----
-title: Preferences
----
+<p>
+ Global <dfn>preferences</dfn> control general workflow and system
+ configuration, and should apply to all sessions. They are located in <kbd
+ class="menu">Edit > Preferences</kbd> and stored in Ardour's <dfn>user
+ configuration file</dfn> in the user's home directory.
+</p>
+
+<figure class="right">
+ <img src="/images/preferences.png" alt="The Preferences window">
+ <figcaption>
+ The Preferences window
+ </figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>
+ Preferences are conveniently grouped by category:
+</p>
+
+<ul>
+ <li><a href="#preferences-general">General</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#preferences-appearance">Appearance</a></li>
+ <ul>
+ <li><a href="#preferences-appearance-recorder">Recorder</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#preferences-appearance-editor">Editor</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#preferences-appearance-mixer">Mixer</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#preferences-appearance-toolbar">Toolbar</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#preferences-appearance-size-and-scale">Size and Scale</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#preferences-appearance-colors">Colors</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#preferences-appearance-quirks">Quirks</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#preferences-appearance-translation">Translation</a></li>
+ </ul>
+ <li><a href="#preferences-editor">Editor</a></li>
+ <ul>
+ <li><a href="#preferences-editor-snap">Snap</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#preferences-editor-modifiers">Modifiers</a></li>
+ </ul>
+ <li><a href="#preferences-midi">MIDI</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#preferences-transport">Transport</a></li>
+ <ul>
+ <li><a href="#preferences-transport-chase">Chase</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#preferences-transport-generate">Generate</a></li>
+ </ul>
+ <li><a href="#preferences-plugins">Plugins</a></li>
+ <ul>
+ <li><a href="#preferences-plugins-vst">VST</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#preferences-plugins-audio_unit">Audio Unit</a></li>
+ </ul>
+ <li><a href="#preferences-monitoring">Monitoring</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#preferences-signal_flow">Signal Flow</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#preferences-metronome">Metronome</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#preferences-control_surfaces">Control Surfaces</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#preferences-metering">Metering</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#preferences-performance">Performance</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#preferences-video">Video</a></li>
+</ul>
+
+<h2 class="clear" id="preferences-general">General</h2>
+
+<ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Audio/MIDI Setup</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Show Audio/MIDI Setup window</dfn> Shows the
+ <a href="@@audio-midi-setup">Audio/MIDI Setup</a> dialog.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Try to auto-launch audio/midi engine</dfn> allows Ardour to try to
+ automatically launch the audio and MIDI system, driver and device, thus not
+ showing the <a href="@@audio-midi-setup">Audio/MIDI Setup</a> dialog. This
+ can save a little time if the system is always used the same way.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Editor Undo</dfn> defines the behaviour of the Undo operations:
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <strong>Limit undo history</strong> sets how many commands can be
+ undone using <kbd class="mod1">Z</kbd> or <kbd class="menu">Edit > Undo</kbd>.
+ Unchecking will keep an endless memory of operations to undo, at the
+ expense of memory.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <strong>Save undo history</strong> sets how many commands are saved so
+ they are available to be undone after reopening the session. This can
+ also be unchecked to keep all actions undoable, at the cost of bigger
+ session files.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <strong>Verify removal of last capture</strong> when enabled prompts to
+ verify removal the last recording capture when
+ <kbd class="menu">Edit > Remove Last Capture</kbd> is executed.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Session Management</dfn>:
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <strong>Make periodic backups of the session file</strong> will create
+ a backup session file after changes to the timeline. The backup file is
+ the session name followed by <em>.ardour.bak</em>. The backup can be
+ used to recover from crashes when the session had not been explicitly
+ saved.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <strong>Default folder for new sessions:</strong> defaults the folder
+ where Ardour will create new session folders. This is used in the
+ <em>Session Setup</em> dialog displayed by
+ <kbd class="menu">Session > New</kbd>.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <strong>Maximum number of recent sessions:</strong> determines how
+ many of the last opened sessions shows in the <em>Recent Sessions</em>
+ dialog displayed by <kbd class="menu">Session > Recent</kbd>.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Import</dfn>:
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <strong>Drag and drop import always copies files to session</strong>
+ selects, and then disables changes to, the <em>Copy files to session</em>
+ option in the <a href="@@import-dialog">Add Existing Media</a> dialog.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Export</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Save loudness analysis as image file after export</dfn> allows, when the
+ <kbd class="option">Analyze Exported Audio</kbd> is checked in the
+ <a href="@@export-dialog">Export dialog</a>, to save the analysis graph
+ as a file named <code>session.png</code> alongside the exported audio
+ file(s) (in the same folder).
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Save Mixer screenshot after export</dfn> creates and exports
+ a graphical image of the Mixer window as a file named
+ <code>session-mixer.png</code> alongside the exported audio file(s)
+ (in the same folder).
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>New Version Check</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Check for announcements at application start</dfn> sends an
+ anonymous request to Ardour's server to check for a new version.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+</ul>
+
+<h2 id="preferences-appearance">Appearance</h2>
+
+<ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>GUI Lock</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Lock timeout (seconds)</dfn>: locks the <abbr title="Graphical User
+ Interface">GUI</abbr> after this many idle seconds (zero being 'never lock').
+ The GUI can also be locked with <kbd class="menu">Session > Lock</kbd>. When
+ locked, a dialog will display a "Click to unlock" button.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>System Screensaver Mode</dfn>: can be used to prevent the
+ screensaver to be launched by the system, either while recording
+ (e.g. for long and unattended recording session), when Ardour is
+ simply started, or never (the screensaver is then able to start).
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Theme</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Draw "flat" buttons</dfn>: when enabled, button controls
+ in the user interface will be drawn with a flat look. When disabled button
+ controls will have a slight 3D appearance.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Draw "boxy" buttons</dfn>: when enabled, button controls
+ in the user interface will have square corners instead of being slightly
+ rounded.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>LED meter style</dfn> if checked, the bar meters in the editor and
+ mixer will be styled to look like if they were made of LEDs, with a dotted
+ bar. Unchecking this option makes the bars flat and continuous.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Icon Set:</dfn> Changes the mouse cursor icons used to indicate
+ different tool modes in the editor. An example would be the icons used to
+ indicate whether the cursor will select a region or change the length of a
+ region.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Graphical User Interface</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Highlight widgets on mouseover</dfn>, when checked, makes Ardour's
+ widgets (buttons, sliders, …) slightly change color when the mouse
+ hovers them, visually indicating what a mouse action would interact with.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Show tooltips if mouse hovers over a control</dfn> when checked,
+ displays a little help bubble about the control the mouse hovers. The mouse
+ pointer needs to stay idle for about 1 sec for the tooltip to appear.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Update clocks at TC Frame rate</dfn>: Ardour updates its clocks every
+ 100 ms. Checking this will make the clock refresh at every TimeCode
+ frame which is more responsive, at the cost of a bit more system stress.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Blink Rec-Arm buttons</dfn>: when enabled, the record-armed
+ buttons on tracks will blink when they are armed but not currently recording.
