title: Signal Routing
---
-
-
- <p>The default connections created by Ardour are as follows:</p>
+<p>
+ Ardour does most of its internal <dfn>signal routing</dfn> via JACK:
+ all track and bus inputs and outputs are JACK ports, as are sends and
+ inserts, which means they can be tapped into by other JACK clients.
+ Only the signal flow inside a track or bus (i.e. from <a
+ href="/working-with-plugins/processor-box/">processor to processor</a>) is
+ handled internally.<br />
+ By default, Ardour will create the following connections for you:
+</p>
<ul>
-<li>Track inputs are connected to hardware inputs, in round robin order (explained <a href="/missing">here</a> in more detail).
-</li>
-<li>Bus inputs are left disconnected
-</li>
-<li>Track and bus outputs are configured based on the channel count of the master bus
-</li>
-<li>Track and bus outputs are connected to the master bus inputs
-</li>
-<li>Master bus outputs are connected to hardware outputs
-</li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Track inputs</dfn> are optionally auto-connected to hardware inputs, in round robin
+ order, depending on the setting you chose in the
+ <a href="/working-with-sessions/new-session-dialog"><kbd
+ class="menu">Session > New Session</kbd> dialog</a>.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <dfn>Bus inputs</dfn> are left disconnected.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ The number of <dfn>track and bus outputs</dfn> are equal to the number
+ of inputs of the master bus.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ Track and bus outputs are always auto-connected to the master bus inputs.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ Master bus outputs are connected to hardware outputs.
+ </li>
</ul>
-<p>this configuration is sufficient to do basic tracking and playback of many sessions without any adjustment by the user. If you are using Ardour and start to change these connections, be certain that you have a good reason to do so - it is generally not necessary and often leads to problems.</p>
-<p>However, for many workflows during mixing, more complicated signal routing is required. Ardour offers many possibilties for connecting things in the way you may need or want them.</p>
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
+<p>
+ This configuration is sufficient to do basic tracking and playback of many
+ sessions without any adjustment by the user. If you are using Ardour and
+ start to change these connections, be certain that you have a good reason
+ to do so — it is generally not necessary and often leads to problems.
+</p>
+<p>
+ However, for many workflows during mixing, more complicated signal routing
+ is required. Ardour offers many possibilties for connecting things in the
+ way you may need or want them.
+</p>
{% children %}
title: Aux Sends
---
-
+<p>
+ <dfn>Auxilliary sends</dfn> are <a
+ href="/working-with-plugins/processor-box/">processors</a> in a bus or
+ track channel strip. They tap the signal at a specific point in the signal
+ flow (pre-fader, post-fader, before or after EQs and other plugins, etc.)
+ and send a copy of that signal somewhere else, without affecting the
+ normal signal flow downwards to the channel fader.
+</p>
+<p>
+ Usually, aux sends from several tracks are collectively sent to a
+ dedicated <dfn>Aux bus</dfn> in Ardour, to create a monitor mix for a
+ musician, or to feed an effect unit. The output of such a bus might
+ be routed to separate hardware outputs (in the case of headphone or monitor
+ wedge mixes), or returned to the main mix (in the case of an effect).<br
+ />
+ Since sends are JACK ports, it is also possible to send the tapped signal
+ somewhere else directly, which is not usually possible on hardware mixers
+ (see <a href="external-sends/">External Sends</a>).
+</p>
- <h2>What is an Aux</h2>
-<p>Using auxes involves two distinct components of Ardour's mixer. One is an aux bus, which is just a normal Ardour bus that has no inputs arriving from the outside world. The other is an aux send, which is a secondary signal routing out of a track (or bus) that delivers the signal it receives to a separate aux bus. The output of the aux bus may be delivered to entirely separate hardware outputs (e.g. for headphone or monitor wedge mixes), or returned to the main mix after some common FX are applied to the signal on the bus. </p>
-<p>Common uses for aux sends include:</p>
-<ul>
-<li>Applying real time FX (either with plugins or external FX) to a submix
-</li>
-<li>Creating headphone or monitor wedge mixes for performers to listen to
-</li>
-<li>Consolidating volume control of a submix under a single fader (though there are other ways to do this)
-</li>
-</ul>
-<p>It may be useful to <a href="/signal-routing/comparing-aux-sends-and-subgroups">compare and contrast</a> the use of aux sends with <a href="/signal-routing/subgrouping">subgrouping</a>.</p>
+<p>
+ It may be useful to
+ <a href="/signal-routing/comparing-aux-sends-and-subgroups">compare and contrast</a>
+ the use of aux sends with <a href="/signal-routing/subgrouping">subgrouping</a>.
