title: Edit Point
---
-
-
- <p>Editing operations in a Digital Audio Workstation like Ardour can be broken down according to how many points on the timeline are required to carry the operation out. Splitting a region for example, requires just one position on the timeline (the one where the split will happen). Cutting out a time range requires two positions, one for the start of the cut and one for the end. </p>
-<p>In Ardour the <code>edit point</code> is the location where most single-point editing operations take place. It can be defined as one of the 3 possibilities:</p>
+<p>
+ Editing operations in a Digital Audio Workstation like Ardour can be broken
+ down according to how many points on the timeline are required to carry the
+ operation out. Splitting a region for example, requires just one position
+ on the timeline (the one where the split will happen). Cutting out a time
+ range requires two positions, one for the start of the cut and one for the end.
+</p>
+<p>
+ In Ardour the <dfn>edit point</dfn> is the location where most single-point
+ editing operations take place. It can be set to either of the following:
+</p>
<ul>
-<li> the playhead
-</li>
-<li> the position of the pointer (mouse or touch)
-</li>
-<li> the selected marker
-</li>
+ <li>the <dfn>playhead</dfn></li>
+ <li>the position of the <dfn>pointer</dfn> (mouse or touch)</li>
+ <li>the selected (or "active") <dfn>marker</dfn></li>
</ul>
-<p>The default edit point is the location of the pointer. </p>
-<p>There are 2 keybindings available to cycle through the edit point options. The most common workflow tends to involve switching back and forth between the playhead and mouse as the edit point. Press the grave accent key (<kbd>`</kbd>) to switch between these two. Use <kbd class="mod1">`</kbd> to cycle through all three choices (including the selected marker). You can also switch the edit point using a combo-selector just right of the snap/grid unit selector.</p>
+<p>
+ The default edit point is the location of the pointer.
+</p>
+<p>
+ There are 2 keybindings available to cycle through the edit point options.
+ The most common workflow tends to involve switching back and forth between
+ the playhead and mouse as the edit point. Press the grave accent key
+ <kbd>`</kbd> to switch between these two. Use <kbd class="mod1">`</kbd> to
+ cycle through all three choices (including the selected marker). You can
+ also switch the edit point using a combo-selector just right of the snap/grid
+ unit selector.
+</p>
+
+<h2>Implicit Range</h2>
-<h3>Implicit Range</h3>
-<p>In addition to explicit range selections made with the Range tool, Ardour also provides an implicit edit range. This edit range can be very useful if you want to edit by ear, rather than by mouse. If there is no regions selected, and no explicit range selection, then any editing operations that require a range (such as separate) will use the implicit edit range.</p>
-<p>The implicit range is the area between the current edit point and some other position. In most cases it is either:</p>
+<p>
+ In addition to explicit range selections made with the Range tool, Ardour
+ also provides an <dfn>implicit edit range</dfn>. This edit range can be
+ very useful if you want to edit by ear, rather than by mouse. If neither a
+ regions nor an explicit range is selected, then any editing operation that
+ requires a range (such as "separate") will use the implicit edit range.
+</p>
+<p>
+ The implicit range is the area between the current edit point and some other position.
+ In most cases it is either
+</p>
<ul>
-<li>The area between the mouse and the playhead <strong>OR</strong>
-</li>
-<li>The area between a selected marker and the mouse or playhead
-</li>
+ <li>the area between the mouse and the playhead, or</li>
+ <li>the area between a selected marker and the mouse or playhead.</li>
</ul>
-<p>Which of these is true depends on which edit point setting you are using (Mouse, Playhead or Marker) and whether there is a selected marker at that time.</p>
+<p>
+ Which of these is true depends on which edit point setting you are using (Mouse,
+ Playhead or Marker) and whether there is a selected marker at that time.
+</p>
title: Select Regions
---
-
-
- <p>Many editing operations in Ardour require you to first select one or more regions that you want to change in some way. You can select a single region, or multiple regions, including regions in different tracks. When you select a region, it will appear in a darker color than unselected regions.</p>
-<p>Note that if a track is a member of a group that is active and has the "Select" property enabled, then Ardour will attempt to match whatever selections you make in one track across every other track of the group. See <a href="/working-with-regions/region-selection-equivalence">Selection Equivalence</a> for more information on precisely how selections will be propagated to other tracks.</p>
+<p>
+ Many editing operations in Ardour require you to first <dfn>select one or more
+ regions</dfn> that you want to change in some way. You can select a single region,
+ or multiple regions, including regions in different tracks. When you select
+ a region, it will appear in a darker color than unselected regions.
+</p>
+<p>
+ Note that if a track is a member of a group that is active and has the
+ <kbd class="option">Select</kbd> property enabled, then Ardour will attempt to
+ match whatever selections you make in one track across every other track of the
+ group. See
+ <a href="/working-with-regions/corresponding-regions-selection/">Corresponding
+ Regions Selection</a> for more information on precisely how selections will be
+ propagated to other tracks.
+</p>
<h2>Region Selection and Track Selection</h2>
-<p>Please read <a href="/working-with-tracks/selecting-tracks/region-and-track-selection">Region & Track Selection</a> for more information on how selecting regions and selecting tracks interact.</p>
+<p>
+ Please read
+ <a href="/working-with-tracks/selecting-tracks/region-and-track-selection">Region & Track Selection</a>
+ for more information on how selecting regions and selecting tracks interact.
+</p>
<h2>Select a Region</h2>
-<p>Confirm that you are using the <a href="/ardours-interface/introducing-the-editor-window/the-editing-toolbar/#object">Object tool</a>, then click on a region to select it. If <a href="/ardours-interface/introducing-the-editor-window/the-editing-toolbar/#smartmode">smart mode</a> is enabled, click in the lower half of the region.</p>
+<p>
+ Confirm that you are using the
+ <a href="/ardours-interface/introducing-the-editor-window/the-editing-toolbar/#object">Object tool</a>,
+ then click on a region to select it. If
+ <a href="/ardours-interface/introducing-the-editor-window/the-editing-toolbar/#smartmode">smart mode</a>
+ is enabled, click in the lower half of the region.
+</p>
<h2>Deselect a Region</h2>
-<p>Confirm you are using the <a href="/ardours-interface/introducing-the-editor-window/the-editing-toolbar/#object">Object tool</a>, then <kbd class="mod1">click</kbd> the region. If <a href="/ardours-interface/introducing-the-editor-window/the-editing-toolbar/#smartmode">smart mode</a> is enabled, click in the lower half of the region. </p>
-<p>Note that <kbd class="mod1">click</kbd> simply toggles the selected status of an object, so it can be used to select unselected regions too</p>
+<p>
+ Confirm you are using the
+ <a href="/ardours-interface/introducing-the-editor-window/the-editing-toolbar/#object">Object tool</a>,
+ then <kbd class="mouse mod1">Left</kbd>-click the region. If
+ <a href="/ardours-interface/introducing-the-editor-window/the-editing-toolbar/#smartmode">smart mode</a>
+ is enabled, click in the lower half of the region.
+</p>
+<p>
+ Note that a <kbd class="mouse mod1">left</kbd> click simply toggles the
+ selected status of an object, so it can be used to select unselected regions
+ too.
+</p>
<h2>Select Multiple Regions in a Track</h2>
<p>Do one of the following:</p>
<ul>
-<li>
-<kbd class="mod1">click</kbd> each region
-</li>
-<li>drag from a point in "empty space" in track before the first region you wish to select to a point within or after the last region you wish to select. You can use <kbd class="mod1">drag</kbd> to do this multiple times
-</li>
-<li>if the regions are all adjacent to one another, click the first region you wish to select, then <kbd>Shift-click</kbd> the last region you wish to select
-</li>
+ <li><kbd class="mouse mod1">Left</kbd>-click each region, or</li>
+ <li>
+ drag a rubberband box from an empty point in a track before the first
+ region you wish to select to a point within or after the last region
+ you wish to select (you can <kbd class="mouse mod1">left</kbd>-drag to do this
+ multiple times), or,
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ if the regions are all adjacent to one another, click the first region
+ you wish to select, then <kbd class="mouse mod3">Left</kbd>-click the last
+ region you wish to select.
+ </li>
</ul>
<h2>Select All Regions in a Track</h2>
-<p><kbd>Context-click</kbd> the track, and in the context menu, navigate to <code>Select > Select All In Track</code></p>
-<p>See the <a href="/working-with-tracks/the-track-context-menu">Track Context Menu</a> for more information on other per-track selection operations that are available.</p>
+<p>
+ Context-click the track, and in the context menu, navigate to
+ <kbd class="menu">Select > Select All In Track</menu>.
+</p>
+<p>
+ See the <a href="/working-with-tracks/the-track-context-menu">Track Context Menu</a>
+ for more information on other per-track selection operations that are available.
+</p>
<h2>Select Multiple Regions Across Different Tracks</h2>
-<p><kbd class="mod1">click</kbd> or <kbd>Shift-click</kbd> the regions you wish to select.</p>
+<p>
+ <kbd class="mouse mod1">Left</kbd>-click or <kbd class="mouse
+ mod3">Left</kbd>-click the regions you wish to select.
+</p>
<h2>Select a Region From the Region List</h2>
-<p>Click the name of the region in the <a href="/ardours-interface/introducing-the-editor-window/editor-lists/region-list/">Region List</a>. Note that this will do nothing for whole-file regions, since they do not exist anywhere in a playlist or track.</p>
+<p>
+ Click the name of the region in the
+ <a href="/ardours-interface/introducing-the-editor-window/editor-lists/region-list/">Region List</a>.
+ Note that this will do nothing for whole-file regions, since they do not exist
+ anywhere in a playlist or track.
+</p>
---
layout: default
-title: What Regions Are Affected?
+title: Which Regions Are Affected?
+menu_title: Affected Regions
---
-
-
-
<p>
- This section explains the rules used to decide what regions are affected
- by editing operations. You don't really have to understand them - hopefully
- things will Just Work - but it may be useful to understand the rules some
- of the time.
+ This section explains the rules used to decide which regions are affected
+ by editing operations. You don't really have to understand them — hopefully
+ things will Just Work — but it may be useful eventually to understand the rules.
</p>
<p>
- Ardour divides operations up into those that operate on a single point
- in time (Split being the obvious example) and those that operate on two
- points (which can also be considered to be a range of sorts), Separate
- is a good example of this.
+ Editing operations in Ardour either operate on a single point in time
+ (<kbd class="menu">Split</kbd> being the obvious example) or on two
+ points (which can also be considered to be a range of sorts), <kbd
+ class="menu">Separate</kbd> is a good example of this.