+ When disabled, the record-armed buttons on tracks will be outlined in red
+ instead of blinking. The global record-arm button in the
+ <a href="@@transport-bar">Transport bar</a> is unaffected.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Blink Alert indicators</dfn>: when enabled, the Alert indicators (like
+ the <kbd class="menu">Error Log</kbd> or the <kbd class="menu">Feedback</kbd>
+ button) will blink when they are active (when an error or feedback
+ has been detected, respectively). When disabled, the indicators will turn red instead of
+ blinking.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Graphics Acceleration</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Disable Graphics Hardware Acceleration (requires restart)</dfn>:
+ Ardour uses hardware accelerated UI rendering by default for speed.
+ Sometimes though, a buggy driver can cause this to make the system slow or
+ unstable. Checking this will make Ardour draw its UI without
+ hardware acceleration, in software, improving stability and responsiveness
+ on those buggy systems at the expense of speed.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Possibly improve slow graphical performance (requires restart)</dfn>:
+ Wherever gradients appear in the UI, Ardour uses hardware accelerated
+ gradients creation. Checking this will make Ardour draw its own gradients without
+ hardware acceleration for stability on systems with buggy drivers.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+</ul>
+
+<h3 id="preferences-appearance-recorder">Recorder</h2>
+
+<ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Input Meter Layout</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Input Meter Layout</dfn>: in Recorder mode, determines if audio
+ inputs are displayed horizontally or vertically.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+</ul>
+
+<h3 id="preferences-appearance-editor">Editor</h2>
+
+<ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>General</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Use name highlight bars in region displays (requires a restart)</dfn>:
+ when enabled, the region name is displayed, in the editor, in its own opaque bar
+ at the bottom of the region. When disabled, the region name is overlaid
+ at the top of the region, possibly over audio waveforms or MIDI notes.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Region color follows track color</dfn>: when enabled,
+ the background color of regions in the editor will be displayed using
+ the color assigned to the track. When disabled the default region
+ background color will be used.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Show Region Names</dfn>: when enabled, overlays the name of
+ the region over its waveform representation, in the top-left.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Waveforms color gradient depth:</dfn> determines how much gradient
+ effect is applied to the inner of audio waveforms displayed in the editor.
+ Values range from 0.0, no gradient effect, to 1.0, maximum effect.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Timeline item gradient depth:</dfn> Determines how much
+ gradient effect is applied to the backgrounds of regions displayed in the
+ editor. Values range from 0.0, no gradient effect, to 1.0, maximum effect.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Track name ellipsis mode:</dfn> when the track header is not
+ wide enough to display the track's name in full, selects how the
+ name will be shorten between:
+ <ul>
+ <li><em>Ellipsize start of name</em> will show only the end of the name</li>
+ <li><em>Ellipsize middle of name</em> will show only the start and end of the name</li>
+ <li><em>Ellipsize end of name</em> will show only the start of the name</li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Add a visual gap below Audio Regions:</dfn> selects whether or
+ not the audio regions fit the height of the track or leave a gap at
+ the bottom, either small or large.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Waveforms</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Show waveforms in regions</dfn>: when enabled, shows a visual
+ representation of the region's audio waveform.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Show waveforms while recording</dfn>: when enabled, will draw
+ the audio waveform in regions being recorded, in near real time.
+ When disabled, only a region block will be drawn while recording,
+ reducing CPU requirements.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Show waveform clipping</dfn>: when enabled, the waveform
+ displayed will show peaks marked in red if they exceed the clip level.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Waveform Clip Level (dBFS)</dfn>: sets the level at which the
+ waveform shown in an audio region will be drawn in red to indicate
+ clipping. Setting lower than 0.0 dBFS can be useful if any tool in
+ the audio chain has problems near 0.0 dBFS.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Waveform scale</dfn>: when waveforms are shown in audio regions,
+ they can be displayed using a <em>linear</em> or a <em>logarithmic</em>
+ scale. See <a href="@@waveform-display">Waveform display</a>.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Waveform shape</dfn>: when waveforms are shown in audio regions,
+ they can be displayed using a <em>traditional</em> or a <em>rectified</em>
+ shape. See <a href="@@waveform-display">Waveform display</a>.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Editor Meters</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Show meters in track headers</dfn>: when enabled, shows
+ a small meter in the Editor's <a href="@@audio-track-controls">track headers</a>.
+ The meter is shown on the right side area of the header and provides an
+ instant, if unprecise, view of the levels on this track/bus.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Limit track header meters to stereo</dfn>: if a track has more than
+ two outputs (e.g. with a drum plugin), limits the number of meters in the
+ track header to the first two ones. Only affects audio meters, not MIDI.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>MIDI Regions</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Display first MIDI bank/program as 0</dfn>: when patches and bank changes
+ are displayed in the editor, if this option is checked, the numbering will
+ be zero-based instead of one-based, i.e. banks/programs will be numbered
+ O, 1 ,2… instead of 1, 2, 3…
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Don't display periodic (MTC, MMC) SysEx messages in MIDI Regions</dfn>:
+ if checked, will hide these control messages from the MIDI regions for better
+ legibility.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Show velocity horizontally inside notes</dfn>: when on, each note
+ of a MIDI region (in <em>Sustained</em> mode) displays its velocity
+ (0-127) with a darker fill proportional to its value.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Use colors to show note velocity</dfn>: if checked, makes the
+ saturation of the notes color proportional to its velocity, hence making
+ a more veloce note more intense in color.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+</ul>
+
+<h3 id="preferences-appearance-mixer">Mixer</h3>
+
+<ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Mixer Strip</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ This table enables (checked) or disables (unchecked) the display of controls
+ in the <a href="@@audiomidi-mixer-strips">mixer strip</a>. Controls whose
+ display can be toggled are:
+ <strong>Input</strong>, <strong>Phase Invert</strong>,
+ <strong>Record & Monitor</strong>, <strong>Solo Iso/Lock</strong>,
+ <strong>Output</strong>, <strong>Comments</strong> and VCA Assigns.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Use narrow strips in the mixer for new strips by default</dfn> When
+ enabled, new mixer strips are created in narrow format. When disabled,
+ they are created in wide format. Existing mixer strips width can be toggled
+ with the width control at the top left of the mixer strip.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Limit inline-mixer-strip controls per plugin :</dfn> Whether or
+ not, and how many, controls each plugin can show in the mixer strip.
