-
<p>
- There are several ways to importing an audio or MIDI file into a
- session:
+ There are several ways to importing an audio or MIDI file into a session:
</p>
<ul>
<li><kbd class="menu">Session > Import</kbd></li>
<li>Region List context menu: <kbd class="menu">Import To Region List</kbd></li>
- <li>Track context menu: <kbd class="menu">Import Existing Media</kbd>
-</li>
+ <li>Track context menu: <kbd class="menu">Import Existing Media</kbd></li>
</ul>
<p>
- These methods are all equivalent: they open the <a
- href="@@import-dialog">Add Existing Media</a>
- dialog.
+ These methods are all equivalent: they open the <a href="@@import-dialog">Add
+ Existing Media</a> dialog.
</p>
<p>
- Finally, you can also easily import files into your project by dragging
- and dropping a file from some other application (e.g. your platform's
- file manager). You can drag onto the
- <dfn>Region List</dfn>, into the desired <dfn>track</dfn> or into empty
- space in the editor track display.<br>
- The file will be imported and copied
- into your session, and placed at the position where the drag ended.
+ Finally, files can also easily be imported into a project by dragging and
+ dropping a file from some other application (e.g. the system's file manager).
+ Files can either be dragged onto the <dfn>Region List</dfn>, into the desired
+ <dfn>track</dfn> or into an empty space in the editor track display.
+</p>
+<p>
+ The file will be imported and copied into the session, and placed at the
+ position where the drag ended.
</p>
<p>
<dfn>Copying</dfn> and <dfn>linking</dfn> are two different methods of
- using existing audio files on your computer (or network file system)
+ using existing audio files on the computer (or network file system)
within a session. They differ in one key aspect:
</p>
<h2>Copying</h2>
<p>
An existing media file is copied to the session's audio folder, and
- if necessary converted into the session's native format.<br>
- For audio files, you can control the choice of this format (eg. WAVE
- or Broadcast WAVE). Audio files will also be converted to the session
- sample rate if necessary (which can take several minutes for larger
- files).
+ if necessary converted into the session's native format.
+</p>
+<p>
+ For audio files, the format can be chosen (eg. WAVE or Broadcast WAVE). Audio
+ files will also be converted to the session sample rate if necessary (which
+ can take several minutes for larger files).
</p>
<p>
MIDI files will already be in SMF format, and are simply copied into
<h2>Linking</h2>
<p>
- A link to an existing media file somewhere on the disk is used as a the
+ A link to an existing media file somewhere on the disk is used as the
source for a region, but the data is <strong>not copied or modified</strong>
in any way.
</p>
<p class="warning">
- While linking is handy to conserve disk space, it means that your session
+ While linking is handy to conserve disk space, it means that the session
is <dfn>no longer self-contained</dfn>. If the external file moves, it
will become unavailable, and any changes to it from elsewhere will affect
the session. A backup of the session directory will miss linked files.
</p>
<p>
- You can choose to copy or link files into your session with the
- <kbd class="option">Copy file to session</kbd> option in the Import
- dialog window.
-</p>
-<p>
- <img class="left" src="/images/225-ARDOUR_1_2_1.png" />
- ← This file will be imported in the audio/MIDI folder of your session.
-</p>
-<p>
- <img class="left" src="/images/226-ARDOUR_1_2_1.png" />
- ← This file won't be copied.
-</p>
+ The <kbd class="option">Copy file to session</kbd> option in the Import
+ dialog window allows to choose to copy or link files into the session:
+</p>
+<table>
+ <tr>
+ <td><img src="/images/225-ARDOUR_1_2_1.png"></td>
+ <td>This file will be imported in the audio/MIDI folder of the session.</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td><img src="/images/226-ARDOUR_1_2_1.png"></td>
+ <td>This file won't be copied.</td>
+ </tr>
+</table>
+
<p class="note">
- There is a global preference <kbd class="menu">Edit > Preferences > Misc >
- Session Management > Always copy imported files</kbd>. If it is
- enabled, you will not be able to link a file.
+ There is a global preference <kbd class="menu">Edit > Preferences >
+ General > Session > Always copy imported files</kbd>. If it is
+ enabled, linking a file will not be possible.
</p>
-
<p>
Many sessions will require the use of <dfn>existing material</dfn>,
whether it consists of audio and/or MIDI data. Using existing samples,
- loops and riffs from files stored on your system can be the basis for
+ loops and riffs from files stored on the system can be the basis for
a new session, or a way to deepen and improve one that is already
underway.
</p>
<h2>Auditioner</h2>
<p>
Files can be auditioned before importing. The slider under the play and
- stop buttons allows you to scrub around, a fader on the right side allows
+ stop buttons allows to scrub around, a fader on the right side allows
to control the playback volume.
