfn>Make new plugins active</dfn> when enabled, any plugin added to a track
1150 will be in active mode. If unchecked, the plugins will be added in inactive
1151 mode by default, hence have no processing effect on the track/bus.
1159 <dfn>Conceal LADSPA (LV1) Plugins if matching LV2 exists</dfn> When
1160 enabled, gives precedence to the LV2 (more up-to-date) version of
1161 a plugin over its LV1 version, if both exists.
1166 <dfn>Plugin GUI</dfn>
1169 <dfn>Automatically open the plugin GUI when adding a new plugin</dfn>
1170 shows the plugins GUI as soon as it is added to the processing box. If
1171 unchecked, the plugin will be added in the processor box but the GUI will
1172 only be shown when <kbd class="mouse">double clicking</kbd> it.
1175 <dfn>Show Plugin Inline Display on Mixer strip by default</dfn> allows Ardour
1176 to show, in the <a href="@@audiomidi-mixer-strips">mixer strips</a>, a
1177 visual rendering of the effect. These Inline Display are a special feature
1178 of Ardour, so not all plugins are able to show this display. Most of Ardour's
1179 <a href="@@plugins-bundled-with-ardour">own plugins</a> have an Inline Display.
1180 At any time, the plugin's Inline Display can be toggled on or off by
1181 <kbd class="mod3n"></kbd>double-clicking it.
1184 <dfn>Don't automatically open the plugin GUI when the plugin has an inline
1185 display mode</dfn>: this option, available only if
1186 <kbd class="option">Automatically open the plugin GUI when adding a new plugin</kbd>
1187 is checked, supercedes it and hides the plugin GUI at creation if it has an
1188 Inline Display, like Ardour's own <code>ACE *</code> plugins.
1193 <dfn>Instrument</dfn>
1196 <dfn>Ask to replace existing instrument plugin</dfn>: if a MIDI track already
1197 has an instrument (i.e. MIDI to audio converter of some sort) and this
1198 option is checked, Ardour will detect it and offer to replace the existing
1199 instrument with the newly added one, avoiding a possible conflict.
1202 <dfn>Interactively configure instrument plugins on insert</dfn>: when inserting
1203 a multichannel instrument plugin, if this option is checked, prompts the
1204 user for the channel configuration for this plugin.
1209 <dfn>Statistics</dfn>
1212 <dfn>Reset Statistics</dfn>: clears the statistics used to determine
1213 the most used and most recently used plugins.
1216 <dfn>Plugin chart (use-count) length:</dfn> In the Mixer view's
1217 <a href="@@favorite-plugins-window">favorite plugins</a> section,
1218 determines how many plugins are displayed when in <em>Top-10 Plugins</em>
1222 <dfn>Plugin recent list length:</dfn> Same as above,
1223 when in <em>Recent Plugins</em> mode.
1229 <h3 id="preferences-plugins-vst">VST</h3>
1236 <dfn>Enable Mac VST2 support (requires restart or re-scan)</dfn> makes a
1237 MacOs system able to run VST-Mac plugins. As stated, a new scan for plugins
1238 is required, be it manually or by restarting Ardour.
1241 <dfn>Enable Linux VST2 support (requires restart or re-scan)</dfn> makes a
1242 Linux system able to run VST2 plugins.
1245 <dfn>Enable VST3 support (requires restart or re-scan)</dfn> makes any
1246 system able to run VST3 plugins.
1254 <dfn>VST 2 Cache:</dfn> Clicking the <kbd class="menu">Clear</kbd> button
1255 removes all VST plugins from the list of plugins available to be
1256 inserted into the processor box. A new VST plugin scan is then required.
1259 <dfn>VST 2 Ignorelist:</dfn> Clicking the <kbd class="menu">Clear</kbd>
1260 button makes ignored VST plugins available to be added to the processor
1264 <dfn>Linux VST2 Path:</dfn> Clicking the <kbd class="menu">Edit</kbd> button
1265 pops up a dialog to manage the directories that will be searched for Linux
1266 VST plugins. When modified, Ardour will offer to scan those paths for plugins.
1269 <dfn>Path:</dfn> are the paths chosen above.