+</p>
+
<h2>Adding a new aux bus</h2>
-<p>Choose <code>Session > Add New Track or Bus</code>. In the New Track & Bus dialog, select "Busses" in the Track/Bus selector at the upper right.</p>
+<p>
+ Choose <kbd class="menu">Session > Add New Track or Bus</kbd>. In the
+ <kbd class="menu">New Track & Bus</kbd> dialog, select "Busses" in the Track/Bus
+ selector at the upper right.
+</p>
+
<h2>Adding a send to an aux bus</h2>
-<p>Context-click on the processor box for the track you want to send to the bus, and choose <code>New Aux Send</code>. From the submenu, choose the bus you want to send to. A send will be added (and will be visible in the processor box). Note that the submenu may be empty if there are no aux busses.</p>
+<p>
+ Context-click on the processor box for the track you want to send to the bus, and
+ choose <kbd class="menu">New Aux Send</kbd>. From the submenu, choose the bus you
+ want to send to. A send will be added (and will be visible in the processor box).
+ Note that the submenu may be empty if you have not created a bus yet.
+</p>
+
<h3>Pre-fader and Post-fader Aux Sends</h3>
-<p>Depending on whether you context-click above or below the fader in the processor box, the new aux send can be placed before or after the fader in the channel strip. Post-fader aux sends are typically used when using an aux for shared signal processing (FX), so that the adjusting the main fader on a channel alters how much signal goes to the FX bus. Aux sends are placed pre-fader so that the level sent to the bus is controlled <em>only</em> by the send, not the main fader - this is typical when constructing headphone/monitor wedge mixes. </p>
+<p>
+ Depending on whether you context-click above or below the fader in the processor box,
+ the new aux send can be placed before or after the fader in the channel strip.
+ <dfn>Post-fader</dfn> aux sends are typically used when using an aux for shared signal
+ processing (FX), so that the amount of effect is always proportional to
+ the main mix fader. <dfn>Pre-fader sends</dfn> ensure that the level sent to the bus
+ is controlled <em>only</em> by the send, not the main fader — this is typical
+ when constructing headphone and monitor wedge mixes.
+</p>
+
<h2>Adding a new aux bus and sending a Track Group to it</h2>
-<p>You can add aux sends to all members of a group and connect them to a new aux bus with a single click. After creating the track group (and adding tracks to it), context-click on the group tab and choose either <code>Add New Aux Bus (pre-fader)</code> or <code>Add New Aux Bus (post-fader)</code>. A new aux bus will be created, and a new aux send added to every member of the track group that connects to the new aux bus.</p>
+<p>
+ You can add aux sends to all members of a group and connect them to a new aux bus
+ with a single click. After creating the track group (and adding tracks to it),
+ context-click on the group tab and choose either
+ <kbd class="menu">Add New Aux Bus (pre-fader)</kbd> or
+ <kbd class="menu">Add New Aux Bus (post-fader)</kbd>. A new aux bus will be created,
+ and a new aux send added to every member of the track group that connects to
+ this aux bus.
+</p>
+
<h2>Altering Send Levels</h2>
-<p>You can alter the amount of the signal received by a send that it delivers to the bus it connects to. There are two approaches to this:</p>
+<p>
+ You can alter the amount of the signal received by a send that it delivers to the bus
+ it connects to. There are two approaches to this:
+</p>
<h3>Use the Send Fader</h3>
-<p>Every send has a small horizontal fader that can be adjusted in the usual way. It is not very big and so this can be a little unsatisfactory if you want very fine control over the send level. </p>
+<p>
+ Every send processor has a small horizontal fader that can be adjusted in the usual way. It is
+ not very big and so this can be a little unsatisfactory if you want very fine control
+ over the send level.
