Global preferences control general workflow and system
configuration, and should apply to all sessions. They are located in in the user's home directory.
+ Show Audio/MIDI Setup window Shows the
+ Audio/MIDI Setup dialog.
+
- Signal processing uses: sets how many cpu processors can be
- used to do signal processing. It can be set to use one up to all
- processors.
+ Try to auto-launch audio/midi engine allows Ardour to try to
+ automatically launch the audio and MIDI system, driver and device, thus not
+ showing the Audio/MIDI Setup dialog. This
+ can save a little time if the system is always used the same way.
- Memory Usage
+ Editor Undo defines the behaviour of the Undo operations:
- Waveform image cache (megabytes): 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.
+ Limit undo history sets how many commands can be
+ undone using Z or Edit > Undo.
+ Unchecking will keep an endless memory of operations to undo, at the
+ expense of memory.
+
+
+ Save undo history 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.
+
+
+ Verify removal of last capture when enabled prompts to
+ verify removal the last recording capture when
+ Edit > Remove Last Capture is executed.
- Engine
+ Session Management:
- Try to auto-launch audio/midi engine allows Ardour to try to
- automatically launch the audio and MIDI system, driver and device, thus not
- showing the Audio/MIDI Setup dialog. This
- can save a little time if the system is always used the same way.
+ Make periodic backups of the session file will create
+ a backup session file after changes to the timeline. The backup file is
+ the session name followed by .ardour.bak. The backup can be
+ used to recover from crashes when the session had not been explicitly
+ saved.
+
+
+ Default folder for new sessions: defaults the folder
+ where Ardour will create new session folders. This is used in the
+ Session Setup dialog displayed by
+ Session > New.
+
+
+ Maximum number of recent sessions: determines how
+ many of the last opened sessions shows in the Recent Sessions
+ dialog displayed by Session > Recent.
- Automation
+ Import:
- Thinning factor 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.
-
+ Drag and drop import always copies files to session
+ selects, and then disables changes to, the Copy files to session
+ option in the Add Existing Media dialog.
+
+
+
+
+ Export
+
+
+ Save loudness analysis as image file after export allows, when the
+ Analyze Exported Audio is checked in the
+ Export dialog, to save the analysis graph
+ as a file named session.png alongside the exported audio
+ file(s) (in the same folder).
+
- Automation sampling interval 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.
+ Save Mixer screenshot after export creates and exports
+ a graphical image of the Mixer window as a file named
+ session-mixer.png alongside the exported audio file(s)
+ (in the same folder).
- Tempo
+ New Version Check
- Allow non quarter-note pulse: by default, Ardour understands the tempo 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 Edit
- Tempo window (accessed by double clicking a tempo marker) that shows a
- "Pulse" menu when this option is checked.
+ Check for announcements at application start sends an
+ anonymous request to Ardour's server to check for a new version.
+
+
+
Appearance
+
+
GUI Lock
- Lock timeout (seconds):locks the GUI after this many idle seconds (zero being 'never lock').
The GUI can also be locked with Session > Lock. When
locked, a dialog will display a "Click to unlock" button.
+
+ System Screensaver Mode: 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).
+
-
-
-
Session
-
-
- Undo defines the behaviour of the Undo operations:
+ Theme
- Limit undo history sets how many commands can be
- undone using Z or Edit > Undo.
- Unchecking will keep an endless memory of operations to undo, at the
- expense of memory.
+ Draw "flat" buttons: 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.
- Save undo history 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.
+ Draw "boxy" buttons: when enabled, button controls
+ in the user interface will have square corners instead of being slightly
+ rounded.
+
+
+ LED meter style 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.
- Verify removal of last capture when enabled prompts to
- verify removal the last recording capture when
- Edit > Remove Last Capture is executed.
+ Icon Set: 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.
- Session Management:
+ Graphical User Interface
- Make periodic backups of the session file will create
- a backup session file after changes to the timeline. The backup file is
- the session name followed by .ardour.bak. The backup can be
- used to recover from crashes when the session had not been explicitly
- saved.
+ Highlight widgets on mouseover, 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.
+
+
+ Show tooltips if mouse hovers over a control 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.
- Always copy imported files selects, and then disables
- changes to, the Copy files to session option in the
- Add Existing Media dialog.
+ Update clocks at TC Frame rate: 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.
- Default folder for new sessions: defaults the folder
- where Ardour will create new session folders. This is used in the
- Session Setup dialog displayed by
- Session > New.
+ Blink Rec-Arm buttons: 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
+ Transport bar is unaffected.
- Maximum number of recent sessions: determines how many
- of the last opened sessions shows in the
- Recent Sessions dialog displayed by
- Session > Recent.
+ Blink Alert indicators: when enabled, the Alert indicators (like
+ the Error Log or the Feedback
+ 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.
-
-
-
Translation
-
- Internationalization
+ Graphics Acceleration
+
+ Disable Graphics Hardware Acceleration (requires restart):
+ 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.
+
- Use translations 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.
+ Possibly improve slow graphical performance (requires restart):
+ 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.
-
+
+
+
Recorder
-
Editor
+
+
+ Input Meter Layout
+
+
+ Input Meter Layout: in Recorder mode, determines if audio
+ inputs are displayed horizontally or vertically.
+
+
+
+
+
+
Editor
General
- Snap rubberband to grid when
- enabled uses the grid when selecting regions
- with a rubberband rectangle.
+ Use name highlight bars in region displays (requires a restart):
+ 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.
- Prompt for new marker names when enabled, popup a dialog
- when a new marker is created. This allows
- markers to be named as they are created.
+ Region color follows track color: 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.
- Allow dragging of the playhead, when enabled, allows
- dragging the playhead with the mouse in the Editor window.
