</p>
<p>
<kbd>Ctrl x</kbd> means "press the <kbd>Ctrl</kbd> key, keep it pressed
- and then also press the <kbd>x</kbd> key. You may also see key combinations
+ and then also press the <kbd>x</kbd> key.
+</p>
+<p>
+ You may also see key combinations
such as <kbd class="mod12">e</kbd>, which mean that you should hold down
the <kbd class="mod1"> </kbd> key <em>and</em> the
- <kbd class="mod2"> </kbd> key, and then while keeping them both
+ <kbd class="mod2"> </kbd> key, and then, while keeping them both
down, press the <kbd>e</kbd> key.
</p>
<p>
in the first example above). On other machines you will see <kbd>Ctrl</kbd>
instead.
</p>
-
-<h3>Menu Items</h3>
-<p>
- Menu items are indicated like this:<br />
- <kbd class="menu">Top > Next > Deeper</kbd>.<br />
- Each ">"-separated item indicates one level of a nested (sub-)menu.
-</p>
-
-<h3>Preference/Dialog Options</h3>
-<p>
- Choices in various dialogs, notably the Preferences and Properties dialog, are
- indicated like this:<br />
- <kbd class="option">Edit > Preferences > Audio > Some
- Option</kbd>.<br />
- Each successive item indicates either a (sub-) menu or a tabbed dialog
- navigation. The final item is the one to choose or select.
-</p>
-<p>
- If you are requested to deselect an option, you will see something like
- this:<br />
- <kbd class="optoff">Edit > Preferences > Audio > Some other
- Option</kbd>.<br />
-</p>
-
-
-<h3>Notes</h3>
-<p class="note">
- Important notes about things that might not otherwise be obvious are shown in
- this format.
-</p>
-
-<h3>Warnings</h3>
-<p class="warning">
- Hairy issues that might cause things to go wrong, lose data, or impair sound
- quality is displayed in this way.
-</p>
-
-
+
<h3>Mouse Buttons</h3>
<p>
We refer to <a href="/setting-up-your-system/the-mouse">mouse buttons</a> as
displayed.
</p>
-<h3>"The Pointer"</h3>
+<h4>"The Pointer"</h4>
<p>
When the manual refers to the "pointer", it means the on-screen representation
of the mouse position or the location of a touch action if you are using a touch
<kbd class="button">buttons</kbd>.
</p>
+<h3>Menu Items</h3>
+<p>
+ Menu items are indicated like this:<br />
+ <kbd class="menu">Top > Next > Deeper</kbd>.<br />
+ Each ">"-separated item indicates one level of a nested (sub-)menu.
+</p>
+
+<h3>Preference/Dialog Options</h3>
+<p>
+ Choices in various dialogs, notably the Preferences and Properties dialog, are
+ indicated like this:<br />
+ <kbd class="option">Edit > Preferences > Audio > Some
+ Option</kbd>.<br />
+ Each successive item indicates either a (sub-) menu or a tabbed dialog
+ navigation. The final item is the one to choose or select.
+</p>
+<p>
+ If you are requested to deselect an option, you will see something like
+ this:<br />
+ <kbd class="optoff">Edit > Preferences > Audio > Some other
+ Option</kbd>.<br />
+</p>
+
+<h3>User Input</h3>
+<p>
+ Some dialogs or features may require you to type in some <kbd class="input">data
+ such as this</kbd>. In rare cases, you will be required to perform certain
+ operations at the command line of your operating system:
+</p>
+<kbd class="lincmd">cat /proc/cpuinfo</kbd>
+<kbd class="maccmd">sleep 3600</kbd>
+<kbd class="wincmd">ping www.google.com</kbd>
+
+<h3>Program Output</h3>
+<p>
+ Important messages from Ardour or other programs will be displayed
+ <samp>like this</samp>.
+</p>
+
+<h3>Notes</h3>
+<p class="note">
+ Important notes about things that might not otherwise be obvious are shown in
+ this format.
+</p>
+
+<h3>Warnings</h3>
+<p class="warning">
+ Hairy issues that might cause things to go wrong, lose data, or impair sound
+ quality is displayed in this way.
+</p>
+
layout: default
title: Setting Up Your System
---
-
-
-
-<p>Using a general purpose computer for recording digital audio is not always trivial. This chapter will guide you through the basic steps and help you with some of the most common pitfalls.</p>
+<p>
+ Using a general purpose computer for recording digital audio is not
+ trivial. This chapter will guide you through the basic steps and help
+ you with some of the most common pitfalls on the way to a reliable and
+ powerful audio workstation.