+</p>
<h3>Mapping the Main Fader</h3>
-<p>Double-clicking on the send in the processor box will allow you to use the "big" fader of the mixer strip to control the send. The visual appearance of the mixer strip will change to reflect this. Double-click the send again to revert back to normal function for the strip.</p>
+<p>
+ Double-clicking on the send in the processor box will allow you to use the
+ big fader of the mixer strip to control the send. The visual appearance of
+ the mixer strip will change to reflect this. Double-click the send again to
+ revert back to normal function for the strip.
+</p>
<h3>Map Aux Sends To Main Faders</h3>
-<p>Pressing the button marked "Aux Sends" on a aux bus will alter the channel strip for every track/bus that feeds the aux bus. Many aspects of the strip will become insensitive and/or change their visual appearance. More importantly, the main fader of the affected channel strips will now control the send level and <strong>not</strong> the track gain. This gives a larger, more configurable control to alter the level. Click the "Aux Sends" button of the aux bus again to revert the channel strips to their normal use.</p>
-<h2>Bypassing Sends</h2>
-<p>Clicking on the small "led" in the send display in the processor box of the channel strip will enable/disable the send. When disabled, only silence will be delivered by this track to the aux bus. When enabled, the signal arriving at the send will be delivered to the aux bus.</p>
+<p>
+ Pressing the button marked <kbd class="menu">Aux Sends</kbd> on a aux bus will
+ alter the channel strip for every track or bus that feeds the aux bus. Many
+ aspects of the strip will become insensitive and/or change their visual
+ appearance. More importantly, the main fader of the affected channel strips
+ will now control the send level and <strong>not</strong> the track gain.
+ This gives a larger, more configurable control to alter the level. Click the
+ <kbd class==menu">Aux Sends</kbd> button of the aux bus again to revert the
+ channel strips to their normal use.
+</p>
+<h2>Disabling Sends</h2>
+<p>
+ Clicking on the small "LED" in the send display in the processor box of the
+ channel strip will enable/disable the send. When disabled, only silence will
+ be delivered to the aux bus by this track. When enabled, the signal arriving
+ at the send will be delivered to the aux bus.
+</p>
<h2>Send Panning</h2>
-<p>In the current version of Ardour, sends share the same panning as the main outs of a track. This is scheduled to change in the future.</p>
+<p>
+ Send panners can be configured to either be independent of the main
+ panner, or to follow it. The latter could be useful for Reverb effects, or
+ for in-ear monitor mixes delivered in stereo.
+</p>
---
layout: default
title: Comparing Aux Sends and Subgroups
+menu-title: Auxes vs. Groups
---
-
-
- <p>Auxes and Subgroups do share a common concept - they both provide a way for 1 or more tracks (or busses) to send their signal to a single bus so that common signal processing can be applied to the mix of their signals. </p>
-<p>An aux send leaves the existing signal routing to the main mix inplace, and is typically used to create a separate mix to send to (for example) monitors or headphones (for performer monitor mixes). </p>
-<p>Subgroups remove the original signal routing to the main mix, but create a new one that delivers the output of the subgroup bus to the main mix instead.</p>
-<p>The following two diagrams compares the signal flow when using subgroups and when using aux sends:</p>
-<h2>Subgroup signal routing</h2>
-<p><img height="400px" src="/files/manual/a3/images/subgroup_routes.png" alt="sub group signal routing" /></p>
-<h2>Aux send signal routing</h2>
-<p><img height="400px" src="/files/manual/a3/images/aux_routing.png" alt="aux signal routing" /></p>
+<p>
+ Auxes and Subgroups share a common concept — they both provide a way
+ for one or more tracks (or busses) to send their signal to a single bus so
+ that common signal processing can be applied to the mix of their signals.