1272 <dfn>Windows VST Path:</dfn> Clicking the <kbd class="menu">Edit</kbd> button
1273 pops up a dialog to manage the directories that will be searched for Windows
1274 VST plugins. When modified, Ardour will offer to scan those paths for plugins.
1277 <dfn>Path:</dfn> are the paths chosen above.
1285 <dfn>VST 3 Cache:</dfn> Same as above, for VST 3
1288 <dfn>VST 3 Ignorelist:</dfn> Same as above, for VST 3
1291 <dfn>Additional VST3 Path:</dfn> The VST 3 specs clearly define where
1292 the host application should look for plugins. Although Ardour provides a
1293 way to search other directories for plugin, it is out of spec and not
1297 <dfn>Automatically show 'Micro Edit' tagged controls on the mixer-strip:</dfn>
1298 displays the plugin's UI directly inside each mixer strip (inline), if the plugin
1299 has a 'Micro Edit' <a hreg="@@plugin-selector">tag</a>.
1304 <dfn>VST2/VST3</dfn>
1307 <dfn>Conceal VST2 Plugin if matching LV3 exists</dfn> When
1308 enabled, gives precedence to the VST3 (more up-to-date) version of
1309 a plugin over its VST2 version, if both exists.
1315 <h3 id="preferences-plugins-audio_unit">Audio Unit</h3>
1319 <dfn>Audio Unit</dfn>
1322 <dfn>Enable Audio Unit support (requires restart or re-scan)</dfn> When
1323 enabled, new AU plugins are searched, tested and added to the cache
1324 index on application start. When disabled, new plugins will only be
1325 available after triggering a 'Scan' manually.
1328 <dfn>AU Cache:</dfn> Clicking the <kbd class="menu">Clear</kbd> button
1329 removes all AU plugins from the list of plugins available to be
1330 inserted into the processor box. A new AU plugins scan is then required.
1333 <dfn>AU Ignorelist:</dfn> Clicking the <kbd class="menu">Clear</kbd>
1334 button makes ignored AU plugins available to be added to the processor
1341 <h2 id="preferences-monitoring">Monitoring</h2>
1345 <dfn>Monitoring</dfn>
1348 <dfn>Record monitoring handled by:</dfn> determines whether Ardour provides
1349 monitoring of incoming audio or whether monitoring is provided by hardware.
1350 See <a href="@@monitoring">Monitoring</a> for more information.
1353 <dfn>Auto Input does 'Talkback'</dfn> when enabled, the
1354 <kbd class="option">Transport > Auto Input</kbd> option also sets
1355 the tracks to monitor its audio input when transport is not rolling.
1360 <dfn>Solo</dfn> contains settings that affect the use of
1361 <a href="@@muting-and-soloing">solo, muting</a>, and
1362 <a href="@@panning">panning</a>.
1365 <dfn>Solo controls are Listen controls</dfn>: when enabled, the
1366 soloed track is soloed only on the monitor bus, the master fader mix
1367 is not affected by the solo. This option can also be set by enabling
1368 pre-fader listen or after-fader listen in the <strong>Mixer</strong>
1372 <dfn>Exclusive solo</dfn> when enabled will only solo the last
1373 track selected for solo. Previously soloed tracks will be un-soloed.
1374 This setting is also available from the <strong>Mixer</strong> monitor
1378 <dfn>Show solo muting</dfn> when enabled outlines the mute
1379 button on tracks and busses when another track is soloed.
1382 <dfn>Soloing overrides muting</dfn> when enabled allows a track
1383 to be heard when it is soloed while muted. This setting is also
1384 available from the <strong>Mixer</strong> monitor section.
1387 <dfn>Solo-in-place mute cut (dB):</dfn> sets the attenuation of
1388 the other tracks when another track is soloed in place. This setting
1389 is also available from the <strong>Mixer</strong> monitor section. The
1390 default is "−inf" for −∞, meaning the other tracks are
1394 <dfn>Listen Position:</dfn> determines what is listened to when
1395 the solo controls are used as listen controls. The options are
1396 after-fader or pre-fader.
