[ardour-manual-diverged] / master-doc.txt

---
title: Introduction to Ardour
part: part
---


---
title: Welcome to Ardour
part: chapter
---

---
title: About Ardour's documentation
part: subchapter
---

<h2>Conventions Used In This Manual</h2>

<p>
  This section covers some of the typographical and language conventions used in this manual.
</p>

<h3>Keyboards and Modifiers</h3>

<p>
  <dfn>Keyboard bindings</dfn> are shown like this: <kbd>s</kbd> or <kbd class="mod1">x</kbd>.
</p>

<p>
  <kbd class="mod1">x</kbd> means "press the <kbd class="mod1">&nbsp;</kbd> key, keep it pressed and then also press the <kbd>x</kbd> key.
</p>

<p>
  You may also see key combinations such as <kbd class="mod12">e</kbd>, which mean that you should hold down the <kbd class="mod1">&nbsp;</kbd> key <em>and</em> the <kbd class="mod2">&nbsp;</kbd> key, and then, while keeping them both down, press the <kbd>e</kbd> key.
</p>

<p>
  Note that different platforms have different conventions for which modifier key (Control or Command) to use as the primary or most common modifier. When viewing this manual from a machine identifying itself as running OS X, you will see  <kbd>Cmd&nbsp;</kbd> where appropriate (for instance in the first example above). On other machines you will see <kbd>Ctrl&nbsp;</kbd> instead.
</p>

<h3>Mouse Buttons</h3>

<p>
  We refer to <a href="/setting-up-your-system/the-mouse">mouse buttons</a> as <kbd class="mouse">Left</kbd>, <kbd class="mouse">Middle</kbd> and <kbd class="mouse">Right</kbd>. Ardour can use additional buttons, but they have no default behaviour in the program.
</p>

<h4>Mouse click modifiers</h4>

<p>
  Many editing functions are performed by clicking the mouse while holding a modifier key, for example <kbd class="mouse mod1">Left</kbd>.
</p>

<h4>Mouse wheel</h4>

<p>
  Some GUI elements can optionally be controlled with the mouse wheel when the pointer is hovering over them. The notation for mouse wheel action is <kbd class="mouse">&uArr;</kbd> <kbd class="mouse">&lArr;</kbd> <kbd class="mouse">&dArr;</kbd> <kbd class="mouse">&rArr;</kbd>.
</p>

<h4>Context-click</h4>

<p>
  The term <dfn>context-click</dfn> is used to indicate that you should (typically) <kbd class="mouse">Right</kbd>-click on a particular element of the graphical user interface. Although right-click is the common, default way to do this, there are other ways to accomplish the same thing&mdash;this term refers to any of them, and the result is always that a menu specific to the item you clicked on will be displayed.
</p>

<h4>"The Pointer"</h4>

<p>
  When the manual refers to the "pointer", it means the on-screen representation of the mouse position or the location of a touch action if you are using a touch interface.
</p>

<h3>Other user input</h3>

<p>
  Ardour supports hardware controllers, such as banks of <kbd class="fader">faders</kbd>, <kbd class="knob">knobs</kbd>, or <kbd class="button">buttons</kbd>.
</p>

<h3>Menu Items</h3>

<p>
  Menu items are indicated like this:<br />
  <kbd class="menu">Top &gt; Next &gt; Deeper</kbd>.<br />
  Each "&gt;"-separated item indicates one level of a nested (sub-)menu.
</p>

<h3>Preference/Dialog Options</h3>

<p>
  Choices in various dialogs, notably the Preferences and Properties dialog, are
  indicated like this:<br />
  <kbd class="option">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; Audio &gt; Some
  Option</kbd>.<br />
  Each successive item indicates either a (sub-) menu or a tabbed dialog
  navigation. The final item is the one to choose or select.
</p>

<p>
  If you are requested to deselect an option, you will see something like
  this:<br />
  <kbd class="optoff">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; Audio &gt; Some other
  Option</kbd>.<br />
</p>

<h3>User Input</h3>

<p>
  Some dialogs or features may require you to type in some <kbd class="input">data such as this</kbd>. In rare cases, you will be required to perform certain operations at the command line of your operating system:
</p>

<kbd class="cmd lin">cat /proc/cpuinfo</kbd>
<kbd class="cmd mac">sleep 3600</kbd>
<kbd class="cmd win">ping www.google.com</kbd>

<h3>Program Output</h3>

<p>
  Important messages from Ardour or other programs will be displayed <samp>like this</samp>.
</p>

<h3>Notes</h3>

<p class="note">
  Important notes about things that might not otherwise be obvious are shown in this format.
</p>

<h3>Warnings</h3>

<p class="warning">
  Hairy issues that might cause things to go wrong, lose data, impair sound quality, or eat your proverbial goldfish, are displayed in this way.
</p>


---
title: Welcome to Ardour!
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  <dfn>Ardour</dfn> is a professional digital workstation for working with audio and MIDI.
</p>

<h2>Ardour is meant for...</h2>

<h3>Audio Engineers</h3>

<p>
  Ardour's core user group: people who want to record, edit, mix and master audio and MIDI projects. When you need complete control over your tools, when the limitations of other designs get in the way, when you plan to spend hours or days working on a session, Ardour is there to make things work the way you want them to.
</p>

<h3>Musicians</h3>

<p>
  Being the best tool to record talented performers on actual instruments has always been a top priority for Ardour. Rather than being focused on electronic and pop music idioms, Ardour steps out of the way to encourage the creative process to remain where it always has been: a musician playing a carefully designed and well built instrument.
</p>

<h3>Soundtrack Editors</h3>

<p>
  Sample accurate sync and shared transport control with video playback tools allows Ardour to provide a fast and natural environment for creating and editing soundtracks for film and video projects.
</p>

<h3>Composers</h3>

<p>
  Arrange audio and MIDI using the same tools and same workflow. Use external hardware synthesizers or software instruments as sound sources. From sound design to electro-acoustic composition to dense multitrack MIDI editing, Ardour can help.
</p>

<h2>Ardour features...</h2>

<h3>Audio and MIDI Multi-Track Recording and Editing</h3>

<p>
  Any number of tracks and busses. Non-linear editing. Non-destructive (and destructive!) recording. Any bit depth, any sample rate. Dozens of file formats.
</p>

<h3>Plugins with Full Sample Accurate Automation</h3>

<p>
  AudioUnit, LV2, LinuxVST and LADSPA formats. FX plugins. Software instruments. MIDI processors. Automate any parameters. Physically manipulate them via control surfaces. Distribute processing across as many (or as few) cores as you want.
</p>

<h3>Transport Sync and External Control Surfaces</h3>

<p>
  Best-in-industry sync to MIDI timecode and LTC. Send and receive MIDI Machine Control. Sync with JACK transport and MIDI clock. Dedicated Mackie Control protocol support, pre-defined mappings for many MIDI controllers plus dynamic MIDI learn. Use OSC to drive almost any operation in Ardour.
</p>

<h3>Powerful Anywhere-to-Anywhere Signal Routing</h3>

<p>
  Complex signal flows are simple and elegant. Inputs and outputs connect to your hardware and/or other applications. Use sends, inserts and returns freely. Connections can be one-to-many, many-to-one or many-to-many. Tap signal flows at any point. If you can't connect in the way you want with Ardour, it probably can't be done.
</p>

<h3>Video Timeline</h3>

<p>
  Import a single video and optionally extract the soundtrack from it. Display a frame-by-frame (thumbnail) timeline of the video. Use a Video-monitor window, or full-screen display, of the imported video in sync with any of the available ardour timecode sources. Lock audio-regions to the video: Move audio-regions with the video at video-frame granularity. Export the video, cut start/end, add blank frames and/or mux it with the soundtrack of the current-session.
</p>

---
title: About Ardour
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  <dfn>Ardour</dfn> allows recording and editing both audio and MIDI data, addin of many different kinds of effects and mixing.
</p>

<p>Some things Ardour is used for include:</p>

<ul>
<li>Digitally record acoustic/electric instruments or vocals</li>
<li>Compose and arrange audio and MIDI tracks</li>
<li>Edit live recordings</li>
<li>Mix and edit movie soundtracks and dialogue</li>
<li>Create sound designs for an arbitrary number of output channels</li>
</ul>

---
title: Isn't This A Really Complicated Program?
part: subchapter
---

<p>
 There is no point in pretending that Ardour is a simple, easy to use program. The development group has worked hard to try to make simple things reasonably easy, common tasks quick, and hard and/or uncommon things possible. There is no doubt that there is more to do in this area, as well as polishing the user interface to improve its intuitiveness and work flow characteristics.
</p>

<p>
  At the same time, multi-track, multi-channel, non-linear, non-destructive audio editing is a far from simple process. Doing it right requires not only a good ear, but a solid appreciation of basic audio concepts and a robust mental model/metaphor of what one is doing. Ardour is not a simple "audio recorder"&mdash;it can certainly be used to record stereo (or even mono) material in a single track, but the program has been designed around much richer capabilities than this.
</p>

<p>
  Some people complain that Ardour is not "intuitive" to use&mdash;its lead developer has <a href="http://community.ardour.org/node/3322">some thoughts on that</a>.
</p>

---
title: Why Write a DAW for Linux?
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  It is fairly understandable that existing proprietary DAWs do not run on Linux, given the rather small (but growing) share of the desktop market that Linux has. However, when surveying the landscape of "popular operating systems", we find:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>older versions of Windows: plagued by abysmal stability and appalling security</li>
  <li>newer versions of Windows seem stable but still suffer from security problems</li>
  <li>OS X: an amazing piece of engineering that is excellent for audio work but only runs on proprietary hardware and still lacks the flexibility and adaptability of Linux.</li>
</ul>

<p>
  Security matters today, and will matter more in the future as more and more live or semi-live network based collaborations take place.
</p>

<p>
  Let's contrast this with Linux, an operating system which:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>can stay up for months (or even years) without issues</li>
  <li>is endlessly configurable down to the tiniest detail</li>
  <li>is not owned by any single corporate entity, ensuring its life and direction are not intertwined with that of a company (for a contrary example, consider BeOS)</li>
  <li>is fast and efficient</li>
  <li>runs on almost any computing platform ever created, including old "slow" systems and new "tiny" systems (e.g. Raspberry Pi)</li>
  <li>is one of the most secure operating systems "out of the box"</li>
</ul>

<p>
  More than anything, however, Ardour's primary author uses Linux and wanted a DAW that ran there.
</p>

<p>
  Having written a DAW for Linux, it turned out to be relatively easy to port Ardour to OS X, mostly because of the excellent work done by the JACK OS X group that ported JACK to OS X.
</p>

<p>
  Although OS X has a number of disadvantages compared to Linux, its ease of use and its presence in many studios already makes it a worthwhile platform.
</p>

---
title: Why is it called Ardour?
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  The name <dfn>"Ardour"</dfn> came from considerations of how to pronounce the acronym <abbr title="Hard Disk Recorder">HDR</abbr>. The most obvious attempt sounds like a vowelless "harder" and it then was then a short step to an unrelated but slightly homophonic word:
</p>

<blockquote><p>
  <dfn>ardour</dfn> n 1: a feeling of strong eagerness (usually in favor of
  a person or cause); "they were imbued with a revolutionary ardor"; "he
  felt a kind of religious zeal" [syn: ardor, elan, zeal]<br />
  2: intense feeling of love [syn: ardor]<br />
  3: feelings of great warmth and intensity; "he spoke with great ardor"
  [syn: ardor, fervor, fervour, fervency, fire, fervidness]
</p></blockquote>

<p>
  Given the work required to develop Ardour, and the personality of its primary author, the name seemed appropriate even without the vague relationship to HDR.
</p>

<p>
  Years later, another interpretation of "Ardour" appeared, this time based on listening to non-native English speakers attempt to pronounce the word. Rather than "Ardour", it became "Our DAW", which seemed poetically fitting for a Digital Audio Workstation whose source code and design belongs to a group of collaborators.
</p>