</p>
<p>
Most operations will operate on the currently selected region(s), but if
no regions are selected, the region that the mouse is in will be used
instead. Single-point operations will generally pick a set of regions to
- use based on the following rules:</p>
-<ol>
- <li> If the edit point is `mouse':
+ use based on the following rules:
+</p>
+<ul>
+ <li> If the edit point is `mouse', then
<ul>
- <li>if the mouse is over a selected region, or no region, use all selected regions.</li>
+ <li>if the mouse is over a selected region, or no region, use all selected
+ regions, or</li>
<li>if the mouse is over an unselected region, use just that region.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li> For all other edit points
<ul>
<li>
- use the selected regions <strong>and</strong> those that are both
- under the edit position <strong>and</strong> on a selected track,
+ use the selected regions <em>and</em> those that are both
+ under the edit position <em>and</em> on a selected track,
or on a track which is in the same active edit-enabled route group
as a selected region.
</li>
</ul>
</li>
-</ol>
-<p>The rationale here for the two different rules is that the mouse edit point is special in that its position indicates both a time and a track; the other edit points (Playhead,Marker) indicates only a time.</p>
+</ul>
+<p>
+ The rationale here for the two different rules is that the mouse edit point
+ is special in that its position indicates both a time and a track; the other
+ edit points (Playhead,Marker) indicate a time only.
+</p>
---
layout: default
title: Snap to the Grid
+menu-title: Snap to Grid
---
+<p>
+ Ardour's editor utilizes a <dfn>grid</dfn> to assist in the placement
+ of regions on the timeline, or with editing functions that need to happen
+ at a specific point in time. You can choose if you want the cursor and
+ various objects to snap to this grid, and how you want the snapping to
+ behave. You can modify the grid units to fit your needs.
+</p>
-
-
-<p>Ardour's editor utilizes a grid to assist in the placement of regions on the timeline, or with editing functions that need to happen on a specific time. With these buttons you can choose if you want the cursor and various objects to snap to this grid, and how you want the snapping to act. You can also modify what units the grid measures as well to fit your needs.</p>
-
-<h3>Snap Modes</h3>
+<h2>Snap Modes</h2>
<p>Ardour supports three different types of snapping to the grid:</p>
<dl class="wide-table">
-<dt>No Grid</dt>
-<dd>disables the grid. All objects move freely in this mode.</dd>
-<dt>Grid</dt>
-<dd>activates normal snapping. All positions of objects are restricted to points of the grid. (See <a href="gridunits">Grid Units</a> below to change these points) If you try to move an object in "Grid"-mode, it does not change its position until you move the mouse far enough for the object to reach the next grid point. New objects will always be created at grid points, too.</dd>
-<dt>Magnetic</dt>
-<dd> is a less strict type of snapping. Objects can still be moved to any position, but positions close to grid points will snap to the grid point. In order to move an object very close to a grid point, it may be necessary to zoom in to prevent snapping to that point.</dd>
+ <dt><kbd class="menu">No Grid</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>disables the grid. All objects move freely in this mode.</dd>
+ <dt><kbd class="menu">Grid</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>activates normal snapping. All positions of objects are restricted
+ to points of the grid. (See <a href="#gridunits">Grid Units</a> below
+ to change these points). If you try to move an object in "Grid"-mode, it
+ does not change its position until you move the mouse far enough for the
+ object to reach the next grid point. New objects will always be created at
+ grid points, too.
+ </dd>
+ <dt><kbd class="menu">Magnetic</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>is a less strict type of snapping. Objects can still be moved to any
+ position, but positions close to grid points will snap to the grid point.
+ In order to move an object very close to a grid point, it may be necessary
+ to zoom in to prevent snapping to that point.</dd>
</dl>
-<h3>Syncing Regions to the Grid</h3>
-<p>By default a region's beginning will snap to points along the timeline, but you can change this behaviour by setting a sync point in the region. Select the region(s) and press <code>v</code>. This will set the sync point to your edit point.</p>
+<h2>Syncing Regions to the Grid</h2>
+<p>
+ By default, a region's beginning will snap to points along the timeline,
+ but you can change this behaviour by setting a <dfn>sync point</dfn> in
+ the region. Select the region(s) and press <kbd>V</kbd>. This will set
+ the sync point to your edit point.</p>
-<h3 id="gridunits">Grid Units</h3>
-<p>The selector next to the grid mode selector defines the size of the grid elements. The most useful settings are "Bars" and "Beats", but you can set your grid to several different units:</p>
+<h2 id="gridunits">Grid Units</h2>
+<p>
+ The selector next to the grid mode selector defines the size of the grid
+ elements. You can set your grid to several different units:
+</p>
<dl class="wide-table">
-<dt>CD Frames</dt>
-<dd>a CD Frame is 1/75th of a second. Snapping to CD Frames can be used to avoid issues with CD track lengths</dd>
-<dt>Timecode Frames/Seconds/Minutes</dt>
-<dd>These duration depend on the timecode settings for the session</dd>
-<dt>Seconds/Minutes</dt>
-<dd>These are absolute time units, unaffected by sample rate or timecode settings</dd>
-<dt>Beats/N</dt>
-<dd>Sets the grid to units of 1/N beats, where N can be 128, 64, 32, 16, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. The duration of a grid unit will depend on the tempo and meter in effect at that point in the timeline.</dd>
-<dt>Beats</dt>
-<dd>Sets the grid to whole beats. The duration of a grid unit will depend on the tempo and meter in effect at that point in the timeline.</dd>
-<dt>Bars</dt>
-<dd>Sets the grid to whole bars. The duration of a grid unit will depend on the tempo and meter in effect at that point in the timeline.</dd>
-<dt>Markers</dt>
-<dd>Snaps positions to the nearest marker</dd>
-<dt>Region Starts</dt>
-<dd>Snaps positions to the nearest region start (see below)</dd>
-<dt>Region Ends</dt>
-<dd>Snaps positions to the nearest region end</dd>
-<dt>Region Syncs</dt>
-<dd>Snaps positions to the nearest region sync point</dd>
-<dt>Region Bounds</dt>
-<dd>Snaps positions to the nearest region start or end</dd>
+ <dt><kbd class="menu">CD Frames</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>A CD Frame is 1/75th of a second. Snapping to CD Frames can be used to avoid issues with CD track
+ lengths.</dd>
+ <dt><kbd class="menu">Timecode Frames/Seconds/Minutes</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>The duration of a frame depends on the timecode settings for the
+ session.</dd>
+ <dt><kbd class="menu">Seconds/Minutes</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>These are absolute time units, unaffected by sample rate or timecode settings</dd>
+ <dt><kbd class="menu">Beats/N</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>Set the grid to units of 1/N beats, where N can be 128, 64, 32, 16, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. The duration of a grid unit will depend on the tempo and meter in effect at that point in the timeline.</dd>
+ <dt><kbd class="menu">Beats</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>Set the grid to whole beats. The duration of a grid unit will depend on the tempo and meter in effect at that point in the timeline.</dd>
+ <dt><kbd class="menu">Bars</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>Set the grid to whole bars. The duration of a grid unit will depend on the tempo and meter in effect at that point in the timeline.</dd>
+ <dt><kbd class="menu">Markers</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>Snap positions to the nearest marker.</dd>
+ <dt><kbd class="menu">Region Starts</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>Snap positions to the nearest region start (see below).</dd>
+ <dt><kbd class="menu">Region Ends</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>Snap positions to the nearest region end.</dd>
+ <dt><kbd class="menu">Region Syncs</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>Snap positions to the nearest region sync point.</dd>
+ <dt><kbd class="menu">Region Bounds</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>Snap positions to the nearest region start or end.</dd>
</dl>
-<p>To use Region starts/ends/syncs/bounds as snap choices, you must have
-either</p>
+
+<p>
+ To use Region starts/ends/syncs/bounds as snap choices, you must have
+either
+</p>
<ul>
-<li><em>No</em> tracks selected, which means that Ardour snaps to regions on any track, or </li>
-<li>Several tracks selected, which means that Ardour only snaps to regions on those selected tracks.</li>
+ <li><em>No</em> tracks selected, which means that Ardour snaps to regions on any track, or </li>
+ <li>Several tracks selected, which means that Ardour only snaps to regions on those selected tracks.</li>
</ul>
<p>
-If you are moving items on a track, and only the current track is selected, then you will only be able to snap to other regions on the same track. This means that enabling <code>Edit > Preferences > Editor > Link Selections of Regions and Tracks</code> will make the "Region" grid units unusable. Avoid the use of this option if you are going to use any of the Region grid units.</p>
-</p>
\ No newline at end of file
+ If you are moving items on a track, and only the current track is selected,
+ then you will only be able to snap to other regions on the same track.
+ This means that enabling
+ <kbd class="menu">Edit > Preferences > Editor > Link Selections of Regions and
+ Tracks</kbd> will make the "Region" grid unit unusable. Avoid the use of this option if
+ you are going to use any of the Region grid units.
+</p>
---
layout: default
title: Common Region Edit Operations
+menu-title: Region Editing
---
-
-
-
-<p>This section covers a set of region editing operations that you are likely to use again and again while working on a session. Depending on your work habits (and experience of other <abbr title="Digital Audio Workstation">DAW</abbr>s) you'll find some of these operations critical while others used only rarely. </p>
-<p>You can carry out all of these operations from the keyboard (see <a href="/default-keyboard-bindings">Default Keyboard Shortcuts</a> for a list). Equivalent operations can be done with mouse in most cases. </p>
-<p>You may want to review your understanding of <a href="/editing-and-arranging/the-edit-point">the edit point/range</a> and <a href="/editing-and-arranging/what-regions-are-affected">which regions will be affected by region operations</a>.</p>
+<p>
+ This section covers a set of <dfn>region editing operations</dfn>
+ that you are likely to use often while working on a session.
+ Depending on your work habits (and experience of other
+ <abbr title="Digital Audio Workstation">DAW</abbr>s) you will find
+ some of these operations critical while others are used only rarely.
+</p>
+<p>
+ You can carry out all of these operations from the keyboard (see
+ <a href="/default-keyboard-bindings">Default Keyboard Shortcuts</a>
+ for a list). Equivalent operations can be performed with the mouse
+ in most cases.
+</p>
+<p>
+ You may want to review your understanding of
+ <a href="/editing-and-arranging/the-edit-point">the edit point/range</a> and
+ <a href="/editing-and-arranging/which-regions-are-affected">which regions will be affected by region operations</a>.