+ Show Region Names: when enabled, overlays the name of
+ the region over its waveform representation, in the top-left.
+
+
+ Waveforms color gradient depth: 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.
- Playhead dragging speed (%): chooses how fast the canvas
- scrolls when dragging the playhead outside of the visible canvas.
+ Timeline item gradient depth: 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.
- Limit zooming & summary view to X minutes beyond session extents
- 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.
+ Track name ellipsis mode: when the track header is not
+ wide enough to display the track's name in full, selects how the
+ name will be shorten between:
+
+
Ellipsize start of name will show only the end of the name
+
Ellipsize middle of name will show only the start and end of the name
+
Ellipsize end of name will show only the start of the name
+
- Zoom to mouse position when zooming with scroll wheel: by default,
- Ardour zooms to the edit point. When this
- option is checked, and the zoom is done with + mousewheel,
- the zoom will happen at the mouse cursor position regardless of the edit point
- chosen.
+ Add a visual gap below Audio Regions: selects whether or
+ not the audio regions fit the height of the track or leave a gap at
+ the bottom, either small or large.
+
+
+
+ Waveforms
+
- Zoom with vertical drag in rulers allows, when checked, to click
- anywhere in an empty zone of the ruler zone and drag
- up to zoom in or down to zoom out.
+ Show waveforms in regions: when enabled, shows a visual
+ representation of the region's audio waveform.
- Double click zooms to selection allows by double clicking, to zoom
- on the selection, both on the time and tracks axes. If the selection has been
- done with or , then this
- key should still be pressed when double clicking for this to work, otherwise
- the first click breaks the group selection.
+ Show waveforms while recording: 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.
- Update editor window during drags of the summary: when
- enabled the contents of the editor window will redraw the tracks area
- as the selection rectangle in the summary area is
- moved or resized.
+ Show waveform clipping: when enabled, the waveform
+ displayed will show peaks marked in red if they exceed the clip level.
- Auto-scroll editor window when dragging near its edges
- when enabled will scroll the editor window automatically when dragging a
- region. This can make it easier to see where to position the region.
+ Waveform Clip Level (dBFS): 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.
- Show gain envelopes in audio regions: sets in which
- modes 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.
+ Waveform scale: when waveforms are shown in audio regions,
+ they can be displayed using a linear or a logarithmic
+ scale. See Waveform display.
+
+
+ Waveform shape: when waveforms are shown in audio regions,
+ they can be displayed using a traditional or a rectified
+ shape. See Waveform display.
-
- Editor Behaviour
+ Editor Meters
- Move relevant automation when audio regions are moved,
- 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.
+ Show meters in track headers: when enabled, shows
+ a small meter in the Editor's track headers.
+ 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.
- Ignore Y-axis click position when adding new automation-points
- 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.
+ Limit track header meters to stereo: 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.
+
+
+
+ MIDI Regions
+
- Default fade shape: sets which
- fade shape is the default.
+ Display first MIDI bank/program as 0: 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…
- Regions in edit groups are edited together: sets
- the criteria to see if editing actions apply to tracks grouped together
- in an group.
+ Don't display periodic (MTC, MMC) SysEx messages in MIDI Regions:
+ if checked, will hide these control messages from the MIDI regions for better
+ legibility.
- Layering model: Ardour allows layering
- multiple regions in the same track. This selector defines how these layers are
- managed, either manually or by placing the latest on top.
+ Show velocity horizontally inside notes: when on, each note
+ of a MIDI region (in Sustained mode) displays its velocity
+ (0-127) with a darker fill proportional to its value.
- After splitting selected regions, select: determines which,
- if any, regions are selected after a split operation. The options are no
- regions, the regions created by the split, and if more than one region
- was selected to start with, the existing selection and the new regions.
+ Use colors to show note velocity: if checked, makes the
+ saturation of the notes color proportional to its velocity, hence making
+ a more veloce note more intense in color.
-
-
Modifiers
-
-
- 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.
-
-
- The Reset to recommended defaults button at the bottom
- provides a way to revert any user made change to its default value.
-
-
-
Mixer
+
+
Mixer
- Solo contains settings that affect the use of
- solo, muting, and
- panning.
+ Mixer Strip
- Solo controls are Listen controls: 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 Mixer
- monitor section.
-
-
- Exclusive solo 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 Mixer monitor
- section.
-
-
- Show solo muting when enabled outlines the mute
- button on tracks and busses when another track is soloed.
+ This table enables (checked) or disables (unchecked) the display of controls
+ in the mixer strip. Controls whose
+ display can be toggled are:
+ Input, Phase Invert,
+ Record & Monitor, Solo Iso/Lock,
+ Output, Comments and VCA Assigns.
- Soloing overrides muting when enabled allows a track
- to be heard when it is soloed while muted. This setting is also
- available from the Mixer monitor section.
+ Use narrow strips in the mixer for new strips by default 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.
- Solo-in-place mute cut (dB): sets the attenuation of
- the other tracks when another track is soloed in place. This setting
- is also available from the Mixer monitor section. The
- default is "−inf" for −∞, meaning the other tracks are
- totally muted.
+ Limit inline-mixer-strip controls per plugin : Whether or
+ not, and how many, controls each plugin can show in the mixer strip.
+ These mixer-strip controls are added by checking plugin context-menu
+ > Controls > □ control parameter.
+
+
+
+
+
Toolbar
+
+
+
+ Main Transport Toolbar Items: this section allows to toggle the
+ visibility of some elements of the main toolbar:
+
- Listen Position: determines what is listened to when
- the solo controls are used as listen controls. The options are
- after-fader or pre-fader.
+ Display Record/Punch Options toggles the visibility of the
+ punch and record slice of
+ the main toolbar.
- PFL signals come from: determines whether the
- pre-fader listen position is before or after the pre-fader processors.