---
title: Why write another DAW?
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  There are already a number of excellent digital audio workstations. To mention just a few: ProTools, Nuendo, Samplitude, Digital Performer, Logic, Cubase (SX), Sonar, along with several less well known systems such as SADIE, SAWStudio and others.
</p>
<p>
  Each of these programs has its strengths and weaknesses, although over the last few years most of them have converged on a very similar set of core features. However, each of them suffers from two problems when seen from the perspective of Ardour's development group:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>they do not run natively on Linux</li>
  <li>they are not available in source code form, making modifications, improvements, bugfixes by technically inclined users or their friends or consultants impossible.</li>
</ul>

---
title: Additional Resources
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  In addition to this documentation, you may check a variety of other <dfn>resources</dfn>:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>the <a href="https://ardour.org/whatsnew.html">Ardour release
  notes</a></li>
  <li>the <a href="https://community.ardour.org/forums">Ardour
  Forums</a></li>
  <li>information about <a href="https://community.ardour.org/community">Ardour
  Support</a> via mailing lists and IRC (chat)</li>
</ul>

<p>
  The <dfn>IRC channels</dfn> in particular are where most of the day-to-day development and debugging is done, and there are plenty of experienced users to help you if you run into problems.
</p>

<p>
  Please be prepared to hang around for a few hours, the chat is usually busiest from 19:00&nbsp;UTC to 04:00&nbsp;UTC. If you can, keep your chat window open, so that you don't miss a belated answer. Also, don't ask for permission to ask a question, just ask your question with the understanding that the answer (from the "right" people or not) could come seconds, minutes, hours, or never.
</p>


---
title: Creating Music with Ardour
part: subchapter
---

<p class="fixme"> misplaced</p>
<p>
  Ardour can be used in many different ways, from extremely simple to
  extremely complex. Many projects will be handled using the following
  kind of <dfn>workflow</dfn>.
</p>

<h2>Stage 1: Creating Your Project</h2>

<p>
  The first step is to create a new <dfn>session</dfn>, or open an
  existing one. A session consists of a folder containing a session file
  that defines all the information about the session. All media files used
  by the session can be stored within the session folder.
</p>

<p>
  More details on sessions can be found in
<a href="/working-with-sessions">Working With Sessions</a>.
</p>

<h2>Stage 2: Creating and Importing Audio and MIDI data</h2>

<p>
  Once you have a session, you will want to add some audio and/or MIDI
  material to it, which can be done in one of 3 ways:
</p>

<ul>
  <li><dfn>Record</dfn> incoming audio or MIDI data, either via audio or MIDI hardware
  connected to your computer, or from other applications.</li>
  <li><dfn>Create</dfn> new MIDI data using the mouse and/or various dialogs</li>
  <li><dfn>Import</dfn> existing media files into the session</li>
</ul>
<p>
  <dfn>MIDI recordings</dfn> consist of performance data ("play note X at
  time T") rather than actual sound. As a result, they are more flexible
  than actual audio, since the precise sound that they will generate when
  played depends on where you send the MIDI to.<br />
  Two different synthesizers may produce very different sound in response
  to the same incoming MIDI data.
</p>
<p>
  <dfn>Audio recordings</dfn> can be made from external instruments with
  electrical outputs (keyboards, guitars etc.) or via microphones from
  acoustic instruments.
</p>
<p>
  Ardour uses the <dfn>JACK Audio Connection Kit</dfn> for all audio and
  MIDI I/O, which means that recording audio/MIDI from other applications
  is fundamentally identical to recording audio/MIDI from your audio/MIDI
  hardware.
</p>

<h2>Stage 3: Editing and Arranging</h2>
<p>
  Once you have some material within the session, you can start to arrange
  it in time. This is done in one of the two main windows of Ardour, the
  <dfn>Editor</dfn> window.
</p>
<p>
  Your audio/MIDI data appears in chunks called <dfn>regions</dfn>, which
  are arranged into horizontal lanes called <dfn>tracks</dfn>. Tracks are
  stacked vertically in the Editor window. You can copy, shorten, move,
  and delete regions without changing the actual data stored in the session
  at all&mdash;Ardour is a <dfn>non-destructive</dfn> editor. (Almost)
  nothing that you do while editing will ever modify the files stored on
  disk (except the session file itself).
</p>
<p>
  You can also carry out many <dfn>transformations</dfn> to the contents
  of regions, again without altering anything on disk. You can alter,
  move, and delete MIDI notes, and remove silence from audio regions, for
  example.
</p>

<h2>Stage 4: Mixing and Adding Effects</h2>
<p>
  Once you have the arrangement of your session mostly complete, you will
  typically move on to the <dfn>mixing</dfn> phase. Mixing is a broad term
  to cover the way the audio signals that your session generates during
  playback and processed and added together into a final result that you
  actually hear. It can involve altering the relative levels of various
  parts of the session, adding effects that improve or transform certain
  elements, and others that bring the sound of the whole session to a new
  level.
</p>
<p>
  Ardour will allow you to <dfn>automate</dfn> changes to any mixing
  parameters (such as volume, panning, and effects controls)&mdash;it will
  record the changes you make over time, using a mouse or keyboard or some
  external control device, and can play back those changes later. This is
  very useful because often the settings you need will vary in one part of
  a session compared to another&mdash;rather than using a single setting
  for the volume, you may need increases followed by decreases (for example,
  to track the changing volume of a singer). Using automation can make all
  of this relatively simple.
</p>

<h2>Stage 5: Export</h2>
<p>
  Once you are really satisfied with the arrangement and mix of your
  session, you will typically want to produce a single audio file that
  contains a ready-to-listen to version of the work. Ardour will allow you to
  <dfn>export</dfn> audio files in a variety of formats (simultaneously in
  some cases). This exported file would typically be used in creating a CD,
  or be the basis for digital distribution of the work.
</p>
<p>
  Of course sometimes you will want to do export material that isn't finished
  yet, for example to give a copy to someone else to try to mix on their own
  system. Ardour will allow you to export as much of a session as you want, at
  any time, in any supported format.
</p>


---
title: Ardour Concepts
part: chapter
---


---
title: Understanding Basic Concepts and Terminology
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  This section will help you get acquainted with the basic terminology and
  concepts associated with Ardour. More detailed information on each aspect
  of the program is provided in later chapters.
</p>

<h2>Sessions</h2>
<p>
  An <dfn>Ardour session</dfn> is a container for an entire project. A
  session may contain an arbitrary number of <dfn>tracks</dfn> and
  <dfn>busses</dfn> consisting of audio and <abbr title="Musical Instrument
  Digital Interface">MIDI</abbr> data, along with
  information on processing those tracks, a mix of levels, and everything
  else related to the project. A session might typically contain a song, or
  perhaps an entire album or a complete live recording.
</p>
<p>
  Ardour sessions are held in directories; these directories contain one or
  more <dfn>session files</dfn>, some or all of the audio and MIDI data and
  a number of other state files that Ardour requires. The session file
  describes the structure of the session, and holds automation data and
  other details.
</p>
<p>
  Ardour's session file is kept in
  <abbr title="eXtensible Markup Language">XML</abbr> format, which is
  advantageous as it is somewhat human-readable, and human-editable in a
  crisis. Sound files are stored in one of a number of optional formats, and
  MIDI files as <abbr title="Standard MIDI File">SMF</abbr>.
</p>
<p>
  It is also possible for Ardour sessions to reference sound and MIDI files
  outside the session directory, to conserve disk space and avoid
  unnecessary copying if the data is available elsewhere on the disk.
</p>
<p>
  Ardour has a single current session at all times; if Ardour is started
  without specifying one, it will offer to load or create one.
</p>
<p>
  More details can be found at
  <a href="/working-with-sessions">Working With Sessions</a>.
</p>

<h2>Tracks</h2>
<p>
  A <dfn>track</dfn> is a concept common to most
  <abbr title="Digital Audio Workstation">DAWs</abbr>, and also used in
  Ardour. Tracks can record audio or MIDI data to disk, and then replay
  it with processing. They also allow the audio or MIDI data to be edited
  in a variety of different ways.
</p>
<p>
  In a typical pop production, one might use a track each for the kick
  drum, another for the snare, more perhaps for the drum overheads and
  others for bass, guitars and vocals.
</p>
<p>
  Ardour can record to any number of tracks at one time, and then play
  those tracks back. On playback, a track's recordings may be processed by
  any number of plugins, panned, and its level altered to achieve a
  suitable mix.
</p>
<p>
  A track's type is really only related to the type of data that it stores
  on disk. It is possible, for example, to have a MIDI track with a
  synthesizer plugin which converts MIDI to audio. Even though the track
  remains MIDI (in the sense that its on-disk recordings are MIDI), its
  output may be audio-only.
</p>
<p>
  More details can be found at
  <a href="/working-with-tracks">Working With Tracks</a>.
</p>

<h2 id="busses">Busses</h2>
<p>
  <dfn>Busses</dfn> are another common concept in both DAWs and hardware
  mixers. They are similar in many ways to tracks; they process audio or
  MIDI, and can run processing plugins. The only difference is that their
  input is obtained from other tracks or busses, rather than from disk.
</p>
<p>
  One might typically use a bus to collect together the outputs of related
  tracks. Consider, for example, a 3-track recording of a drum-kit; given
  kick, snare and overhead tracks, it may be helpful to connect the output
  of each to a bus called "drums", so that the drum-kit's level can be set
  as a unit, and processing (such as equalisation or compression) can be
  applied to the mix of all tracks. Such buses are also called
  <dfn>groups</dfn>.
</p>

<h2>Regions</h2>
<p>
  A track may contain many segments of audio or MIDI. Ardour contains
  these segments in things called <dfn>regions</dfn>, which are
  self-contained snippets of audio or MIDI data. Any recording pass, for
  example, generates a region on each track that is enabled for recording.
  Regions can be subjected to many editing operations; they may be moved
  around, split, trimmed, copied, and so on.
</p>
<p>
  More details can be found at
  <a href="/working-with-regions">Working With Regions</a>.
</p>

<h2>Playlists</h2>
<p>
  The details of what exactly each track should play back is described by a
  <dfn>playlist</dfn>. A playlist is simply a list of regions; each track
  always has an active playlist, and can have other playlists which can be
  switched in and out as required.
</p>
<p>
  More details can be found at
  <a href="/working-with-playlists">Working With Playlists</a>.
</p>

<h2>Plugins</h2>
<p>
  Ardour allows you to process audio and MIDI using any number of
  <dfn>plugins</dfn>. These are external pieces of code, commonly seen as
  VST plugins on Windows or AU plugins on Mac OS X. Ardour supports
  the following plugin standards:
</p>
<dl class="wide-table">
  <dt><abbr title="Linux Audio Developers' Simple Plugin API">LADSPA</abbr></dt>
  <dd>the first major plugin standard for Linux. Many LADSPA plugins are
  available, mostly free and open-source.</dd>
  <dt><abbr title="LADSPA Version 2">LV2</abbr></dt>
  <dd>the successor to LADSPA. Lots of plugins have been ported from
  LADSPA to LV2, and also many new plugins written.</dd>
  <dt><abbr title="Virtual Studio Technology">VST</abbr></dt>
  <dd>Ardour supports VST plugins that have been compiled for Linux.</dd>
  <dt><abbr title="Audio Units">AU</abbr></dt>
  <dd>Mac OS X versions of Ardour support AudioUnit plugins.</dd>
</dl>
<p>
  Ardour has some support for running Windows VST plugins on Linux, but
  this is rather complicated, extremely difficult for the Ardour
  developers to debug, and generally unreliable, as it requires to run a
  large amount of Windows code in an emulated environment.<br />
  If it is at all possible, you are strongly advised to use native
  LADSPA, LV2 or Linux VST plugins on Linux, or AU on Mac OS X.
</p>
<p>
  More details can be found at
  <a href="/working-with-plugins">Working With Plugins</a>.
</p>


---
title: Basic GUI Operations
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Ardour offers a number of different ways for you to interact with it.
  This chapter provides information on basic techniques for <dfn>entering
  text</dfn>, <dfn>making selections</dfn>, and <dfn>using shortcuts</dfn>.
</p>