+</p>
<dl class="wide-table">
-<dt>Spot (Align)</dt>
-<dd>move selected regions to the edit point</dd>
-<dt>Split</dt>
-<dd>split selected regions at the edit point</dd>
-<dt>Trim Start</dt>
-<dd>Adjust the start of selected regions to the edit point (or as close as possible)</dd>
-<dt>Trim End</dt>
-<dd>Adjust the end of selected regions to the edit point (or as close as possible)</dd>
-<dt>Duplicate</dt>
-<dd>Make a copy of each selected region and position it immediately after the original</dd>
-<dt>Crop</dt>
-<dd>Truncate selected regions to the edit range</dd>
-<dt>Separate</dt>
-<dd>Split selected regions at both ends of the edit range</dd>
-<dt>Set Fade In</dt>
-<dd>Adjust selected audio regions' fade in to end at the edit point</dd>
-<dt>Set Fade Out</dt>
-<dd>Adjust selected audio regions' fade out to end at the edit point</dd>
-<dt>Toggle Fade In</dt>
-<dd>Turn selected audio regions' fade in on or off</dd>
-<dt>Toggle Fade Out</dt>
-<dd>Turn selected audio regions' fade out on or off</dd>
-<dt>Play Region</dt>
-<dd>Play session from the start of the earliest selected region</dd>
-<dt>Zoom To Region</dt>
-<dd>Zoom horizontally so that the selected regions span the editor track view</dd>
-<dt>Set Sync Point</dt>
-<dd>Set the sync point of all selected regions to the edit point</dd>
-<dt>Insert</dt>
-<dd>Inserts the currently selected regions in the Region List at the edit point</dd>
+<dt><kbd class="menu">Spot (Align)</kbd></dt>
+<dd>Move selected regions to the edit point.</dd>
+<dt><kbd class="menu">Split</kbd></dt>
+<dd>Split selected regions at the edit point.</dd>
+<dt><kbd class="menu">Trim Start</kbd></dt>
+<dd>Adjust the start of selected regions to the edit point (or as close as
+possible).</dd>
+<dt><kbd class="menu">Trim End</kbd></dt>
+<dd>Adjust the end of selected regions to the edit point (or as close as
+possible).</dd>
+<dt><kbd class="menu">Duplicate</kbd></dt>
+<dd>Make a copy of each selected region and position it immediately after the
+original.</dd>
+<dt><kbd class="menu">Crop</kbd></dt>
+<dd>Truncate selected regions to the edit range.</dd>
+<dt><kbd class="menu">Separate</kbd></dt>
+<dd>Split selected regions at both ends of the edit range.</dd>
+<dt><kbd class="menu">Set Fade In</kbd></dt>
+<dd>Adjust selected audio regions' fade in to end at the edit point.</dd>
+<dt><kbd class="menu">Set Fade Out</kbd></dt>
+<dd>Adjust selected audio regions' fade out to end at the edit point.</dd>
+<dt><kbd class="menu">Toggle Fade In</kbd></dt>
+<dd>Turn selected audio regions' fade in on or off.</dd>
+<dt><kbd class="menu">Toggle Fade Out</kbd></dt>
+<dd>Turn selected audio regions' fade out on or off.</dd>
+<dt><kbd class="menu">Play Region</kbd></dt>
+<dd>Play session from the start of the earliest selected region.</dd>
+<dt><kbd class="menu">Zoom To Region</kbd></dt>
+<dd>Zoom horizontally so that the selected regions span the editor track
+view.</dd>
+<dt><kbd class="menu">Set Sync Point</kbd></dt>
+<dd>Set the sync point of all selected regions to the edit point.</dd>
+<dt><kbd class="menu">Insert</kbd></dt>
+<dd>Inserts the currently selected regions in the Region List at the edit
+point.</dd>
</dl>
-<p> </p>
-<!-- remove if more text is added below --><!-- remove if more text is added below -->
---
layout: default
-title: Change Region Lengths
+title: Trimming Regions
---
+<p>
+ Changing the <dfn>length</dfn> of a region is a very common editing
+ operation, often known as <dfn>trimming</dfn>. There are several ways
+ to accomplish this with Ardour, and some very useful specialized trimming
+ operations.
+</p>
-
-
-<p>Changing the length of a region is a very common editing operation, often known as "trimming". There are several ways to accomplish this with Ardour, and some very useful specialized trimming operations.</p>
+<h2>Drag-Trimming With the Mouse</h2>
+<p>
+ In object mode, move the pointer near the beginning or end of the region.
+ The cursor will change to indicate that trimming is possible, and you then
+ <kbd class="mouse">Left</kbd>-drag the edge of the region.
+</p>
+<p>
+ Trimming will obey <a href="/editing-and-arranging/snap-to-the-grid/">Snap settings</a>.
+</p>
-<h3>Drag-Trimming With the Mouse</h3>
-<p>In object mode, move the pointer near the beginning or end of the region. The cursor will change to indicate that trimming is possible, and you then <kbd>click-and-drag</kbd> the edge of the region. </p>
-<p>Trimming will obey <a href="/editing-and-arranging/snap-to-the-grid/">Snap settings</a>.</p>
+<h2>Click Trimming With the Mouse</h2>
+<p>
+ <kbd class="mouse">Left</kbd>-click in the colored bar at the bottom of a region.
+ If you are nearer to the start of a region, this will trim the start time to the
+ position of the pointer. If you are nearer to the end of a region, it will trim the
+ end time.
+</p>
-<h3>Click Trimming With the Mouse</h3>
-<p><kbd>Click</kbd> in the colored bar at the bottom of a region. If you are nearer to the start of a region, this will trim the start time to the position of the pointer. If you are nearer to the end of a region, it will trim the end time.</p>
+<h2>Keyboard Shortcuts for Trimming</h2>
+<p>
+ There are several commands for region trimming. Some use the
+ <a href="/editing-and-arranging/the-edit-point">edit point</a> to determine where
+ to trim to. Some are not bound to any keys by default (but could be via the
+ Keybindings Editor).
+</p>
-<h3>Keyboard Shortcuts for Trimming</h3>
-<p>There are several commands for region trimming. Some use the <a href="/editing-and-arranging/the-edit-point">edit point</a> to determine where to trim to. Some are not bound to any keys by default (but could be via the Keybindings Editor).</p>
<dl class="wide-table">
-<dt>Region/trim-front <kbd>j</kbd>
-</dt>
-<dd>trim selected region(s) start to edit point</dd>
-<dt>Region/trim-end <kbd>k</kbd>
-</dt>
-<dd>trim selected region(s) end to edit point</dd>
+ <dt><kbd class="menu">Region/trim-front</kbd> <kbd>j</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>Trim selected region(s) start to edit point.</dd>
+ <dt><kbd class="menu">Region/trim-end</kbd> <kbd>k</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>Trim selected region(s) end to edit point.</dd>
</dl>
-<h3 id="trimtonextprevious">Trim to Next/Previous Region</h3>
-<p>Sometimes you just want to extend the start or end of region so that it reaches the end or start of an adjacent region. There is now an operation accessible from the region context menu, under Edit >Trim > Trim to Next or Edit > Trim > Trim to Previous. This will extend the selected regions so they directly adjoin their neighbours, unless their source files are not long enough, in which case they will be extended to the maximum possible. Trim to Next will extend the end of the selected regions to the start of the next region; Trim to Previous will extend the start of the selected regions to the end of the previous region.</p>
+
+<h2 id="trimtonextprevious">Trim to Next/Previous Region</h2>
+<p>
+ Sometimes you just want to extend the start or end of region so that it reaches
+ the end or start of an adjacent region. There is now an operation accessible
+ from the region context menu, under <kbd class="menu">Edit >Trim > Trim to
+ Next</kbd> or <kbd class="menu">Edit > Trim > Trim to Previous</kbd>. This
+ will extend the selected regions so they directly adjoin their neighbours, unless
+ their source files are not long enough, in which case they will be extended to the
+ maximum possible. Trim to Next will extend the end of the selected regions to the
+ start of the next region; Trim to Previous will extend the start of the selected
+ regions to the end of the previous region.
+</p>
<dl class="wide-table">
-<dt>Region/trim-to-previous-region <kbd class="mod1">j</kbd>
-</dt>
-<dd>trim the start of selected region(s) to the end of the previous region</dd>
-<dt>Region/trim-to-next-region <kbd class="mod1">k</kbd>
-</dt>
-<dd>trim the end of selected region(s) to the start of the following region</dd>
+ <dt><kbd class="menu">Region/trim-to-previous-region</kbd> <kbd class="mod1">j</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>Trim the start of selected region(s) to the end of the previous
+ region.</dd>
+ <dt><kbd class="menu">Region/trim-to-next-region</kbd> <kbd class="mod1">k</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>Trim the end of selected region(s) to the start of the following
+ region.</dd>
</dl>
-<h3>Other Possible Commands for Trimming</h3>
-<p>These are not bound to any keys by default, but could be via the Keybindings Editor. They can also be sent via OSC or other control protocols.</p>
+
+<h2>Other Possible Commands for Trimming</h2>
+<p>
+ These are not bound to any keys by default, but could be via the Keybindings
+ Editor. They can also be sent via OSC or other control protocols.
+</p>
<dl class="wide-table">
-<dt>Region/trim-region-to-loop</dt>
-<dd>Trim region to match the current loop range</dd>
-<dt>Region/trim-region-to-punch</dt>
-<dd>Trim region to match the current punch range</dd>
+ <dt><kbd class="menu">Region/trim-region-to-loop</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>Trim region to match the current loop range.</dd>
+ <dt><kbd class="menu">Region/trim-region-to-punch</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>Trim region to match the current punch range.</dd>
</dl>
-<p> </p>
-<!-- remove if more text is added below --><!-- remove if more text is added below -->
{% children %}
title: Push/Pull Trimming
---
-
-
-
-<p>Normally when you trim regions by dragging with the mouse, it affects only the selected regions. Their lengths are directly affected by the trim operation, but nothing else is. Sometimes though, you'd like to trim a region that directly adjoins another, and keep this relationship the same - you're not trying to make one of the regions extend over the other - you'd like the junction to move in one direction or the other as part of the trim. This requires trimming both regions on either side of the junction, in opposite directions. <em>Push/Pull</em> trim, activated by pressing shift key before starting the drag, will do just that. Here's a few pictures to show the difference in the results of a normal trim and push/pull trim. First, the initial situation:</p>
-<p><img src="/files/a3/a3_before_trim.png" alt="region arrangement before trim" /></p>
-<p>Now lets look at what happens after we trim the right hand (selected) region by dragging its starting position earlier:</p>
-<p><img src="/files/a3/a3_after_trim.png" alt="region arrangement after a trim" /></p>
-<p>You can see that it now overlaps the earlier region and a crossfade has been created between them.</p>
-<p>Lets look now at what happens if we do the same trim, but using shift-drag to turn it into a push-pull trim instead:</p>
-<p><img src="/files/a3/a3_after_push_trim.png" alt="region arrangement after a push trim" /></p>
-<p>There is no overlap, and the end of the earlier region has been moved along with the start of the later region, so that they still directly adjoin each other.</p>
+<p>
+ Normally, when you trim regions by dragging with the mouse, it affects
+ only the selected regions. Their lengths are directly affected by the
+ trim operation, but nothing else is. Sometimes though, you might like
+ to trim a region that directly adjoins another, and keep this relationship
+ the same — you are not trying to make one of the regions extend
+ over the other — you would like the junction to move in one
+ direction or the other as part of the trim. This requires trimming both
+ regions on either side of the junction, in opposite directions.