+</p>
{% children %}
menu_title: The Right Computer System\r
--- \r
\r
-<p>It would be nice to think that you could just go and buy any computer, install a bit of software on it and start using it to record and create music. This idea isn't wrong, but there some important details that it misses. </p>\r
-<p>Any computer that you can buy today (somewhere around the end of 2012) is capable of recording and processing a lot of audio data. It will come with a builtin audio interface that can accept inputs from microphones or electrical instruments. It will have a disk with a huge amount of space for storing audio files. </p>\r
-<p>When you are recording, editing and mixing music, you generally want to work with very little delay between the time that a sound is generated and when you can hear it. When the audio signal flows through a computer, that means that the computer has to be able to receive the signal, process it and send it back out again as fast as possible. And that is where it becomes very important <em>what</em> computer system you have, because it is <strong>absolutely not</strong> the case that any computer can do this job well. </p>\r
-<p>Routing audio through a computer will always cause some delay, but if it is small, you will generally never notice it. There are also ways to work in which the delay does not matter at all (for example, not sending the output from the computer to speakers).</p>\r
-<p>The delay or "latency" that you want for working with digital audio is more typically in the 1-5msec range. For comparison, if you are sitting 1m (3ft) from your speakers, the time the sound takes to reach your ears is about 3msec. Any modern computer can limit the delay to 100msec. Most can keep it under 50msec. Many will be able to get down to 10msec without too much effort. If you try to reduce the delay on a computer that cannot meet your goal, you will get clicks and glitches in the audio, which is clearly extremely undesirable.</p>\r
-<p>Many, many things can affect the lowest latency that a computer can support.</p>\r
-<h3>Hardware-related Considerations</h3>\r
+<p>\r
+ It would be nice to think that you could just go and buy any computer,\r
+ install a bit of software on it and start using it to record and create\r
+ music. This idea isn't wrong, but there some important details that it\r
+ misses.\r
+</p>\r
+<p>\r
+ Any computer that you can buy today (since somewhere around the end of\r
+ 2012) is capable of recording and processing a lot of audio data. It \r
+ will come with a builtin audio interface that can accept inputs from\r
+ microphones or electrical instruments. It will have a disk with a huge\r
+ amount of space for storing audio files.\r
+</p>\r
+<p>\r
+ When you are recording, editing and mixing music, you generally want to\r
+ work with very little <dfn>latency</dfn> between the time that\r
+ a sound is generated and when you can hear it. When the audio signal\r
+ flows through a computer, that means that the computer has to be able to\r
+ receive the signal, process it and send it back out again as fast as\r
+ possible.<br /> \r
+ And that is where it becomes very important <em>what</em> computer system\r
+ you have, because it is <strong>absolutely not</strong> the case that any\r
+ computer can do this job well.\r
+</p>\r
+<p>\r
+ Routing audio through a computer will always cause some delay, but if it\r
+ is small, you will generally never notice it. There are also ways to work\r
+ in which the delay does not matter at all (for example, not sending the\r
+ output from the computer to speakers).\r
+</p>\r
+<p>\r
+ The latency that you want for working with digital audio is typically in\r
+ the 1–5 ms range. For comparison, if you are sitting 1 m \r
+ (3 ft) from your speakers, the time the sound takes to reach your\r
+ ears is about 3 ms. Any modern computer can limit the delay to \r
+ 100 ms. Most can keep it under 50 ms. Many will be able to get\r
+ down to 10 ms without too much effort. If you try to reduce the delay\r
+ on a computer that cannot meet your goal, you will get clicks and\r
+ glitches in the audio, which is clearly extremely undesirable.\r
+</p>\r
+\r
+<h2>Hardware-related Considerations</h2>\r
<dl class="wide-table">\r
-<dt>Video interface\r
-</dt>\r
-<dd>Poorly engineered video interfaces (and/or their device drivers) can "steal" computer resources for a long time, preventing the audio interface from keeping up with the flow of data</dd>\r
-<dt>Wireless interface\r
-</dt>\r
-<dd>Poorly engineered wireless networking interfaces (and/or their device drivers) can also block the audio interface from keeping up with the flow of data</dd>\r
-<dt>USB ports\r
-</dt>\r
-<dd>If you are using an audio interface connected via USB, and\r
-sometimes even if you are not, the precise configuration of your\r
-system's USB ports can make a big difference. There are many cases\r
-where plugging the interface into one port will work, but using\r
-different USB port results in much worse performance. This has been\r
-seen even on Apple systems.\r
-</dd>\r
-<dt>Internal USB Hubs</dt>\r
-<dd>Ideally, you'd like your USB ports to all connect directly to the\r
- main "bus" inside the computer. Some laptops (and possibly some\r
+ <dt>Video interface</dt>\r
+ <dd>Poorly engineered video interfaces (and/or their device drivers) can\r
+ "steal" computer resources for a long time, preventing the audio interface\r
+ from keeping up with the flow of data</dd>\r
+ <dt>Wireless interface</dt>\r
+ <dd>Poorly engineered wireless networking interfaces (and/or their device\r
+ drivers) can also block the audio interface from keeping up with the flow\r
+ of data</dd>\r
+ <dt><abbr title="Universal Serial Bus">USB</abbr> ports</dt>\r
+ <dd>If you are using an audio interface connected via USB, and sometimes\r