+ Display Latency Compensation Info toggles the visibility of the
+ Latency Compensation slice of the main toolbar.
- AFL signals come from: determines whether the
- after-fader listen position is before or after the after-fader
- processors.
+ Display Secondary Clock toggles the visibility of the
+ secondary clocks slice of
+ the main toolbar.
-
-
-
-
- Default Track / Bus Muting Options 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.
-
- Mute affects pre-fader sends when enabled pre-fader
- sends will be muted by default.
+ Display Selection Clock toggles the visibility of the
+ selection clocks slice of
+ the main toolbar.
- Mute affects post-fader sends when enabled post-fader
- sends will be muted by default.
+ Display Monitor Section Info toggles the visibility of the
+ Monitor Info slice of the main toolbar.
- Mute affects control outputs when enabled control
- outputs are muted by default.
+ Display Navigation Timeline toggles the visibility of the
+ navigation/mini timeline slice of
+ the main toolbar.
- Mute affects main outputs when enabled main outputs
- are muted by default.
+ Display Master Level Meter toggles the visibility of the
+ selection clocks slice of
+ the main toolbar.
+
+ Display Action-Buttons
+
+
+ Column n enables or disables the visibility
+ of the six possible columns of Lua script buttons.
+ Each columns contains two user-assignable buttons.
+
- Link panners of Aux and External Sends with main panner by default
- 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.
+
+ GUI and Font scaling: 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.
-
-
-
Signal Flow
-
+
+
Colors
+
- Monitoring
+ Colors
- Record monitoring handled by: determines whether Ardour provides
- monitoring of incoming audio or whether monitoring is provided by hardware.
- See Monitoring for more information.
+ Color Theme allows to switch between some presets bundled with
+ Ardour, changing both the palette and items colors, hence styling Ardour
+ all at once.
+
+
+ The table allows to change the color settings in Ardour by acting on three
+ parameters:
+
+
+ Items that allow to choose any color from the palette (see below)
+ to color a UI element. Clicking on a color sample in the Color
+ column bring up the Palette, to choose from.
+
+
+ Palette 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.
+
+
+ Transparency where possible, allows to select, with a slider,
+ the transparency of the UI element, with 0 (slider to the left) being
+ fully opaque.
+
+
- Tape machine mode when enabled defaults new audio tracks to
- tape machine mode. See Track Types for more
- information.
+ Restore Defaults 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.
+
+
+
Quirks
+
- Track and Bus Connections
+ Various Workarounds for Windowing Systems: 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.
- Auto-connect main output (master or monitor) bus to physical ports
- auto-connects the outputs to the first N physical ports. In a session without a
- monitor section, the master-bus is
- connected to the system's playback ports, and if a monitor section exists,
- the monitor-bus' output are connected.
+ Use visibility information provided by your Window Manager/Desktop
+ allows the system window manager's rules for the windows visibility to
+ supersede Ardour's.
- Connect track inputs: 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).
+ Show/Hide splash screen instead of setting z-axis stack order:
+ Hides the splash instead of re-layering it. This setting requires a restart
+ of Ardour to take effect.
- Connect track and bus outputs: 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).
+ All floating windows are dialogs: 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.
- Use 'Strict-I/O' for new tracks or busses determines the default
- choice for the signal flow of a newly created track or bus.
- This can be overridden in the
- Add Track/Bus/VCA dialog
+ Transient windows follow front window.: 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.
+
+
+ Float detached monitor-section window: as the
+ monitor section 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.
-
-
-
Audio
+
+
+
Translation
- Buffering 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.
+ Internationalization
- Preset: will automatically choose the values for the playback
- and recording buffer based on the chosen size of the session. The
- Custom option allows to manually select the buffers with
- the two sliders below.
-
-
- Playback (seconds of buffering): sets how many seconds of
- audio Ardour will buffer during playback.
-
-
- Recording (seconds of buffering): sets how many seconds of
- audio Ardour will buffer during recording.
+ Use translations 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.
-
+
+
+
Editor
+
+
- Denormals 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.
-
+ Region Information
+
+
+ Show xrun markers in regions puts a marker on the region(s)
+ while recording, when a buffer over/underflow happens.
+
- Use DC bias to protect against denormals adds a small
- constant value to numbers to move the numbers away from zero.
-
+ Show cue markers in regions determines if cue markers,
+ that are bounded to regions, are displayed or not.
+
- Processor handling:, if the computer's hardware
- supports it, offers two methods that can be used individually or
- combined. Flush to zero and denormals are zero.
+ Show gain envelopes in audio regions: sets in which
+ modes 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.
-
+
-
- Regions
-
+ Scroll and Zoom Behaviors
+
- Enable automatic analysis of audio generates the transient
- values (used in e.g. the Rhythm Ferret)
- automatically. When unchecked, the transient values will be generated
- on demand.
+ Zoom to mouse position when zooming with scroll wheel: by default,
+ Ardour zooms to the edit point. When this
+ option is checked, and the zoom is done with + mousewheel,
+ the zoom will happen at the mouse cursor position regardless of the edit point
+ chosen.
- Replicate missing region channels: 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.
+ Zoom with vertical drag in rulers allows, when checked, to click
+ anywhere in an empty zone of the ruler zone and drag
+ up to zoom in or down to zoom out.
-
-
-
-
-
MIDI
-
-
-
- Buffering
-
- MIDI read-ahead time (seconds): defines how much time of MIDI data
- must be read in advance by Ardour and put in the buffer. More time means more
- stability while playing back, at the expense of more time to buffer the data.
- This should be set to a low value for a reasonably capable machine.
