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++ Clocks in Ardour are used to display time values 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. +
++ In the transport bar of the editor window there are two clocks (unless you + are on a very small screen), that display the current position of the playhead + and additional information related to transport control and the timeline. These + are called the transport clocks; the left one is the primary + transport clock and the right one is the secondary transport clock. +
++ All the clocks in Ardour share the same powerfull way of editing time. Refer to + Editing Clocks to learn how. +
++ Editing the time in the transport clocks will reposition the playhead in the same + way that various other editing operations will. +
+ ++ 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. +
+ ++ Having two transport clocks lets you see the playhead position in two different + time units without having to change any settings. For example, you can see the + playhead position in both timecode units and BBT time. +
+ ++ In addition to the time-unit modes, each of the two transport + clocks (if you work on a small screen, you may only have one) can be + independently set to display Delta to Edit Point 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. +
+ ++ To switch either (or both!) of the transport clocks into this mode, use + Edit > Preferences > Transport and select + the relevant checkboxes. +
+ ++ Note that when in Delta to Edit Point mode, the transport clocks + cannot be edited. +
+ + ++ To show the current playhead position in a big, resizable window, activate + Window > Big Clock. The big clock is very useful + when you need to work away from the screen but still want 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. +
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