+</p>
+<p>
+ An aux send leaves the existing signal routing to the main mix in place,
+ and is typically used to create a separate mix to send to (for example)
+ monitors or headphones (for performer monitor mixes):
+</p>
+<img height="400px" src="/files/manual/a3/images/aux_routing.png" alt="aux signal routing" />
+<p>
+ Subgroups usually remove the original signal routing to the main mix and
+ replace it with a new one that delivers the output of the subgroup bus to
+ the main mix instead.
+</p>
+<img height="400px" src="/files/manual/a3/images/subgroup_routes.png" alt="sub group signal routing" />
title: External Sends
---
+<p>
+ Like a normal aux send, an <dfn>external send</dfn> taps the signal at a
+ specific within a channel strip, but delivers it to an external application
+ or piece of hardware rather than an Ardour bus. By itself, an external
+ send has no effect whatsoever on the audio signals within Ardour —
+ it is a one-way signal routing that leaves all existing signal processing
+ just as it was.
+</p>
+<p>
+ Most people will not have much use for this, but it can be useful if you
+ want to experiment with external applications or hardware signal processing
+ applications.
+</p>
-
- <p>An external send is a way to send the signal from within a channel strip to an external application or piece of hardware. By itself, an external send has no effect whatsoever on the audio signals within Ardour - it is a one-way signal routing that leaves all existing signal processing just as it was.</p>
-<p>Most people will not have much use for this, but it can be useful if you want to experiment with external applications or hardware signal processing applications.</p>
<h2>Adding an External Send</h2>
-<p>Context-click on the <a href="/working-with-plugins/the-processor-box">processor box</a> in a channel strip and choose <code>Add new External Send</code>. A dialog will appear containing the standard Ardour <a href="/signal-routing/the-patchbay">patchbay</a> to allow you to connect the send to the desired destination. After you are done (or immediately, if you don't know where you want to send to at this point), close the window.</p>
-<p>The send will appear in the processor box. Depending on whether you context-clicked above or below the fader, it will either before or after the fader. </p>
+<p>
+ Context-click on the
+ <a href="/working-with-plugins/the-processor-box">processor box</a> in a
+ channel strip (at the desired location, pre or post fader) and choose
+ <kbd class="menu">Add new External Send</kbd>. A dialog will appear
+ containing the standard Ardour
+ <a href="/signal-routing/the-patchbay"><dfn>patchbay</dfn></a> to allow
+ you to connect the send to the desired destination.
+</p>
+
<h2>Removing an External Send</h2>
<p>You can remove an external send in several ways:</p>
<ul>
-<li>Shift-right-click the send in the processor box
-</li>
-<li>Position the pointer over the send and press the <kbd>Delete</kbd> key
-</li>
-<li>Position the pointer over the send and press <kbd class="mod1">x</kbd>
-</li>
-<li>Context-click the send and choose either <code>Cut</code> or <code>Delete</code>
-</li>
+<li><kbd class="mouse mod3">Right</kbd>-click the send in the processor box.</li>
+<li>Position the pointer over the send and press the <kbd>Del</kbd> key.</li>
+<li>Position the pointer over the send and press <kbd class="mod1">x</kbd>.</li>
+<li>Context-click the send and choose either <kbd class="menu">Cut</kbd> or
+ <kbd class="menu">Delete</kbd>.</li>
</ul>
+
<h2>Altering Send Levels</h2>
-<p>Just below the send in the processor box is a small fader that can be used like all other faders in Ardour to control the gain applied to the signal delivered by the send. Drag it to alter the level, Shift-click to restore to unity (0dB) gain. </p>
-<h2>Bypassing Sends</h2>
-<p>Click the small "led" in the send display within the processor box to turn it on and off. When turned off, silence will be delivered to the send. When turned on, the signal within the channel strip will be delivered.</p>
+<p>
+ Just below the send in the processor box is a small fader that can be used
+ like all other faders in Ardour to control the gain applied to the signal
+ delivered by the send. Drag it to alter the level, Shift-click to restore
+ to unity (0dB) gain.