---
title: Interface Elements
part: subchapter
---

<h2>Checkboxes</h2>
<h2>Buttons</h2>
<h2>Pull Down Menus</h2>
<h2>Pop Up Menus</h2>
<h2>Context Menus</h2>
<h2>Browsers</h2>

<p class="fixme">Add content</p>

---
title: Key Bindings
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Almost every available function in Ardour can be executed via a
  <dfn>key binding</dfn> or <dfn><abbr title="Open Sound
  Control">OSC</abbr></dfn> command. There are many more functions
  available than there are keys on even the largest current computer
  keyboards, so only a subset of them are bound to keys by default.
</p>

<h2>Key bindings for menu items</h2>

<p>
  Existing key bindings in menus are listed on the right side of the
  menu items.
</p>

<p>
  To create a custom key binding for a menu item quickly, navigate to
  the relevant (sub-) menu, hover over the item with the mouse and press
  the desired combination of modifiers and key.
</p>

<p class="warning">
  Ardour will silently re-assign the binding if you use a key
  combination that is already in use, possibly removing a standard
  keyboard shortcut without warning you. That might lead to confusion
  when you ask other users for help, and they explain something in terms
  of a standard key binding, which will then have a completely
  different effect on your system.
</p>

<h2>Key binding editor</h2>

<p>
  For a complete overview of all existing keyboard bindings, go to
  <kbd class="menu">Window &gt; Key Bindings</kbd>. This widget will let
  you view and edit even those functions that are not available in the menu,
  and even remove key bindings altogether.
</p>

---
title: Selection Techniques
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Ardour follows the conventions used by most other computer software
  (including other DAWs) for <dfn>selecting objects</dfn> in the
  <abbr title="Graphical User Interface">GUI</abbr>.
</p>

<h2>Selecting individual objects</h2>

<p>
  Clicking on an object (sometimes on a particular part of its
  on-screen representation) will select the object, and deselect other
  similar objects.
</p>

<h2>Selecting multiple (similar) objects</h2>

<p>
  A <kbd class="mod1 mouse">left</kbd> click on an object toggles its
  <samp>selected</samp> status, so using <kbd class="mod1 mouse">left</kbd>
  on a series of objects will select (or deselect) each one of them. You can
  construct completely arbitrary selections with this technique.
</p>

<h2>Selecting a range of objects</h2>

<p>
  In cases where the idea of "select all objects between this one and that
  one" makes sense, you can select one object and then click
  <kbd class="mod3 mouse">left</kbd> on another to select both of them as
  well as all objects in between.
</p>

<h2>Time range selection</h2>

<p>
  To select a time <dfn>range</dfn> in the Editor,
  click <kbd class="mouse">Left</kbd> and drag the mouse.
  A <kbd class="mod1 mouse">Left</kbd> drag then lets you create other
  ranges and a <kbd class="mod3 mouse">left</kbd> click extends a range
  to cover a wider area.
</p>

<h2>Selection Undo</h2>

<p>
  The set of objects (including time range) that are selected at any one
  time is known as the selection.
  Each time you select or deselect an object, the new selection is stored in an
  undo/redo stack.
  This stack is cleared each time the content of the timeline changes.
  If you have built up a complex selection and then accidentally cleared it,
  choosing <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Undo Selection Change</kbd> will restore your previous selection.
  If you then decide that you had in fact made the correct change, choosing
  <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Redo Selection Change</kbd> will take you back
  to where you were before you chose <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Undo Selection Change</kbd>.
</p>

---
title: Tooltips
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  By default, Ardour will show helpful <dfn>tooltips</dfn> about
  the purpose and use of each <abbr title="Graphical User
  Interface">GUI</abbr> element if you position the pointer
  over it and hover there for a short while.
  These little pop-up messages can be a good way to discover the
  purpose of many aspects of the GUI.
</p>

<p>
  Pop-ups can be distracting for experienced users, who may opt to
  disable them via <kbd class="optoff">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; GUI &gt;
  Show tooltip if mouse hovers over a control</kbd>.
</p>

---
title: Undo/Redo for Editing
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  While editing, it happens that you apply an unintended change, or make
  a choice one that you later decide was wrong. All changes to the
  arrangement of session components (regions, control points) along the
  timeline can be <dfn>undone</dfn> (and <dfn>redone</dfn> if necessary).
</p>

<p>
  The default keybindings are <kbd class="mod1">Z</kbd> for Undo and
  <kbd class="mod1">R</kbd> for Redo. These match the conventions of most
  other applications that provide undo/redo.
</p>

<p>
  Changes are also saved to the <dfn>session history</dfn> file, so that
  undo/redo is possible even if you close the session and reopen it later,
  even if you quit Ardour in between.
</p>

<p>
  The maximum number of changes that can be undone can be configured under
  <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; Misc &gt; Undo</kbd>.
  The maximum number of changes stored in the history file is a separate
  parameter, and can also be set in the same place.
</p>

<p class="note">
  In addition to the normal undo (which works only on actions that change
  the timeline), there is a <dfn>visual undo</dfn> which will revert any
  command that affects the display of the editor window. Its shortcut is
  <kbd class="mod3">Z</kbd>.
  There is also an undo for selection. See
  <a href="/ardours-interface/basic-gui-operations/selection-techniques/">Selection Techniques</a> for more information.
</p>

<p class="warning">
  Note that changes made to mixer strips, such as turning knobs or changing faders, cannot be undone.
</p>

---
title: Using the Mouse
part: subchapter
---

<h2>Clicking</h2>

<p>
  Throughout this manual, the term <dfn>click</dfn> refers to the act of pressing
  and releasing the <kbd class="mouse">Left</kbd> mouse button. This action is used to select objects, activate
  buttons, turn choices on and off, pop up menus and so forth.<br />
  On touch surfaces, it also corresponds to a single, one-finger tap on
  the GUI.
</p>

<h2>Right Clicking</h2>

<p>
  The term <dfn>right-click</dfn> refers to the act of pressing and releasing
  the <kbd class="mouse">Right</kbd> mouse button.
  This action is used to pop up <dfn>context menus</dfn> (hence the term
  "context click", which you will also see). It is also used by default in
  combination with the shift key to delete objects within the editor
  window.
</p>

<p class="note mac">
  Some mice designed for use with Mac OS X may have only one button. By
  convention, pressing and holding the Control key while clicking is
  interpreted as a right-click by many application..
</p>

<h2>Middle Clicking</h2>

<p>
  A <dfn>middle-click</dfn> refers to the act of pressing and releasing the
  <kbd class="mouse">Middle</kbd> mouse button. Not all all mice have a middle click button
  (see the <a href="/setting-up-your-system/mouse/">Mouse</a> chapter for
  details). Sometimes the scroll wheel acts as a clickable middle button.
  This action is used for time-constrained region copying and mapping MIDI
  bindings.
</p>

<p class="note">
  Internally, your operating system may identify the mouse buttons as
  <kbd class="mouse">Button1</kbd>, <kbd class="mouse">Button2</kbd>, and
  <kbd class="mouse">Button3</kbd>, respectively. It may be possible to
  invert the order of buttons to accommodate left-handed users, or to re-assign
  them arbitrarily. This manual assumes the canonical order.
</p>

<h2>Double Clicking</h2>

<p>
  A <dfn>double click</dfn> refers to two rapid press/release cycles on the
  leftmost mouse button. The time interval between the two actions that
  determines whether this is seen as two clicks or one double click is
  controlled by your system preferences, not by Ardour.
</p>

<h2>Dragging</h2>

<p>
  A <dfn>drag</dfn> primarily refers to the act of pressing the leftmost
  mouse button, moving the mouse with the button held down, and then
  releasing the button. On touch surfaces, this term also corresponds to
  a single one-finger touch-move-release action.
</p>

<p>
  Ardour also uses the middle mouse button for certain kinds of drags,
  which will be referred to as <dfn>middle-drag</dfn>.
</p>

<h2>Modifiers</h2>

<p>
  There are many actions in Ardour that can be carried out using a mouse
  button in combination with a <dfn>modifier key</dfn>. When the manual
  refers to <kbd class="mod1 mouse">Left</kbd>, it means that you should first
  press the <kbd class="mod1"></kbd> key, carry out a left click
  while <kbd class="mod1"></kbd> is held down, and then finally release the key.
</p>

<p>
  Available modifiers depend on your platform:
</p>

<h3>Linux Modifiers</h3>

<ul>
  <li><kbd>Ctrl</kbd> (Control)</li>
  <li><kbd>Shift</kbd></li>
  <li><kbd>Alt</kbd></li>
  <li><kbd>Mod2</kbd></li>
  <li><kbd>Mod3</kbd></li>
  <li><kbd>Mod4</kbd></li>
  <li><kbd>Mod5</kbd></li>
</ul>

<p class="warning">
  The following section is almost certainly wrong. Will need to be checked
  and rewritten asap.
</p>

<p>
  Mod2 typically corresponds to the <kbd>NumLock</kbd> key on many systems.
  On most Linux systems, there are no keys that will function as modifiers
  Mod3, Mod4 or Mod5 by default, but they can be setup using
  <dfn>xmodmap(1)</dfn>. This can be rather useful.
</p>

<h3>OS X Modifiers</h3>

<ul>
  <li><kbd>Cmd</kbd> (Command, "windmill")</li>
  <li><kbd>Ctrl</kbd> (Control)</li>
  <li><kbd>Alt</kbd>  (Option)</li>
  <li><kbd>Shift</kbd></li>
</ul>

<h2>Scroll Wheel</h2>

<p>
  Ardour can make good use of a <dfn>scroll wheel</dfn> on your mouse, which can be
  utilized for a variety of purposes. Scroll wheels generate vertical
  scroll events, <kbd class="mouse">&uArr;</kbd> (ScrollUp) and
  <kbd class="mouse">&dArr;</kbd> (ScrollDown). Some also emit horizontal
  events, <kbd class="mouse">&lArr;</kbd> (ScrollLeft) and
  <kbd class="mouse">&rArr;</kbd> (ScrollRight).
</p>

<p>
  When appropriate, Ardour will differentiate between these two different
  scroll axes. Otherwise it will interpret ScrollDown and ScrollLeft as
  equivalent and similarly interpret ScrollUp and ScrollRight as equivalent.
</p>

<p>
  Typically, scroll wheel input is used to adjust
  <dfn>continuous controls</dfn> such as faders and knobs, or to scroll
  vertically or horizontally inside a window.
</p>

<p class="fixme">Should add some mention of drag &amp; drop operations; the "Dragging" section above doesn't mention it at all.</p>

---
title: Cut and Paste Operations
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  The <dfn>clipboard</dfn> is a holder for various kinds of objects (regions,
  control events, plugins) that is used during <dfn>cut-and-paste
  operations</dfn>.
</p>

<h2>Cut</h2>

<p>
  A <dfn>cut</dfn> operation removes selected objects and places them in the
  clipboard. The existing contents of the clipboard are overwriten.<br />
  The default key binding is <kbd class="mod1">x</kbd>.
</p>

<h2>Copy</h2>

<p>
  A <dfn>copy</dfn> of the selected objects are placed in clipboard. There is
  no effect on the selected objects themselves. The existing contents of the
  clipboard are overwritten. <br />
  The default key binding is <kbd class="mod1">c</kbd>.
</p>

<h2>Paste</h2>

<p>
  The current contents of the clipboard are <dfn>paste</dfn>d (inserted)
  into the session, using the current <dfn>edit point</dfn> as the
  destination. The contents of the clipboard remain unchanged&mdash;you
  can paste the same item multiple times. <br />
  The default key binding is <kbd class="mod1">v</kbd>.
</p>

---
title: Deleting Objects
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Within the Editor window (and to some extent within the Mixer window too),
  there are several techniques for <dfn>deleting</dfn> objects (regions,
  control points, and more).
</p>