+ even if you are not, the precise configuration of your system's USB ports\r
+ can make a big difference. There are many cases where plugging the \r
+ interface into one port will work, but using different USB port results\r
+ in much worse performance. This has been seen even on Apple systems.\r
+ </dd>\r
+ <dt>Internal USB Hubs</dt>\r
+ <dd>Ideally, you'd like your USB ports to all connect directly to the\r
+ main bus inside the computer. Some laptops (and possibly some\r
desktop systems) come wired with an internal USB hub between the\r
ports and the system bus, which can then cause problems for various\r
kinds of external USB devices, including some models of audio\r
interfaces. It is very difficult to discover whether this is true or\r
- not, without simplying trying it out.\r
-</dd>\r
-<dt>CPU speed control\r
-</dt>\r
-<dd>Handling audio with low latency requires that your processor keeps running at its best performance (speed) at all times. Many portable systems try to regulate processor speed in order to save power - for low latency audio, you want this totally disabled, either in the BIOS or at the OS level</dd>\r
-<dt>Excessive Interrupt Sharing</dt>\r
-<dd>If your audio interface is forced by your computer to share an "interrupt line" (basically a way to tell the CPU that something needs its attention) with too many, or the wrong, other devices, this can also prevent the audio interface from keeping up with the flow of data. In laptops it is generally impossible to do anything about this. In many desktop systems, it is possible at the BIOS level to reassign interrupts to workaround the problem.</dd>\r
-<dt>System Management Interrupts (SMIs)\r
-</dt>\r
-<dd>SMIs are interrupts sent by the motherboard to tell the computer about the state of various hardware. They cannot be (safely) disabled, but they can also take a (relatively) long time to process. It is better to have a motherboard which never sends SMIs at all - this is also a requirement for realtime stock trading systems, which have similar issues with latency.</dd>\r
-<dt>Hyperthread</dt>\r
-<dd>This technology is becoming less common as actual multi-core CPUs\r
+ not, without simplying trying it out.</dd>\r
+ <dt><abbr title="Central Processing Unit">CPU</abbr> speed control</dt>\r
+ <dd>Handling audio with low latency requires that your processor keeps\r
+ running at its highest speed at all times. Many portable systems try to\r
+ regulate processor speed in order to save power — for low latency\r
+ audio, you want this totally disabled, either in the BIOS or at the OS\r
+ level.</dd>\r
+ <dt>Excessive Interrupt Sharing</dt>\r
+ <dd>If your audio interface is forced by your computer to share an\r
+ interrupt line (basically a way to tell the CPU that something needs\r
+ its attention) with too many, or the wrong, other devices, this can also\r
+ prevent the audio interface from keeping up with the flow of data. In\r
+ laptops it is generally impossible to do anything about this. In many\r
+ desktop systems, it is possible at the BIOS level to reassign interrupts\r
+ to work around the problem.</dd>\r
+ <dt><abbr title="System Management Interrupt">SMI</abbr>s</dt>\r
+ <dd>SMIs are interrupts sent by the motherboard to tell the computer\r
+ about the state of various hardware. They cannot safely be disabled,\r
+ but they can also take a relatively long time to process. It is better\r
+ to have a motherboard which never sends SMIs at all — this is\r
+ also a requirement for realtime stock trading systems, which have\r
+ similar issues with latency.</dd>\r
+ <dt>Hyperthreading</dt>\r
+ <dd>This technology is becoming less common as actual multi-core CPUs\r
become the norm, but it still exists and is generally not good for\r
realtime performance. Sometimes you can disable this in the BIOS,\r
sometimes you cannot. A processor that uses hyperthreading will be\r
- less stable in very low latency situations than one without.\r
-</dd>\r
-<dt>Excessive (bass) vibration\r
-</dt>\r
-<dd>This doesn't affect the flow of data to/from the audio interface, but it can cause the flow of data to/from your disk storage to become <em>much</em> slower. If you are going to use a computer in an environment with live sound, make sure to place it so that the disk is not subject to noticeable bass vibration. What actually happens is that the vibrations cause the mechanism inside the disk to detect read errors, and this forces a retry of the reading from the disk itself. Retrying over and over massively reduces the rate at which data can be read from the disk. Avoid this.</dd>\r
+ less stable in very low latency situations than one without.</dd>\r
+ <dt>Excessive vibration</dt>\r
+ <dd>This doesn't affect the flow of data to/from the audio interface,\r
+ but it can cause the flow of data to/from your disk storage to become\r
+ <em>much</em> slower. If you are going to use a computer in an\r
+ environment with loud live sound (specifically, high bass volume),\r
+ make sure to place it so that the disk is not subject to noticeable\r
+ vibration. The vibrations will physically displace the head-write\r
+ heads of disk, and the resulting errors will force a retry of the\r
+ reading from the disk. Retrying over and over massively reduces the\r
+ rate at which data can be read from the disk. Avoid this.</dd>\r
</dl>\r
-<p> </p>\r
-<!-- remove if more text is added below --><!-- remove if more text is added below -->\r
layout: default
title: Mouse
---
-
-
-
-<p>Ardour is designed to work best with a three button mouse equipped with a scroll wheel. </p>
-<p>It can be used with a two button mouse or touchpad, but at least two key operations will not (easily) be available to you:</p>
+<p>
+ Ardour is designed to work best with a <dfn>three button mouse</dfn>
+ equipped with a <dfn>scroll wheel</dfn>.