+ These mixer-strip controls are added by checking <em>plugin context-menu
+ > Controls > □ control parameter</em>.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+</ul>
+
+<h3 id="preferences-appearance-toolbar">Toolbar</h3>
+
+<ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Main Transport Toolbar Items</dfn>: this section allows to toggle the
+ visibility of some elements of the main toolbar:
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Display Record/Punch Options</dfn> toggles the visibility of the
+ <a href="@@selection-and-punch-clocks#punch_controls">punch and record</a> slice of
+ the main toolbar.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Display Latency Compensation Info</dfn> toggles the visibility of the
+ Latency Compensation slice of the main toolbar.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Display Secondary Clock</dfn> toggles the visibility of the
+ <a href="@@transport-clocks">secondary clocks</a> slice of
+ the main toolbar.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Display Selection Clock</dfn> toggles the visibility of the
+ <a href="@@selection-and-punch-clocks#selection_clocks">selection clocks</a> slice of
+ the main toolbar.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Display Monitor Section Info</dfn> toggles the visibility of the
+ Monitor Info slice of the main toolbar.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Display Navigation Timeline</dfn> toggles the visibility of the
+ <a href="@@mini-timeline">navigation/mini timeline</a> slice of
+ the main toolbar.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Display Master Level Meter</dfn> toggles the visibility of the
+ <a href="@@other-toolbar-items#mode_selector">selection clocks</a> slice of
+ the main toolbar.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Display Action-Buttons</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Column <em>n</em></dfn> enables or disables the visibility
+ of the six possible columns of <a href="@@other-toolbar-items#mode_selector">Lua script buttons</a>.
+ Each columns contains two user-assignable buttons.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+</ul>
+
+<h3 id="preferences-appearance-size-and-scale">Size and Scale</h3>
+
+<ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>User Interface Size and Scale</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>GUI and Font scaling:</dfn> allows the display size of most of the
+ text and buttons in the user interface to be scaled up or down. May
+ require a restart to take effect.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+</ul>
+
+<h3 id="preferences-appearance-colors">Colors</h3>
+
+<ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Colors</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Color Theme</dfn> allows to switch between some presets bundled with
+ Ardour, changing both the palette and items colors, hence styling Ardour
+ all at once.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ The table allows to change the color settings in Ardour by acting on three
+ parameters:
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Items</dfn> that allow to choose any color from the palette (see below)
+ to color a UI element. Clicking on a color sample in the <strong>Color</strong>
+ column bring up the Palette, to choose from.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Palette</dfn> that allows to create a set of colors that will be used
+ in the UI. Using a palette allows for better consistency, instead of
+ picking "free" colors for each UI element. Clicking on a color patch brings
+ up a full color selector, to assign this color to this patch of the palette.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Transparency</dfn> where possible, allows to select, with a slider,
+ the transparency of the UI element, with 0 (slider to the left) being
+ fully opaque.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Restore Defaults</dfn> turns all the palette, item colors and transparency
+ back to Ardour's default base setting, in case Ardour's appearance has turned
+ into a toddler's toy.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+</ul>
+
+<h3 id="preferences-appearance-quirks">Quirks</h3>
+
+<ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Various Workarounds for Windowing Systems</dfn>: As Ardour is available
+ on a number of platforms and windowing systems, some specific workarounds are
+ sometimes required to provide a smooth experience to the user.
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Use visibility information provided by your Window Manager/Desktop</dfn>
+ allows the system window manager's rules for the windows visibility to
+ supersede Ardour's.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Show/Hide splash screen instead of setting z-axis stack order</dfn>:
+ Hides the splash instead of re-layering it. This setting requires a restart
+ of Ardour to take effect.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>All floating windows are dialogs</dfn>: when enabled, Ardour will
+ use type "Dialog" for all floating windows instead of using type
+ "Utility" for some of them. This may help usability with some
+ window managers. This setting requires a restart of Ardour to take effect.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Transient windows follow front window.</dfn>: when enabled,
+ transient windows will follow the front window when toggling between the
+ editor and mixer. This setting requires a restart of Ardour to take effect.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Float detached monitor-section window</dfn>: as the <a href="@@monitor-section">
+ monitor section</a> can be detached from the mixer, this option makes it a
+ floating window, which may be handled differently by the windowing system
+ and easier to access.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+</ul>
+
+<h3 id="preferences-appearance-translation">Translation</h3>
+
+<ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Internationalization</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Use translations</dfn> sets if Ardour should use a translated
+ version of all the messages. The default (unchecked) is English (US). When
+ checked, and if a language file exists for the system language, this file
+ will be used to translate Ardour.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+</ul>
+
+<h2 id="preferences-editor">Editor</h2>
+
+<ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Region Information</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Show xrun markers in regions</dfn> puts a marker on the region(s)
+ while recording, when a buffer over/underflow happens.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Show cue markers in regions</dfn> determines if cue markers,
+ that are bounded to regions, are displayed or not.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Show gain envelopes in audio regions:</dfn> sets in which
+ <a href="@@toolbox">modes</a> the gain envelope is displayed in audio regions.