1399 <dfn>PFL signals come from:</dfn> determines whether the
1400 pre-fader listen position is before or after the pre-fader processors.
1403 <dfn>AFL signals come from:</dfn> determines whether the
1404 after-fader listen position is before or after the after-fader
1411 <h2 id="preferences-signal_flow">Signal Flow</h2>
1418 <dfn>Enable master-bus output gain control</dfn> adds a gain-stage to
1419 the master-bus and a Loudness Analyzer & Normalizer button that
1420 calculates the Loudness (LUFS) of the session (or a range selection),
1421 and normalizes the loudness according to various standards.
1426 <dfn>Default Track / Bus Muting Options</dfn> sets the muting options
1427 for a newly created tracks or bus. The mute options for an existing track
1428 or bus are changed by the right-click context menu on a mute button.
1431 <dfn>Mute affects pre-fader sends</dfn> when enabled pre-fader
1432 sends will be muted by default.
1435 <dfn>Mute affects post-fader sends</dfn> when enabled post-fader
1436 sends will be muted by default.
1439 <dfn>Mute affects control outputs</dfn> when enabled control
1440 outputs are muted by default.
1443 <dfn>Mute affects main outputs</dfn> when enabled main outputs
1444 are muted by default.
1449 <dfn>Send Routing</dfn> affects <a href="@@aux-sends">aux and external sends</a>.
1452 <dfn>Link panners of Aux and External Sends with main panner by default</dfn>
1453 when enabled, sends follow the channel panner. When disabled, sends can panned
1454 independently of the channel panner and fader. Double clicking the send in the
1455 processor box toggles the main panner and fader between the aux send and the
1461 <dfn>Audio Regions</dfn>
1464 <dfn>Replicate missing region channels</dfn>: if a track is N-channel,
1465 and the region has fewer channels, this option copies the existing
1466 channel's data for this non-existent one. If left unchecked, the missing
1467 channels will stay silent.
1472 <dfn>Track and Bus Connections</dfn>
1475 <dfn>Auto-connect main output (master or monitor) bus to physical ports</dfn>
1476 auto-connects the outputs to the first N physical ports. In a session without a
1477 <a href="@@monitor-section">monitor section</a>, the master-bus is
1478 connected to the system's playback ports, and if a monitor section exists,
1479 the monitor-bus' output are connected.
1482 <dfn>Connect track inputs:</dfn> allows to choose when a new track is
1483 created whether its inputs will be automatically connected to the physical
1484 inputs of the system or not (hence the user has to manually connect it).
1487 <dfn>Connect track and bus outputs:</dfn> allows to choose, for any new
1488 track or bus created, whether its output will automatically be connected
1489 to the master bus, directly to the physical outputs or to nothing (the
1490 user has to manually connect it).
1493 <dfn>Use 'Strict-I/O' for new tracks or busses</dfn> determines the default
1494 choice for the <a href="@@trackbus-signal-flow">signal flow</a> of a newly created track or bus.
1495 This can be overridden in the <a href="@@adding-tracks-busses-and-vcas">
1496 Add Track/Bus/VCA</a> dialog
1502 <h2 id="preferences-metronome">Metronome</h2>
1506 <dfn>Metronome</dfn> handles the way Ardour's metronome is played when
1507 enabled in the <a href="@@transport-bar">Transport Bar</a>.
1510 <dfn>Emphasis on first beat</dfn> plays a different sound when the first
1511 beat is played (e.g. 1/4 in 4/4, 1/3 in 3/4,…). When unchecked, all
1512 the beats are indistinguishable.
1515 <dfn>Use built-in default sounds</dfn> when checked, uses Ardour's own
1516 sounds for the metronome click. Unchecking this allows to set some custom
1520 <dfn>Audio file:</dfn> selects an audio file for the beats, in any
1521 <a href="@@supported-file-formats">format</a> Ardour supports.