+</p>
+
+<h2>Disabling Sends</h2>
+<p>
+ Click the small "LED" in the send display within the processor box to turn
+ it on and off. When turned off, silence will be delivered to the send. When
+ turned on, the signal within the channel strip will be delivered.
+</p>
<h2>Editing Send Routing</h2>
-<p>Double-clicking or Edit-clicking on the send in the processor box will redisplay the patchbay dialog that allows you full control over the routing of the send.</p>
+<p>
+ Double-clicking or Edit-clicking on the send in the processor box will
+ redisplay the patchbay dialog that allows you full control over the routing
+ of the send.
+</p>
title: Inserts
---
-
-
-
+<p>
+ <dfn>Inserts</dfn> are signal tap points that can be placed anywhere
+ inside a channel strip. Unlike Auxes, they will interrupt the signal flow,
+ feeding the signal from before the insert point to its <dfn>Insert
+ send(s)</dfn>, and connecting the remainder of the channel strip to the
+ <dfn>Insert return(s)</dfn>, both of which are JACK ports which are
+ visible to other JACK applications.<br />
+ Inserts are the JACK equivalents of normalized switching jacks on an
+ analog console.
+</p>
+<p>
+ An insert allows you to either use a special external DSP JACK
+ application that is not available as a plugin, or to splice an external
+ analog piece of gear into your channel strip, such as a vintage
+ compressor, tube equalizer, etc. In the latter case, you would first
+ connect your inserts to a pair of hardware ports, which are in turn
+ connected to the outboard gear.
+</p>
+<p class="note">
+ Inserts will incur an additional JACK period of latency, which can be
+ measured and compensated for during mixing, but not during tracking!
+</p>
title: Subgrouping
---
+<p>
+ <dfn>Subgrouping</dfn> (sometimes known as "Grouping" or "Audio Grouping")
+ is a way to collect related signals together to apply some common
+ treatment, before sending them on to the main mix. One standard
+ application is to group several tracks belonging to the same instrument or
+ section (such as a drumkit or horn section), to be able to adjust their
+ volume with a single fader, after their inner balance has been set using
+ the track faders.
+</p>
-
- <p>Subgrouping (sometimes known as "Grouping" or "Audio Grouping") is a way to collect related signals together, before they progress to the main mix.</p>
-<h2>When to use subgrouping</h2>
-<p>blah blah blah</p>
-<h2>To create a subgroup from an existing Track/Bus group</h2>
-<p>Context-click on the relevant <a href="/working-with-tracks/track-and-bus-groups">group tab</a>, and choose <code>Add new subgroup bus</code>. A new bus will be created and every member of the track group will have its outputs disconnected from other destinations and then connected to the new bus inputs. The bus outputs will feed the master bus unless you have selected manual connections for the session. Ths bus will be named based on the track group name,</p>
-<h2>To create a subgroup from a set of Tracks and Busses</h2>
-<p>Put them in a <a href="/working-with-tracks/track-and-bus-groups">Track Group</a> first, then follow the steps above.</p>
-<h2>Arbitrary (manual) subgrouping</h2>
-<p>The steps taken by the options above can all be done by hand if your needs are too specialized:</p>
-<ol>
-<li>Add a new bus, which we will call the "subgroup bus"</li>
-<li>For each track you want to feed the subgroup bus, connect its outputs to the inputs of the subgroup bus and disconnect them from the any other destinations. You can do this in the global audio patchbay or a track by track basis via the output button of each track's channel strip.
-</li>
-</ol>
-<h2>To remove a subgroup (bus)</h2>
-<p>Context click on the track group tab, and select <code>Remove subgroup bus</code>. You can also simply delete the bus itself. Note that this operation will <strong>not</strong> restore signal routing to the way it was before the addition of the subgroup bus - tracks that had been subgrouped will be left with their main outputs disconncted; you will need to manually connect them again in order to be able to hear the signal from their main outputs.</p>
-
+<p>
+ To create a subgroup from an existing Track/Bus group, context-click on
+ the relevant <a href="/working-with-tracks/track-and-bus-groups">group tab</a>,
+ and choose <kbd class="menu">Add new subgroup bus</kbd>. A new bus will be
+ created and every member of the track group will have its outputs disconnected
+ from other destinations and then connected to the new bus inputs. The bus
+ outputs will feed the master bus unless you have selected manual connections
+ for the session. The bus will be named after the track group name.