+</p>
+<p>
+ It can be used with a two button mouse or touchpad, but at least two key
+ operations will not (easily) be available to you:
+</p>
<ul>
-<li>time-constrained region copying
-</li>
-<li><a href="/using-control-surfaces/midi-learn/">MIDI bindings</a> created by "learning" them from incoming MIDI
-</li>
+ <li>time-constrained region copying</li>
+ <li><a href="/using-control-surfaces/midi-learn/"><abbr title="Musical
+ Instrument Digital Interface">MIDI<abbr> bindings</a>
+ created by "learning" them from incoming MIDI data</li>
</ul>
-<p>You are strongly encouraged to invest in a two button mouse. You will find that a good quality mouse (especially one with a weighted, latchable scroll wheel) will make your use of Ardour vastly more efficient. They are cheap, and time is not.</p>
-
-<p>For more detailed instructions see <a href="/ardours-interface/basic-gui-operations/using-the-mouse/">Using the mouse</a>.</p>
+<p>
+ You are strongly encouraged to invest in a three-button mouse. You will
+ find that a good quality mouse (especially one with a weighted,
+ latchable scroll wheel) will make your use of Ardour vastly more
+ efficient. They are cheap, and time is not.
+</p>
+<p>
+ For more detailed instructions, see
+ <a href="/ardours-interface/basic-gui-operations/using-the-mouse/">Using the mouse</a>.
+</p>
title: Setting Up MIDI
---
- <h2>What Can Ardour Do With MIDI?</h2>
-<p>MIDI is a way of both describing musical data and controlling musical hardware\software. MIDI doesn't actually create any audio but rather describes the audio in order to control hardware/software. Ardour can import MIDI data, record MIDI data and allow MIDI data to be edited in a variety of ways. Also, MIDI can be used to control various things withing Ardour. This allows for the most flexible work flow with regards to MIDI. What Ardour doesn't have is any built in synthesis to turn the MIDI data into audio. Rather, this is handled through the use of plug-ins and external hardware/software. While this makes MIDI a powerful tool it can also be a stumbling block for first time users who expect MIDI input to result in audio output by default. Please see the section on working with plug-ins for more information on turning MIDI data into audio output with Ardour.</p>
+<h2>What Can Ardour Do With MIDI?</h2>
+<p>
+ <dfn><abbr title="Musical Instrument Digital Interface">MIDI</abbr></dfn>
+ is a way to describe music data and to control music hardware and
+ software. Ardour can import and record MIDI data, and perform a
+ variety of editing operations on it. Furthermore, MIDI can be used to
+ control various functions of Ardour.
+</p>
+<p class="note">
+ Ardour does not include a <dfn>synthesis engine</dfn> to produce audio
+ from MIDI data, but relies on plugins or external hard- and software
+ for the task. This can be a stumbling block for first time users who
+ expect MIDI input to result in audio output by default.<br />
+ Please see the section on working with plug-ins for more information on
+ turning MIDI data into audio output.</p>
- <h2>MIDI Handling Frameworks</h2>
-<p>Below is a list of various MIDI Frameworks for getting MIDI data into and out of Ardour in order to work with MIDI aware software/hardware.</p>
-<h4>CoreMIDI</h4>
+<h2>MIDI Handling Frameworks</h2>
+<p>
+ Ardour supports various ways of sending and receiving MIDI data:
+</p>
-<p> CoreMIDI is the standard MIDI framework to comunicate with MIDI
-hardware on OSX systems. It provides drivers and libraries needed by
-MIDI clients. These ports do not show up in qjackctl</p>
+<h3>CoreMIDI</h3>
+<p>
+ <dfn>CoreMIDI</dfn> is the standard MIDI framework on OSX systems.
+ It provides drivers for MIDI hardware and libraries needed by MIDI
+ software clients.
+</p>
<h4>ALSA MIDI</h4>
+<p>
+ <dfn><abbr title="Advanced Linux Sound API">ALSA</abbr> MIDI</dfn>
+ is the standard MIDI framework on Linux systems. It provides drivers
+ for MIDI hardware and libraries needed by MIDI software clients.
+</p>
+<p>
+ The <dfn>QJackCtl</dfn> control software displays ALSA MIDI ports
+ under its "ALSA" tab (it does not currently display CoreMIDI ports).