+ <dfn>Push/Pull trim</dfn>, activated by pressing shift key before
+ starting the drag, will do just that. Here's a few pictures to show the
+ difference in the results of a normal trim and push/pull trim. First,
+ the initial situation:
+</p>
+<img src="/files/a3/a3_before_trim.png" alt="region arrangement before trim" />
+<p>
+ Here is what happens after we trim the right hand (selected) region by
+ dragging its starting position earlier:
+</p>
+<img src="/files/a3/a3_after_trim.png" alt="region arrangement after a trim" />
+<p>
+ You can see that it now overlaps the earlier region and a crossfade has
+ been created between them.
+</p>
+<p>
+ Lets look now at what happens if we do the same trim, but <kbd
+ class="mouse mod3">Left</kbd>-dragging to turn it into a push-pull trim instead:
+</p>
+<img src="/files/a3/a3_after_push_trim.png" alt="region arrangement after a push trim" />
+<p>
+ There is no overlap, and the end of the earlier region has been moved
+ along with the start of the later region, so that they still directly
+ adjoin each other.
+</p>
layout: default
title: Copy Regions
---
-
-
- <h2>Copy a Single Region</h2>
-<p>To copy a region, make sure you are in object mouse mode. Move the mouse pointer into the region <kbd class="mod1">click and drag</kbd>. Ardour creates a new region and follows the mouse pointer as it moves. See <a href="/editing-and-arranging/move-regions/">Move Regions</a> for more details on moving the copied region.</p>
+<h2>Copy a Single Region</h2>
+<p>
+ To copy a region, make sure you are in object mouse mode. Move the mouse
+ pointer into the region and <kbd class="mouse mod1">left</kbd>-drag. Ardour
+ creates a new region and follows the mouse pointer as it moves. See
+ <a href="/editing-and-arranging/move-regions/">Move Regions</a> for more
+ details on moving the copied region.
+</p>
<h2>Copy Multiple Regions</h2>
-<p>To copy multiple regions, select them before copying. Then <kbd>click+drag</kbd> on one of the selected regions. All the regions will be copied and as they move. The copied regions will keep their positions relative to each other.</p>
+<p>
+ To copy multiple regions, select them before copying. Then
+ <kbd class="mouse mod1">left</kbd>-drag one of the selected regions. All the
+ regions will be copied and as they move. The copied regions will keep their
+ positions relative to each other.
+</p>
<h2>Fixed-Time Copying</h2>
-<p>If you want to copy region(s) to other track(s) but keep the copies at the exact position on the timeline as the originals, simply use <kbd class="mod1">Middle-click-drag</kbd> instead.</p>
+<p>
+ If you want to copy region(s) to other track(s) but keep the copies at the
+ exact position on the timeline as the originals, simply use
+ <kbd class="mouse mod1">Middle</kbd>-drag instead.
+</p>
title: Move Regions
---
-
-
-<p>The following edit modes affect how regions are moved or copied:</p>
+<p>
+ Ardour has a global <dfn>edit mode</dfn> selector at the left of the
+ Editing toolbar, which affect how regions are moved or copied:</p>
<dl>
-<dt>Slide</dt>
-<dd>Regions move freely. Ardour creates overlaps when necessary</dd>
-<dt>Lock</dt>
-<dd>No region motion is permitted</dd>
-<dt>Splice</dt>
-<dd>Regions moved freely, but Ardour closes gaps between regions after any movement has occured</dd>
+ <dt><kbd class="menu">Slide</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>Regions move freely. Ardour creates overlaps when necessary.</dd>
+ <dt><kbd class="menu">Lock</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>No region motion is permitted (except for "nudge").</dd>
+ <dt><kbd class="menu">Splice</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>Regions moved freely, but Ardour closes gaps between regions after any movement has occured</dd>
</dl>
-<p>The edit mode is set via a combo selector at the left of the editing toolbar.</p>
-<p>If "Snap To Grid" is enabled, then regions can only move so that they align with locations determined by the current snap settings (beats, or seconds, or other region boundaries, etc). See <a href="/editing-and-arranging/snap-to-the-grid">Snap To the Grid</a> for details.</p>
+<p class="note">
+ If <kbd class="menu">Snap To Grid</kbd> is enabled, then regions can
+ only move so that they align with locations determined by the current
+ snap settings (beats, or seconds, or other region boundaries, etc).
+ See <a href="/editing-and-arranging/snap-to-the-grid">Snap To the Grid</a>
+ for details.
+</p>
title: Move Regions With the Mouse
---
-
-
- <p>To move or copy a region, make sure you are in object mode. If you are using "smart mode", the pointer must be in the lower half of the region to begin a move or copy operation.</p>
-<p>Move the pointer into the region, use <kbd>click-drag</kbd>. The region will follow the pointer as you move it around. By default, the region can move freely along the timeline. </p>
-<p>To move a region from one track to another, simply start a move as described above, but move the pointer into the desired track. The region will follow the pointer. Note that if you have other kinds of "tracks" visible, the region will remain where it is as the pointer moves across them, and will then jump to the new track. This serves as a visual reminder that you cannot drag an audio region into an automation track or a bus, for example.</p>
+<p>
+ To move or copy a region, make sure you are in object mode. If you are
+ using smart mode, the pointer must be in the lower half of the region
+ to begin a move or copy operation.
+</p>
+<p>
+ Move the pointer into the region, use a <kbd class="mouse">Left</kbd>-drag.
+ The region will follow the pointer as you move it around. By default,
+ the region can move freely along the timeline.
+</p>
+<p>
+ To move a region from one track to another, simply start a move as
+ described above, but move the pointer into the desired track. The
+ region will follow the pointer. Note that if you have other kinds of
+ tracks visible, the region will remain where it is as the pointer
+ moves across them, and will then jump to the new track. This serves as
+ a visual reminder that you cannot drag an audio region into an automation
+ track or a bus, for example.
+</p>
<h2>Move Multiple Regions</h2>
-<p>To move multiple regions, select them before moving. Then click+drag on one of the selected regions. All the regions will move, keeping their positions relative to each other.</p>
+<p>
+ To move multiple regions, select them before moving. Then
+ <kbd class="mouse">Left</kbd>-drag one of the selected regions. All the
+ regions will move, keeping their positions relative to each other.
+</p>
<h2>Fixed-Time Motion</h2>
-<p>Sometimes, you want to move a region to another track, but keeping its position along the timeline exactly the same. To do this, use <kbd>Middle-click-drag</kbd> instead.</p>
+<p>
+ Sometimes, you want to move a region to another track, but keeping its
+ position along the timeline exactly the same. To do this, use
+ <kbd class="mouse">Middle</kbd>-drag instead.
+</p>
title: Align (Spot) Regions
---
-
-
- <p>Aligning regions (sometimes called "spotting") means moving one or more regions based on a defined location, which in Ardour is always the <a href="/editing-and-arranging/the-edit-point">edit point</a>. An alignment operation moves the region(s) so that some part of the region is positioned at the edit point. Available alignment commands include:</p>
+<p>
+ Aligning regions (sometimes called "spotting") means moving one or more
+ regions based on a defined location, which in Ardour is always the
+ <a href="/editing-and-arranging/the-edit-point">edit point</a>. An
+ alignment operation moves the region(s) so that some part of the region
+ is positioned at the edit point. Available alignment commands include:
+</p>
<dl class="wide-table">
-<dt>Align Region starts <kbd class="mod14">a</kbd>
-</dt>
-<dd>Selected region(s) are moved so that their start is located at the current edit point</dd>
-<dt>Align Region ends <kbd class="mod2">a</kbd>
-</dt>
-<dd>Selected region(s) are moved so that the end is located at the current edit point</dd>
-<dt>Align Region sync points <kbd>Shift-a</kbd>
-</dt>
-<dd>Selected region(s) are moved so that their sync point is located at the current edit point</dd>
-<dt>Align Region starts relative <kbd class="mod4">a</kbd>
-</dt>
-<dd>Selected region(s) are moved so that the start of the earliest region is located at the current edit point, and all others maintain their relative position relative to that region</dd>
+ <dt>Align Region starts <kbd class="mod14">a</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>Selected region(s) are moved so that their start is located at the current edit point</dd>
+ <dt>Align Region ends <kbd class="mod2">a</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>Selected region(s) are moved so that the end is located at the current edit point</dd>
+ <dt>Align Region sync points <kbd>Shift-a</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>Selected region(s) are moved so that their sync point is located at the current edit point</dd>
+ <dt>Align Region starts relative <kbd class="mod4">a</kbd></dt>
+ <dd>Selected region(s) are moved so that the start of the earliest region is located at the current edit point, and all others maintain their relative position relative to that region</dd>
</dl>
-<p> </p>
-<!-- remove if more text is added below --><!-- remove if more text is added below -->
---
<h2>Region Fades</h2>
-<p><code>Region fades</code> are possible at the beginning and end of all audio regions. In <code>Object Mode</code> a grip appears at the top left and top right of an audio region when the cursor hovers over it. Placing the cursor over the top of the grip displays the region fade cursor tip. Click and drag the grip left or right in the timeline to adjust the length of the fade.</p>
-<p>To activate/deactivate or change the "style" of the <code>Region fade</code>, hover the cursor over the regionfade grip till the cursor tip indicates region fade editing and context-click (right-click) to bring up a context menu. In the context menu there is a list of options for the regionfade. <code>Activate/Deactivate</code> enables and disables the regionfade. The different types of fades are, <code>Liner</code>, <code>Slow</code>, <code>Fast</code>, <code>Symmetric</code> and <code>Constant Power</code></p>
+<p>
+ <dfn>Region fades</dfn> are possible at the beginning and end of all audio
+ regions. In object mode, a grip appears at the top left and top right of an
+ audio region when the cursor hovers over it. Placing the cursor over the top
+ of the grip displays the region fade cursor tip. Click and drag the grip left
+ or right in the timeline to adjust the length of the fade.