+ The gain envelope is superimposed over the region in the selected modes, and
+ hidden otherwise for a better legibility.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Scroll and Zoom Behaviors</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Zoom to mouse position when zooming with scroll wheel</dfn>: by default,
+ Ardour zooms to the <a href="@@edit-point-control">edit point</a>. When this
+ option is checked, and the zoom is done with <kbd class="mod1n"></kbd> + mousewheel,
+ the zoom will happen at the mouse cursor position regardless of the edit point
+ chosen.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Zoom with vertical drag in rulers</dfn> allows, when checked, to click
+ anywhere in an empty zone of the <a href="@@ruler">ruler</a> zone and drag
+ up to zoom in or down to zoom out.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Double click zooms to selection</dfn> allows by double clicking, to zoom
+ on the selection, both on the time and tracks axes. If the selection has been
+ done with <kbd class="mod1n"></kbd> or <kbd class="mod3n"></kbd>, then this
+ key should still be pressed when double clicking for this to work, otherwise
+ the first click breaks the group selection.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Update editor window during drags of the summary</dfn>: when
+ enabled the contents of the editor window will redraw the tracks area
+ as the selection rectangle in the <a href="@@summary">summary</a> area is
+ moved or resized.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Auto-scroll editor window when dragging near its edges</dfn>
+ when enabled will scroll the editor window automatically when dragging a
+ region. This can make it easier to see where to position the region.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Auto-scroll speed when dragging playhead:</dfn> chooses how fast the canvas
+ scrolls when dragging the playhead outside of the visible canvas.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Limit zoom & summary view beyond session extents to:</dfn>
+ prevents the zoom out both in the editor and the summary, to show anything past
+ the chosen time after the end marker, restraining the vision to only useful
+ content.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Editor Behaviour</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Move relevant automation when audio regions are moved</dfn>,
+ when enabled, causes automation data to stay with a region when the
+ region is moved inside the playlist. When disabled, the automation is
+ not affected by movement of regions.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Ignore Y-axis click position when adding new automation-points</dfn>
+ allows to create new automation points at the x-position of the mouse, without
+ using the Y-position as the value, hence creating a new automation point at
+ its present value.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Automation edit cancels auto hide</dfn> determines wether automation
+ lanes that have been automatically shown because of the
+ <kbd class="option">Edit > Show Automation Lane on Touch</kbd>
+ option should be kept visible if the automation has been touched.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Default fade shape:</dfn> sets which <a href="@@create-region-fades-and-crossfades">
+ fade shape</a> is the default.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Regions in edit groups are edited together:</dfn> sets
+ the criteria to see if editing actions apply to tracks grouped together
+ in an group.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Layering model:</dfn> Ardour allows <a href="@@layering-display">layering</a>
+ multiple regions in the same track. This selector defines how these layers are
+ managed, either manually or by placing the latest on top.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Split/Separate</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>After a Separate operation, in Range mode:</dfn> determines what
+ should become of the Range selection after a Separate operations:
+ <ul>
+ <li>Clear the Range Selection: nothing is selected anymore</li>
+ <li>Preserve the Range Selection: the range selection is kept</li>
+ <li>Force-Select the regions under the range: the regions that
+ were in the range selection are selected in Grab/Object mode</li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>After a Split operation, in Object mode:</dfn> determines which,
+ if any, regions are selected after a split operation. The options are:
+ <ul>
+ <li>Clear the Region Selection: nothing is selected anymore</li>
+ <li>Select only the newly-created regions BEFORE the split point:
+ </li>if regions have been affected by the split, then the regions
+ created by the split before the split point is selected
+ <li>Select only the newly-created regions BEFORE the split point:
+ same as above, for the regions created after the split point</li>
+ <li>Select the newly-created regions: sum of the two above, i.e. all
+ the regions that are created as a result of the split are selected.</li>
+ <li>Preserve the existing selection, AND select all newly-created regions:
+ same as above (all the parts that have been created by the split) plus
+ the unaffected regions that were selected before the split.</li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+</ul>
+
+<h3 id="preferences-editor-snap">Snap</h3>
+
+<ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>General Snap options:</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Snap Threshold (pixels):</dfn> is the maximum distance between
+ a snap anchor and an object for Ardour to force the object to be
+ placed precisely at that anchor.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Approximate Grid/Ruler granularity (pixels):</dfn> Ardour tries
+ to show a reasonable number of grid lines at the current zoom level
+ and in the available screen estate. This value tells Ardour what the
+ approximate absolute distance between two closest grid lines should
+ be, so that it displays the most relevant grid scale to approximately
+ fit this distance.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Show "snapped cursor"</dfn> If the Edit point is not the playhead,
+ shows the currently selected Edit point as a blue line, to indicate
+ where the next editing operation will occur.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Snap rubberband selection to grid</dfn> makes the highlighted
+ zone created by an area selection also snap to grid, i.e. the beginning
+ and end of the resulting selecting box will both be grid anchors.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Grid switches to alternate selection for Internal Edit Tools</dfn>
+ Two levels of grid mode can coexist in Ardour, one for global regions
+ manipulations, and one for finer, in-region editing (e.g. for placing
+ MIDI events in a MIDI region). When this option is checked, entering
+ Internal Edit mode makes the grid mode switch from one mode to the other.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Rulers automatically change to follow the Grid mode selection</dfn>
+ If enabled, changing the Grid mode also makes the relevant
+ <a href="@@ruler">ruler</a> visible, while hiding the other ones.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>When "Snap" is enabled, snap to:</dfn>
+ Lists the different possible anchors to which an object should snap to, among:
+ <ul>
+ <li>Markers</li>
+ <li>Region Sync points</li>
+ <li>Region Starts</li>
+ <li>Region Ends</li>
+ <li>Grid</li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+</ul>
+
+<h3 id="preferences-editor-modifiers">Modifiers</h3>
+
+<p>
+ This page allows to choose how things are done in the editor. This is a very
+ flexible way for Ardour to match an existing workflow, or speed up the editing
+ process based on the user's most used actions.
+</p>
+<p>
+ The <kbd class="menu">Reset to recommended defaults</kbd> button at the bottom
+ provides a way to revert any user made change to its default value.
+</p>
+
+<h2 id="preferences-midi">MIDI</h2>
+
+<ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Session</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Allow non quarter-note pulse</dfn>: by default, Ardour understands the <a
+ href="@@tempo-and-meter">tempo</a> as the number of quarter notes in a minute.
+ Checking this option allows to set the tempo based on any division of the note,
+ from whole to 1/128th. This is reflected in the <kbd class="menu">Edit
+ Tempo</kbd> window (accessed by double clicking a tempo marker) that shows a
+ "Pulse" menu when this option is checked.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Initial program change:</dfn> Ardour will send a MIDI program
+ change message on the <code>ardour:MMC out</code> MIDI port when a session
+ is loaded and whenever this field is changed. A value of -1 means don't
+ send any program change message.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Audition</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Sound MIDI notes as they are selected in the editor</dfn> will play
+ any selected or added MIDI note when in Draw or Internal Edit modes. The
+ note is sent as MIDI as if Ardour was playing it withe the session, so the
+ processors and signal routing will be applied.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Virtual Keyboard</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Virtual Keyboard Layout:</dfn> selects which (if any) computer
+ keyboard layout is used to be mapped on the keys of the musical
+ keyboard of the Virtual Keyboard (<kbd class="menu">Window > Virtual Keyboard</kbd>).