+</p>
-<p> ALSA MIDI is the standard MIDI framework to comunicate with MIDI
-hardware on Linux systems. It provides drivers and libraries needed by
-MIDI clients. These ports show up under the "ALSA" tab in qjackctl</p>
-
-<h4> JACK MIDI</h4>
+<h4>JACK MIDI</h4>
-<p> JACK MIDI is a framework used to comunicate between JACK MIDI
-software clients. It provides zero jitter and a fixed latency of 1
-"period" (the same latency that exists for audio). These ports show up
-under the "MIDI" tab in qjackctl.
+<p>
+ <dfn><abbr title="JACK Audio Connection Kit">JACK</abbr> MIDI</dfn>
+ is a framework used to comunicate between JACK MIDI software clients.
+ It provides zero jitter and a fixed latency of one <dfn>period</dfn>,
+ the same latency as for JACK audio.
+</p>
+<p>
+ JACK MIDI ports show up under the <kbd class="menu">MIDI</kbd> tab in
+ QJackCtl.
</p>
<p>
-Various ways of "bridging" between the native MIDI framework
-(e.g. CoreMIDI or ALSA) and JACK MIDI, as described in the sections
-below.
+ There are several ways of <dfn>bridging</dfn> between the native MIDI frameworks
+ (e.g. CoreMIDI or ALSA) and JACK MIDI, as described in the sections
+ below.
</p>
{% children %}
layout: default
title: MIDI on OS X
---
-
-
-<p>In order for CoreMIDI to work with Jack MIDI a version of JACK for OS X that has a working CoreMIDI - JACK MIDI bridge is required. This feature is available on versions equal to or great than version 0.89 of JackOS X.</p>
+<p>
+ In order for CoreMIDI to work with Jack MIDI, a CoreMIDI-to-JACK-MIDI
+ <dfn>bridge</dfn>
+ is required. This feature is available on versions equal to or great than
+ version 0.89 of JackOSX.
+</p>
+
+<h2>Routing MIDI</h2>
+<h3>Inside Ardour</h3>
+<p>
+ MIDI ports show up in Ardour's MIDI connection matrix in multiple
+ locations. Bridged CoreMIDI ports as well as JACK MIDI ports that have
+ been created by other software clients will show up under the "Other" tab.
+ Bridged CoreMIDI hardware ports show up under the "Hardware" tab.
+</p>
- <h2>Routing MIDI</h2>
-<h4>Inside Ardour</h4>
-<p>There are multiple locations MIDI ports can show up in Ardour's MIDI connection matrix. CoreMIDI ports that are created by other software clients as well as JACK MIDI ports created by other software clients will show up under the "Other" tab. CoreMIDI hardware ports show up under the "Hardware" tab.</p>
-<h4>External Applications</h4>
-<p> There are multiple options for connecting MIDI ports outside of Ardour</p>
-<p><a href="http://www.snoize.com/MIDIMonitor/">MIDI Monitor</a> is a handy tool for doing various things with midi on OS X.</p>
-<p><a href="http://notahat.com/midi_patchbay">MIDI Patchbay</a> is a handy tool for connecting MIDI ports.</p>
+<h3>External Applications</h3>
+<p>
+ There are multiple options for connecting MIDI ports outside of Ardour.
+</p>
+<ul>
+ <li><a href="http://www.snoize.com/MIDIMonitor/">MIDI Monitor</a> is a handy
+ tool for doing various MIDI-related tasks.</li>
+ <li><a href="http://notahat.com/midi_patchbay">MIDI Patchbay</a> lets you
+ connect ports and filters MIDI data.</li>
+</ul>
layout: default
title: MIDI on Linux
---
+
+<h2>a2jmidid</h2>
+<p>
+ <dfn>a2jmidid</dfn> is an application that bridges between the system
+ <abbr title="Musical Instrument Digital Interface">MIDI</abbr> ports and
+ <abbt title="JACK Audio Connection Kit">JACK</abbr>.
+</p>
+<p>
+ First you should make sure that there is no ALSA sequencer support enabled
+ in JACK. To do that open QJackCtl's <kbd class="menu">Setup</kbd> window.
+</p>
+<p>
+ Set <kbd class="menu">Settings > MIDI Driver</kbd> to <kbd
+ class="input">none</kbd>.
+ Then uncheck the <kbd class="optoff">Misc > Enable ALSA Sequencer
+ support</kbd> option.<br />
+ Now it's time to restart your jack server before going on.
+</p>
+<h3>Check for a2jmidid availability</h3>
+<p>
+ First, check whether a2jmidid is already installed in your system. After
+ starting your JACK server, go to the command line and type
+</p>
+<kbd class="lincmd">a2jmidid -e</kbd>
+<p>
+ If a2jmidid does not exist, install it with the software manager of your
+ Linux distribution and try again.
