-<img src="/images/new_main_clocks.png" alt="An image of the transport clocks in Ardour" />
+<figure>
+ <img src="/images/new_main_clocks.png" alt="The transport clocks in Ardour">
+ <figcaption>
+ The transport clocks in Ardour
+ </figcaption>
+</figure>
<p>
- <dfn>Clocks</dfn> in Ardour are used to display <dfn>time values</dfn> precisely.
- In many cases, they are also one way to edit (change) time values, and in a few
- cases, the only way. All clocks share the same basic appearance and functionality,
- which is described below, but a few clocks serve particularly important roles.
+ <dfn>Clocks</dfn> in Ardour are used to display time values
+ precisely. In many cases, they are also one way to edit (change) time
+ values.
</p>
<p>
- In the transport bar of the editor window there are two clocks (on a large enough
- screen), that display the current position of the playhead
- and additional information related to transport control and the timeline. These
- are called the <dfn>transport clocks</dfn>; the left one is the primary
- transport clock and the right one is the secondary transport clock.
+ In the transport bar of the editor window there are two clocks by
+ default, that display the current position of the playhead and
+ additional information related to transport control and the timeline.
+ These are called the <dfn>transport clocks</dfn>; the left one is the
+ <dfn>primary transport clock</dfn> (always showing the playhead
+ position) and the right one is the <dfn>secondary transport
+ clock</dfn>.
</p>
<p>
- All the clocks in Ardour share the same powerful way of editing time. Refer to
- <a href="@@editing-clocks">Editing Clocks</a> to learn how.
+ Having two transport clocks allows seeing the playhead position in
+ two different time units without having to change any settings. For
+ example, one can see the playhead position in both timecode units and
+ BBT time. The secondary transport clock can nevertheless be hidden in
+ the <a
+ href="@@preferences#preferences-appearance-toolbar">Preferences</a>,
+ at <kbd class="menu">Appearance > Toolbar > Display Secondary
+ Clock</kbd>.
</p>
<p>
- Editing the time in the transport clocks will reposition the playhead in the same
- way that various other editing operations will.
+ All the clocks in Ardour share the same powerful way of editing time.
+ Refer to <a href="@@editing-clocks">Editing Clocks</a> to learn how.
+ Editing the time in the transport clocks will reposition the playhead
+ in the same way that various other editing operations will.
</p>
-<h2>The Special Role of the Secondary Transport Clock</h2>
-
<p>
- On a few occasions Ardour needs to display time values to the user, but there
- is no obvious way to specify what units to use. The most common case is the big
- cursor that appears when dragging regions. For this and other similar cases,
- Ardour will display time using the same units as the secondary clock.
+ The transport clocks have special attributes due to their function:
</p>
-<h2>Why are there two transport clocks?</h2>
-
+<h2>Information panel</h2>
<p>
- Having two transport clocks allows seeing the playhead position in two different
- time units without having to change any settings. For example, one can see the
- playhead position in both timecode units and BBT time.
+ Under each clock is an information panel, that offers informations about the current <a href="@@editing-clocks#clock-modes">clock mode</a>:
</p>
+<table class="dl">
+ <thead>
+ <tr>
+ <th>Mode</th>
+ <th>Information</th>
+ </tr>
+ </thead>
+ <tbody>
+ <tr>
+ <th>Timecode / Minutes:Second / Seconds</th>
+ <td>Source of Timecode (<samp>INT</samp> means that Ardour is its own timecode source)</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <th>Bars:Beats</th>
+ <td>Current tempo and current time signature. Clicking one of this button allows changing the value.</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <th>Samples</th>
+ <td>Sample rate (<samp>SR</samp>) and pull-up/down, as defined in the <a href="@@session-properties#properties-timecode">session properties</a>.</td>
+ </tr>
+ </tbody>
+</table>
-<h2>Special Modes for the Transport Clocks</h2>
-
+<h2>Time origin</h2>
<p>
- In addition to the time-unit modes, each of the two transport
- clocks (again, on a sufficiently large screen) can be
- independently set to display <dfn>Delta to Edit Point</dfn> in whatever time
- units its current mode indicates. This setting means that the clock shows the
- distance between the playhead and the current edit point, and it may show a
- positive or negative value depending on the temporal order of these two points.
- The clocks will use a different color when in this mode to avoid confusion.
+ In the <kbd class="mouse">Right</kbd>-click menu, it is possible to
+ change the time origin, i.e. the zero-point in time, amongst :
</p>
-<p>
- To switch either (or both!) of the transport clocks into this mode, use
- <kbd class="menu"> Edit > Preferences > Transport</kbd> and select
- the relevant checkboxes.
-</p>
+<table class="dl">
+ <tr>
+ <th><dfn>Display absolute time</dfn></th>
+ <td>The zero point is the absolute start of the timeline (ignoring the session start and any timecode offsets).</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <th><dfn>Display delta to edit cursor</dfn></th>
+ <td>The zero point is the Edit Point as chosen from the <a href="@@edit-point-control">Edit Point selector</a>, e.g. a selected marker.</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <th><dfn>Display delta to origin marker</dfn></th>
+ <td>The zero point is the <em>start</em> marker of the session.</td>
+ </tr>
+</table>
-<p>
- Note that when in <samp>Delta to Edit Point</samp> mode, the transport clocks
- cannot be edited.
+<ul>
+ <li>
+ The transport clock may display a positive or negative value
+ depending on the temporal order of the chosen zero value and the
+ playhead.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ The clocks will use a different color when in <em>delta to
+ edit</em> or <em>delta to origin</em> mode to avoid confusion.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ Also, when in the two later modes, the value of the clock can not
+ be edited.
+ </li>
</p>
-<h2>The Big Clock</h2>
-<p>
- To show the current playhead position in a big, resizable window, activate
- <kbd class="menu">Window > Big Clock</kbd>. The big clock is very useful
- when working away from the screen but still wanting to see the playhead
- position clearly (such as when working with a remote control device across
- a room). The big clock will change its visual appearance to indicate when active
- recording is taking place. Below on the left is a screenshot showing a fairly
- large big clock window filling a good part of the display, and on the right,
- the same clock during active recording.
-</p>
-<a href="/images/bigclock.png"><img src="/images/bigclock.png" height="100" alt="an image of the big clock filling a screen"></a>
-<a href="/images/bigclock-recording.png"><img src="/images/bigclock-recording.png" height="100" alt="an image of the big clock while recording"></a>