<h2>Using the mouse and keyboard</h2>
<p>
  Select the object(s) and then press the <kbd>Del</kbd> key.
  This does <strong>not</strong> put the deleted object(s) into the cut
  buffer, so they cannot be pasted elsewhere.
</p>

<h2>Using normal cut and paste shortcuts</h2>
<p>
  Select the object(s) and then press <kbd class="mod1">x</kbd>. This puts
  the deleted object(s) into the cut buffer so that they could be pasted
  elsewhere.
</p>

<h2>Using just the mouse</h2>
<p>
  By default, <kbd class="mouse">Shift Right</kbd> will delete the
  clicked-upon object. Like the Del key, this does <strong>not</strong>
  put the deleted object(s) into the cut buffer.
</p>
<p>
  The modifier and mouse button used for this can be controlled via
  <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; User Interaction &gt;
  Delete using ...</kbd>. Any modifier and mouse button combination can
  be used.
</p>


---
title: Starting Ardour
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  There are several ways of <dfn>starting Ardour</dfn>, which may vary
  depending on which platform you are using it.
</p>

<ul>
  <li>double-click the Ardour icon in your platform's file manager (e.g.
  Nautilus on Linux, Finder on OS X)</li>
  <li>double click on an Ardour session file in your platform's file manager</li>
  <li>on Linux, you can also start Ardour <a
  href="/ardours-interface/starting-ardour/starting-ardour-from-the-command-line">on the command line</a></li>
</ul>

<p>
  When Ardour is run for the very first time, a special dialog is displayed
  that will ask you several questions about your setup. You will not be asked
  these questions again, but you can always modify your choices via the
  <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences</kbd> dialog.
</p>

<p>
  If you want to use JACK, in general, it is sensible to start <em>before</em> you run Ardour. This is not necessary, but will provide you with more control and options over JACK's operation. You can start JACK through its <abbr title="Command Line Interface">CLI</abbr>, or using a  <abbr title="Graphical User Interface">GUI</abbr> program, like <a href="https://qjackctl.sourceforge.io/">QjackCtl</a> or <a href="http://kxstudio.linuxaudio.org/Applications:Cadence">Cadence</a>.
</p>

<p>
  If you open Ardour without specifying an existing session it will display
  the <kbd class="menu">Session &gt; New...</kbd> dialog and the <kbd class="menu">Audio/MIDI Setup</kbd> dialog. See <a href="/working-with-sessions/new-session-dialog/">New/Open Session Dialog</a> for a description of those dialogs.
</p>

---
title: Starting Ardour From the Command Line (Linux)
menu_title: Starting from Linux Cmdline
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Like (almost) any other program on Linux, Ardour can be started on the
  command line. Type the following command in a terminal window:
</p>
<kbd class="cmd lin">ardour5</kbd>
<p>
  To start Ardour with an existing session:
</p>
<kbd class="cmd lin">ardour5 <em>/path/to/session</em></kbd>
<p>
  replacing /path/to/session with the actual path to your session. You can
  specify either the session folder or any session file inside the folder,
  including snapshots.
</p>
<p>
  To start Ardour with a new, named session:
</p>
<kbd class="cmd lin">ardour5 -N <em>/path/to/session</em></kbd>

<h3>Other Command Line Options</h3>


---
title: Keyboard and Mouse Shortcuts
part: chapter
---


---
title: Default Keyboard Bindings
menu_title: Key Bindings
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Almost every available function in Ardour can be bound to a keyboard
  shortcut (and those few that cannot will usually respond to an <a
  href="/using-control-surfaces/controlling-ardour-with-osc/"><abbr
  title="Open Sound Control">OSC</abbr> command</a>). Ardour comes with a
  rich set of default <dfn>key bindings</dfn> for the most commonly used
  functions.
</p>

<p>These bindings strive to be <dfn>mnemonic</dfn>, that is, easy and intuitive
  to remember, and follow widely accepted conventions. As a general rule,
  the first letter of an operation will be used for as a shortcut, if
  available. This does not necessarily lead to the best ergonomics for
  rapid editing&mdash;there are alternative binding sets for that&mdash;but it does make it simpler for newcomers to remember some of the most
  useful ones, for example<br />
  <kbd>S</kbd> for <kbd class="menu">Region &gt; Edit &gt; Split"</kbd>
  or<br />
  <kbd>P</kbd> for <kbd class="menu">Transport &gt; Playhead &gt; Playhead to Mouse</kbd>.
</p>

<p>
  Almost every key binding in Ardour can be changed in <kbd class="menu">Window &gt; Key Bindings</kbd>.
</p>

<p>
  The conventions for using modifier keys (<kbd class="mod1">&zwnj;</kbd>, <kbd
  class="mod2">&zwnj;</kbd>, <kbd class="mod3">&zwnj;</kbd> etc.) differ among platforms, so we provide different default bindings for each.
</p>

---
title: Mnemonic Bindings for Linux
menu_title: Linux
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  A printable cheat-sheet with the mnemonic bindings for <dfn>Linux</dfn>
  is available for download in
  <a href="/files/a3_mnemonic_cheatsheet.pdf">US Letter</a> and
  <a href="/files/a3_mnemonic_cheatsheet-a4.pdf">A4</a> paper format.
</p>

<p>
  This set of bindings assumes an en_US keyboard. However, most if not all
  bindings will also work on other keyboards when you use the
  <kbd>AltGr</kbd> to compose those glyphs that are not directly accessible.
</p>

<h2>Transport &amp; Recording Control</h2>

<dl class="bindings">
<dt>destroy last recording</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">Del</kbd></dd>
<dt>engage record</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">r</kbd></dd>
<dt>fast forward</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">&rarr;</kbd></dd>
<dt>loop play (the loop range)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">l</kbd></dd>
<dt>rewind</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">&larr;</kbd></dd>
<dt>set playhead position</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">p</kbd></dd>
<dt>start recording</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">Space</kbd></dd>
<dt>stop (keep loop/range play)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod12">Space</kbd></dd>
<dt>stop and destroy</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">Space</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle auto play</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">5</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle auto return</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">6</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle click (metronome)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">7</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle playhead follows edits</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">F</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle playhead tracking</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">F</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle roll</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">Space</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle selected track rec-enable </dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">b</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle selected track solo status</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">s</kbd></dd>
<dt>transition to reverse</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">&darr;</kbd></dd>
<dt>transition to roll</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">&uarr;</kbd></dd>
</dl>

<h2>Session &amp; File Handling</h2>

<dl class="bindings">
<dt>add track(s) or bus(ses)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod13">n</kbd></dd>
<dt>export session</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod4">e</kbd></dd>
<dt>import audio files</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">i</kbd></dd>
<dt>open a new session</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">n</kbd></dd>
<dt>open a recent session</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod13">o</kbd></dd>
<dt>open an existing session</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">o</kbd></dd>
<dt>quit</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">q</kbd></dd>
<dt>save session</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">s</kbd></dd>
<dt>snapshot session</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod13">s</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle selected track MIDI input</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">i</kbd></dd>
</dl>

<h2>Changing What's Visible</h2>

<dl class="bindings">
<dt>fit tracks vertically</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">f</kbd></dd>
<dt>move selected tracks down</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">&darr;</kbd></dd>
<dt>move selected tracks up</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">&uarr;</kbd></dd>
<dt>scroll down (page)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">PgDn</kbd></dd>
<dt>scroll down (step)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">&darr;</kbd></dd>
<dt>scroll up (page)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">PgUp</kbd></dd>
<dt>scroll up (step)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">&uarr;</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle editor window mixer</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">e</kbd></dd>
<dt>visual undo</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">z</kbd></dd>
<dt>zoom height to selected region(s)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod12">z</kbd></dd>
<dt>zoom height and time to selected region</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">z</kbd></dd>
<dt>zoom in</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">=</kbd></dd>
<dt>zoom out</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">-</kbd></dd>
</dl>

<h2>Window Visibility</h2>

<dl class="bindings">
<dt>toggle locations dialog</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">l</kbd>(ell)</dd>
<dt>focus on main clock</dt>
<dd><kbd class="kp">&divide;</kbd></dd>
<dt>maximise editor space</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod12">f</kbd></dd>
<dt>switch between editor &amp; mixer window</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">m</kbd></dd>
<dt>show rhythm ferret window </dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">f</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle big clock</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">b</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle color manager</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">c</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle editor window</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">e</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle global audio patchbay</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">p</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle global midi patchbay</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod23">p</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle key bindings editor</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">k</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle preferences dialog</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">o</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle preferences dialog</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod13">p</kbd></dd>
</dl>

<h2>Editing with Edit Point</h2>

<p>
  Most edit functions operate on a single <dfn>Edit Point</dfn> (EP). The edit
  point can be any of: playhead (default), the mouse or an active marker.
  The choice of edit point (by default) also sets the <dfn>Zoom Focus</dfn>.
</p>

<dl class="bindings">
<dt>EP to next region sync</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">;</kbd></dd>
<dt>EP to prev region sync</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">'</kbd></dd>
<dt>cycle to next grid snap mode</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">2</kbd></dd>
<dt>cycle to next zoom focus</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">1</kbd></dd>
<dt>insert from region list</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">i</kbd></dd>
<dt>insert time</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">t</kbd></dd>
<dt>move EP to playhead</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">&crarr;</kbd></dd>
<dt>next EP w/marker</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">`</kbd></dd>
<dt>next EP w/o marker</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">`</kbd></dd>
<dt>trim back</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">k</kbd></dd>
<dt>trim front</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">j</kbd></dd>
<dt>trim region end to edit point</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">}</kbd></dd>
<dt>trim region start to edit point</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">{</kbd></dd>
<dt>trim region to end of prev region</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">j</kbd></dd>
<dt>trim region to start of next region</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">k</kbd></dd>
<dt>use previous grid unit</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">3</kbd></dd>
<dt>use next grid unit</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">4</kbd></dd>
<dt>use previous grid unit</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">3</kbd></dd>
<dt>use next musical grid unit</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">4</kbd></dd>
</dl>

<h2>Aligning with the Edit Point</h2>

<p>
  <dfn>Align operations</dfn> move regions so that their start/end/sync
  point is at the edit point. <dfn>Relative</dfn> operations just align the first
  region and moves other selected regions to maintain relative positioning.
</p>

<dl class="bindings">
<dt>align end(s)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">a</kbd></dd>
<dt>align start(s)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod14">a</kbd></dd>
<dt>align start(s) relative</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod4">a</kbd></dd>
<dt>align sync points</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">a</kbd></dd>
<dt>align sync points (relative)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">a</kbd></dd>
<dt>range end to next prev edge</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">&gt;</kbd></dd>
<dt>range end to next region edge</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">&gt;</kbd></dd>
<dt>range start to next region edge</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">&lt;</kbd></dd>
<dt>range start to prev region edge</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">&lt;</kbd></dd>
</dl>

<h2>Edit Point Playback</h2>

<dl class="bindings">
<dt>play edit range</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">Space</kbd></dd>
<dt>play from EP &amp; return</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod4">Space</kbd></dd>
<dt>play selected region(s)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">h</kbd></dd>
</dl>
<h2>Region Operations</h2>

<dl class="bindings">
<dt>duplicate region (multi)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">d</kbd></dd>
<dt>duplicate region (once)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">d</kbd></dd>
<dt>export selected region(s)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod14">e</kbd></dd>
<dt>increase region gain</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">^</kbd></dd>
<dt>move to original position</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">o</kbd></dd>
<dt>mute/unmute</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">m</kbd></dd>
<dt>normalize</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">n</kbd></dd>
<dt>nudge backward</dt>
<dd><kbd class="kp">&ndash;</kbd></dd>
<dt>nudge forward</dt>
<dd><kbd class="kp">+</kbd></dd>
<dt>quantize MIDI notes </dt>
<dd><kbd class="">q</kbd></dd>
<dt>reduce region gain</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">&amp;</kbd></dd>
<dt>reverse</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">r</kbd></dd>
<dt>set fade in length</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">/</kbd></dd>
<dt>set fade out length</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">\</kbd></dd>
<dt>set region sync point</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">v</kbd></dd>
<dt>split</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">s</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle fade in active</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">/</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle fade out active</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">\</kbd></dd>
<dt>transpose</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">t</kbd></dd>
</dl>