+</p>
+<p>
+ Alternatively, you can create a group manually, by first adding a new bus,
+ then, for each track you want to feed the subgroup bus, disconnect its outputs
+ from the master and connect it to the inputs of the subgroup bus instead.
+ You can do this in the global audio patchbay or a track by track basis via the
+ output button of each track's channel strip.
+</p>
+<p>
+ To remove a subgroup (bus), context-click on the track group tab, and select
+ <kbd class="memu">Remove subgroup bus</kbd>. You can also simply delete the
+ bus itself. Note that this operation will <strong>not</strong> restore signal
+ routing to the way it was before the addition of the subgroup bus — tracks
+ that had been subgrouped will be left with their main outputs disconncted.
+</p>
layout: default
title: Patchbay
---
-
-
- <p>The patchbay is the main way to make connections to, from and within Ardour's mixer. </p>
-<blockquote><p>
-Notable exceptions are aux sends and connections to the monitor bus (if you are using one): these cannot be controlled from a patchbay, and are basically not under manual control at all.
-</p></blockquote>
-<p><img src="/ardour/manual/html/screenshots/connection-manager.png" alt="an example patchbay" /></p>
-<p>The patchbay presents two groups of ports; one set of sources (which produce data), and one of destinations (which consume data). Depending on the relative number of each, the sources will be placed on the left or the top of the dialogue, and the destinations on the right or the bottom. Thus, in general, signal flow is from top or left to right or bottom.</p>
-<p>Both sources and destinations are divided up into groups, with each group being given a tab. Click on the appropriate tab to show the ports in each group (‘Ardour Busses’, ‘Ardour Tracks’ and so on).</p>
-<p>The groups that are used are as follows:</p>
+<p>
+ The <dfn>patchbay</dfn> is the main way to make connections to, from and
+ within Ardour's mixer.
+</p>
+<p class="note">
+ Notable exceptions are internal aux sends and connections to the monitor bus (if
+ you are using one): these cannot be controlled from a patchbay, and are
+ basically not under manual control at all.
+</p>
+<img class="right" src="/ardour/manual/html/screenshots/connection-manager.png" alt="an example patchbay" />
+<p>
+ The patchbay presents two groups of ports; one set of <dfn>sources</dfn>
+ (which produce data), and one of <dfn>destinations</dfn> (which consume
+ data). Depending
+ on the relative number of each, the sources will be placed on the left
+ or the top of the dialogue, and the destinations on the right or the
+ bottom. Thus, in general, signal flow is from top or left to right or
+ bottom.
+</p>
+<p>
+ Both sources and destinations are divided up into groups, with each
+ group being given a tab:
+</p>
<dl class="narrower-table">
-<dt>Hardware</dt>
-<dd>ports which are connected to a physical piece of hardware (a sound card or MIDI interface).</dd>
-<dt>Ardour Busses</dt>
-<dd>ports belonging to busses.</dd>
-<dt>Ardour Tracks</dt>
-<dd>ports belonging to tracks.</dd>
-<dt>Ardour Misc</dt>
-<dd> other ports that do not fit into the previous two categories; for example, the ports on which the metronome click is output, and MIDI ports for things like control surfaces and timecode.</dd>
-<dt>Other</dt>
-<dd>If you have other JACK clients running, their ports will be found here. If there are no such ports, the tab will not exist (on one or both axes of the grid).</dd>
+ <dt>Hardware</dt>
+ <dd>
+ These are ports which are connected to a physical piece of hardware
+ (a sound card or MIDI interface).</dd>
+ <dt>Ardour Busses</dt>
+ <dd>All ports belonging to busses.</dd>
+ <dt>Ardour Tracks</dt>
+ <dd>All ports belonging to tracks.</dd>
+ <dt>Ardour Misc</dt>
+ <dd>
+ These are other ports that do not fit into the previous two
+ categories; for example, the ports on which the metronome click
+ is output, and MIDI ports for things like control surfaces and
+ timecode.