</p>
<p>
<a href="@@copying-versus-linking">Copying
versus Linking</a> for details.
</p>
-
<p>
A <dfn>tag</dfn> is bit of information, or metadata, that is associated
- with a data file. Specifically, tags are keywords or terms that you feel
- have some relevance to a particular soundfile. Ardour can store these tags
- in a searchable <dfn>database</dfn> so that you can quickly search for sounds based
- on the tags that you have assigned to them.
+ with a data file. Specifically, tags are texts, keywords or terms that have
+ some relevance to a particular soundfile. Ardour can store these tags
+ in a searchable <dfn>database</dfn> so that they can quickly be searched for
+ to retrieve sounds based on the tags that have been assigned to them.
</p>
<p>
- For example you can assign the term <kbd class="input">120bpm</kbd> to a
- sound, and then when you search for this tag, the file will appear in the
+ For example if the term <kbd class="input">120bpm</kbd> has been assigned to a
+ sound, search later for this tag will make the file appear in the
search list. Tags are independent of the filename or anything else about
the file. Tags, and the file paths that they are associated with, are
- stored in a file called <samp>sfdb</samp> in your Ardour user folder.
+ stored in a file called <samp>sfdb</samp> in the Ardour user folder.
+</p>
+
+<h2>Creating and adding tags</h2>
+
+<p>
+ Adding tags to a given file is done by opening the <kbd class="menu">Session > Import</kbd>
+ dialog, selecting the file in the browser, and typing new tags into the tag
+ area in the soundfile information box on the right.
</p>
<p>
- To <dfn>add tags</dfn> to a given file, open the <kbd class="menu">Session > Import</kbd>
- dialog, select the file in the browser, and type new tags into tag area in
- the soundfile information box on the right.<br/>
Tags are stored when the input box loses focus, there is no need to
explicitly save them.
</p>
<p>
- You can <dfn>search</dfn> for specific tags in the <kbd
- class="menu">Search Tags</kbd> tab of the same dialog. Files which have
- been tagged with the relevant terms will appear in the results window.
- Selected files can be auditioned and marked with additional tags if
- required.
+ To have more than one tag for a file, new tags can either be added on new lines
+ (meaning the <kbd>Enter</kbd> key is pressed between two tags) or they can be
+ separated from the previous ones by a comma (<kbd class="input">,</kbd>), with or without spaces.
</p>
+<h2>Searching for files by tag</h2>
+
+<p>
+ Searching for specific tags is done in the <kbd class="menu">Search Tags</kbd>
+ tab of the same dialog. Files which have been tagged with the relevant terms
+ will appear in the results window. Selected files can be auditioned and marked
+ with additional tags if required.
+</p>
</p>
<table class="dl">
<tr><th>Show waveforms in regions</th>
- <td>By default, Ardour draws waveforms within audio regions. Disable this
- option to hide them.</td></tr>
- <tr><th>Waveform scale</th>
- <td>
- <table class="dl">
- <tr><th>Linear</th>
+ <td colspan="2">By default, Ardour draws waveforms within audio regions. Disable this
+ option to hide them.</td></tr>
+ <tr><th rowspan="2">Waveform scale</th>
+ <th>Linear</th>
<td>This is the traditional <dfn>linear</dfn> (1:1) display of the
peak envelope, or, at higher zoom levels, the individual samples.</td></tr>
- <tr><th>Logarithmic</th>
- <td>Alternatively, you can use a <dfn>logarithmic</dfn> display of the
- peak envelope. This will give you a better idea of program loudness (it is similar
+ <tr><th>Logarithmic</th>
+ <td>Alternatively, a <dfn>logarithmic</dfn> display of the
+ peak envelope can be used. This will give a better idea of program loudness (it is similar
to dBs) and plot soft passages more clearly, which is useful for soft
recordings or small track height.</td></tr>
- </table>
- </td></tr>
- <tr><th>Waveform shape</th>
- <td>
- <table class="dl">
- <tr><th>Traditional</th>
+ <tr><th rowspan="2">Waveform shape</th>
+ <th>Traditional</th>
<td>The <dfn>zero</dfn> line appears in the middle of the display and waveforms
appear as positive and negative peaks above <em>and</em> below.</td></tr>
- <tr><th>Rectified</th>
+ <tr><th>Rectified</th>
<td>The zero line appears at the bottom of the display and waveforms appear
as absolute peaks <em>above</em> the line only.</td></tr>
- </table>
- </td></tr>
</table>
-
projects / ardour-manual / commitdiff