+</p>
+<p>
+ To activate/deactivate or change the shape of the fade, hover the cursor
+ over the regionfade grip till the cursor tip indicates region fade editing
+ and context-click to bring up a context menu. In the context menu there is a
+ list of options for the regionfade. <kbd class="menu">Activate/Deactivate</kbd> enables
+ and disables the regionfade. The different types of fades are,
+ <kbd class="menu">Linear</kbd>, <kbd class="menu">Slow</kbd>,
+ <kbd class="menu">Fast</kbd>, <kbd class="menu">Symmetric</kbd>, and
+ <kbd class="menu">Constant Power</kbd>.
+</p>
<h2>Crossfades</h2>
-<p><code>Crossfades</code> refer to the behavior of a region fade when regions overlaps another region. Crossfades <em>are</em> regionfades. When one region overlaps another and there is a regionfade on the top region the fade-out will be mirrored as a fade-in on the underlying region. The grip for the top region will allow changing the length and type of the crossfade.</p>
+<p>
+ <dfn>Crossfades</dfn> refer to the behavior of a region fade when regions
+ overlap other regions. Crossfades <em>are</em> regionfades. When one region
+ overlaps another and there is a regionfade on the top region the fade-out will
+ be mirrored as a fade-in on the underlying region. The grip for the top region
+ will allow changing the length and type of the crossfade.
+</p>
---
-
-
-
-
-
{% children %}
title: Separate Under
---
-
-
-
-<p>You may have a situation where you've positioned one region over another, and you just want to cut the lower region so that it directly adjoins both ends of the overlapping one, with no overlaps. To do this, select the upper region, then choose <code>Edit > Separate > Separate Under</code>. This will split the lower region so that it no longer overlaps the upper region at all. Here is an example where we start with a short region placed so that it overlaps a longer region:</p>
-<p><img src="/files/a3/a3_before_separate_under.png" alt="region arrangement before separate under" /></p>
-<p>When we perform the Separate Under edit, the lower region splits in two, with boundaries exactly positioned at the edges of the upper region:</p>
-<p><img src="/files/a3/a3_after_separate_under.png" alt="region arrangement after separate under" /></p>
-<p>If the upper region covers only one end of the lower region, then this operation is equivalent to <a href="/editing-and-arranging/change-region-lengths/#trimtonextprevious">Trim to Next or Trim to Previous</a>, depending on which end is covered.</p>
+<p>
+ You may have a situation where you have positioned one region over another,
+ and you just want to cut the lower region so that it directly adjoins both
+ ends of the overlapping one, with no overlaps. To do this, select the upper
+ region, then choose <kbd class="menu">Edit > Separate > Separate
+ Under</kbd>. This will split the lower region so that it no longer overlaps
+ the upper region at all. <br />
+ Here is an example where we start with a short region placed so that it
+ overlaps a longer region:
+</p>
+<img src="/files/a3/a3_before_separate_under.png" alt="region arrangement before separate under" />
+<p>
+ When we perform the <dfn>Separate Under</dfn> edit, the lower region splits
+ in two, with boundaries exactly positioned at the edges of the upper region:
+</p>
+<img src="/files/a3/a3_after_separate_under.png" alt="region arrangement after separate under" />
+<p>
+ If the upper region covers only one end of the lower region, then this
+ operation is equivalent to
+ <a href="/editing-and-arranging/change-region-lengths/#trimtonextprevious">Trim to Next or Trim to Previous</a>,
+ depending on which end is covered.
+</p>
title: Separate Range
---
-
-
-
-<p>A final new editing feature is an operation in the context menu of a range labelled "Separate Regions Under Range". This splits any selected regions that are covered by the range at both ends of the range (or just one, if the range only covers part of the region). This makes it easy to generate regions that correspond precisely to a range.</p>
+<p>
+ A final new editing feature is an operation in the context menu of a
+ range labelled <kbd class="menu">Separate Regions Under Range</kbd>.
+ This splits any selected regions that are covered by the range at both
+ ends of the range (or just one, if the range only covers part of the
+ region). This makes it easy to generate regions that correspond
+ precisely to a range.
+</p>
menu_title: Stripping Silence
---
-
-
-
-<p>From the region context menu choose <code>Edit > Strip Silence</code> to detect silence (based on a user-chosen threshold in <abbr title="Decibels relative to Full Scale">dBFS</abbr>), split a region based on the boundaries of the silent segments, and remove the silence. You can also specify a minimum length for silence - useful when editing very percussive material and just needing to automatically trim the ends of a region. The dialog looks like this:</p>
-<p><img src="/files/a3/a3_strip_silence.png" alt="strip silence dialog" /></p>
-<p>The edit applies to all selected regions, allowing batch processing. You can also see in the screenshot how the main editor window is used to show silent segments and report the number and durations of the shortest segments.</p>
+<p>
+ From the region context menu, choose <kbd class="menu">Edit > Strip
+ Silence</kbd> to detect silence (based on a user-chosen threshold in
+ <abbr title="Decibels relative to Full Scale">dBFS</abbr>), split a
+ region based on the boundaries of the silent segments, and remove the
+ silence. You can also specify a minimum length for silence —
+ useful when editing very percussive material and just needing to
+ automatically trim the ends of a region. The dialog looks like this:
+</p>
+<img src="/files/a3/a3_strip_silence.png" alt="strip silence dialog" />
+<p>
+ The edit applies to all selected regions, allowing batch processing.
+ You can also see in the screenshot how the main editor window is used
+ to show silent segments and report the number and durations of the
+ shortest segments.
+</p>
title: Edit MIDI
---
+<p>
+ Ardour's handling of <dfn>MIDI editing</dfn> differs from most other DAWs
+ and MIDI sequencers.
+</p>
-
-
-<p>Ardour's handling of MIDI editing differs from most other DAWs and MIDI sequencers.</p>
-<h3>Key features of Ardour MIDI handling</h3>
+<h2>Key features of Ardour MIDI handling</h2>
<ul>
-<li>All editing is done in-place, in-window. There is no separate piano roll window or pane. Edit notes right where you see them.
-</li>
-<li>All MIDI I/O is done via JACK for sample accurate timing and maximal efficiency when communicating with external software synthesizers
-</li>
-<li>Every MIDI track has its own JACK MIDI port for input; it may have an arbitrary combination of audio and MIDI outputs, depending on the signal processing in the track; the full flexibility of JACK connectivity is present for MIDI just as it is for audio.
-</li>
-<li>Full automation for MIDI tracks, integrated with the handling of all MIDI CC data for each track
-</li>
-<li>Controllers (CC data) can be set to discrete or continuous modes (the latter will interpolate between control points and send additional data)
-</li>
-<li>Normal or Percussive mode for note data editing
-</li>
-<li>The "scroomer" (a combination scroll/zoom tool) for altering the zoom level and range of visible MIDI data
-</li>
+ <li>
+ All editing is done in-place, in-window. There is no separate piano roll
+ window or pane. Edit notes right where you see them.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ All MIDI I/O is done via JACK for sample accurate timing and maximal
+ efficiency when communicating with external software synthesizers.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ Every MIDI track has its own JACK MIDI port for input; it may have an
+ arbitrary combination of audio and MIDI outputs, depending on the signal
+ processing in the track; the full flexibility of JACK connectivity is
+ present for MIDI just as it is for audio.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ Full automation for MIDI tracks, integrated with the handling of all MIDI
+ CC data for each track.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ Controllers (CC data) can be set to discrete or continuous modes (the
+ latter will interpolate between control points and send additional
+ data).
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ There is a Normal and a Percussive mode for note data editing.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ The <dfn>scroomer</dfn> is a combination scroll/zoom tool for altering
+ the zoom level and range of visible MIDI data.
+ </li>
</ul>
-<h3>Notable Differences</h3>
+
+<h2>Notable Differences</h2>
<ul>
-<li>As mentioned above, all editing is done in-place
-</li>
-<li>Fader (volume) control currently operates on transmitted MIDI data, not by sending CC #7
-</li>
-<li>All note/data editing is per-region. There are no cross-region operations at this time
-</li>
-<li>By default, copying a MIDI region creates a "deep link" or "cloned copy" - both regions share the same data source, and edits to the <em>contents</em> of one will affect the other. To break this link, select <code>MIDI > Unlink from other copies</code> from the region context menu, after which the selected region(s) will have their own copies of <em>only</em> the data that they visually display on screen. You will not be able to trim the region back its "original" length after an Unlink operation, and the operation cannot be undone.
-</li>
+ <li>
+ Fader (volume) control currently operates on transmitted MIDI data, not by sending CC
+ #7.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ All note/data editing is per-region. There are no cross-region operations at this
+ time.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ By default, copying a MIDI region creates a <dfn>deep link</dfn>
+ — both regions share the same data source, and edits to the contents of
+ one will affect the other. To break this link, select
+ <kbd class="menu">MIDI > Unlink from other copies</kbd> from the region
+ context menu, after which the selected region(s) will have their own copies
+ of <em>only</em> the data that they visually display on screen. You will not
+ be able to trim the region back its original length after an Unlink operation,
+ and the operation cannot be undone.
+ </li>
</ul>
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
{% children %}
title: Fundamental Concepts
---
-
-
-
-<p>Ardour's MIDI editing is based on a few basic principles:</p>
+<p>Ardour's MIDI editing is based on two basic principles:</p>
<ol>
-<li>Editing should be done without having to enter a new window
-</li>
-<li>Editing should be able to carried out completely with the keyboard, or completely with the mouse, or with any combination of the two.
-</li>
+ <li>Editing should be done without having to enter a new window</li>
+ <li>
+ Editing should be able to carried out completely with the keyboard,
+ or completely with the mouse, or with any combination of the two.