+</p>
-
- <h2>Ensure that a2jmidid is running</h2>
-<p><code>a2jmidid</code> is an application that "bridges" between the system MIDI ports and JACK.</p>
-<p>First you should be sure that there is no ALSA sequencer support enabled in jack. To do that open qjackctl's <em>Setup</em> window.</p>
-<p>In the <em>Settings</em> tab set the <em>MIDI Driver</em> drop down to the <em>none</em> option.</p>
-<p>Then go to the <em>Misc</em> tab and uncheck the <em>Enable ALSA Sequencer support</em> option.</p>
-<p>Now it's time to restart your jack server before going on.</p>
-<h4>Checking for a2jmidid availability</h4>
-<p>First thing is checking if <em>a2jmidid</em> is already installed in your system. To do it first start your jack server and then call</p>
-<pre>a2jmidid -e</pre>
-<p>from the command. If <em>a2jmidid</em> is there go on with <strong>Checking surface control MIDI ports</strong>. Otherwise install the newest <em>a2jmidid</em> available and try again.</p>
-<h4>Checking surface control MIDI ports</h4>
-<p>After starting <em>a2jmidid</em> your control surface MIDI ports should appear in qjackctl's <em>Connections</em> window on the <em>MIDI</em> tab under <em>a2j</em>. If it does go on to the next step: <strong>Automatically calling a2jmidid when starting jack</strong>. If it doesn't you have to troubleshoot why it didn't. <em>(How to troubleshoot a2jmidid?)</em></p>
-<h4>Automatically calling a2jmidid when starting jack</h4>
-<p>It's troublesome to have to manually start <em>a2jmidid</em> by hand each time you start jack. Here is one way to do it automatically. This step isn't mandatory, it's just a convenience. If you are not interested you can go on to the next step <strong>Enabling Ardour's mackie control ports in qjackctl</strong>.</p>
-<p>Create a script that calls jack if you aren't using one yet. In it change the line that calls jack to have an ampersand at it's end like that:</p>
-<pre>
-/usr/bin/qjackctl &
-</pre>
-<p>In this case I call qjackctl that starts jack so I include the ampersand in qjackctl's call. If you call jack directly, put the ampersand at the end of it's call line.</p>
-<p>Now include the following lines after the line that calls jack:</p>
-<pre>
-/usr/bin/sleep 5
-/bin/bash -c "/usr/bin/a2jmidid -e" &
-</pre>
-<p>All you have to do now is use your new script to call jack.</p>
-
+<h3>Check surface control MIDI ports</h3>
+<p>
+ After starting a2jmidid, your control surface MIDI ports should appear in
+ qjackctl under <kbd class="menu">Connections > MIDI > a2j</kbd>.
+</p>
+<p>
+ You can now add <kbd>a2jmidid -e</kbd> as an "after start-up" script in the <kbd
+ class="menu">Setup > Options</kbd> tab of QJackCtl, so that it is
+ started automatically whenever you start JACK.
+</p>
---
<p>
- Ardour will only use a single interface. If you want to use more
- than one interface you have two choices:
+ Ardour will only ever deal with a single <dfn>audio device</dfn>. If you
+ want to use more than one, you have two choices:
</p>
- <ol>
- <li>
- If you want to use Ardour to start JACK (which handles all
- audio I/O) you will need to create a "fake" audio device on your
- computer the represents all the multiple devices you wish to
- use. How to do this is platform dependent and described below.
- </li>
- <li>
- Use a different tool to start JACK and manage all the devices.
- </li>
- </ol>
-
+<ul>
+ <li>
+ If you want to use Ardour to start JACK (which handles all
+ audio I/O) you will need to create a "fake" audio device on your
+ computer the represents all the multiple devices you wish to
+ use. How to do this is platform dependent and described below.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ Use a different tool to start JACK and manage all the devices.
+ </li>
+</ul>
<p>
-Ardour is fundamentally designed to be a component in a
-pro-audio/music creation environment and 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, and cause glitches in the audio. You can't stop this
-drift, although in some cases the effects may be insignificant enough
-that some people might not care about them.</p>
-
+ 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 <dfn>sample
+ clock</dfn> (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.
+</p>
<p>
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.
</p>
-
<p>
- Of course, a lot of people don't live in 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.
</p>
<h2>OS X</h2>
<p>
-Aggregate devices provide a method to use multiple soundcards as
-a single device. For example, you can "aggregate" 2 different
-8-channel devices so that you can record 16 channels into Ardour.
+ In CoreAudio, <dfn>aggregate devices</dfn> 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.
</p>
-
+<div class="note">
<p>
If you are using a <strong>single</strong> typical 3rd party
audio interface (such as those from Apogee, RME, Presonus, and many
others), <strong>OR</strong> you are using JackPilot or a similar
- application to start JACK, you do not need to worry about this.