+ Double click zooms to selection allows by double clicking, to zoom
+ on the selection, both on the time and tracks axes. If the selection has been
+ done with or , then this
+ key should still be pressed when double clicking for this to work, otherwise
+ the first click breaks the group selection.
-
-
-
-
- Session
-
- Initial program change: Ardour will send a MIDI program
- change message on the ardour:MMC out JACK port when a session
- is loaded and whenever this field is changed. A value of -1 means don't
- send any program change message.
+ Update editor window during drags of the summary: when
+ enabled the contents of the editor window will redraw the tracks area
+ as the selection rectangle in the summary area is
+ moved or resized.
-
-
-
-
- Audition
-
- Sound MIDI notes as they are selected in the editor 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.
+ Auto-scroll editor window when dragging near its edges
+ when enabled will scroll the editor window automatically when dragging a
+ region. This can make it easier to see where to position the region.
+
+
+ Auto-scroll speed when dragging playhead: chooses how fast the canvas
+ scrolls when dragging the playhead outside of the visible canvas.
- Midi Audition Synth (LV2): allows to select in the list of LV2
- instruments, which one will be used to audition MIDI when e.g. in the
- import dialog.
+ Limit zoom & summary view beyond session extents to:
+ 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.
-
-
-
Metronome
-
-
- Metronome handles the way Ardour's metronome is played when
- enabled in the Transport Bar.
-
+ Editor Behaviour
+
+
+ Move relevant automation when audio regions are moved,
+ 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.
+
- Emphasis on first beat 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.
+ Ignore Y-axis click position when adding new automation-points
+ 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.
- Use built-in default sounds when checked, uses Ardour's own
- sounds for the metronome click. Unchecking this allows to set some custom
- sounds below.
+ Automation edit cancels auto hide determines wether automation
+ lanes that have been automatically shown because of the
+ Edit > Show Automation Lane on Touch
+ option should be kept visible if the automation has been touched.
- Audio file: selects an audio file for the beats, in any
- format Ardour supports.
+ Default fade shape: sets which
+ fade shape is the default.
- Emphasis audio file: in conjunction with
- Emphasis on first beat, selects an audio file
- for the first beats of each bar.
+ Regions in edit groups are edited together: sets
+ the criteria to see if editing actions apply to tracks grouped together
+ in an group.
- Gain level: allows the metronome's click sounds to be boosted
- or attenuated.
+ Layering model: Ardour allows layering
+ multiple regions in the same track. This selector defines how these layers are
+ managed, either manually or by placing the latest on top.
-
- Options
+ Split/Separate
- Enable Metronome only while recording: when enabled, the
- metronome will remain silent unless Ardour is recording.
+ After a Separate operation, in Range mode: determines what
+ should become of the Range selection after a Separate operations:
+
+
Clear the Range Selection: nothing is selected anymore
+
Preserve the Range Selection: the range selection is kept
+
Force-Select the regions under the range: the regions that
+ were in the range selection are selected in Grab/Object mode
+
+
+
+ After a Split operation, in Object mode: determines which,
+ if any, regions are selected after a split operation. The options are:
+
+
Clear the Region Selection: nothing is selected anymore
+
Select only the newly-created regions BEFORE the split point:
+
if regions have been affected by the split, then the regions
+ created by the split before the split point is selected
+
Select only the newly-created regions BEFORE the split point:
+ same as above, for the regions created after the split point
+
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.
+
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.
+
-
Metering
+
Snap
- Metering
-
-
- Peak hold time: 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.
-
-
- DPM fall-off: 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.
-
-
- Meter line-up level; 0 dBu: 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.
-
-
- IEC1/DIN Meter line-up level; 0 dBu: sets the reference
- level for the IEC1/DIN Meter
-
-
- VU Meter standard: 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.
-
-
- Peak indicator threshold [dBFS]: at that value and over, the
- signal will make the peak meter to turn red, indicating a level too high.
+ General Snap options:
+
+
+ Snap Threshold (pixels): is the maximum distance between
+ a snap anchor and an object for Ardour to force the object to be
+ placed precisely at that anchor.
+
+
+ Approximate Grid/Ruler granularity (pixels): 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.
+
+
+ Show "snapped cursor" 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.
+
+
+ Snap rubberband selection to grid 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.
+
+
+ Grid switches to alternate selection for Internal Edit Tools
+ 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.
+
+
+ Rulers automatically change to follow the Grid mode selection
+ If enabled, changing the Grid mode also makes the relevant
+ ruler visible, while hiding the other ones.
+
+ When "Snap" is enabled, snap to:
+ Lists the different possible anchors to which an object should snap to, among:
+
+
Markers
+
Region Sync points
+
Region Starts
+
Region Ends
+
Grid
+
+
+
+
+
Modifiers
+
+
+ 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.
+
+
+ The Reset to recommended defaults button at the bottom
+ provides a way to revert any user made change to its default value.
+
+
+
MIDI
+
- Default Meter Types sets the default meters when creating a session
- or track. These meters can be changed afterwards by
- right-clicking a meter.
+ Session
+
+ Allow non quarter-note pulse: by default, Ardour understands the tempo 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 Edit
+ Tempo window (accessed by double clicking a tempo marker) that shows a
+ "Pulse" menu when this option is checked.
+
- Default Meter Type for Master Bus: defines which kind of
- meter will be used when creating a new
- session (does not apply to the current session).
+ Initial program change: Ardour will send a MIDI program
+ change message on the ardour:MMC out 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.
+
+
+
+ Audition
+
- Default Meter Type for busses: defines which kind of
- meter will be used when creating a new bus (applies to the bus created
- after changing the value).
+ Sound MIDI notes as they are selected in the editor 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.
+
+
+
+ Virtual Keyboard
+
- Default Meter Type for tracks: same as above, for tracks.