+ </li>
</ol>
-<p>Currently MIDI editing is primarily restricted to note data. Other kinds of data (controller events, sysex data) are present and can be added and deleted, but not actually edited. </p>
-<h3>Fundamentals of MIDI Editing in Ardour 3</h3>
-<p>MIDI, just like audio, exists in "regions". MIDI regions behave like audio regions: they can be moved, trimmed, copied, (cloned) or deleted. Ardour allows either editing MIDI (or audio) regions, or MIDI region content (the notes), but never both at the same time. The "e" key (by default) toggles between "region level" and "note level" editing, as will double-clicking on a MIDI region.</p>
-<blockquote><p>
-One very important thing to note: editing note information in Ardour 3.0 occurs in only a single region. There is no way currently to edit in note data for multiple regions at the same time, so for example you cannot select notes in several regions and then delete them all, nor can you copy-n-paste notes from one region to another. You can, of course, copy and paste the region(s), just as with audio.
-</p></blockquote>
-
+<p>
+ Currently, MIDI editing is primarily restricted to note data. Other
+ kinds of data (controller events, sysex data) are present and can be
+ added and deleted, but not actually edited.
+</p>
+
+<h2>Fundamentals of MIDI Editing in Ardour 3</h2>
+<p>
+ MIDI, just like audio, exists in <dfn>regions</dfn>. MIDI regions
+ behave like audio regions: they can be moved, trimmed, copied (cloned),
+ or deleted. Ardour allows either editing MIDI (or audio) regions, or MIDI
+ region content (the notes), but never both at the same time. The
+ <kbd>e</kbd> key (by default) toggles between <dfn>region level</dfn>
+ and <dfn>note level</dfn> editing, as will double-clicking on a MIDI region.
+</p>
+<p class="note">
+ One very important thing to note: editing note information in Ardour
+ occurs in only a single region. There is no way currently to edit in note
+ data for multiple regions at the same time, so for example you cannot select
+ notes in several regions and then delete them all, nor can you copy-and-paste
+ notes from one region to another. You can, of course, copy and paste the
+ region(s), just as with audio.
+</p>
layout: default
title: Create MIDI Tracks
---
-
-
-
-<p>To create a new MIDI track, choose <code>Session > Add Track/Bus</code>. In the Add Track/Bus dialog, pick "MIDI Track" from the combo selector at the upper right. </p>
-<p>You may decide to use a <a href="/missing">track template</a> if you have one. You may also know the instrument (a plugin that will generate audio in response to receiving MIDI) that you want to use in the track. The Instrument selector will show you a list of all plugins that you have which accept MIDI input and generate audio output. </p>
+<p>
+ To create a new <dfn>MIDI track</dfn>, choose <kbd class="menu">Session >
+ Add Track/Bus</kbd>. In the Add Track/Bus dialog, pick <kbd class="menu">MIDI
+ Track</kbd> from the combo selector at the upper right.
+</p>
+<p>
+ You may decide to use a <a href="/missing">track template</a> if you have one.
+ You may also know the instrument (a plugin that will generate audio in response
+ to receiving MIDI) that you want to use in the track. The Instrument selector
+ will show you a list of all plugins that you have which accept MIDI input and
+ generate audio output.
+</p>
layout: default
title: Create MIDI Regions
---
-
-
-
-<p>Although recording MIDI is a common way to create new MIDI regions, it is often desirable to do so as part of editing/arranging.</p>
-<p>To create a new MIDI region, simply <kbd>Left-click</kbd> in a MIDI track. A region will be created that is one bar long. You can <a href="/editing-and-arranging/changing-region-lengths">trim</a> it to any length you want.</p>
-<p>Once you have created a region, you will probably want to <a href="/editing-and-arranging/edit-midi/add-new-notes">Add some notes to it</a>.</p>
+<p>
+ Although recording MIDI is a common way to create new MIDI regions, it is
+ often desirable to do so as part of editing/arranging.
+</p>
+<p>
+ To create a new MIDI region, simply <kbd class="mouse">Left</kbd>-click in
+ a MIDI track. A region will be created that is one bar long. You can
+ <a href="/editing-and-arranging/changing-region-lengths">trim</a> it to any
+ length you want.
+</p>
+<p>
+ Once you have created a region, you will probably want to
+ <a href="/editing-and-arranging/edit-midi/add-new-notes">Add some notes to it</a>.
+</p>
layout: default
title: Add New Notes
---
-
-
- <h2>Adding new notes</h2>
-<p>In general, you will probably do most MIDI editing with the mouse in object mode. This allows you to select notes, copy, move or delete them and alter their properties (see below). But at some point, you're going to want to <em>add</em> notes to a MIDI region using the mouse, and if they are to be anything other than a fixed length, this means dragging with the mouse. Since this would normally be a selection operation if the mouse is in object mode, there needs to be some way for you to tell Ardour that you are trying to "draw" new notes within a MIDI region. Ardour provides two ways do this. One is to leave the mouse in object mode and press the control key while dragging (on OS X, use the Command key). The other, useful if you plan to enter a lot of notes for a while, is to switch the mouse into "Draw Notes" mode, which will now interpret any drags and clicks as requests to add a new note. For obvious reasons, you cannot use "Draw Notes" mode while using region-level editing.</p>
+<h2>Adding new notes</h2>
+<p>
+ In general, you will probably do most MIDI editing with the mouse in object
+ mode. This allows you to select notes, copy, move or delete them and alter
+ their properties (see below). But at some point, you're going to want to
+ <em>add</em> notes to a MIDI region using the mouse, and if they are to be
+ anything other than a fixed length, this means dragging with the mouse.
+ Since this would normally be a selection operation if the mouse is in object
+ mode, there needs to be some way for you to tell Ardour that you are trying
+ to <dfn>draw</dfn> new notes within a MIDI region. Ardour provides two ways
+ do this. One is to leave the mouse in object mode and
+ <kbd class="mouse mod1">Left</kbd>-drag. The other, useful if you plan to
+ enter a lot of notes for a while, is to switch the mouse into
+ <kbd class="menu">Draw Notes</kbd> mode, which will now interpret any drags
+ and clicks as requests to add a new note. For obvious reasons, you cannot
+ use Draw Notes mode while using region-level editing.
+</p>
+
<p>So, to summarize:</p>
<dl class="wide-table">
-<dt>
-<em>Selecting, moving, copying, trimming, deleting</em> <strong>regions</strong><dt>
-</dt>
-<dd>leave "Note Level Editing" disabled, use object, range or other mouse modes</dd>
-<dt>
-<em>Selecting, moving, copying trimming, deleting</em> <strong>notes</strong>
-</dt>
-<dd> enable "Note Level Editing" and use mouse object mode.</dd>
-<dt>
-<em>Adding new</em> <strong>notes</strong>
-</dt>
-<dd>enable "Note Level Editing" and then either
-<ul>
-<li>use mouse object mode and Ctrl-drag (Cmd-drag on OS X)
-</li>
-<li>use mouse draw mode
- </li>
-</ul>
-</dd>
+ <dt>Selecting, moving, copying, trimming, deleting <em>regions</em></dt>
+ <dd>
+ leave <kbd class="menu">Note Level Editing</kbd> disabled, use object,
+ range or other mouse modes
+ </dd>
+ <dt>Selecting, moving, copying trimming, deleting <em>notes</em></dt>
+ <dd>enable <kbd class="menu">Note Level Editing</kbd>and use mouse object mode</dd>
+ <dt>Adding new notes</dt>
+ <dd>
+ enable "Note Level Editing" and then either
+ <ul>
+ <li>use mouse object mode and <kbd class="mouse mod1">Left</kbd>-drag,
+ or</li>
+ <li>use mouse draw mode.</li>
+ </ul>
+ </dd>
</dl>
-<p>Note that is also a <a href="/editing-and-arranging/edit-midi/step-entry">a step entry editor</a> allowing you to enter notes from a virtual keyboard and lots more besides.</p>
+<p>
+ Note that is also a
+ <a href="/editing-and-arranging/edit-midi/step-entry">a step entry editor</a>
+ allowing you to enter notes from a virtual keyboard and lots more besides.
+</p>
title: Change Note Properties
---
-
-
-
-<p>You can view all the details about a selected note by context-clicking on it. The dialog that pops up will also allow you to modify all the properties of the selected note(s). You can modify individual properties more efficiently using the techniques described below.</p>
-<h3>Moving notes</h3>
-<p>Right arrow and Left arrow move the selected note(s) early and later in time.</p>
-<h3>Changing pitch values</h3>
-<p>The up arrow key increases the pitch of the selected notes. The down arrow key reduces the pitch of the selected notes. If any of the selected notes are already at the maximum or minimum value, no changes will be made to any of the notes, to preserve relative pitches. You can override this with the Alt/Option key. The default shift distance is one semitone. Use the Shift modifier to alter this to one octave.</p>
-<h3>Changing velocity values</h3>
-<p><kbd class="mod1">Up arrow</kbd> increases the velocity of the selected notes. The <kbd class="mod1">Down arrow</kbd>reduces the velocity of the selected notes. If any of the selected notes are already at the maximum or minumum value, no changes will be made to any of the notes, to preserve relative velocities. You can override this with the Alt/Option key. </p>
-<p>You can also press <kbd>v</kbd> to popup a dialog that will allow you to set the absolute velocity value of each selected note.</p>
-<p>Finally, the scroll wheel will also adjust notes in the same way as the arrow keys (note that like the arrow keys it only affects selected notes, not the note the pointer is over). </p>
-<h3>Changing channel</h3>
-<p>
-Press the "c" key to bring up a dialog that allow you to see and alter the MIDI channel of the selected notes. If the selected notes use different channels, they will all be forced to the newly selected channel.
-</p>
-<h3>Changing start/end/duration</h3>
<p>
-Comma (',') will alter the start time of the note. Period ('.') will alter the end time of the note. Both keys will by default make the note longer (either by moving the start earlier or the end later). For the opposite effect, use Ctrl-comma/Ctrl-period (or Cmd-command/Cmd-period on OS X). The note will be altered by the current grid setting. To change the start/end positions by 1/128th of a beat, use the Alt/Option key along with either Comma, Ctrl-Comma, etc.
+ You can view all the details about a selected note by context-clicking on
+ it. The dialog that pops up will also allow you to modify all the properties
+ of the selected note(s). You can modify individual properties more efficiently
+ using the techniques described below.
</p>
-<h3>Quantization</h3>
-<p>
-The q key will quantize the selected notes using the current quantize settings. If the quantize settings have not been set for this session yet, the quantize dialog will appear. Alt/Option-q will display the quantize dialog to allow you to reset the quantize settings and then quantizes the selected notes. The default quantize settings are: quantize note starts to the current grid setting, no swing, no threshold, full strength.</p>
-<p></p>
-<h2>Step Entry, Quantize etc.</h2>
-
+
+<dl>
+ <dt>Moving notes</dt>
+ <dd>
+ Right arrow and Left arrow move the selected note(s) early and later in time.