+ </li>
+
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>MIDI Port Options</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>MIDI input follows MIDI track selection</dfn> allows Ardour to automatically
+ connect the MIDI input to the selected track. Selecting a different MIDI
+ track results in Ardour disconnecting the MIDI device from the former track
+ and connecting it to the newly selected one, so that the MIDI device is
+ always connected to the selected track. Which MIDI device will follow
+ selection can be chosen below.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+</ul>
+
+<h3 id="preferences-midi-port-config">Modifiers</h3>
+
+<p>
+ This page allows to set options for input and output MIDI devices, such as:
+</p>
+
+<ul>
+ <li><kbd class="menu">Music Data</kbd>: whether Ardour should accept/send note events from/to selected MIDI device</li>
+ <li><kbd class="menu">Control Data</kbd>: whether Ardour should accept/send control events (Control Change, or CC) from/to selected MIDI device</li>
+ <li><kbd class="menu">Follow Selection</kbd>: whether Ardour should connect this device only to a selected track (only applicable to input devices)</li>
+</ul>
+
+<p>
+ You can also give a more meaningful name to any input and output MIDI device
+ here. Double-click the name of the device, enter a new name, then press
+ <kbd>Enter</kbd> to confirm.
+</p>
+
+<h2 id="preferences-transport">Transport</h2>
+
+<ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>General</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Prompt for new marker names</dfn> when enabled, popup a dialog
+ when a new <a href="@@working-with-markers">marker</a> is created. This allows
+ markers to be named as they are created.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Stop at the end of the session</dfn> causes the transport to
+ stop during playback when it reaches the end marker. Behavior during
+ recording is not changed.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Keep record-enable engaged on stop</dfn> leaves the global
+ record-enable engaged after transport is stopped. Does not affect track
+ level record-enable which is never changed on stop.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Reset default speed on stop</dfn> when the
+ <a href="@@transport-bar">Shuttle speed control</a> is in <em>wheel</em>
+ mode, i.e. the transport speed can be constantly changed, enabling this
+ option makes these changes temporary, and the transport speed reset
+ each time the transport is stopped.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Disable per-track record disarm while rolling</dfn>, when
+ enabled, will not allow the any track's record-enable to be disarmed
+ during record, preventing accidentally stopping the recording of a take.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>12dB gain reduction during fast-forward and fast-rewind</dfn>
+ when enabled will reduce the unpleasant increase in perceived volume
+ that occurs when fast-forwarding or rewinding through some kinds of audio.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Rewind/Fast-forward buttons change direction immediately</dfn>
+ sets wether Rewind and Fast-forward transport operations
+ (<kbd class="menu">Transport > Forward/Rewind</kbd>) changes the
+ playback direction and speed abruptly, or gradually.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Allow auto-return after rewind/ffwd operations</dfn>
+ if <a href="@@other-toolbar-items#playhead_options">Auto return</a>is engaged, sets wether
+ it applies to rewind and fast-forward operations.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Preroll:</dfn> sets the duration of the preroll for playing and
+ recording when using a preroll. Can be a musical duration (in bars) or a
+ duration in seconds.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Looping</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Play loop is a transport mode</dfn> changes the behavior of the
+ loop button, turning it into a toggle. When enabled, the loop button does
+ not start playback but forces playback to always play the loop. Looping
+ stays engaged when the transport is stopped. Playback continues where the
+ transport stopped and continues to loop. When disabled, the loop button
+ starts playing the loop but stop then cancels loop playback.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Loop Fades:</dfn> when the transport moves from the end of the loop
+ range back to the beginning, clicks might be audible. This parameter
+ allows for adding fades (in, out or cross-) to prevent those clicks.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Dropout (xrun) Handling</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Stop recording when an xrun occurs</dfn> will stop the transport
+ when an xrun occurs during recording, ensuring no audible glitches are
+ recorded.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Create markers where xruns occur</dfn> will create a new
+ <a href="@@working-with-markers">marker</a> when an xrun occurs during
+ recording at the location of the xrun. This marks where possible xruns
+ might produce audible glitches.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Reset x-runs counter when starting to record</dfn>, when enabled,
+ sets the x-run counter in the <a href="@@status-bar">Status bar</a>
+ to 0 each time a recording is started, hence showing only the relevant
+ number of x-run while recording.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Plugins</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Silence plugins when the transport is stopped</dfn> when stopping
+ playback or recording, if this option is checked, the plugins that still
+ emit sound (reverbs, etc…) will be stopped. If unchecked, the plugins
+ will continue playing after the transport stop.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+</ul>
+
+<h3 id="preferences-transport-chase">Chase</h3>
+
+<ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>MIDI Machine Control (MMC)</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Respond to MMC commands</dfn> when enabled Ardour will respond
+ to MIDI Machine Control commands received on the <code>ardour:MMC in</code>
+ MIDI port.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Inbound MMC device ID:</dfn> is the only device ID Ardour will
+ respond to when an MMC command is received on the <code>ardour:MMC in</code>
+ MIDI port.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Transport Masters</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Show Transport Master Window</dfn> Opens the Transport masters
+ window, where all the timecode sources are shown to be selected
+ and/or synchronized; same as clicking <kbd class="menu">Window >
+ Transport Masters</kbd>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Match session video frame rate to external timecode</dfn>
+ controls the value of the video frame rate <em>while chasing</em>
+ an external timecode source. When enabled, the session video frame rate will be
+ changed to match that of the selected external timecode source. When disabled,
+ the session video frame rate will not be changed to match that of the selected
+ external timecode source. Instead, the frame rate indication in the main clock
+ will flash red and Ardour will convert between the external timecode standard
+ and the session standard.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+</ul>
+
+<h3 id="preferences-transport-generate">Generate</h3>
+
+<ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Linear Timecode (LTC) Generator</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Enable LTC generator</dfn> when enabled Ardour will
+ output an LTC timecode signal on its <em>LTC-out</em> port.
+ If this option is checked, the two options below are active:
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Send LTC while stopped</dfn>, (only available when the previous
+ <em>Enable LTC generator</em> is on) when enabled Ardour will
+ continue to send LTC information even while the transport (playhead)
+ is not moving.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>LTC generator level [dBFS]:</dfn> specifies the peak volume of
+ the generated LTC signal in dbFS. A good value is 0dBu=−18dbFS
+ in an EBU calibrated system.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>LTC Output Port:</dfn> selects to which port (if any) the
+ LTC generator will be connected by default.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>MIDI Time Code (MTC) Generator</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Enable MTC Generator</dfn> when enabled Ardour will generate MIDI
+ time code on the <code>ardour:MTC out</code> MIDI port.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Max MTC varispeed (%):</dfn>
+ MIDI time code generation will be disabled when the transport speed is
+ greater than normal speed plus this percentage or less than normal minus
+ this percentage.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>MIDI Machine Control (MMC)</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Send MMC commands</dfn> when enabled Ardour will send MIDI Machine
+ Control commands on the <code>ardour:MMC out</code>
+ MIDI port.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Outbound MMC device ID:</dfn> is the MIDI device ID Ardour will
+ use when it sends MMC commands.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>MIDI Beat Clock (Mclk) Generator</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Enable Mclk generator</dfn> when enabled Ardour will generate a
+ (tempo dependant) beat clock at a rate of 24 pulses per quarter note on
+ the <code>ardour:MIDI clock out</code> port.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+</ul>
+
+<h2 id="preferences-plugins">Plugins</h2>
+
+<p class="note">
+ The content of this preference page varies heavily between versions or Ardour:
+ both the platform and the build-time options can make Ardour support some types
+ of plugins and not others. While this documentation tries to show all possible
+ options, most systems will only show a subset of the options hereunder, e.g.