<h2>Generic Editing</h2>

<dl class="bindings">
<dt>copy</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">c</kbd></dd>
<dt>cut</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">x</kbd></dd>
<dt>delete</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">Del</kbd></dd>
<dt>paste</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">v</kbd></dd>
<dt>redo</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">r</kbd></dd>
<dt>undo</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">z</kbd></dd>
</dl>

<h2>Selecting</h2>

<p class="note">
  There are  a few functions that refer to an <dfn>Edit Range</dfn>. The
  current edit range is defined using combinations of the possible edit
  points: <dfn>playhead</dfn>, <dfn>active marker</dfn>, or <dfn>mouse</dfn>.
</p>

<dl class="bindings">
<dt>all after playhead</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod13">p</kbd></dd>
<dt>all before playhead</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">p</kbd></dd>
<dt>all enclosed by edit range</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">u</kbd></dd>
<dt>all present in edit range</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">u</kbd></dd>
<dt>convert edit range to range</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">F6</kbd></dd>
<dt>invert selection</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">i</kbd></dd>
<dt>select all after EP</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod13">e</kbd></dd>
<dt>select all before EP</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">e</kbd></dd>
<dt>select all in loop range</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">l</kbd></dd>
<dt>select all in punch range</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">d</kbd></dd>
<dt>select everything</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">a</kbd></dd>
<dt>select next track/bus</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">&darr;</kbd></dd>
<dt>select previous track/bus</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">&uarr;</kbd></dd>
</dl>

<h2>Defining Loop, Punch Range and Tempo Changes</h2>

<dl class="bindings">
<dt>set loop range from edit range</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">]</kbd></dd>
<dt>set loop range from region(s)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">]</kbd></dd>
<dt>set punch range from edit range</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">[</kbd></dd>
<dt>set punch range from region(s)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">[</kbd></dd>
<dt>set tempo (1 bar) from edit range</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">0</kbd></dd>
<dt>set tempo (1 bar) from region(s)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">9</kbd></dd>
</dl>

---
title: Mnemonic Bindings for OS X
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  A <a href="/files/a3_mnemonic_cheat_sheet_osx.pdf">printable cheat sheet</a>
  for these bindings is available for download.
</p>

<h2>Transport &amp; Recording Control</h2>
<dl class="bindings">
<dt>destroy last recording</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">Del</kbd></dd>
<dt>engage record</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">r</kbd></dd>
<dt>fast forward</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">→</kbd></dd>
<dt>loop play (the loop range)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">l</kbd></dd>
<dt>rewind</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">&larr;</kbd></dd>
<dt>set playhead position</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">p</kbd></dd>
<dt>start recording</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">space</kbd></dd>
<dt>stop (keep loop/range play)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod12">space</kbd></dd>
<dt>stop and destroy</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">space</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle auto play</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">5</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle auto return</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">6</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle click (metronome)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">7</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle playhead follows edits</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">f</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle playhead tracking</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">f</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle roll</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">space</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle track rec-enable </dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">b</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle track solo status</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">s</kbd></dd>
<dt>transition to reverse</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">&darr;</kbd></dd>
<dt>transition to roll</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">&uarr;</kbd></dd>
</dl>
<h2>Session &amp; File Handling</h2>
<dl class="bindings">
<dt>add track(s) or bus(ses)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod13">n</kbd></dd>
<dt>export session</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">e</kbd></dd>
<dt>import audio files</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">i</kbd></dd>
<dt>open a new session</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">n</kbd></dd>
<dt>open a recent session</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod13">o</kbd></dd>
<dt>open an existing session</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">o</kbd></dd>
<dt>quit</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">q</kbd></dd>
<dt>save session</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">s</kbd></dd>
<dt>snapshot session</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod13">s</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle sel. track MIDI input</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">i</kbd></dd>
</dl>
<h2>Changing What's Visible</h2>
<dl class="bindings">
<dt>fit tracks vertically</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">f</kbd></dd>
<dt>move selected tracks down</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">&darr;</kbd></dd>
<dt>move selected tracks up</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">&uarr;</kbd></dd>
<dt>scroll down (page)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">PgDn</kbd></dd>
<dt>scroll down (step)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">&darr;</kbd></dd>
<dt>scroll up (page)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">PageUp</kbd></dd>
<dt>scroll up (step)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">&uarr;</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle editor window mixer</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">e</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle last 2 zoom states</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">z</kbd></dd>
<dt>zoom height to selected region(s)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">Control+z</kbd></dd>
<dt>zoom height and time to selected region</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">z</kbd></dd>
<dt>zoom in</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">=</kbd></dd>
<dt>zoom out</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">-</kbd></dd>
</dl>
<h2>Window Visibility</h2>
<dl class="bindings">
<dt>toggle locations dialog</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">l</kbd></dd>
<dt>focus on main clock</dt>
<dd><kbd class="kp">&divide;</kbd></dd>
<dt>maximise editor space</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod12">f</kbd></dd>
<dt>rotate editor &amp; mixer window</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">m</kbd></dd>
<dt>show rhythm ferret window </dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">f</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle big clock</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">b</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle color manager</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">c</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle editor window</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">e</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle global audio patchbay</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">p</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle global midi patchbay</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod23">p</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle key bindings editor</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">k</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle preferences dialog</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">o</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle preferences dialog</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod13">p</kbd></dd>
</dl>

<h2>Editing with Edit Point</h2>
<p>
  Most edit functions operate on a single <dfn>Edit Point</dfn> (EP). The
  edit
  point can be any of: playhead (default), the mouse or an active marker.
  The choice of edit point (by default) also sets the <dfn>Zoom Focus</dfn>.
</p>

<dl class="bindings">
<dt>EP to next region sync</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">;</kbd></dd>
<dt>EP to prev region sync</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">'</kbd></dd>
<dt>cycle to next grid snap mode</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">2</kbd></dd>
<dt>cycle to next zoom focus</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">1</kbd></dd>
<dt>insert from region list</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">i</kbd></dd>
<dt>insert time</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">t</kbd></dd>
<dt>move EP to playhead</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">Return</kbd></dd>
<dt>next EP w/marker</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">^</kbd></dd>
<dt>next EP w/o marker</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">`</kbd></dd>
<dt>trim back</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">k</kbd></dd>
<dt>trim front</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">j</kbd></dd>
<dt>trim region end to edit point</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">}</kbd></dd>
<dt>trim region start to edit point</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">{</kbd></dd>
<dt>trim region to end of prev region</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">j</kbd></dd>
<dt>trim region to start of next region</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">k</kbd></dd>
<dt>use previous grid unit</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">3</kbd></dd>
<dt>use next grid unit</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">4</kbd></dd>
<dt>use previous grid unit</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">3</kbd></dd>
<dt>use next musical grid unit</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">4</kbd></dd>
</dl>

<h2>Aligning with the Edit Point</h2>
<p>
  <dfn>Align operations</dfn> move regions so that their start/end/sync
  point is at the edit point. <dfn>Relative</dfn> operations just align
  the first region and moves other selected regions to maintain relative
  positioning.
</p>

<dl class="bindings">
<dt>align end(s)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">a</kbd></dd>
<dt>align start(s)</dt>
<dd></dd>
<dt>align start(s) relative</dt>
<dd><kbd class=""></kbd></dd>
<dt>align sync points</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">a</kbd></dd>
<dt>align sync points (relative)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">a</kbd></dd>
<dt>range end to next prev edge</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">&gt;</kbd></dd>
<dt>range end to next region edge</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">&gt;</kbd></dd>
<dt>range start to next region edge</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">&lt;</kbd></dd>
<dt>range start to prev region edge</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">&lt;</kbd></dd>
</dl>

<h2>Edit Point Playback</h2>

<dl class="bindings">
<dt>play edit range</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">Space</kbd></dd>
<dt>play from EP &amp; return</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">Space</kbd></dd>
<dt>play selected region(s)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">h</kbd></dd>
</dl>
<h2>Region Operations</h2>
<dl class="bindings">
<dt>duplicate region (multi)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">d</kbd></dd>
<dt>duplicate region (once)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">d</kbd></dd>
<dt>export selected region(s)</dt>
<dd></dd>
<dt>increase region gain</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">^</kbd></dd>
<dt>move to original position</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">o</kbd></dd>
<dt>mute/unmute</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">m</kbd></dd>
<dt>normalize</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">n</kbd></dd>
<dt>nudge backward</dt>
<dd><kbd class="kp">&ndash;</kbd></dd>
<dt>nudge forward</dt>
<dd><kbd class="kp">+</kbd></dd>
<dt>quantize MIDI notes </dt>
<dd><kbd class="">q</kbd></dd>
<dt>reduce region gain</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">&amp;</kbd></dd>
<dt>reverse</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">r</kbd></dd>
<dt>set fade in length</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">/</kbd></dd>
<dt>set fade out length</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">\</kbd></dd>
<dt>set region sync point</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">v</kbd></dd>
<dt>split</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">s</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle fade in active</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">/</kbd></dd>
<dt>toggle fade out active</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">\</kbd></dd>
<dt>transpose</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">t</kbd></dd>
</dl>

<h2>Generic Editing</h2>

<dl class="bindings">
<dt>copy</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">c</kbd></dd>
<dt>cut</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">x</kbd></dd>
<dt>delete</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">Del</kbd></dd>
<dt>paste</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">v</kbd></dd>
<dt>redo</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">r</kbd></dd>
<dt>undo</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">z</kbd></dd>
</dl>

<h2>Selecting</h2>
<p class="note">
  There are  a few functions that refer to an <dfn>Edit Range</dfn>. The
  current edit range is defined using combinations of the possible edit
  points: <dfn>playhead</dfn>, <dfn>active marker</dfn>, or<dfn>mouse</dfn>.
</p>

<dl class="bindings">
<dt>all after playhead</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod13">p</kbd></dd>
<dt>all before playhead</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">p</kbd></dd>
<dt>all enclosed by edit range</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">u</kbd></dd>
<dt>all present in edit range</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">u</kbd></dd>
<dt>convert edit range to range</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">F6</kbd></dd>
<dt>invert selection</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod3">i</kbd></dd>
<dt>select all after EP</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">Shift+e</kbd></dd>
<dt>select all before EP</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">e</kbd></dd>
<dt>select all in loop range</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">l</kbd></dd>
<dt>select all in punch range</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">d</kbd></dd>
<dt>select everything</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod1">a</kbd></dd>
<dt>select next track/bus</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">↓</kbd></dd>
<dt>select previous track/bus</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">↑</kbd></dd>
</dl>
<h2>Defining Loop, Punch Range and Tempo Changes</h2>
<dl class="bindings">
<dt>set loop range from edit range</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">]</kbd></dd>
<dt>set loop range from region(s)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">]</kbd></dd>
<dt>set punch range from edit range</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">[</kbd></dd>
<dt>set punch range from region(s)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="mod2">[</kbd></dd>
<dt>set tempo (1 bar) from edit range</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">0</kbd></dd>
<dt>set tempo (1 bar) from region(s)</dt>
<dd><kbd class="">9</kbd></dd>
</dl>


