- Ardour will only ever deal with a single audio device. If you - want to use more than one, you have two choices: + Ardour will only ever deal with a single audio device. When it is + desired to use more than one audio device at the same time, there are two + choices:
+- Ardour is fundamentally designed to be a component in a - pro-audio/music creation environment. Standard operating practice - for such setups involves using only a single digital sample - clock (something counting off the time between audio samples). - This means that trying to use multiple independent soundcards is - problematic, because each soundcard has its own sample clock, running - independently from the others. Over time, these different clocks - drift - out of sync with each other, which causes glitches in the audio. You - cannot stop this drift, although in some cases the effects may be - insignificant enough that some people might not care about them. + Ardour is fundamentally designed to be a component in a pro-audio/music + creation environment. Standard operating practice for such setups involves + using only a single digital sample clock (something counting off + the time between audio samples). This means that trying to use multiple + independent soundcards is problematic, because each soundcard has its own + sample clock, running independently from the others. Over time, these + different clocks drift out of sync with each other, which causes + glitches in the audio. This drift cannot be stopped, although in some cases + the effects may be insignificant enough that they might not be noticeable.
+- Thus in an ideal world you should not use multiple independent - soundcards but instead use a single device with a single clock and all - the inputs, outputs and other features that you need. + Thus, in an ideal world, a single device with a single clock and all the inputs, + outputs and other features needed should be used. Of course, there are those + who like to point out that this is not an ideal world, and believe that software + should make up for this.
+ +- Of course, a lot of people don't live in an ideal world, and believe - that software should make up for this. + In CoreAudio, aggregate devices provide a method to use multiple + soundcards as a single device. For example, two eight-channel devices can be + aggregated so that 16 channels can be recorded in Ardour.
-- In CoreAudio, aggregate devices provide a method to use - multiple soundcards as a single device. For example, you can - aggregate two 8-channel devices so that you can record 16 channels - into Ardour. + Another example is using Soundflower to route audio to Ardour. To output the + audio through the speakers you will have to create an aggregate device to specify + Soundflower as the input and Built-in-Output as the output. In the Audio/MIDI Setup + in Ardour specify the aggregate device as both the Input and Output devices. And then + on the master track ensure you have specified the correct output channels. For example, + if you are using Soundflower(64) as input, Channels 65/66 will be the output + channels on your master track.
+
- If you are using a single typical 3rd party
- audio interface (such as those from Apogee, RME, Presonus, and many
- others), or you are using JackPilot or a similar
- application to start JACK, you do not need to worry about this.
- You will need to set up an aggregate device only if either
- of the following conditions are true:
-
- In the case of your builtin audio device, you will need to create - an aggregate device that combines "Builtin Input" and "Builtin - Output" into one device. + In the case of a builtin audio device, an aggregate device that combines + "Builtin Input" and "Builtin Output" into one device needs to be created.
+- The precise instructions for creating an aggregate device on OS X - have varied from one released to another. Please read https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202000 + The precise instructions for creating an aggregate device on OS X have varied + from one released to another. Please read https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202000.
Please see the instructions at http://jackaudio.org/faq + title="http://jackaudio.org/faq/">http://jackaudio.org/faq.