+ </dd>
+ <dt>Changing pitch values</dt>
+ <dd>
+ <kbd>↑</kbd> increases the pitch of the selected notes.<br />
+ <kbd>↓</kbd> reduces the pitch of the selected notes.<br />
+ If any of the selected notes are already at the maximum or minimum value,
+ no changes will be made to any of the notes, to preserve relative pitches.
+ You can override this with <kbd class="mod2"> </kbd>. The default shift
+ distance is one semitone. Use <kbd class="mod3"> </kbd> to alter this to
+ one octave.
+ </dd>
+ <dt>Changing velocity values</dt>
+ <dd>
+ <kbd class="mod1">↑</kbd> increases the velocity of the selected notes.
+ <br/>
+ <kbd class="mod1">↓</kbd> reduces the velocity of the selected
+ notes.<br />
+ If any of the selected notes are already at the maximum or minumum value,
+ no changes will be made to any of the notes, to preserve relative velocities.
+ You can override this with <kbd class="mod2"> </kbd>.
+ You can also press <kbd>v</kbd> to popup a dialog that will allow you to set
+ the absolute velocity value of each selected note. Finally, the scroll wheel
+ <kbd class="mouse">⇑</kbd> <kbd class="mouse">⇓</kbd> will also
+ adjust notes in the same way as the arrow keys (note that like the arrow keys
+ it only affects selected notes, not the note the pointer is over).
+ </dd>
+ <dt>Changing channel</dt>
+ <dd>
+ Press <kbd>c</kbd> to bring up a dialog that allow you to see and alter the
+ MIDI channel of the selected notes. If the selected notes use different
+ channels, they will all be forced to the newly selected channel.
+ </dd>
+ <dt>Changing start/end/duration</dt>
+ <dd>
+ <kbd>,</kbd> (comma) will alter the start time of the note. <br />
+ <kbd>.</kbd> (period) will alter the end time of the note. Both keys will by
+ default make the note longer (either by moving the start earlier or the end
+ later). For the opposite effect, use <kbd class="mod1">,</kbd>/<kbd
+ class="mod1">.</kbd>. The note will be altered by the current grid setting.
+ To change the start/end positions by 1/128th of a beat, use the <kbd
+ class="mod2"> </kbd> modifier in addition to these shortcuts.
+ </dd>
+ <dt>Quantization</dt>
+ <dd>
+ <kbd>q</kbd> will quantize the selected notes using the current quantize
+ settings. If the quantize settings have not been set for this session yet,
+ the quantize dialog will appear. <kbd class="mod2">q</kbd> will display the
+ quantize dialog to allow you to reset the quantize settings, and then
+ quantizes the selected notes. The default quantize settings are: quantize
+ note starts to the current grid setting, no swing, no threshold, full
+ strength.
+ </dd>
+ <dt>Step Entry, Quantize etc.</dt>
+ <dd></dd>
+</dl>
---
layout: default
-title: Handle Overlapping Notes
+title: Handling Overlapping Notes
+menu-title: Overlapping Notes
---
-
-
-
-<p>Every MIDI note consists of two messages, a NoteOn and a NoteOff message. Each one has a note number and a channel (also a velocity, but that isn't relevant here). The MIDI standard stresses that it is invalid to send a second NoteOn for the same note number on the same channel before a NoteOff for the first NoteOn. It is more or less impossible to do this with a physical MIDI controller such as a keyboard, but remarkably easy to trigger when editing in a DAW - simply overlapping two instances of the same note will do it.</p>
-<p>Ardour offers many options for how to deal with instances where you overlap two instances of the same note. Which one to use is a per-session property and can be modified from <code>Session > Properties > Misc > MIDI Options</code></p>
+<p>
+ Every MIDI note consists of two messages, a NoteOn and a NoteOff. Each one
+ has a note number and a channel (also a velocity, but that isn't relevant
+ here). The MIDI standard stresses that it is invalid to send a second NoteOn
+ for the same note number on the same channel before a NoteOff for the first
+ NoteOn. It is more or less impossible to do this with a physical MIDI
+ controller such as a keyboard, but remarkably easy to trigger when editing
+ in a DAW - simply overlapping two instances of the same note will do it.
+</p>
+<p>
+ Ardour offers many options for how to deal with instances where you overlap
+ two instances of the same note. Which one to use is a per-session property
+ and can be modified from <kbd class="menu">Session > Properties > Misc > MIDI
+ Options</kbd>.
+</p>
+
<dl class="wide-table">
-<dt>never allow them</dt>
-<dd>Edits that would create note overlaps are not allowed</dd>
-<dt>don't do anything in particular</dt>
-<dd>Ardour leaves overlapping notes alone - the behaviour of a MIDI receiver (plugin or hardware) is undefined</dd>
-<dt>replace any overlapped existing note</dt>
-<dd>When one note is moved to overlap another, remove the one that wasn't being moved</dd>
-<dt>shorten the overlapped existing note</dt>
-<dd>When one note is moved to overlap another, shorten the one that wasn't moved so that there is no overlap</dd>
-<dt>shorten the overlapping new note</dt>
-<dd>When one note is moved to overlap another, shorten the one that was moved so that there is no overlap</dd>
-<dt>replace both overlapping notes with a single note</dt>
-<dd>When one note is moved to overlap another, merge them both to form one (longer) note</dd>
+ <dt>never allow them</dt>
+ <dd>Edits that would create note overlaps are not allowed</dd>
+ <dt>don't do anything in particular</dt>
+ <dd>Ardour leaves overlapping notes alone — the behaviour of a MIDI receiver (plugin or hardware) is undefined</dd>
+ <dt>replace any overlapped existing note</dt>
+ <dd>When one note is moved to overlap another, remove the one that wasn't being moved</dd>
+ <dt>shorten the overlapped existing note</dt>
+ <dd>When one note is moved to overlap another, shorten the one that wasn't moved so that there is no overlap</dd>
+ <dt>shorten the overlapping new note</dt>
+ <dd>When one note is moved to overlap another, shorten the one that was moved so that there is no overlap</dd>
+ <dt>replace both overlapping notes with a single note</dt>
+ <dd>When one note is moved to overlap another, merge them both to form one (longer) note</dd>
</dl>
-<p>Changing the option in use will <strong>not</strong> retroactively make changes - it will only affect new note overlaps created while the option remains chosen.</p>
-<blockquote><p>Ardour does not check for note overlaps across tracks or even across regions. If you create these, it is your responsibility to deal with the consequences.
-</p></blockquote>
+<p>
+ Changing the option in use will not retroactively make changes — it will
+ only affect new note overlaps created while the option remains chosen.
+</p>
+<p class="warning">
+ Ardour does not check for note overlaps across tracks or even across regions.
+ If you create these, it is your responsibility to deal with the consequences.
+</p>
layout: default
title: Note Cut, Copy and Paste
---
-
-
- <h2>Note Cut, Copy and Paste</h2>
-<p>While in note edit mode, selected notes can be cut using <kbd class="mod1">x</kbd>, copied with <kbd class="mod1">c</kbd> and deleted with <kbd>Delete</kbd>, just as regions can. Once cut or copied, they can be pasted at the edit point using <kbd class="mod1">v</kbd>.</p>
+<p>
+ While in note edit mode, selected notes can be cut using
+ <kbd class="mod1">x</kbd>, copied with <kbd class="mod1">c</kbd> and
+ deleted with <kbd>Delete</kbd>, just as regions can. Once cut or
+ copied, they can be pasted at the edit point using
+ <kbd class="mod1">v</kbd>.
+</p>
title: Note Selection
---
+<h2>Selecting/Navigating note-by-note</h2>
+<p>
+ Tab selects the next note. <kbd class="mod1">Tab</kbd> selects the previous
+ note. <kbd class="mod3">Tab</kbd> or <kbd class="mod13">Tab</kbd> adds
+ the next/previous note to the selection.
+</p>
-
- <h2>Selecting/Navigating note-by-note</h2>
-<p>Tab selects the next note. <kbd class="mod1">Tab</kbd> selects the previous note. <kbd>Shift-Tab</kbd> or <kbd class="mod13">Tab</kbd> adds the next/previous note to the selection.</p>
<h2>Selecting notes with the mouse</h2>
-<p>While in mouse object mode, you can click on a note to select it. Once you've selected one note, shift-click on another to select all notes between them. To add or remove a note to/fromt the selection, use <kbd class="mod1">click</kbd>. You can also click and drag outside of a note to "rubberband select" a series of notes.</p>
-<p>Three different selection operations are possible if you switch to mouse range mode:</p>
+<p>
+ While in mouse object mode, you can click on a note to select it. Once you
+ have selected one note, <kbd class="mouse mod3">Left</kbd>-click on another
+ to select all notes between them. To add or remove a note to/from the
+ selection, click <kbd class="mouse mod1">Left</kbd>. You can also click and
+ drag outside of a note to <dfn>rubberband select</dfn> a series of notes.
+</p>
+<p>
+ Three different selection operations are possible if you switch to mouse
+ range mode:
+</p>
<ul>
-<li>Vertical drags within the MIDI region will select all notes within the spanned note range
-</li>
-<li>Clicks on the piano header of the track (if visible - the track must be tall enough to display it) will select all occurences of that note
-</li>
-<li>Drags on the piano header of the track will select all notes within the spanned note range
-</li>
+ <li>
+ Vertical drags within the MIDI region will select all notes within the
+ spanned note range.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ Clicks on the piano header of the track (if visible — the track must
+ be tall enough to display it) will select all occurences of that note.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ Drags on the piano header of the track will select all notes within the
+ spanned note range.
+ </li>
</ul>
-<h2>Listening to Selected Notes</h2>
-<p>if <code>Edit > Preferences > MIDI > Sound MIDI notes as they are selected</code> is enabled, Ardour will send a pair of NoteOn/NoteOff messages through the track, which will typically allow you to hear each note as it is selected.</p>
+
+<h2>Listening to Selected Notes</h2>
+<p>
+ If <kbd class="menu">Edit > Preferences > MIDI > Sound MIDI notes
+ as they are selected</kbd> is enabled, Ardour will send a pair of
+ NoteOn/NoteOff messages through the track, which will typically allow you to
+ hear each note as it is selected.