---
title: System Configuration
part: part
---


---
title: Ardour Systems
part: chapter
---


---
title: The Right Computer System for Digital Audio
menu_title: The Right Computer System
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  It would be nice to think that you could just go and buy any computer,
  install a bit of software on it and start using it to record and create
  music. This idea isn't wrong, but there some important details that it
  misses.
</p>
<p>
  Any computer that you can buy today (since somewhere around the end of
  2012) is capable of recording and processing a lot of audio data. It
  will come with a builtin audio interface that can accept inputs from
  microphones or electrical instruments. It will have a disk with a huge
  amount of space for storing audio files.
</p>
<p>
  When you are recording, editing and mixing music, you generally want to
  work with very little <dfn>latency</dfn> between the time that
  a sound is generated and when you can hear it. When the audio signal
  flows through a computer, that means that the computer has to be able to
  receive the signal, process it and send it back out again as fast as
  possible.<br />
  And that is where it becomes very important <em>what</em> computer system
  you have, because it is <strong>absolutely not</strong> the case that any
  computer can do this job well.
</p>
<p>
  Routing audio through a computer will always cause some delay, but if it
  is small, you will generally never notice it. There are also ways to work
  in which the delay does not matter at all (for example, not sending the
  output from the computer to speakers).
</p>
<p>
  The latency that you want for working with digital audio is typically in
  the 1&ndash;5&nbsp;ms range. For comparison, if you are sitting 1&nbsp;m
  (3&nbsp;ft) from your speakers, the time the sound takes to reach your
  ears is about 3&nbsp;ms. Any modern computer can limit the delay to
  100&nbsp;ms. Most can keep it under 50&nbsp;ms. Many will be able to get
  down to 10&nbsp;ms without too much effort. If you try to reduce the delay
  on a computer that cannot meet your goal, you will get clicks and
  glitches in the audio, which is clearly extremely undesirable.
</p>

<h2>Hardware-related Considerations</h2>
<dl class="wide-table">
  <dt>Video interface</dt>
  <dd>Poorly engineered video interfaces (and/or their device drivers) can
  "steal" computer resources for a long time, preventing the audio interface
  from keeping up with the flow of data</dd>
  <dt>Wireless interface</dt>
  <dd>Poorly engineered wireless networking interfaces (and/or their device
  drivers) can also block the audio interface from keeping up with the flow
  of data</dd>
  <dt><abbr title="Universal Serial Bus">USB</abbr> ports</dt>
  <dd>If you are using an audio interface connected via USB, and sometimes
  even if you are not, the precise configuration of your system's USB ports
  can make a big difference. There are many cases where plugging the
  interface into one port will work, but using different USB port results
  in much worse performance. This has been seen even on Apple systems.
  </dd>
  <dt>Internal USB Hubs</dt>
  <dd>Ideally, you'd like your USB ports to all connect directly to the
  main bus inside the computer. Some laptops (and possibly some
  desktop systems) come wired with an internal USB hub between the
  ports and the system bus, which can then cause problems for various
  kinds of external USB devices, including some models of audio
  interfaces. It is very difficult to discover whether this is true or
  not, without simplying trying it out.</dd>
  <dt><abbr title="Central Processing Unit">CPU</abbr> speed control</dt>
  <dd>Handling audio with low latency requires that your processor keeps
  running at its highest speed at all times. Many portable systems try to
  regulate processor speed in order to save power&mdash;for low latency
  audio, you want this totally disabled, either in the BIOS or at the OS
  level.</dd>
  <dt>Excessive Interrupt Sharing</dt>
  <dd>If your audio interface is forced by your computer to share an
  interrupt line (basically a way to tell the CPU that something needs
  its attention) with too many, or the wrong, other devices, this can also
  prevent the audio interface from keeping up with the flow of data. In
  laptops it is generally impossible to do anything about this. In many
  desktop systems, it is possible at the BIOS level to reassign interrupts
  to work around the problem.</dd>
  <dt><abbr title="System Management Interrupt">SMI</abbr>s</dt>
  <dd>SMIs are interrupts sent by the motherboard to tell the computer
  about the state of various hardware. They cannot safely be disabled,
  but they can also take a relatively long time to process. It is better
  to have a motherboard which never sends SMIs at all&mdash; this is
  also a requirement for realtime stock trading systems, which have
  similar issues with latency.</dd>
  <dt>Hyperthreading</dt>
  <dd>This technology is becoming less common as actual multi-core CPUs
  become the norm, but it still exists and is generally not good for
  realtime performance. Sometimes you can disable this in the BIOS,
  sometimes you cannot. A processor that uses hyperthreading will be
  less stable in very low latency situations than one without.</dd>
  <dt>Excessive vibration</dt>
  <dd>This doesn't affect the flow of data to/from the audio interface,
  but it can cause the flow of data to/from your disk storage to become
  <em>much</em> slower. If you are going to use a computer in an
  environment with loud live sound (specifically, high bass volume),
  make sure to place it so that the disk is not subject to noticeable
  vibration. The vibrations will physically displace the head-write
  heads of disk, and the resulting errors will force a retry of the
  reading from the disk. Retrying over and over massively reduces the
  rate at which data can be read from the disk. Avoid this.</dd>
</dl>

---
title: Mouse
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Ardour is designed to work best with a <dfn>three button mouse</dfn>
  equipped with a <dfn>scroll wheel</dfn>.
</p>

<p>
  It can be used with a two button mouse or touchpad, but at least two key
  operations will not (easily) be available to you:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>time-constrained region copying</li>
  <li><a href="/using-control-surfaces/midi-learn/"><abbr title="Musical
  Instrument Digital Interface">MIDI</abbr> bindings</a>
  created by "learning" them from incoming MIDI data</li>
</ul>

<p>
  You are strongly encouraged to invest in a three-button mouse. You will
  find that a good quality mouse (especially one with a weighted,
  latchable scroll wheel) will make your use of Ardour vastly more
  efficient. They are cheap, and time is not.
</p>

<p>
  For more detailed instructions, see
  <a href="/ardours-interface/basic-gui-operations/using-the-mouse/">Using the mouse</a>.
</p>


---
title: System Setup
part: chapter
---


---
title: Setting Up Your System
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Using a general purpose computer for recording digital audio is not
  trivial. This chapter will guide you through the basic steps and help
  you with some of the most common pitfalls on the way to a reliable and
  powerful audio workstation.
</p>

---
title: Platform Specifics
part: subchapter
---

<h2>Platform Specifics</h2>

<p>
  This section of the manual collects together the collective wisdom
  of the user community regarding details of using Ardour on various
  specific platforms
</p>

---
title: Ubuntu Linux
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  <dfn>Ubuntu Linux</dfn> is the most popular variety of Linux in use on desktop
  and laptop systems. It has the backing of a for-profit corporation
  (Canonical Inc.), a defined philosophy and a huge and
  worldwide user base. As a result, it is a common platform for people
  who want to use Ardour and other tools for music creation and
  pro-audio work.
</p>

<h2>High Level Recommendations for Ubuntu Users</h2>
<p>
  Currently, installing pro audio applications on vanilla Ubuntu requires
  some configuration, in order for the user to gain realtime privilege
  (read below).
  Ubuntu Studio, which is an official flavor of Ubuntu, and thus shares
  the repositories with Ubuntu, has this already configured.
  Other distributions, such as KXStudio, and Dreamstudio are largely based
  on Ubuntu, and like Ubuntu Studio, has these settings preconfigured, while
  also containing customized versions of Ubuntu packages, which often are
  more up to date.
</p>

<h2>Installing Ardour</h2>
<p>
  There may be unintended differences, and even bugs in Ubuntu native
  packages, as a result of a different building method. For this reason,
  Ardour developers highly recommend you to install the official
  ready-to-run version of the program that you can get from <a
  href="https://community.ardour.org/download">ardour.org</a>, as Ubuntu native
  packages are not supported in official Ardour forums or other
  support channels.
</p>
<p>
  Follow these steps to install the latest version of Ardour.
  <ol>
  <li>Download the latest release from <a href="https://community.ardour.org/download">
    ardour.org</a>.</li>
  <li><kbd class="mouse">Right+Click</kbd> the downloaded file and choose
    properties.</li>
  <li>Click the Permissions tab and check the option "Allow this file to
    run as a program"</li>
  <li>Close the dialog and double-click the file.</li>
  <li>Follow the prompts.</li>
</ol>
</p>

<h2>Problems with the interaction between PulseAudio and JACK</h2>

<h3>Background Info</h3>
<p>
  Like many distributions, Ubuntu has decided to use <dfn>PulseAudio</dfn> as the
  default audio system. PulseAudio is a rich and capable system that
  provides excellent services for typical users of Linux on the
  desktop. However, it is not capable of the type of performance that
  tools like Ardour require and in particular does not offer the
  possibility of sending audio between applications that can make the
  Linux audio environment a very interesting one.
</p>
<p>
  This would not be a problem if it were not for the fact that JACK
  will not run correctly (if at all) if it needs to use the same
  soundcard/audio interface that PulseAudio is using. And since on
  Ubuntu, PulseAudio is configured by default to always use the
  (typically single) audio interface on your computer, this is a bit
  of a problem.
</p>
<p>
  The developers of JACK and PulseAudio got together in 2009 and
  agreed upon a mechanism by which PulseAudio and JACK could cooperate
  in their use of a single soundcard. Whether or not PulseAudio is running by
  default, when JACK starts up it sends out a request to use the
  soundcard. If PulseAudio is running, it will give up its use of the
  soundcard to allow JACK to take over (and can optionally be told to
  route its own audio through JACK). When JACK finishes, it sends out
  another message, and PulseAudio can once again use the soundcard
  directly.
</p>
<h3>What is the problem?</h3>
<p>
  The specific issues known at this time for all flavors of Ubuntu
  12.04 and 12.10 are:
</p>
  <ul>
    <li>a bug in PulseAudio that causes it not to give up the
      soundcard when JACK asks
      (<a href="https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/pulseaudio/+bug/1163638">LP:
      #1163638</a>,
      fixed in Ubuntu 13.04).</li>
  </ul>

<h3>Symptoms</h3>
<p>
    <samp>Cannot start JACK</samp> (though see the next section for other
      causes of this)
</p>

<h3>How to fix</h3>
<p>
  These bugs do not affect releases from 13.04, and earlier releases
  (12.04 and 12.10) are in the process of being fixed.
</p>

<h2>Problems with JACK configuration</h2>

<h3>What is the problem?</h3>
    <p>
      To function as intended, JACK needs to run with access to two
      operating system facilities called <dfn>realtime scheduling</dfn> and
      <dfn>memory locking</dfn>. This means that you, the user who starts JACK, must be
      allowed access to these facilities. By default, Ubuntu does create a
      user group that has this permission but&mdash;it does not put new
      users into this group by default. Read more about why <a href="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Audio/TheAudioGroup">here</a>.
      Consequently, you will not have permission to run JACK in the way you should.
    </p>
<h3>Symptoms</h3>
    <p>
      A message like <samp>Cannot lock down memory</samp> in the output from JACK as
      it starts up. This output may be hidden in the Messages window of
      QJackctrl (aka JACK Control), so you should check there.
    </p>

<h3>How to fix</h3>
    <p>
      Make sure the file /etc/security/limits.d/audio.conf exists. If it is
      named /etc/security/limits.d/audio.conf.disabled, rename it to the former.
      Run the command
    </p>
    <kbd class="cmd lin">sudo usermod -a -G audio
    <em>YOUR-LOGIN-NAME</em></kbd>
    <p>
      Then log out and log in again. On Ubuntu Studio the user is a member of audio
      group by default, but not on other official flavors.
    </p>

<h2>Reporting Issues</h2>

<p>
  Given the difficulties in supporting Ubuntu and the limited time/resources
  of the Ardour team, the <dfn>Ubuntu Studio Project</dfn> has requested that
  issues and bug reports related to Ubuntu, Ubuntu Studio and other
  derivitives be directed to them.
</p>

<h3>Contact Information for Ubuntu Studio</h3>

<p><a href="http://ubuntustudio.org">The Ubuntu Studio Homepage</a></p>

<p><a href="http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=335">The Ubuntu Studio Forums.</a></p>

<p><a href="https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UbuntuStudio/MailLists">Information on the Ubuntu Studio Mailing Lists.</a></p>

<p><a href="https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UbuntuStudio/IRC">Information on the Ubuntu Studio IRC channel.</a> #ubuntustudio on irc.freenode.net</p>

---
title: Microsoft Windows
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  <dfn>Microsoft Windows</dfn> is not currently officially supported. If you are
  willing to live with bugs and <b>help to test</b> this platform, read on.
</p>