+ </dd>
+ <dt>Other</dt>
+ <dd>
+ If you have other JACK clients running, their ports will be found
+ here. If there are no such ports, the tab will not exist (on one or
+ both axes of the grid).</dd>
</dl>
-<p>The main body of the patchbay is a grid. Within this grid, green dots represent connections, and you can click in any of the squares to make or break connections. You can also click and drag to draw a line of connections, which is sometimes useful for making many connections at once.</p>
-<p>In the example patchbay shown above we can note various things. We are using the ‘Ardour Tracks’ sources tab, so we see the output ports of the three tracks in our session: Fred, Jim and Foo. Our destinations are from the ‘Ardour Busses’ tab, so we have the inputs of a session bus, Sheila, and the inputs of the master bus. Fred and Jim have stereo outputs, so have L and R connections. Foo is a MIDI track, so it only has one connection, and its squares in the grid are coloured light grey to indicate that no connection can be made between Foo (a MIDI output) and our busses (which are all audio-input).</p>
-<p>The green dots in the example show that both Foo and Bar are connected to the master bus, left to left and right to right.</p>
+<p>
+ The main part of the patchbay is a <dfn>matrix grid</dfn>. Within this
+ grid, green dots represent connections, and you can click in any of the
+ squares to make or break connections. You can also click and drag to
+ draw a line of connections, which is sometimes useful for making many
+ connections at once.
+</p>
+<p>
+ In the example patchbay shown above we can note various things. We are
+ using the <kbd class="menu">Ardour Tracks</kbd> sources tab, so we see
+ the output ports of the three tracks in our session: Fred, Jim and Foo.
+ Our destinations are from the <kbd class="menu">Ardour Busses</kbd> tab,
+ so we have the inputs of a session bus, Sheila, and the inputs of the
+ master bus. Fred and Jim have stereo outputs, so have L and R connections.
+ Foo is a MIDI track, so it only has one connection, and its squares in
+ the grid are coloured light grey to indicate that no connection can be
+ made between Foo (a MIDI output) and our busses (which are all audio-input).
+</p>
+<p>
+ The green dots in the example show that both Foo and Bar are connected
+ to the master bus, left to left and right to right.
+</p>
+
<h2>Variants on the Patchbay</h2>
-<p>Slightly different versions of the patchbay are available from different places in Ardour. For a global view of all JACK audio connections, use the Audio Patchbay which can be opened from the Window menu, or by using Alt+P. A corresponding MIDI Connection Manager can be opened using Shift+Alt+P.</p>
-<p>There is also a patchbay available when connecting individual tracks; clicking on the input or output buttons of a mixer strip will open a connection manager which has the corresponding track input or output as the only destination or source, with all other ports available for connection to it.</p>
+<p>
+ Slightly different versions of the patchbay are available from different
+ places in Ardour. For a global view of all JACK audio connections, use
+ <kbd class="menu">Window > Audio Patchbay</kbd>, or press
+ <kbd class="mod2">P</kbd>. A corresponding MIDI Connection Manager can
+ be opened using <kbd class="mod23">P</kbd>.</p>
+<p>
+ There is also a patchbay available when connecting individual tracks;
+ clicking on the input or output buttons of a mixer strip will open a
+ connection manager which has the corresponding track input or output as
+ the only destination or source, with all other ports available for
+ connection to it.