+ AudioUnits are macOS only…
+</p>
+
+<ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Scan/Discover</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Scan for Plugins</dfn> will initiate an immediate scan of the system
+ for available plugins. Useful to get a newly installed plugin recognised
+ by Ardour.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Scan Time Out</dfn> sets the time that Ardour will try to find
+ any plugins in known paths until it gives up.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>General</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Scan for [new] Plugins on Application Start</dfn> When
+ enabled new plugins are searched, tested and added to the cache
+ index on application start. When disabled new plugins will only be
+ available after triggering a 'Scan' manually.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Always Display Plugin Scan Progress</dfn> When enabled a
+ popup window showing plugin scan progress is displayed for indexing
+ (cache load) and discovery (detect new plugins).
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Verbose Plugin Scan</dfn>: adds information about the plugin in the
+ <a href="@@status-bar">Log window</a>.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Make new plugins active</dfn> when enabled, any plugin added to a track
+ will be in active mode. If unchecked, the plugins will be added in inactive
+ mode by default, hence have no processing effect on the track/bus.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>LV1/LV2</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Conceal LADSPA (LV1) Plugins if matching LV2 exists</dfn> When
+ enabled, gives precedence to the LV2 (more up-to-date) version of
+ a plugin over its LV1 version, if both exists.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Plugin GUI</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Automatically open the plugin GUI when adding a new plugin</dfn>
+ shows the plugins GUI as soon as it is added to the processing box. If
+ unchecked, the plugin will be added in the processor box but the GUI will
+ only be shown when <kbd class="mouse">double clicking</kbd> it.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Show Plugin Inline Display on Mixer strip by default</dfn> allows Ardour
+ to show, in the <a href="@@audiomidi-mixer-strips">mixer strips</a>, a
+ visual rendering of the effect. These Inline Display are a special feature
+ of Ardour, so not all plugins are able to show this display. Most of Ardour's
+ <a href="@@plugins-bundled-with-ardour">own plugins</a> have an Inline Display.
+ At any time, the plugin's Inline Display can be toggled on or off by
+ <kbd class="mod3n"></kbd>double-clicking it.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Don't automatically open the plugin GUI when the plugin has an inline
+ display mode</dfn>: this option, available only if
+ <kbd class="option">Automatically open the plugin GUI when adding a new plugin</kbd>
+ is checked, supercedes it and hides the plugin GUI at creation if it has an
+ Inline Display, like Ardour's own <code>ACE *</code> plugins.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Instrument</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Ask to replace existing instrument plugin</dfn>: if a MIDI track already
+ has an instrument (i.e. MIDI to audio converter of some sort) and this
+ option is checked, Ardour will detect it and offer to replace the existing
+ instrument with the newly added one, avoiding a possible conflict.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Interactively configure instrument plugins on insert</dfn>: when inserting
+ a multichannel instrument plugin, if this option is checked, prompts the
+ user for the channel configuration for this plugin.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Statistics</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Reset Statistics</dfn>: clears the statistics used to determine
+ the most used and most recently used plugins.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Plugin chart (use-count) length:</dfn> In the Mixer view's
+ <a href="@@favorite-plugins-window">favorite plugins</a> section,
+ determines how many plugins are displayed when in <em>Top-10 Plugins</em>
+ mode.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Plugin recent list length:</dfn> Same as above,
+ when in <em>Recent Plugins</em> mode.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+</ul>
+
+<h3 id="preferences-plugins-vst">VST</h3>
+
+<ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>VST</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Enable Mac VST2 support (requires restart or re-scan)</dfn> makes a
+ MacOs system able to run VST-Mac plugins. As stated, a new scan for plugins
+ is required, be it manually or by restarting Ardour.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Enable Linux VST2 support (requires restart or re-scan)</dfn> makes a
+ Linux system able to run VST2 plugins.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Enable VST3 support (requires restart or re-scan)</dfn> makes any
+ system able to run VST3 plugins.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>VST 2.x</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>VST 2 Cache:</dfn> Clicking the <kbd class="menu">Clear</kbd> button
+ removes all VST plugins from the list of plugins available to be
+ inserted into the processor box. A new VST plugin scan is then required.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>VST 2 Ignorelist:</dfn> Clicking the <kbd class="menu">Clear</kbd>
+ button makes ignored VST plugins available to be added to the processor
+ box.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Linux VST2 Path:</dfn> Clicking the <kbd class="menu">Edit</kbd> button
+ pops up a dialog to manage the directories that will be searched for Linux
+ VST plugins. When modified, Ardour will offer to scan those paths for plugins.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Path:</dfn> are the paths chosen above.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Windows VST Path:</dfn> Clicking the <kbd class="menu">Edit</kbd> button
+ pops up a dialog to manage the directories that will be searched for Windows
+ VST plugins. When modified, Ardour will offer to scan those paths for plugins.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Path:</dfn> are the paths chosen above.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>VST 3</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>VST 3 Cache:</dfn> Same as above, for VST 3
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>VST 3 Ignorelist:</dfn> Same as above, for VST 3
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Additional VST3 Path:</dfn> The VST 3 specs clearly define where
+ the host application should look for plugins. Although Ardour provides a
+ way to search other directories for plugin, it is out of spec and not
+ recommanded.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Automatically show 'Micro Edit' tagged controls on the mixer-strip:</dfn>
+ displays the plugin's UI directly inside each mixer strip (inline), if the plugin
+ has a 'Micro Edit' <a hreg="@@plugin-selector">tag</a>.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>VST2/VST3</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Conceal VST2 Plugin if matching LV3 exists</dfn> When
+ enabled, gives precedence to the VST3 (more up-to-date) version of
+ a plugin over its VST2 version, if both exists.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+</ul>
+
+<h3 id="preferences-plugins-audio_unit">Audio Unit</h3>
+
+<ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Audio Unit</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Enable Audio Unit support (requires restart or re-scan)</dfn> When
+ enabled, new AU plugins are searched, tested and added to the cache
+ index on application start. When disabled, new plugins will only be
+ available after triggering a 'Scan' manually.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>AU Cache:</dfn> Clicking the <kbd class="menu">Clear</kbd> button
+ removes all AU plugins from the list of plugins available to be
+ inserted into the processor box. A new AU plugins scan is then required.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>AU Ignorelist:</dfn> Clicking the <kbd class="menu">Clear</kbd>
+ button makes ignored AU plugins available to be added to the processor
+ box.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+</ul>
+
+<h2 id="preferences-monitoring">Monitoring</h2>
+
+<ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Monitoring</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Record monitoring handled by:</dfn> determines whether Ardour provides
+ monitoring of incoming audio or whether monitoring is provided by hardware.