+ Virtual Keyboard Layout: selects which (if any) computer
+ keyboard layout is used to be mapped on the keys of the musical
+ keyboard of the Virtual Keyboard (Window > Virtual Keyboard).
+
-
- Post Export Analysis
+ MIDI Port Options
- Save loudness analysis as image file allows, when the
- Analyze Exported Audio is checked in the
- Export dialog, to save the analysis graph
- as a file named session.png alongside the exported audio
- file(s) (in the same folder).
+ MIDI input follows MIDI track selection 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.
-
-
-
Transport
+
+
+
Transport
General
+
+ Prompt for new marker names when enabled, popup a dialog
+ when a new marker is created. This allows
+ markers to be named as they are created.
+
Stop at the end of the session causes the transport to
stop during playback when it reaches the end marker. Behavior during
@@ -684,6 +882,13 @@
record-enable engaged after transport is stopped. Does not affect track
level record-enable which is never changed on stop.
+
+ Reset default speed on stop when the
+ Shuttle speed control is in wheel
+ 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.
+
Disable per-track record disarm while rolling, when
enabled, will not allow the any track's record-enable to be disarmed
@@ -694,14 +899,24 @@
when enabled will reduce the unpleasant increase in perceived volume
that occurs when fast-forwarding or rewinding through some kinds of audio.
+
+ Rewind/Fast-forward buttons change direction immediately
+ sets wether Rewind and Fast-forward transport operations
+ (Transport > Forward/Rewind) changes the
+ playback direction and speed abruptly, or gradually.
+
+
+ Allow auto-return after rewind/ffwd operations
+ if Auto returnis engaged, sets wether
+ it applies to rewind and fast-forward operations.
+
Preroll: 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.
-
-
+
Looping
@@ -714,13 +929,12 @@
starts playing the loop but stop then cancels loop playback.
- Do seamless looping removes any clicks that might
- otherwise be audible when the transport moves from the end of the loop
- range back to the beginning.
+ Loop Fades: 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.
-
Dropout (xrun) Handling
@@ -735,217 +949,138 @@
recording at the location of the xrun. This marks where possible xruns
might produce audible glitches.
-
-
-
-
-
Sync
-
-
-
- External Synchronization
-
-
- External timecode source determines which external source to
- use when Ardour is using an external
- synchronization source.
- Depending on the timecode source chosen, the additional preference options
- below are available.
-
-
- Match session video frame rate to external timecode
- controls the value of the video frame rate while chasing
- 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.
-
-
- Sync-lock timecode to clock (disable drift compensation)
- When enabled, Ardour will never varispeed when slaved to external
- timecode. Sync Lock indicates that the selected external timecode
- source shares clock-sync (Black & Burst, Wordclock, etc) with
- the audio interface. This options disables drift compensation.
- The transport speed is fixed at 1.0. Vari-speed LTC will be ignored
- and cause drift. When disabled, Ardour will compensate for potential
- drift regardless if the timecode sources shares clock sync.
-
-
- Lock to 29.9700 fps instead of 30000/1001, when
- enabled, will force Ardour to assume the external timecode source
- uses 29.97 fps instead of 30000/1001.
- SMPTE 12M-1999 specifies 29.97 df as 30000/1001. The spec
- further mentions that drop-frame timecode has an accumulated error
- of -86 ms over a 24 hour period. Drop-frame timecode would
- compensate exactly for an NTSC color frame rate of 30 × 0.9990 (i.e.
- 29.970000). That is not the actual rate. However, some vendors use
- that rate—despite it being against the specs—because the
- variant of using exactly 29.97 fps has zero timecode drift.
-
-
-
-
-
-
LTC
-
-
-
- Linear Timecode (LTC) Reader
-
- LTC incoming port: specifies which physical incoming port of
- the system will provide the LTC signal.
+ Reset x-runs counter when starting to record, when enabled,
+ sets the x-run counter in the Status bar
+ to 0 each time a recording is started, hence showing only the relevant
+ number of x-run while recording.
-
- Linear Timecode (LTC) Generator
-
-
- Enable LTC generator when enabled Ardour will
- output an LTC timecode signal on its LTC-out port.
- If this option is checked, the two options below are active:
-
-
- Send LTC while stopped, when enabled Ardour will
- continue to send LTC information even while the transport (playhead) is
- not moving.
-
-
- LTC generator level [dBFS]: specifies the peak volume of
- the generated LTC signal in dbFS. A good value is 0dBu=−18dbFS
- in an EBU calibrated system.
+ Plugins
+
+
+ Silence plugins when the transport is stopped 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.
- Enable Mclk generator when enabled Ardour will generate a
- (tempo dependant) beat clock at a rate of 24 pulses per quarter note on
- the ardour:MIDI clock out JACK port.
+ Respond to MMC commands when enabled Ardour will respond
+ to MIDI Machine Control commands received on the ardour:MMC in
+ MIDI port.
+
+
+ Inbound MMC device ID: is the only device ID Ardour will
+ respond to when an MMC command is received on the ardour:MMC in
+ MIDI port.
-
- MIDI Time Code (MTC) Generator
+ Transport Masters
-
- Enable MTC Generator when enabled Ardour will generate MIDI
- time code on the ardour:MTC out JACK port.
-
-
- Percentage either side of normal transport speed to transmit MTC:
- 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.
-
+
+ Show Transport Master Window Opens the Transport masters
+ window, where all the timecode sources are shown to be selected
+ and/or synchronized; same as clicking Window >
+ Transport Masters
+
+
+ Match session video frame rate to external timecode
+ controls the value of the video frame rate while chasing
+ 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.
+
+
+
+
Generate
+
- MIDI Machine Control (MMC)
+ Linear Timecode (LTC) Generator
- Respond to MMC commands when enabled Ardour will respond
- to MIDI Machine Control commands received on the ardour:MMC in
- JACK port.