1524 <dfn>Emphasis audio file:</dfn> in conjunction with
1525 <kbd class="option">Emphasis on first beat</kbd>, selects an audio file
1526 for the first beats of each bar.
1529 <dfn>Gain level:</dfn> allows the metronome's click sounds to be boosted
1538 <dfn>Enable Metronome only while recording</dfn>: when enabled, the
1539 metronome will remain silent unless Ardour is recording.
1546 <h2 id="preferences-control_surfaces">Control Surfaces</h2>
1549 This tab contains settings for <a href="@@control-surfaces">control surfaces</a>.
1552 It lists all the Control Surface protocols Ardour knows. To enable a
1553 <dfn>Control Surface Protocol</dfn>, the <kbd class="option">Enable</kbd> checkbox
1554 next to its name should be ticked. Editing the settings related to this protocol
1555 can be done by double-clicking its name or clicking the <kbd class="menu">Show
1556 protocol settings</kbd> (only for Generic MIDI and Open Sound Control).
1559 <h2 id="preferences-metering">Metering</h2>
1566 <dfn>Peak hold time:</dfn> allows the meter to keep displaying the highest
1567 signal level for a period of time before reverting to showing the actual
1568 instantaneous value (unless an even higher peak occurs). The longer this
1569 time is, the easier it is to spot peaks, at the expense of instantaneous
1573 <dfn>DPM fall-off:</dfn> describes how fast the Digital Peak Meters can
1574 go from a high value to a lower one. Faster values are more accurate but
1578 <dfn>Meter line-up level; 0 dBu:</dfn> chooses a standard for the
1579 conversion between dBFS (Full Scale) which represent the numeric signal
1580 level, and dBu which represents the analog signal level. This value is used
1581 to configure meter-marks and color knee-points, or set the reference levels
1582 for various meter-types.
1585 <dfn>IEC1/DIN Meter line-up level; 0 dBu:</dfn> sets the reference
1586 level for the IEC1/DIN Meter
1589 <dfn>VU Meter standard:</dfn> selects which standard to use for the zero
1590 value of the vu-meters, i.e. the analog dBu value that will show as 0 on the
1594 <dfn>Peak indicator threshold [dBFS]:</dfn> at that value and over, the
1595 signal will make the peak meter to turn red, indicating a level too high.
1600 <dfn>Default Meter Types</dfn> sets the default meters when creating a session
1601 or track. These meters can be changed afterwards by
1602 <kbd class="mouse">right</kbd>-clicking a meter.
1605 <dfn>Default Meter Type for Master Bus:</dfn> defines which kind of
1606 <a href="@@metering-in-ardour">meter</a> will be used when creating a new
1607 session (does not apply to the current session).
1610 <dfn>Default Meter Type for busses:</dfn> defines which kind of
1611 meter will be used when creating a new bus (applies to the bus created
1612 after changing the value).
1615 <dfn>Default Meter Type for tracks:</dfn> same as above, for tracks.
1620 <dfn>Region Analysis</dfn>
1623 <dfn>Enable automatic analysis of audio</dfn> generates the transient
1624 values (used in e.g. the <a href="@@rhythm-ferret">Rhythm Ferret</a>)
1625 automatically. When unchecked, the transient values will be generated
1632 <h2 id="preferences-performance">Performance</h2>
1636 <dfn>DSP CPU Utilization</dfn>
1639 <dfn>Signal processing uses:</dfn> sets how many cpu processors can be
1640 used to do signal processing. It can be set to use one up to all
1644 <dfn>Power Management, CPU DMA latency: </dfn> modern processors try
1645 to aggressively transition to power saving when idle, even for a few
1646 microseconds, hurting realtime performance by needing to wake to a
1647 more active state. This setting counters this behaviour by setting
1648 a maximum response time while low latency operation is desired.
1649 <kbd class="menu">0</em> is the fastest response time.