+ See <a href="@@monitoring">Monitoring</a> for more information.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Auto Input does 'Talkback'</dfn> when enabled, the
+ <kbd class="option">Transport > Auto Input</kbd> option also sets
+ the tracks to monitor its audio input when transport is not rolling.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Solo</dfn> contains settings that affect the use of
+ <a href="@@muting-and-soloing">solo, muting</a>, and
+ <a href="@@panning">panning</a>.
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Solo controls are Listen controls</dfn>: when enabled, the
+ soloed track is soloed only on the monitor bus, the master fader mix
+ is not affected by the solo. This option can also be set by enabling
+ pre-fader listen or after-fader listen in the <strong>Mixer</strong>
+ monitor section.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Exclusive solo</dfn> when enabled will only solo the last
+ track selected for solo. Previously soloed tracks will be un-soloed.
+ This setting is also available from the <strong>Mixer</strong> monitor
+ section.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Show solo muting</dfn> when enabled outlines the mute
+ button on tracks and busses when another track is soloed.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Soloing overrides muting</dfn> when enabled allows a track
+ to be heard when it is soloed while muted. This setting is also
+ available from the <strong>Mixer</strong> monitor section.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Solo-in-place mute cut (dB):</dfn> sets the attenuation of
+ the other tracks when another track is soloed in place. This setting
+ is also available from the <strong>Mixer</strong> monitor section. The
+ default is "−inf" for −∞, meaning the other tracks are
+ totally muted.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Listen Position:</dfn> determines what is listened to when
+ the solo controls are used as listen controls. The options are
+ after-fader or pre-fader.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>PFL signals come from:</dfn> determines whether the
+ pre-fader listen position is before or after the pre-fader processors.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>AFL signals come from:</dfn> determines whether the
+ after-fader listen position is before or after the after-fader
+ processors.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+</ul>
+
+<h2 id="preferences-signal_flow">Signal Flow</h2>
+
+<ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Master</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Enable master-bus output gain control</dfn> adds a gain-stage to
+ the master-bus and a Loudness Analyzer & Normalizer button that
+ calculates the Loudness (LUFS) of the session (or a range selection),
+ and normalizes the loudness according to various standards.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Default Track / Bus Muting Options</dfn> sets the muting options
+ for a newly created tracks or bus. The mute options for an existing track
+ or bus are changed by the right-click context menu on a mute button.
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Mute affects pre-fader sends</dfn> when enabled pre-fader
+ sends will be muted by default.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Mute affects post-fader sends</dfn> when enabled post-fader
+ sends will be muted by default.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Mute affects control outputs</dfn> when enabled control
+ outputs are muted by default.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Mute affects main outputs</dfn> when enabled main outputs
+ are muted by default.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Send Routing</dfn> affects <a href="@@aux-sends">aux and external sends</a>.
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Link panners of Aux and External Sends with main panner by default</dfn>
+ when enabled, sends follow the channel panner. When disabled, sends can panned
+ independently of the channel panner and fader. Double clicking the send in the
+ processor box toggles the main panner and fader between the aux send and the
+ channel.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Audio Regions</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Replicate missing region channels</dfn>: if a track is N-channel,
+ and the region has fewer channels, this option copies the existing
+ channel's data for this non-existent one. If left unchecked, the missing
+ channels will stay silent.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Track and Bus Connections</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Auto-connect main output (master or monitor) bus to physical ports</dfn>
+ auto-connects the outputs to the first N physical ports. In a session without a
+ <a href="@@monitor-section">monitor section</a>, the master-bus is
+ connected to the system's playback ports, and if a monitor section exists,
+ the monitor-bus' output are connected.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Connect track inputs:</dfn> allows to choose when a new track is
+ created whether its inputs will be automatically connected to the physical
+ inputs of the system or not (hence the user has to manually connect it).
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Connect track and bus outputs:</dfn> allows to choose, for any new
+ track or bus created, whether its output will automatically be connected
+ to the master bus, directly to the physical outputs or to nothing (the
+ user has to manually connect it).
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Use 'Strict-I/O' for new tracks or busses</dfn> determines the default
+ choice for the <a href="@@trackbus-signal-flow">signal flow</a> of a newly created track or bus.
+ This can be overridden in the <a href="@@adding-tracks-busses-and-vcas">
+ Add Track/Bus/VCA</a> dialog
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+</ul>
+
+<h2 id="preferences-metronome">Metronome</h2>
+
+<ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Metronome</dfn> handles the way Ardour's metronome is played when
+ enabled in the <a href="@@transport-bar">Transport Bar</a>.
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Emphasis on first beat</dfn> plays a different sound when the first
+ beat is played (e.g. 1/4 in 4/4, 1/3 in 3/4,…). When unchecked, all
+ the beats are indistinguishable.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Use built-in default sounds</dfn> when checked, uses Ardour's own
+ sounds for the metronome click. Unchecking this allows to set some custom
+ sounds below.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Audio file:</dfn> selects an audio file for the beats, in any
+ <a href="@@supported-file-formats">format</a> Ardour supports.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Emphasis audio file:</dfn> in conjunction with
+ <kbd class="option">Emphasis on first beat</kbd>, selects an audio file
+ for the first beats of each bar.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Gain level:</dfn> allows the metronome's click sounds to be boosted
+ or attenuated.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Options</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Enable Metronome only while recording</dfn>: when enabled, the
+ metronome will remain silent unless Ardour is recording.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+</ul>
+
+
+<h2 id="preferences-control_surfaces">Control Surfaces</h2>
+
+<p>
+ This tab contains settings for <a href="@@control-surfaces">control surfaces</a>.