+ Enable LTC generator when enabled Ardour will
+ output an LTC timecode signal on its LTC-out port.
+ If this option is checked, the two options below are active:
- Send MMC commands when enabled Ardour will send MIDI Machine
- Control commands on the ardour:MMC out
- JACK port.
+ Send LTC while stopped, (only available when the previous
+ Enable LTC generator is on) when enabled Ardour will
+ continue to send LTC information even while the transport (playhead)
+ is not moving.
- Inbound MMC device ID: is the only device ID Ardour will
- respond to when an MMC command is received on the ardour:MMC in
- JACK port.
+ LTC generator level [dBFS]: specifies the peak volume of
+ the generated LTC signal in dbFS. A good value is 0dBu=−18dbFS
+ in an EBU calibrated system.
- Outbound MMC device ID: is the MIDI device ID Ardour will
- use when it sends MMC commands.
+ LTC Output Port: selects to which port (if any) the
+ LTC generator will be connected by default.
- It lists all the Control Surface protocols Ardour knows. To enable a
- Control Surface Protocol, the Enable 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 Show
- protocol settings (only for Generic MIDI and Open Sound Control).
-
-
-
MIDI Ports
-
-
- MIDI Port Options
+ MIDI Time Code (MTC) Generator
- MIDI input follows MIDI track selection 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.
+ Enable MTC Generator when enabled Ardour will generate MIDI
+ time code on the ardour:MTC out MIDI port.
+
+
+ Max MTC varispeed (%):
+ 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.
-
- MIDI Inputs This is a list of all the MIDI devices connected as
- inputs (capture devices) to Ardour. For each devices, there are 3 checkboxes:
-
-
- Music Data if checked, Ardour will consider this device as a source
- for musical data input (notes, etc…)
-
-
- Control Data if checked, Ardour will consider this device as a source
- for control data input (play/stop, etc…)
+ MIDI Machine Control (MMC)
+
+
+ Send MMC commands when enabled Ardour will send MIDI Machine
+ Control commands on the ardour:MMC out
+ MIDI port.
-
- Follow selection if the above
- MIDI input follows MIDI track selection is
- checked, Ardour will make this device follow track selection.
+
+ Outbound MMC device ID: is the MIDI device ID Ardour will
+ use when it sends MMC commands.
-
- MIDI Outputs This is a list of all the MIDI devices connected as
- outputs (playback devices) to Ardour. For each devices, there are 2 checkboxes:
+ MIDI Beat Clock (Mclk) Generator
- Music Data if checked, Ardour will consider this device as a target
- for musical data output (notes, etc…)
-
-
- Control Data if checked, Ardour will take this device as a target
- for control data output (play/stop, etc…)
+ Enable Mclk generator when enabled Ardour will generate a
+ (tempo dependant) beat clock at a rate of 24 pulses per quarter note on
+ the ardour:MIDI clock out port.
-
Plugins
+
Plugins
The content of this preference page varies heavily between versions or Ardour:
@@ -964,38 +1099,47 @@
for available plugins. Useful to get a newly installed plugin recognised
by Ardour.
+
+ Scan Time Out sets the time that Ardour will try to find
+ any plugins in known paths until it gives up.
+
-
General
+
+ Scan for [new] Plugins on Application Start 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.
+
Always Display Plugin Scan Progress When enabled a
popup window showing plugin scan progress is displayed for indexing
(cache load) and discovery (detect new plugins).
- Silence plugins when the transport is stopped 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.
+ Verbose Plugin Scan: adds information about the plugin in the
+ Log window.
Make new plugins active 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.
+
+
+
+ LV1/LV2
+
- Limit automatable parameters per plugin: 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.
+ Conceal LADSPA (LV1) Plugins if matching LV2 exists When
+ enabled, gives precedence to the LV2 (more up-to-date) version of
+ a plugin over its LV1 version, if both exists.
-
Plugin GUI
@@ -1019,11 +1163,10 @@
display mode: this option, available only if
Automatically open the plugin GUI when adding a new plugin
is checked, supercedes it and hides the plugin GUI at creation if it has an
- Inline Display, like Ardour's own a-* plugins.
+ Inline Display, like Ardour's own ACE * plugins.
-
Instrument
@@ -1040,46 +1183,63 @@
+
+ Statistics
+
+
+ Reset Statistics: clears the statistics used to determine
+ the most used and most recently used plugins.
+
+
+ Plugin chart (use-count) length: In the Mixer view's
+ favorite plugins section,
+ determines how many plugins are displayed when in Top-10 Plugins
+ mode.
+
+
+ Plugin recent list length: Same as above,
+ when in Recent Plugins mode.
+
+
+
-
VST
+
VST
VST
- Enable Mac VST support (requires restart or re-scan) makes a
+ Enable Mac VST2 support (requires restart or re-scan) 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.
- Scan for [new] VST Plugins on Application Start When
- enabled new VST 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.
-
-
- Verbose Plugin Scan: adds information about the plugin in the
- Log window.
+ Enable Linux VST2 support (requires restart or re-scan) makes a
+ Linux system able to run VST2 plugins.
- Scan Time Out Specifies the default timeout for plugin
- instantiation. Plugins that require more time to load will be
- blacklisted. A value of ∞ disables the timeout.
+ Enable VST3 support (requires restart or re-scan) makes any
+ system able to run VST3 plugins.
+
+
+
+ VST 2.x
+
- VST Cache: Clicking the Clear button
+ VST 2 Cache: Clicking the Clear 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.
- VST Blacklist: Clicking the Clear
- button makes blacklisted VST plugins available to be added to the processor
+ VST 2 Ignorelist: Clicking the Clear
+ button makes ignored VST plugins available to be added to the processor
box.