1654 <dfn>CPU/FPU Denormals</dfn> are a specific type of very small numbers that
1655 can cause issues with CPU consumption when using some plugins in some
1656 circumstances. Ardour provides two methods of handling the issue.
1657 Trying different combinations of these settings may minimize CPU consumption.
1660 <dfn>Use DC bias to protect against denormals</dfn> adds a small
1661 constant value to numbers to move the numbers away from zero.
1664 <dfn>Processor handling:</dfn>, if the computer's hardware
1665 supports it, offers two methods that can be used individually or
1666 combined. Flush to zero and denormals are zero.
1671 <dfn>Disk I/O Buffering</dfn> settings determine how many seconds of
1672 audio off of disk will be buffered in memory. Longer settings reduce
1673 the risk of buffer under-runs but consume more memory.
1676 <dfn>Preset:</dfn> will automatically choose the values for the playback
1677 and recording buffer based on the chosen size of the session. The
1678 <strong>Custom</strong> option allows to manually select the buffers with
1679 the two sliders below.
1682 <dfn>Playback (seconds of buffering):</dfn> sets how many seconds of
1683 audio Ardour will buffer during playback.
1686 <dfn>Recording (seconds of buffering):</dfn> sets how many seconds of
1687 audio Ardour will buffer during recording.
1692 <dfn>Memory Usage</dfn>
1695 <dfn>Waveform image cache (megabytes):</dfn> sets the maximum amount of ram that
1696 can be used to store the images representing the waveforms in the editor. Past
1697 this amount, the images will be regenerated when needed, which can significantly
1698 decrease the system's performance.
1703 <dfn>Automation</dfn>
1706 <strong>Thinning factor</strong> ranges from 0 to 1000 with larger
1707 values sending fewer automation changes. Thinning is like lossy
1708 audio compression, removing data that is less likely to be noticed,
1709 although the more is removed, the more likely the loss will be noticed.
1710 The advantage to thinning is reduced CPU usage.
1713 <strong>Automation sampling interval</strong> ranges from 1 to
1714 1000 ms. Determines how frequently the automation input is
1715 sampled. The shorter the interval the higher the accuracy but also
1716 the higher the CPU requirements.
1721 <dfn>Automatables</dfn>
1724 <dfn>Limit automatable parameters per plugin</dfn>: as some plugins
1725 (synthesizers, …) have a lot of parameters, and those parameters
1726 can be automated by Ardour, checking this will limit the number of parameters
1727 that are listed as automatable, hence making the lists shorter and the GUI
1734 <h2 id="preferences-video">Video</h2>
1738 <dfn>Video Server</dfn>
1741 <dfn>Show Video Export Info before export</dfn> Shows a warning message
1742 when exporting a video about licensing and offers to open the
1743 <a href="@@workflow-amp-operations#export">export video</a> section of
1747 <dfn>Show Video Server Startup Dialog</dfn>: when using video inside Ardour,
1748 this video is accessed via Xjadeo from a source file through a Video Server.
1749 This options shows the server's startup dialog (useful for debugging a
1750 malfunctioning video).
1753 <dfn>Advanced Setup (remote video server)</dfn> can be used when the setup
1754 is more complex than opening a local file with Ardour. The tools used behind
1755 the scene by Ardour allow a lot of flexibility, so for a competent user,
1756 the options below are provided to access a distant file (i.e. on another
1757 machine). The default options for the two following fields ("http://localhost:1554"
1758 and "/") are suitable for local files.
1761 <dfn>Video Server URL:</dfn> Base URL of the video server delivering the video
1762 through the network (<code>http://IP-or-address:port</code>).
1765 <dfn>Video folder</dfn> is the server's local path to the document-root,
1766 i.e. the files that can be delivered by the server.
1771 <dfn>Video Monitor</dfn>
1774 <dfn>Custom Path to Video Monitor (xjadeo) - leave empty for default:</dfn>
1775 Ardour bundles offer xjadeo bundled, so it should run flawlessly. Though,
1776 for custom builds or if a newer version of xjadeo is available, one can
1777 specify a path to the wanted version of xjadeo.