<h2>Installing Ardour</h2>

<p>
  <ol>
    <li>Download the latest windows build from <a href="http://nightly.ardour.org/">
      the nightly build page</a>.</li>
    <li>Run the installer and follow the prompts.</li>
  </ol>
</p>

<h2>How to help</h2>

<p>
  <ul>
    <li>Hang out in #ardour-windows on irc.freenode.net. You may ask questions
      there and if you can, answer questions that others have.</li>
    <li>Keep an eye on the <a href="https://community.ardour.org/forum/27"> Windows
      forum</a> and contribute to the discussions there.</li>
    <li>Update this manual via pull requests on <a href="https://github.com/Ardour/manual">github<a/>.</li>
  </ul>
</p>

---
title: KDE Plasma 5
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Under <dfn>KDE Plasma 5</dfn>, plugin and various other windows will not stay
  on top of any main window; therefore a workaround is required.
</p>

<h2>Workaround for ancillary windows not staying on top in KDE Plasma 5</h2>

<p>
  In order to force ancillary windows in Ardour to stay on top, the following
  steps are necessary:
</p>

<ol>
  <li>Launch the <kbd class="menu">System Settings</kbd> application.</li>
  <li>Open <kbd class="menu">Workspace &gt; Window Managment</kbd>.</li>
  <li>Select <kbd class="menu">Window Rules</kbd> in the left-hand sidebar. It
  should default to the <kbd class="menu">Window matching</kbd> tab.</li>
  <li>Click on the <kbd class="button">New...</kbd> button.</li>
  <li>On the line that says <kbd class="menu">Window class (application)</kbd>,
  set the combo box to <kbd class="menu">Substring Match</kbd> and type <kbd
  class="user">ardour</kbd> in the text entry field.</li>
  <li>In the list box that is labeled <kbd class="menu">Window types:</kbd>,
  click on the option <kbd class="menu">Dialog Window</kbd>, then press and
  hold <kbd>Ctrl</kbd> while clicking on the second option <kbd
  class="menu">Utility Window</kbd>.</li>
  <li>Select the <kbd class="menu">Arrangement & Access</kbd> tab.</li>
  <li>Check the box next to the <kbd class="menu">Keep above</kbd> option. On
  the same line, select <kbd class="menu">Force</kbd> from the combo box, then
  click on the <kbd class="menu">Yes</kbd> radio button for that line.</li>
  <li>Click on the <kbd class="button">OK</kbd> button to dismiss the dialog.
  </li>
</ol>

<p>
  At this point you can close the <kbd class="menu">System Settings</kbd>
  application.
</p>

<h3>Background Info</h3>

<p>
  <a href="https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=172615#c26">According to one of
  the lead KDE developers</a>, they are not willing to follow the <abbr
  title="Inter-Client Communication Conventions Manual">ICCCM</abbr> standard
  for utility windows. Apparently they are alone in this understanding, as
  plugin windows on Ardour under Linux work out of the box on every other <abbr
  title="Window Manager">WM</abbr> out there.
</p>

<p>
  Under KDE 4, there was a workaround in Ardour (<kbd class="menu">Preferences
  &gt; Theme &gt; All floating windows are dialogs</kbd>) that would "trick"
  KDE into forcing certain window types to be on top of their parent windows,
  but this no longer works under KDE Plasma 5.
</p>


---
title: I/O Setup
part: chapter
---


---
title: Connecting Audio and MIDI Devices
part: subchapter
---

<p class="fixme">Add content</p>

---
title: Using More Than One Audio Device
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Ardour will only ever deal with a single <dfn>audio device</dfn>. If you
  want to use more than one, you have two choices:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>
    If you want to use Ardour to start JACK (which handles all
    audio I/O) you will need to create a "fake" audio device on your
    computer the represents all the multiple devices you wish to
    use. How to do this is platform dependent and described below.
  </li>
  <li>
    Use a different tool to start JACK and manage all the devices.
  </li>
</ul>

<p>
  Ardour is fundamentally designed to be a component in a
  pro-audio/music creation environment. Standard operating practice
  for such setups involves using only a single digital <dfn>sample
  clock</dfn> (something counting off the time between audio samples).
  This means that trying to use multiple independent soundcards is
  problematic, because each soundcard has its own sample clock, running
  independently from the others. Over time, these different clocks
  <dfn>drift</dfn>
  out of sync with each other, which causes glitches in the audio. You
  cannot stop this drift, although in some cases the effects may be
  insignificant enough that some people might not care about them.
</p>

<p>
  Thus in an ideal world you should not use multiple independent
  soundcards but instead use a single device with a single clock and all
  the inputs, outputs and other features that you need.
</p>

<p>
  Of course, a lot of people don't live in an ideal world, and believe
  that software should make up for this.
</p>

<h2>OS X</h2>
<p>
  In CoreAudio, <dfn>aggregate devices</dfn> provide a method to use
  multiple soundcards as a single device. For example, you can
  aggregate two 8-channel devices so that you can record 16 channels
  into Ardour.
</p>
<div class="note">
<p>
  If you are using a <em>single</em> typical 3rd party
  audio interface (such as those from Apogee, RME, Presonus, and many
  others), <em>or</em> you are using JackPilot or a similar
  application to start JACK, you do not need to worry about this.<br />
  You will need to set up an aggregate device only if either
  of the following conditions are true:
</p>
<ul>
  <li>You want to use two entirely separate
    devices <em>and</em> want to start JACK using Ardour.</li>
  <li>You want to use your <dfn>builtin audio device</dfn> <em>and</em>
    want to start JACK using Ardour.</li>
  <li>You want to use more than two entirely separate devices</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>
  In the case of your builtin audio device, you will need to create
  an aggregate device that combines "Builtin Input" and "Builtin
  Output" into one device.
</p>
<p>
  The precise instructions for creating an aggregate device on OS X
  have varied from one released to another. Please read <a href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202000">https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202000</a>
</p>

<h2>Linux</h2>
<p>
  Please see the instructions at <a href="http://jackaudio.org/faq" title="http://jackaudio.org/faq">http://jackaudio.org/faq</a>
</p>


---
title: Preferences
part: chapter
---


---
title: Preferences and Session Properties
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Ardour splits its configuration options into two categories:
</p>
<ul>
  <li>
    Global <dfn>preferences</dfn> control general workflow and system
    configuration, and should apply to all sessions. They are located in
    <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences</kbd> and stored in
    Ardour's <dfn>user configuration file</dfn> in your home directory.
  </li>
  <li><dfn>Session properties</dfn> control aspects of the workflow or
    configuration that pertain to the current session only. You can find them
    in <kbd class="menu">Session &gt; Properties</kbd>, and they will be stored
    in the session file.
  </li>
</ul>

---
title: Global Preferences Dialog
menu_title: Global Preferences
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  These preferences apply to all Ardour sessions.
</p>

<img src="/images/a4_preferences_misc.png" alt="ardour preferences
dialog"/>

---
title: Misc Tab
menu_title: Misc Tab
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  This tab contains settings that do not belong on the other tabs.
</p>

<img src="/images/a4_preferences_misc.png" alt="preferences
misc tab"/>

<ul>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>DSP CPU Utilization</strong> sets how many cpu processors can be
      used to do signal processing. It can be set to use one up to all
      processors.
    </p>
  </li>

  <li>
    <p>
      <dfn>Undo</dfn>
    </p>
    <ul>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Limit undo history</strong> sets how many commands can be
          undone using <kbd class="mod1">Z</kbd> or
          <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Undo</kbd>.
        </p>
      </li>

      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Save undo history</strong> sets how many commands are saved so
          they are available to be undone after reopening the session.
        </p>
      </li>

      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Verify removal of last capture</strong> when enabled prompts to
          verify removal the last recording capture when
          <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Remove Last Capture</kbd> is executed.
        </p>
      </li>

      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Make periodic backups of the session file</strong> will create
          a backup session file after changes to the timeline. The backup file is
          the session name followed by <em>.ardour.bak</em>. The backup can be
          used to recover from crashes when the session had not been explicitly
          saved.
        </p>
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>

  <li>
    <p>
      <dfn>Session Management</dfn>
    </p>
    <ul>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Always copy imported files</strong> selects, and then disables
          changes to, the <em>Copy&nbsp;files to&nbsp;session</em> option in the
          <a href="/adding-pre-existing-material/import-dialog/">
            Add Existing Media</a> dialog.
        </p>
      </li>

      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Default folder for new sessions:</strong> defalts the folder
          where Ardour will create new session folders. This is used in the
          <em>Session&nbsp;Setup</em> dialog displayed by
          <kbd class="menu">Session &gt; New</kbd>.
        </p>
      </li>

      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Maximum number of recent sessions:</strong> determines how many
          of the last opened sessions shows in the
          <em>Recent&nbsp;Sessions</em> dialog displayed by
          <kbd class="menu">Session &gt; Recent</kbd>.
        </p>
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>

  <li>
    <p>
      <dfn>Click</dfn>
    </p>
    <ul>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Click audio file:</strong> sets a user defined sound to be
          played when Ardour's metronome is enabled in the
          <a href="/controlling-playback/using-the-transport-bar/">
            Transport Bar</a>
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Click emphasis audio file:</strong> sets an optional different
          metronome sound to be played on the downbeat.
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Click gain level:</strong> allows the metronome's click sounds
          to be boosted or attenuated.
        </p>
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>

  <li>
    <p>
      <dfn>Automation</dfn>
    </p>
    <ul>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Thinning factor</strong> ranges from 0 to 1000 with larger
          values sending fewer automation changes. Thinning is like lossy
          audio compression, removing data that is less likely to be noticed,
          although the more you remove the more likely the loss will be noticed.
          The advantage to thinning is reduced CPU usage.
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Automation sampling interval</strong> ranges from 1 to
          1000&nbsp;ms. Determines how frequently the automation input is
          sampled. The shorter the interval the higher the accuracy but also
          the higher the CPU requirements.
        </p>
      </li>
    </ul>

</ul>

---
title: Transport Tab
menu_title: Transport Tab
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  This tab contains settings that relate to the behavior of the
  <a href="/controlling-playback/using-the-transport-bar">Transport Bar</a>
  and <a href="/synchronization/">Synchronization</a>.
</p>

<img src="/images/a4_preferences_transport.png" alt="preferences
transport tab"/>

<ul>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Keep record-enable engaged on stop</strong> leaves the global
      record-enable engaged after transport is stopped.  Does not affect track
      level record-enable which is never changed on stop.
    </p>
  </li>