+</p>
title: Quantize MIDI
---
-
-
<p><img src="/files/a3/a3_quantize.png" alt="quantize dialog" /></p>
-<p>Accessed via the "q" key, the dialog includes:</p>
+<p>Accessed via <kbd>q</kbd>, the dialog includes:</p>
<ul>
-<li>Options for grid, legato amd groove quantize
-</li>
-<li>Snap note start, or end
-</li>
-<li>Snap to current grid, or many beat subdivisions
-</li>
-<li>Quantize threshold (how far away from a chosen position a note must be in order to be quantized)
-</li>
-<li>Strength (how close to move a note to its new position, as a percentage of the nominal distance)
-</li>
-<li>Swing
-</li>
+ <li>Options for grid, legato amd groove quantize</li>
+ <li>Snap note start, or end</li>
+ <li>Snap to current grid, or many beat subdivisions</li>
+ <li>Quantize threshold (how far away from a chosen position a note must be in order to be quantized)</li>
+ <li>Strength (how close to move a note to its new position, as a percentage of the nominal distance)</li>
+ <li>Swing</li>
</ul>
title: Step Entry
---
-
-
-
-<p>Sometimes you'll want to edit MIDI data directly from a connected MIDI device like a music keyboard or pad controller. Sometimes you'll want to use the mouse. Sometimes you'll want the fine-grain control, precision and speed of entry that comes from using a custom note entry dialog. </p>
-<p>The step entry dialog is accessed via a right click context menu on the rec-enable button (its there because step entry is related to <em>recording</em> MIDI data. You cannot simultaneously step edit and record MIDI via the track's MIDI port.</p>
-<p><img src="/files/a3/a3_step_entry.png" /></p>
+<p>
+ Sometimes you will want to edit MIDI data directly from a connected
+ MIDI device like a music keyboard or pad controller. Sometimes you will
+ want to use the mouse. Sometimes you'll want the fine-grain control,
+ precision and speed of entry that comes from using a custom note entry
+ dialog.
+</p>
+<p>
+ The step entry dialog is accessed via a right click context menu on the
+ rec-enable button, because step entry is related to <em>recording</em>
+ MIDI data. You cannot simultaneously step edit and record MIDI via the
+ track's MIDI port.
+</p>
+<img src="/files/a3/a3_step_entry.png" />
<p>The dialog (quite closely modelled on Logic's) contains:</p>
<ul>
-<li>Chord entry switch (successive notes are stacked in a chord until it is released
-</li>
-<li>Note length selectors
-</li>
-<li>Triplet toggle
-</li>
-<li>Normal, single, double and triple dotted note selectors
-</li>
-<li>Sustain button
-</li>
-<li>Buttons to:
-<ul>
-<li>Insert a rest of the current selected note duration
-</li>
-<li>Insert a rest of the current grid step size
-</li>
-<li>Move back to the last inserted note
-</li>
-<li>Move forward to the next beat, or bar
-</li>
-<li>Move forward to the edit point
- </li>
-</ul>
-</li>
-<li>Dynamics controls from pianississimo to fortississimo
-</li>
-<li>Channel selector
-</li>
-<li>Explicit numerical velocity selector, for more precise control than the dynamics selectors
-</li>
-<li>Octave selector
-</li>
-<li>Buttons to add bank or program change events
-</li>
-<li>a full 10 octave virtual keyboard
-</li>
+ <li>
+ Chord entry switch (successive notes are stacked in a chord until
+ it is released)</li>
+ <li>Note length selectors</li>
+ <li>Triplet toggle</li>
+ <li>Normal, single, double and triple dotted note selectors</li>
+ <li>Sustain button</li>
+ <li>Buttons to:
+ <ul>
+ <li>Insert a rest of the current selected note duration</li>
+ <li>Insert a rest of the current grid step size</li>
+ <li>Move back to the last inserted note</li>
+ <li>Move forward to the next beat, or bar</li>
+ <li>Move forward to the edit point</li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>Dynamics controls from pianississimo to fortississimo</li>
+ <li>Channel selector</li>
+ <li>
+ Explicit numerical velocity selector, for more precise control
+ than the dynamics selectors offer
+ </li>
+ <li>Octave selector</li>
+ <li>Buttons to add bank or program change events</li>
+ <li>a full 10 octave virtual keyboard</li>
</ul>
-<p>More or less all actions in the step entry dialog can be driven directly from the keyboard, so you do not need to keep moving back and forth from keyboard to mouse to do complex data insertion.</p>
+<p>
+ More or less all actions in the step entry dialog can be driven
+ directly from the keyboard, so you do not need to keep moving back
+ and forth from keyboard to mouse to do complex data insertion.
+</p>
title: Patch Change
---
+<p>
+ A <dfn>patch change</dfn> is Ardour's description for a combination
+ of MIDI program change and bank select messages, that (typically)
+ instruct a synthesizer or sampler to select a different sound to use
+ on a particular channel.
+</p>
+<p>
+ Patch changes are shown within MIDI regions as small rectangles or
+ <dfn>flags</dfn>, as shown below:
+</p>
-
-
-<p>A ‘patch change’ is Ardour's description for a combination of MIDI program change and bank select messages, that (typically) instruct a synthesizer or sampler to select a different sound to use on a particular channel. </p>
-<p>Patch changes are shown within MIDI regions as small rectangles or "flags", as shown below:</p>
-<h3>Inserting Patch Changes</h3>
-<p>Ensure that the <a href="/editing-and-arranging/the-edit-point">edit point</a> is located where you want the patch change to be (within an existing MIDI region). Context click, and from the MIDI region's context menu, select <code>MIDI > Insert Patch Change</code>. A dialog will appear allowing you to set the bank and program values. </p>
-<h3>Modifying Patch Changes</h3>
-<p>Context-clicking on a patch change will bring up the same dialog that was used to create it, allowing you to modify the program and/or bank numbers.</p>
-<p>You can also use the mousewheel: regular <kbd>scroll</kbd> on the patch change will alter the program number, <kbd class="mod1">scroll</kbd> will modify the bank number.</p>
-<h3>Moving Patch Changes</h3>
-<p>Just <kbd>Left-click-and-drag</kbd> on the patch change to move it around.</p>
-<h3>Removing Patch Changes</h3>
-<p>Put the mouse pointer into the rectangular area, and press <kbd>Delete</kbd> or use the delete mouse button operation. This will remove the patch change (the operation can be undone).</p>
-<h3>Names for Patch Numbers: MIDNAM files</h3>
-
+<h2>Inserting Patch Changes</h2>
+<p>
+ Ensure that the
+ <a href="/editing-and-arranging/the-edit-point">edit point</a> is
+ located where you want the patch change to be (within an existing
+ MIDI region). Context click, and from the MIDI region's context menu,
+ select <kbd class="menu">MIDI > Insert Patch Change</kbd>. A
+ dialog will appear allowing you to set the bank and program values.
+</p>
+
+<h2>Modifying Patch Changes</h2>
+<p>
+ Context-clicking on a patch change will bring up the same dialog that
+ was used to create it, allowing you to modify the program and/or bank
+ numbers.
+</p>
+<p>
+ You can also use the mouse wheel: <kbd class="mouse">⇑</kbd>/<kbd
+ class="mouse">⇓</kbd> on the patch change will alter the program
+ number, <kbd class="mouse mod1">⇑</kbd>/<kbd
+ class="mouse mod1">⇓</kbd> will modify the bank number.
+</p>
+
+<h2>Moving Patch Changes</h2>
+<p>
+ Just <kbd class="mouse">Left</kbd>-drag on the patch change to move it
+ around.
+</p>
+
+<h2>Removing Patch Changes</h2>
+<p>
+ Put the mouse pointer into the rectangular area, and press <kbd>Del</kbd>
+ or use the delete mouse button operation. This will remove the patch change
+ (the operation can be undone).
+</p>
+
+<h2>Names for Patch Numbers: MIDNAM files</h2>
+<p>
+ ...
+</p>
---
<p>
-When copying a MIDI region, Ardour has to decide whether to make the
-copy refer to the same data as the original or not. If it does refer
-to the same data, then editing either the copy or the original will
-affect the both of them. If it refers to an independent copy of the
-data then each one can be edited without affecting the other.
+ When <dfn>copying a MIDI region</dfn>, Ardour has to decide whether to make the
+ copy refer to the same data as the original or not. If it does refer
+ to the same data, then editing either the copy or the original will
+ affect the both of them. If it refers to an independent copy of the
+ data then each one can be edited without affecting the other.
</p>
-<h3>Changing dependent/independent copying for the entire session</h3>
+<h2>Changing dependent/independent copying for the entire session</h2>
<p>
-<code>Sesson > Properties > Misc > MIDI region copies are
- independent</code> can be used to control the default behaviour when
+ <kbd class="menu">Sesson > Properties > Misc > MIDI region copies are
+ independent</kbd> can be used to control the default behaviour when
making a copy of a MIDI region.
</p>
<p>
-When enabled, every new copy of a MIDI
-region results in a copy being made of the MIDI data used by the
-region, and the new copy of the region will refer to that data.
+ When enabled, every new copy of a MIDI
+ region results in a copy being made of the MIDI data used by the
+ region, and the new copy of the region will refer to that data.
</p>
<p>
-When disabled, every new copy of a MIDI region will refer to the same
-MIDI data, and thus editing any copy will change the contents of all
-of them.
+ When disabled, every new copy of a MIDI region will refer to the same
+ MIDI data, and thus editing any copy will change the contents of all
+ of them.
</p>
-<p>Changing the status of this option has no effect on the existing
+<p>
+ Changing the status of this option has no effect on the existing
dependent/independent status of existing region copies.
</p>
-<h3>Making an existing copy of a MIDI region independent</h3>
+<h2>Making an existing copy of a MIDI region independent</h2>
<p>
-Context-click on the MIDI region you want to be
-independent. From the context menu, select <code>MIDI > Unlink From
- Other Copies</code>. The copy is now using an independent version of
-the data, and edits to the copy will affect only the copy. Other
-copies will continue to share data.
+ Context-click on the MIDI region you want to be
+ independent. From the context menu, select <kbd class="menu">MIDI > Unlink From
+ Other Copies</kbd>. The copy is now using an independent version of
+ the data, and edits to the copy will affect only the copy. Other
+ copies will continue to share data.
</p>
-<p>Note that the copied data only covers the extent of the region when
+<p class="note">
+ Note that the copied data only covers the extent of the region when
the copy is made. If the region was already trimmed and then a copy
is made, an independent copy will have no access to data that is
earlier or later than the bounds of the region it was copied
projects / ardour-manual / commitdiff