+</p>
+<p>
+ It lists all the Control Surface protocols Ardour knows. To enable a
+ <dfn>Control Surface Protocol</dfn>, the <kbd class="option">Enable</kbd> checkbox
+ next to its name should be ticked. Editing the settings related to this protocol
+ can be done by double-clicking its name or clicking the <kbd class="menu">Show
+ protocol settings</kbd> (only for Generic MIDI and Open Sound Control).
+</p>
+
+<h2 id="preferences-metering">Metering</h2>
+
+<ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Metering</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Peak hold time:</dfn> allows the meter to keep displaying the highest
+ signal level for a period of time before reverting to showing the actual
+ instantaneous value (unless an even higher peak occurs). The longer this
+ time is, the easier it is to spot peaks, at the expense of instantaneous
+ accuracy.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>DPM fall-off:</dfn> describes how fast the Digital Peak Meters can
+ go from a high value to a lower one. Faster values are more accurate but
+ less readable.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Meter line-up level; 0 dBu:</dfn> chooses a standard for the
+ conversion between dBFS (Full Scale) which represent the numeric signal
+ level, and dBu which represents the analog signal level. This value is used
+ to configure meter-marks and color knee-points, or set the reference levels
+ for various meter-types.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>IEC1/DIN Meter line-up level; 0 dBu:</dfn> sets the reference
+ level for the IEC1/DIN Meter
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>VU Meter standard:</dfn> selects which standard to use for the zero
+ value of the vu-meters, i.e. the analog dBu value that will show as 0 on the
+ VU-meter.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Peak indicator threshold [dBFS]:</dfn> at that value and over, the
+ signal will make the peak meter to turn red, indicating a level too high.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Default Meter Types</dfn> sets the default meters when creating a session
+ or track. These meters can be changed afterwards by
+ <kbd class="mouse">right</kbd>-clicking a meter.
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Default Meter Type for Master Bus:</dfn> defines which kind of
+ <a href="@@metering-in-ardour">meter</a> will be used when creating a new
+ session (does not apply to the current session).
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Default Meter Type for busses:</dfn> defines which kind of
+ meter will be used when creating a new bus (applies to the bus created
+ after changing the value).
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Default Meter Type for tracks:</dfn> same as above, for tracks.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Region Analysis</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Enable automatic analysis of audio</dfn> generates the transient
+ values (used in e.g. the <a href="@@rhythm-ferret">Rhythm Ferret</a>)
+ automatically. When unchecked, the transient values will be generated
+ on demand.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+</ul>
+
+<h2 id="preferences-performance">Performance</h2>
+
+<ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>DSP CPU Utilization</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Signal processing uses:</dfn> sets how many cpu processors can be
+ used to do signal processing. It can be set to use one up to all
+ processors.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Power Management, CPU DMA latency: </dfn> modern processors try
+ to aggressively transition to power saving when idle, even for a few
+ microseconds, hurting realtime performance by needing to wake to a
+ more active state. This setting counters this behaviour by setting
+ a maximum response time while low latency operation is desired.
+ <kbd class="menu">0</em> is the fastest response time.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>CPU/FPU Denormals</dfn> are a specific type of very small numbers that
+ can cause issues with CPU consumption when using some plugins in some
+ circumstances. Ardour provides two methods of handling the issue.
+ Trying different combinations of these settings may minimize CPU consumption.
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Use DC bias to protect against denormals</dfn> adds a small
+ constant value to numbers to move the numbers away from zero.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Processor handling:</dfn>, if the computer's hardware
+ supports it, offers two methods that can be used individually or
+ combined. Flush to zero and denormals are zero.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Disk I/O Buffering</dfn> settings determine how many seconds of
+ audio off of disk will be buffered in memory. Longer settings reduce
+ the risk of buffer under-runs but consume more memory.
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Preset:</dfn> will automatically choose the values for the playback
+ and recording buffer based on the chosen size of the session. The
+ <strong>Custom</strong> option allows to manually select the buffers with
+ the two sliders below.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Playback (seconds of buffering):</dfn> sets how many seconds of
+ audio Ardour will buffer during playback.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Recording (seconds of buffering):</dfn> sets how many seconds of
+ audio Ardour will buffer during recording.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Memory Usage</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Waveform image cache (megabytes):</dfn> sets the maximum amount of ram that
+ can be used to store the images representing the waveforms in the editor. Past
+ this amount, the images will be regenerated when needed, which can significantly
+ decrease the system's performance.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Automation</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <strong>Thinning factor</strong> ranges from 0 to 1000 with larger
+ values sending fewer automation changes. Thinning is like lossy
+ audio compression, removing data that is less likely to be noticed,
+ although the more is removed, the more likely the loss will be noticed.
+ The advantage to thinning is reduced CPU usage.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <strong>Automation sampling interval</strong> ranges from 1 to
+ 1000 ms. Determines how frequently the automation input is
+ sampled. The shorter the interval the higher the accuracy but also
+ the higher the CPU requirements.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Automatables</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Limit automatable parameters per plugin</dfn>: as some plugins
+ (synthesizers, …) have a lot of parameters, and those parameters
+ can be automated by Ardour, checking this will limit the number of parameters
+ that are listed as automatable, hence making the lists shorter and the GUI
+ more responsive.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+</ul>
+
+<h2 id="preferences-video">Video</h2>
+
+<ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Video Server</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Show Video Export Info before export</dfn> Shows a warning message
+ when exporting a video about licensing and offers to open the
+ <a href="@@workflow-amp-operations#export">export video</a> section of
+ this manual.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Show Video Server Startup Dialog</dfn>: when using video inside Ardour,
+ this video is accessed via Xjadeo from a source file through a Video Server.
+ This options shows the server's startup dialog (useful for debugging a
+ malfunctioning video).
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Advanced Setup (remote video server)</dfn> can be used when the setup
+ is more complex than opening a local file with Ardour. The tools used behind
+ the scene by Ardour allow a lot of flexibility, so for a competent user,
+ the options below are provided to access a distant file (i.e. on another
+ machine). The default options for the two following fields ("http://localhost:1554"
+ and "/") are suitable for local files.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Video Server URL:</dfn> Base URL of the video server delivering the video
+ through the network (<code>http://IP-or-address:port</code>).
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Video folder</dfn> is the server's local path to the document-root,
+ i.e. the files that can be delivered by the server.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Video Monitor</dfn>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Custom Path to Video Monitor (xjadeo) - leave empty for default:</dfn>
+ Ardour bundles offer xjadeo bundled, so it should run flawlessly. Though,
+ for custom builds or if a newer version of xjadeo is available, one can
+ specify a path to the wanted version of xjadeo.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+</ul>
projects / ardour-manual / blobdiff