+</p>
+
<h2>Other patchbay features</h2>
-<p>Context-clicking on a port name in the connection manager opens a menu which provides a few handy options:</p>
+<p>
+ Context-clicking on a port name in the connection manager opens a menu
+ which provides a few handy options:
+</p>
<dl class="wide-table">
-<dt>Add audio port and Add MIDI port</dt>
-<dd>these options add audio or MIDI ports to the thing that you opened the menu over, if this is possible. In this way, for example, tracks and busses can be extended to have more inputs or outputs.</dd>
-<dt>Remove</dt>
-<dd>removes the given port, if possible.</dd>
-<dt>Disconnect all from…</dt>
-<dd>disconnects everything from the given port.</dd>
-<dt>Rescan</dt>
-<dd>Ardour will try to keep abreast of any changes to the JACK ports on your system, and reflect them in any connection managers which are open. If for some reason this fails, choosing Rescan will re-scan the list of ports and update the manager.</dd>
-<dt>Show individual ports</dt>
-<dd>if you have a session which has lots of multi-channel tracks or busses, it may be an unnecessary detail that you have to connect left to left and right to right every time you make a connection. This obviously gets worse with higher channel counts (such as for 5.1 or ambisonics). To make life easier with such sessions, you can untick Show individual ports. After that, the channels of tracks and busses will be hidden, and any green dots you add in the connection manager will automatically connect each channel of the source to the corresponding channel of the destination (left to left, right to right and so on). In this mode, a half-circle in the connection grid indicates that some (but not all) of the source's ports are connected to the destination.</dd>
-<dt>Flip</dt>
-<dd>this will flip the visible ports on the vertical axis with those on the horizontal. If, for example, the top of the connection manager is showing ‘Ardour Busses’ and the right is showing ‘Hardware’, flip will swap the view to the opposite so that the top of the manager displays ‘Hardware’ and the right ‘Ardour Busses’. You can also flip by pressing <kbd>f</kbd>. Note that if there are no matching tabs on both axes, flipping will be impossible.</dd>
+ <dt><kbd class="menu">Add audio port</kbd> and <kbd class="menu">Add MIDI port</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>
+ These options add audio or MIDI ports to the thing that you opened
+ the menu over, if this is possible. In this way, for example, tracks
+ and busses can be extended to have more inputs or outputs.
+ </dd>
+ <dt><kbd class="menu">Remove</dt>
+ <dd>
+ Removes the given port, if possible. <kbd class="mouse mod3">Right</kbd>-clicking
+ a port will do the same.
+ </dd>
+ <dt><kbd class="menu">Disconnect all from…</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>Disconnects everything from the given port.</dd>
+ <dt><kbd class="menu">Rescan</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>
+ Ardour will try to keep abreast of any changes to the JACK ports on
+ your system, and reflect them in any connection managers which are open.
+ If for some reason this fails, use this to re-scan the list of ports and
+ update the manager.
+ </dd>
+ <dt><kbd class="menu">Show individual ports</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>
+ If you have a session which has lots of multi-channel tracks or busses,
+ it may be an unnecessary detail that you have to connect left to left and
+ right to right every time you make a connection. This obviously gets worse
+ with higher channel counts (such as for 5.1 or Ambisonics). To make life
+ easier with such sessions, you can untick Show individual ports. After that,
+ the channels of tracks and busses will be hidden, and any green dots you add
+ in the connection manager will automatically connect each channel of the source
+ to the corresponding channel of the destination (left to left, right to right
+ and so on). In this mode, a half-circle in the connection grid indicates that
+ some (but not all) of the source's ports are connected to the destination.
+ </dd>
+ <dt><kbd class="menu">Flip</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>
+ This will flip the visible ports on the vertical axis with those on the
+ horizontal. If, for example, the top of the connection manager is showing
+ <kbd class="menu">Ardour Busses</kbd> and the right is showing
+ <kbd class="menu">Hardware</kbd>, flip will swap the view to the
+ opposite. You can also flip by pressing <kbd>f</kbd>. Note that if there are
+ no matching tabs on both axes, flipping will be impossible.
+ </dd>
</dl>
-<p> </p>
-<!-- remove if more text is added below --><!-- remove if more text is added below -->
title: Role of JACK
---
-
+<p>
+ Ardour uses <dfn>JACK</dfn> for all its internal signal flow except
+ between processors inside the same channel strip. This allows for a great
+ deal of flexibility in routing signals, but comes with an increased
+ latency penalty when using consecutive buses.
+</p>
projects / ardour-manual-diverged / commitdiff