- Linux VST Path: Clicking the Edit button
+ Linux VST2 Path: Clicking the Edit 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.
@@ -1096,16 +1256,48 @@
+
+ VST 3
+
+
+ VST 3 Cache: Same as above, for VST 3
+
+
+ VST 3 Ignorelist: Same as above, for VST 3
+
+
+ Additional VST3 Path: 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.
+
+
+ Automatically show 'Micro Edit' tagged controls on the mixer-strip:
+ displays the plugin's UI directly inside each mixer strip (inline), if the plugin
+ has a 'Micro Edit' tag.
+
+
+
+
+ VST2/VST3
+
+
+ Conceal VST2 Plugin if matching LV3 exists When
+ enabled, gives precedence to the VST3 (more up-to-date) version of
+ a plugin over its VST2 version, if both exists.
+
+
+
-
Audio Unit
+
Audio Unit
Audio Unit
- Scan for [new] AudioUnit Plugins on Application Start When
+ Enable Audio Unit support (requires restart or re-scan) 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.
@@ -1116,348 +1308,408 @@
inserted into the processor box. A new AU plugins scan is then required.
- AU Blacklist: Clicking the Clear
- button makes blacklisted AU plugins available to be added to the processor
+ AU Ignorelist: Clicking the Clear
+ button makes ignored AU plugins available to be added to the processor
box.
-
Appearance
+
Monitoring
- Graphics Acceleration
+ Monitoring
- Possibly improve slow graphical performance (requires restart)
- Ardour uses hardware accelerated gradient creation 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 own gradients without
- hardware acceleration, improving stability and responsiveness on those
- buggy systems.
+ Record monitoring handled by: determines whether Ardour provides
+ monitoring of incoming audio or whether monitoring is provided by hardware.
+ See Monitoring for more information.
+
+
+ Auto Input does 'Talkback' when enabled, the
+ Transport > Auto Input option also sets
+ the tracks to monitor its audio input when transport is not rolling.
-
- Graphical User Interface
+ Solo contains settings that affect the use of
+ solo, muting, and
+ panning.
- Highlight widgets on mouseover, 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.
+ Solo controls are Listen controls: 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 Mixer
+ monitor section.
- Show tooltips if mouse hovers over a control 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.
+ Exclusive solo 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 Mixer monitor
+ section.
- Update clocks at TC Frame rate: 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.
+ Show solo muting when enabled outlines the mute
+ button on tracks and busses when another track is soloed.
- Blink Rec-Arm buttons: 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
- Transport bar is unaffected.
+ Soloing overrides muting when enabled allows a track
+ to be heard when it is soloed while muted. This setting is also
+ available from the Mixer monitor section.
- Blink Alert indicators: when enabled, the Alert indicators (like
- the Error Log or the Feedback
- 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.
+ Solo-in-place mute cut (dB): sets the attenuation of
+ the other tracks when another track is soloed in place. This setting
+ is also available from the Mixer monitor section. The
+ default is "−inf" for −∞, meaning the other tracks are
+ totally muted.
+
+
+ Listen Position: determines what is listened to when
+ the solo controls are used as listen controls. The options are
+ after-fader or pre-fader.
+
+
+ PFL signals come from: determines whether the
+ pre-fader listen position is before or after the pre-fader processors.
- GUI and Font scaling: 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.
+ AFL signals come from: determines whether the
+ after-fader listen position is before or after the after-fader
+ processors.
-
Editor
+
Signal Flow
- General
+ Master
- Use name highlight bars in region displays (requires a restart):
- 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.
+ Enable master-bus output gain control 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.
+
+
+
+
+ Default Track / Bus Muting Options 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.
+
+
+ Mute affects pre-fader sends when enabled pre-fader
+ sends will be muted by default.
- Region color follows track color: 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.
+ Mute affects post-fader sends when enabled post-fader
+ sends will be muted by default.
+
+
+ Mute affects control outputs when enabled control
+ outputs are muted by default.
+
+
+ Mute affects main outputs when enabled main outputs
+ are muted by default.
- Show waveforms in regions when enabled shows a visual
- representation of the region's audio waveform.
+ Link panners of Aux and External Sends with main panner by default
+ 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.
-
- Show waveform while recording 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.
+
+
+
+ Audio Regions
+
+
+ Replicate missing region channels: 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.
+
+
+
+ Track and Bus Connections
+
- Show waveform clipping: when enabled the waveform
- displayed will show peaks marked in red if they exceed the clip level.
+ Auto-connect main output (master or monitor) bus to physical ports
+ auto-connects the outputs to the first N physical ports. In a session without a
+ monitor section, the master-bus is
+ connected to the system's playback ports, and if a monitor section exists,
+ the monitor-bus' output are connected.
- Waveform Clip Level (dBFS): 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.
+ Connect track inputs: 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).
- Waveform scale: when waveforms are shown in audio regions,
- they can be displayed using a linear or a logarithmic
- scale. See Waveform display.
+ Connect track and bus outputs: 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).
- Waveform shape: when waveforms are shown in audio regions,
- they can be displayed using a traditional or a rectified
- shape. See Waveform display.
+ Use 'Strict-I/O' for new tracks or busses determines the default
+ choice for the signal flow of a newly created track or bus.
+ This can be overridden in the
+ Add Track/Bus/VCA dialog
+
+
Metronome
+
+
- Editor Meters
+ Metronome handles the way Ardour's metronome is played when
+ enabled in the Transport Bar.
- Show meters in track headers, when enabled, shows
- a small meter in the Editor's track headers.
- 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.
+ Emphasis on first beat 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.
- Limit track header meters to stereo: 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.
+ Use built-in default sounds when checked, uses Ardour's own
+ sounds for the metronome click. Unchecking this allows to set some custom
+ sounds below.