+ application to start JACK, you do not need to worry about this.<br />
+ You will need to set up an aggregate device <em>only</em> if either
+ of the following conditions are true:
</p>
-
-<p>You will need to set up an aggregate device <strong>ONLY</strong> if either of the following conditions are true:</p>
-
- <ul>
- <li>You want to use two entirely separate
- devices <strong>AND</strong> want to start JACK using Ardour.</li>
- <li>You want to use your builtin audio device <strong>AND</strong>
- want to start JACK using Ardour.</li>
- <li>You want to use more than two entirely separate devices</li>
- </ul>
-
-<p>In the case of your builtin audio device, you will need to create
+<ul>
+ <li>You want to use two entirely separate
+ devices <strong>AND</strong> want to start JACK using Ardour.</li>
+ <li>You want to use your builtin audio device <strong>AND</strong>
+ want to start JACK using Ardour.</li>
+ <li>You want to use more than two entirely separate devices</li>
+</ul>
+</div>
+<p>
+ 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.
</p>
-
-<p>The precise instructions for creating an "aggregate device" on OS X have varied from one released to another.</p>
-
+<p>
+ The precise instructions for creating an "aggregate device" on OS X
+ have varied from one released to another.
+</p>
<dl class="wide-label">
<dt>OS X 10.5</dt>
- <dd>
- Please read <a href="http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1215">http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1215</a>
- </dd>
+ <dd>Please read <a href="http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1215">http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1215</a></dd>
<dt>OS X 10.6 or later</dt>
- <dd>
- Please read <a href="http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3956">http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3956</a>
- </dd>
+ <dd>Please read <a href="http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3956">http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3956</a></dd>
</dl>
<h2>Linux</h2>
-
<p>
Please see the instructions at <a href="http://jackaudio.org/faq"
title="http://jackaudio.org/faq">http://jackaudio.org/faq</a>
---
<h2>Platform Specifics</h2>
-
<p>
This section of the manual collects together the collective wisdom
of the user community regarding details of using Ardour on various
---
<p>
- Ubuntu Linux is the most popular variety of Linux in use on desktop
+ <dfn>Ubuntu Linux</dfn> is the most popular variety of Linux in use on desktop
and laptop systems. It has the backing of a for-profit corporation
(Canonical Inc.), a defined philosophy and a huge and
worldwide user base. As a result, it is a common platform for people
</p>
<h2>High Level Recommendations for Ubuntu Users</h2>
-
<p>
Currently, installing pro audio applications on vanilla Ubuntu requires
some configuration, in order for the user to gain realtime privilege
</p>
<h2>Installing Ardour</h2>
+<p>
There may be unintended differences, and even bugs in Ubuntu native
packages, as a result of a different building method. For this reason,
Ardour developers highly recommend you to install the official
href="http://ardour.org/download">ardour.org</a>, as Ubuntu native
packages are not supported in official Ardour forums or other
support channels.
+</p>
<h2>Problems with the interaction between PulseAudio and JACK</h2>
-<dl>
-<dt>Background Info</dt>
-<dd>
+<h3>Background Info</h3>
<p>
- Like many distributions, Ubuntu has decide to use PulseAudio as the
+ Like many distributions, Ubuntu has decided to use <dfn>PulseAudio</dfn> as the
default audio system. PulseAudio is a rich and capable system that
provides excellent services for typical users of Linux on the
desktop. However, it is not capable of the type of performance that
another message, and PulseAudio can once again use the soundcard
directly.
</p>
-</dd>
-<dt>What is the problem?</dt>
-<dd>
+<h3>What is the problem?</h3>
<p>
The specific issues known at this time for all flavors of Ubuntu
12.04 and 12.10 are:
</p>
<ul>
<li>a bug in PulseAudio that causes it not to give up the
- soundcard when JACK asks (<a href="https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/pulseaudio/+bug/1163638">LP: #1163638</a>
- (fixed in Ubuntu 13.04).</li>
+ soundcard when JACK asks
+ (<a href="https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/pulseaudio/+bug/1163638">LP:
+ #1163638</a>,
+ fixed in Ubuntu 13.04).</li>
</ul>
-</dd>
-<dt>Symptoms</dt>
-<dd>
+
+<h3>Symptoms</h3>
<p>
- <ul>
- <li>Cannot start JACK (though see the next section for other
- causes of this)</li>
- </ul>
+ <samp>Cannot start JACK</samp> (though see the next section for other
+ causes of this)
</p>
-</dd>
-<dt>How to fix</dt>
-<dd>
+
+<h3>How to fix</h3>
<p>
These bugs do not affect the upcoming 13.04 release, and earlier
releases (12.04 and 12.10) are in the process of being fixed.
</p>
-</dd>
-</dl>
<h2>Problems with JACK configuration</h2>
-<dl>
- <dt>What is the problem?</dt>
- <dd>
+<h3>What is the problem?</h3>
<p>
To function as intended, JACK needs to run with access to two
- operating system facilities called "realtime scheduling" and "memory
- locking". This means that you, the user who starts JACK, must be
+ operating system facilities called <dfn>realtime scheduling</dfn> and
+ <dfn>memory locking</dfn>. This means that you, the user who starts JACK, must be
allowed access to these facilities. By default, Ubuntu does create a
- user group that has this permission but ... it does not put new
+ user group that has this permission but — it does not put new
users into this group by default. Read more about why <a href="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Audio/TheAudioGroup">here</a>.