-
-
-
-
- MIDI Regions
-
- Display first MIDI bank/program as 0: 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…
+ Audio file: selects an audio file for the beats, in any
+ format Ardour supports.
- Don't display periodic (MTC, MMC) SysEx messages in MIDI Regions:
- if checked, will hide these control messages from the MIDI regions for better
- legibility.
+ Emphasis audio file: in conjunction with
+ Emphasis on first beat, selects an audio file
+ for the first beats of each bar.
+
+
+ Gain level: allows the metronome's click sounds to be boosted
+ or attenuated.
-
-
-
Mixer
-
-
- Mixer Strip
+ Options
- This table enables (checked) or disables (unchecked) the display of controls
- in the mixer strip. Controls whose
- display can be toggled are:
- Input, Phase Invert,
- Record & Monitor, Solo Iso/Lock,
- Output, Comments and VCA Assigns.
-
-
- Use narrow strips in the mixer for new strips by default 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.
+ Enable Metronome only while recording: when enabled, the
+ metronome will remain silent unless Ardour is recording.
+ It lists all the Control Surface protocols Ardour knows. To enable a
+ Control Surface Protocol, the Enable 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 Show
+ protocol settings (only for Generic MIDI and Open Sound Control).
+
+
+
Metering
- Main Transport Toolbar Items: this section allows to toggle the
- visibility of some elements of the main toolbar:
+ Metering
- Display Record/Punch Options toggles the visibility of the
- punch and record slice of
- the main toolbar.
+ Peak hold time: 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.
- Display Monitor Options toggles the visibility of the
- monitor options slice of
- the main toolbar.
+ DPM fall-off: 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.
- Display Selection Clock toggles the visibility of the
- selection clocks slice of
- the main toolbar.
+ Meter line-up level; 0 dBu: 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.
- Display Secondary Clock toggles the visibility of the
- secondary clocks slice of
- the main toolbar.
+ IEC1/DIN Meter line-up level; 0 dBu: sets the reference
+ level for the IEC1/DIN Meter
- Display Navigation Timeline toggles the visibility of the
- navigation/mini timeline slice of
- the main toolbar.
+ VU Meter standard: 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.
- Display Master Level Meter toggles the visibility of the
- selection clocks slice of
- the main toolbar.
+ Peak indicator threshold [dBFS]: at that value and over, the
+ signal will make the peak meter to turn red, indicating a level too high.
-
-
- Lua Action Script Button Visibility enables or disables the visibility
- of the four columns of Lua script buttons.
- Each columns contains two user-assignable buttons.
-
-
-
-
Theme
-
-
- Theme
+ Default Meter Types sets the default meters when creating a session
+ or track. These meters can be changed afterwards by
+ right-clicking a meter.
- Draw "flat" buttons: 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.
-
-
- LED meter style 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.
+ Default Meter Type for Master Bus: defines which kind of
+ meter will be used when creating a new
+ session (does not apply to the current session).
- Waveforms color gradient depth: 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.
+ Default Meter Type for busses: defines which kind of
+ meter will be used when creating a new bus (applies to the bus created
+ after changing the value).
- Timeline item gradient depth: 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.
+ Default Meter Type for tracks: same as above, for tracks.
+
+
+
+ Region Analysis
+
- Icon Set: 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.
-
+ Enable automatic analysis of audio generates the transient
+ values (used in e.g. the Rhythm Ferret)
+ automatically. When unchecked, the transient values will be generated
+ on demand.
+
-
Colors
+
Performance
-
+
- Colors
+ DSP CPU Utilization
- Color Theme allows to switch between some presets bundled with
- Ardour, changing both the palette and items colors, hence styling Ardour
- all at once.
+ Signal processing uses: sets how many cpu processors can be
+ used to do signal processing. It can be set to use one up to all
+ processors.
- The table allows to change the color settings in Ardour by acting on three
- parameters:
-
-
- Items that allow to choose any color from the palette (see below)
- to color a UI element. Clicking on a color sample in the Color
- column bring up the Palette, to choose from.
-
-
- Palette 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.
-
-
- Transparency where possible, allows to select, with a slider,
- the transparency of the UI element, with 0 (slider to the left) being
- fully opaque.
-
-
+ Power Management, CPU DMA latency: 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.
+ 0 is the fastest response time.
+
+
+
+ CPU/FPU Denormals 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.
+
- Restore Defaults 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.
+ Use DC bias to protect against denormals adds a small
+ constant value to numbers to move the numbers away from zero.
+
+
+ Processor handling:, if the computer's hardware
+ supports it, offers two methods that can be used individually or
+ combined. Flush to zero and denormals are zero.
-
-
-
Quirks
-
-
- Various Workarounds for Windowing Systems: 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.
+ Disk I/O Buffering 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.
- Use visibility information provided by your Window Manager/Desktop
- allows the system window manager's rules for the windows visibility to
- supercede Ardour's.
+ Preset: will automatically choose the values for the playback
+ and recording buffer based on the chosen size of the session. The
+ Custom option allows to manually select the buffers with
+ the two sliders below.
- All floating windows are dialogs: 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.
+ Playback (seconds of buffering): sets how many seconds of
+ audio Ardour will buffer during playback.
- Transient windows follow front window.: 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.
+ Recording (seconds of buffering): sets how many seconds of
+ audio Ardour will buffer during recording.
+
+
+
+
+ Memory Usage
+
+
+ Waveform image cache (megabytes): 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.
+
+
+
+ Automation
+
- Float detached monitor-section window: as the
- monitor section 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.
+ Thinning factor 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.
+
+
+ Automation sampling interval 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.
+
+
+
+
+ Automatables
+
+
+ Limit automatable parameters per plugin: 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.
+