Consequently, you will not have permission to run JACK in the way you should.
</p>
- </dd>
- <dt>Symptoms</dt>
- <dd>
+<h3>Symptoms</h3>
<p>
- A message like "Cannot lock down memory" in the output from JACK as
- it starts up. This output may be "hidden" in the Messages window of
+ A message like <samp>Cannot lock down memory</samp> in the output from JACK as
+ it starts up. This output may be hidden in the Messages window of
QJackctrl (aka JACK Control), so you should check there.
</p>
- </dd>
- <dt>How to fix</dt>
- <dd>
+
+<h3>How to fix</h3>
<p>
Make sure the file /etc/security/limits.d/audio.conf exists. If it is
named /etc/security/limits.d/audio.conf.disabled, rename it to the former.
- Run the command <code>sudo usermod -a -G
- audio <em>YOUR-LOGIN-NAME</em></code>. Then logout and login again.
- On Ubuntu Studio the user is a member of audio group by default, but not
- on other official flavors.
+ Run the command
+ </p>
+ <kbd class="lincmd">sudo usermod -a -G audio
+ <em>YOUR-LOGIN-NAME</em></kbd>
+ <p>
+ Then log out and log in again. On Ubuntu Studio the user is a member of audio
+ group by default, but not on other official flavors.
</p>
- </dd>
-</dl>
- <h2>Reporting Issues</h2>
-<p>Given the difficulties in supporting Ubuntu and the limited time/resources of the Ardour team, the <code>Ubuntu Studio Project</code> has requested that issues and bug reports related to Ubuntu, Ubuntu Studio and other derivitives be directed to them.</p>
+
+<h2>Reporting Issues</h2>
+<p>
+ Given the difficulties in supporting Ubuntu and the limited time/resources
+ of the Ardour team, the <dfn>Ubuntu Studio Project</dfn> has requested that
+ issues and bug reports related to Ubuntu, Ubuntu Studio and other
+ derivitives be directed to them.
+</p>
<h3>Contact Information for Ubuntu Studio</h3>
<p><a href="http://ubuntustudio.org" target="_blank">The Ubuntu Studio Homepage</a></p>
<p><a href="http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=335" target="_blank">The Ubuntu Studio Forums.</a></p>
rely on it for important production work while the dust settles.
</p>
<p>
- <dfn>VBAP</dfn> is short for <em>Vector-base Amplitude Panning</em>,
- a versatile and
- straightforward method to pan a source around on an arbitrary number
- of speakers on a horizontal polygon or a 3D surface, even if the speaker
- layout is highly irregular.
+ <dfn><abbr title="Vector-base Amplitude Panning">VBAP</abbr></dfn>
+ is a versatile and straightforward method to pan a source around over an
+ arbitrary number of speakers on a horizontal polygon or a 3D surface,
+ even if the speaker layout is highly irregular.
</p>
<h2>Basic concepts</h2>
above.
</p>
<p>
- A horizontal VBAP panner has one parameter, the <dfn>azimuth
- angle</dfn>. A 3D panner offers an additional <dfn>elevation
- angle</dfn> control.
+ A <dfn>horizontal</dfn> VBAP panner has one parameter, the <dfn>azimuth
+ angle</dfn>. A <dfn>full-sphere</dfn> panner offers an additional
+ <dfn>elevation angle</dfn> control.
</p>
<p class="note">
More elaborate implementations of VBAP also include a
white-space:nowrap;
}
+kbd.input,kbd.lincmd,kbd.maccmd,kbd.wincmd {
+ font-family:mono;
+ border-width:0;
+}
+
+kbd.lincmd,kbd.maccmd,kbd.wincmd {
+ display:block;
+ width:100%;
+ margin-bottom:1ex;
+}
+
+kbd.lincmd:before {
+ content: 'user@linux:~ ';
+ color:#999999;
+}
+
+kbd.maccmd:before {
+ content: 'MacBook:~/Desktop User\$ ';
+ color:#999999;
+}
+
+kbd.wincmd:before {
+ content: 'C:\\Users\\myAccount> ';
+ color:#999999;
+}
+
kbd.mouse {
-moz-border-radius:10px;
border-radius:10px;
}
kbd.fader {
- border-width:2px 2px 4px 4px
+ border-width: 1px 1px 9px 9px;
}
kbd.knob {
kbd.button {
-moz-border-radius:8px;
border-radius:8px;
+ border-width: 1px 1px 3px 3px;
+}
+
+samp {
+ font-family:mono;
+ font-style:italic;
+ color:#333333;
+ background-color:transparent;
+ margin-left: 1em;
+ margin-right: 1em;
+}
+
+samp:before {
+ content:"\BB";
+}
+
+samp:after {
+ content:"\AB";
}
#content td {
projects / ardour-manual-diverged / commitdiff