  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Play loop is a transport mode</strong> changes the behavior of the
      loop button, turning it into a toggle. When enabled, the loop button does
      not start playback but forces playback to always play the loop.  Looping
      stays engaged when the transport is stopped. Playback continues where the
      transport stopped and continues to loop.
    </p>
    <p>
      When disabled, the loop button starts playing the loop but stop then
      cancels loop playback.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Stop recording when an xrun occurs</strong> will stop the transport
      when an xrun occurs during recording, ensuring no audible glitches are
      recorded.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Create markers where xruns occur</strong> will create a new
      <a href="/working-with-markers/">marker</a> when an xrun occurs during
      recording at the location of the xrun. This marks where possible xruns
      might produce audible glitches when stopping on xruns is disabled.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Stop at the end of the session</strong> causes the transport to
      stop during playback when it reaches the end marker. Behavior during
      recording is not changed.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Do seamless looping</strong> removes any clicks that might
      otherwise be audible when the transport moves from the end of the loop
      range back to the beginning.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Disable per-track record disarm while rolling</strong>, when
      enabled, will not allow the any track's record-enable to be disarmed
      during record, preventing accidentally stopping the recording of a take.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>12dB gain reduction during fast-forward and fast-rewind</strong>
      when enabled will reduce the unpleasant increase in perceived volume
      that occurs when fast-forwarding or rewinding through some kinds of audio.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Sync/Slave</strong>
      <ul>
        <li>
          <p>
            <strong>External timecode source</strong> determines which external
            source to use when Ardour is using an external
            <a href="/synchronization/">synchronization</a> source.  Depending
            on the timecode source chosen, additional preference options are
            available.
          </p>
        </li>
        <li>
          <p>
            <strong>Match session video frame rate to external timecode</strong>
            controls the value of the video frame rate <em>while chasing</em>
            an external timecode source.
          </p>
          <p>
            When enabled, the session video frame rate will be changed to match
            that of the selected external timecode source.
          </p>
          <p>
            When disabled, the session video frame rate will not be changed to
            match that of the selected external timecode source. Instead, the
            frame rate indication in the main clock will flash red and Ardour
            will convert between the external timecode standard and the session
            standard.
          </p>
        </li>
        <li>
          <p>
            <strong>Sync-lock timecode to clock</strong> can disable drift
            compensation.
          </p>
          <p>
            When enabled, Ardour will never varispeed when slaved to external
            timecode. Sync Lock indicates that the selected external timecode
            source shares clock-sync (Black &amp; Burst, Wordclock, etc) with
            the audio interface. This options disables drift compensation.
            The transport speed is fixed at 1.0. Vari-speed LTC will be ignored
            and cause drift.
          </p>
          <p>
            When disabled, Ardour will compensate for potential drift regardless
            if the timecode sources shares clock sync.
          </p>
        </li>
        <li>
          <p>
            <strong>Lock to 29.9700 fps instead of 30000/1001</strong>, when
            enabled, will force Ardour to assume the external timecode source
            uses 29.97 fps instead of 30000/1001.
            SMPTE 12M-1999 specifies 29.97&nbsp;df as 30000/1001. The spec
            further mentions that drop-frame timecode has an accumulated error
            of -86&nbsp;ms over a 24&nbsp;hour period. Drop-frame timecode would
            compensate exactly for an NTSC color frame rate of 30 * 0.9990 (i.e.
            29.970000). That is not the actual rate. However, some vendors use
            that rate&mdash;despite it being against the specs&mdash;because the
            variant of using exactly 29.97&nbsp;fps has zero timecode drift.
          </p>
      </ul>
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>LTC Reader</strong> specifies which incoming port will provide
      the LTC signal.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <strong>LTC Generator</strong>
    <ul>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Enable LTC generator</strong>, when enabled Ardour will
          output an LTC timecode signal on it's <em>LTC-out</em> port.
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Send LTC while stopped</strong>, when enabled Ardour will
          continue to send LTC information even while the transport (playhed) is
          not moving.
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>LTC generator level:</strong> specifies the peak volume of
          the generated LTC signal in dbFS. A good value is 0dBu^=-18dbFS in an
          EBU calibrated system.
        </p>
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>
</ul>

---
title: Editor Tab
menu_title: Editor Tab
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  This tab contains settings that affect behavior in the <dfn>Editor</dfn>
  window when <a href="/editing-and-arranging">Editing and Arranging</a>.
</p>

<img src="/images/a4_preferences_editor.png" alt="preferences
editor tab"/>

<ul>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Allow dragging of the playhead</strong>, when enabled, allows
      dragging the playhead with the mouse in the <strong>Editor</strong> window.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Move relevant automation when audio regions are moved</strong>,
      when enabled, causes automation data to stay with a region when the
      region is moved inside the playlist. When disabled, the automation is
      not affected by movement of regions.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Show meters on tracks in the editor</strong>, when enabled, shows
      a small meter in the <strong>Editor</strong> window with each track. The
      meter is shown in the left side area along with the track name and buttons.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Display master-meter in the toolbar</strong> when enabled displays
      a small copy of the master bus meter in the toolbar.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Default fade shape:</strong> sets which
      <a href="/editing-and-arranging/create-region-fades-and-crossfades/">
        fade shape</a> is the default.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Regions in active edit groups are edited together:</strong> sets
      the criteria to see if editing actions apply to tracks grouped together
      in an active group.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Make rubberband selection rectangle snap to the grid</strong> when
      enabled uses the grid when
      <a href="/editing-and-arranging/select-regions/">selecting regions</a>
      with a rubberband rectangle.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Show waveforms in regions</strong> when enabled shows a visual
      representation of the region's audio waveform. Changes to this setting
      take affect after restarting Ardour.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Show gain envelopes in audio regions:</strong> sets the criteria
      for displaying the gain envelope in audio regions.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Waveform scale:</strong> when waveforms are shown in audio region
      they can be displayed using a <em>linear</em> or a <em>logarithmic</em>
      scale.
      See <a href="/working-with-tracks/controlling-track-appearance/waveform-display/">
        Waveform disply</a>.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Waveform shape:</strong> when waveforms are shown in audio region
      they can be displayed using a <em>traditional</em> or a <em>rectified</em>
      shape.
      See <a href="/working-with-tracks/controlling-track-appearance/waveform-display/">
        Waveform disply</a>.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Waveform Clip Level (dBFS):</strong> sets the level at which the
      waveform shown in an audio region will be drawn in red to indicate
      clipping. Setting lower than 0.0&nbsp;dBFS can be useful if any tool in
      the audio chain has problems near 0.0&nbsp;dBFS.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Show waveform for audio while it is being recorded</strong> when
      enabled, will draw the audio waveform in regions being recorded.  When
      disabled only a region block will be drawn while recording reducing CPU
      requirements.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Show zoom toolbar</strong> when enabled shows a toolbar for
      zoom functions.  When disabled the zoom commands are still available
      with keyboard short-cuts and the View menu. Changes to this setting
      take affect after restarting Ardour.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Update editor window during drags of the summary</strong> when
      enabled the contents of the editor window will redraw the tracks area
      as the selection rectangle in the summary area is moved or resized. The
      summary area is at the bottom of the editor and shows an overview of all
      regions on the timelime.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Name new markers</strong> when enabled, popup a dialog when a new
      <a href="/working-with-markers/">marker</a> is created. This allows
      markers to be named as they are created.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Auto-scroll editor window when dragging near its edges</strong>
      when enabled will scroll the editor window automatically when dragging a
      region. This can make it easier to see where to position the region.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>After splitting selected regions, select</strong> determines which,
      if any, regions are selected after a split operation. The options are no
      regions, the regions created by the split, and if more than one region
      was selected to start with, the existing selection and the new regions.
      Changes to this setting take affect after restarting Ardour.
    </p>
  </li>
</ul>

---
title: Audio Tab
menu_title: Audio Tab
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  This tab contains settings for handling audio.
</p>

<img src="/images/a4_preferences_audio.png" alt="preferences
audio tab"/>

<ul>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Buffering</strong> settings determine how many seconds of audio
      off of disk will be buffered in memory. Longer settings reduce the risk
      of buffer under-runs but consume more memory. The default value is
      5.0&nbsp;seconds.
    </p>

    <ul>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Playback</strong> sets how many seconds of audio Ardour will
          buffer during playback.
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Recording</strong> sets how many seconds of audio Ardour will
          buffer during recording.
        </p>
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>

  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Monitoring</strong>
    </p>
    <ul>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Record monitoring handled by:</strong> determines whether
          Ardour provides monitoring of incoming audio or whether
          monitoring is provided by hardware.  See
          <a href="/recording/monitoring/">Monitoring</a> for more information.
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Tape machine mode</strong> when enabled defaults new audio
          tracks to tape machine mode. See
          <a href="/working-with-tracks/track-types/">Track Types</a>
          for more information.
        </p>
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>

  <li>
    <p>
    <strong>Conection of tracks and busses</strong>
    </p>
    <ul>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Auto-connect master/monitor busses</strong>
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Connect track inputs:</strong>
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Connect track and bus outputs:</strong>
        </p>
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>

  <li>
    <p>
    <strong>Denormals</strong> are a specific type of very small numbers that
    can cause issues with CPU consumption when using some plugins in some
    circumstances.
    </p>
    <p>
      Ardour provides two methods of handling the issue. Try different
      combinations of these settings to to find the setting that minimizes CPU
      consumption.
    </p>
    <ul>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Use DC bias to protect against denormals</strong> adds a small
          constant value to numbers to move the numbers away from zero.
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Processor handling</strong>, if the computer's hardware
          supports it, offers two methods that can be used individually or
          combined. Flush to zero and denormals are zero.
        </p>
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>

  <li>
    <p>
    <strong>Plugins</strong>
    </p>
    <ul>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Silence plugins when the transport is stopped</strong>
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Make new plugins active</strong> when enabled, will activate
          a plugin when it is added to a track or bus
          <a href="/working-with-plugins/processor-box/">Processor Box</a>.
        </p>
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>

  <li>
    <p>
    <strong>Regions</strong>
    </p>
    <ul>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Enable automatic analysis of audio</strong>
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Replicate missing region channels</strong>
        </p>
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>
</ul>

---
title: Solo/Mute Tab
menu_title: Solo/Mute Tab
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  This tab contains settings that affect the use of
  <a href="/mixing/muting-and-soloing/">solo, muting</a>, and
  <a href="/mixing/panning/">panning</a>.
</p>

<img src="/images/a4_preferences_solomute.png" alt="preferences
solo/mute tab"/>

<ul>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Solo</strong>
    </p>
    <ul>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Solo-in-place mute cut</strong> sets the attenuation of the
          the other tracks when another track is soloed in place. This setting
          is also available from the <strong>Mixer</strong> monitor section.
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Solo controls are Listen controls</strong> when enabled the
          soloed track is soloed only on the monitor bus, the master fader mix
          is not affected by the solo. This option can also be set by enabling
          pre-fader listen or after-fader listen in the <strong>Mixer</strong>
          monitor section.
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Listen Position:</strong> determines what is listened to when
          the solo controls are used as listen controls. The options are
          after-fader or pre-fader.
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>PFL signals come from:</strong> determines whether the
          pre-fader listen position is before or after the pre-fader processors.
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>AFL signals come from:</strong> determines whether the
          after-fader listen position is before or after the after-fader
          processors.
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Exclusive solo</strong> when enabled will only solo that last
          track selected for solo. Previously soloed tracks will be un-soloed.
          This setting is also available from the <strong>Mixer</strong> monitor
          section.
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Show solo muting</strong> when enabled outlines the mute
          button on tracks and busses when another track is soloed.
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Soloing overrides muting</strong> when enabled allows a track
          to be heard when it is soloed while muted. This setting is also
          available from the <strong>Mixer</strong> monitor section.
        </p>
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>

  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Default track/bus muting options</strong> sets the muting options
      for a newly created tracks or bus. The mute options for an existing track
      or bus are changed by the right-click context menu on a mute button.
    </p>
    <ul>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Mute affects pre-fader sends</strong> when enabled pre-fader
          sends will be muted by default.
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Mute affects post-fader sends</strong> when enabled post-fader
          sends will be muted by default.
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Mute affects control outputs</strong> when enabled control
          outputs are muted by default.
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Mute affects main outputs</strong> when enabled main outputs
          are muted by default.
        </p>
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>

  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Send Routing</strong> affects
      <a href="/signal-routing/aux-sends/">aux and external sends</a>.
    </p>
    <ul>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Link panners of Aux and External Sends with main panner by
            default</strong> When enabled, sends follow the channel panner.
        </p>
        <p>
          When disabled, sends can panned independently of the channel panner
          and fader. Double clicking the send in the processor box toggles
          the main panner and fader between the aux send and the channel.
        </p>
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>
</ul>

---
title: MIDI Tab
menu_title: MIDI Tab
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  This tab contains settings related to the use of MIDI inside Ardour.
</p>

<img src="/images/a4_preferences_midi.png" alt="preferences
MIDI tab"/>

<ul>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>MIDI read-ahead time</strong>
    </p>
  </li>

  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Send MIDI Clock</strong> when enabled Ardour will generate MIDI
      clock on the <code>ardour:MIDI clock out</code> JACK port.
    </p>
  </li>

  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Send MIDI Time Code</strong> when enabled Ardour will generate MIDI
      time code on the <code>ardour:MTC out</code> JACK port.
    </p>
  </li>

  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Percentage either side of normal transport speed to transmit MTC:</strong> MIDI time code generation will be disabled when the transport speed is
      greater than normal sped plus this percentage or less than normal minus
      this percentage.
    </p>
  </li>

  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Obey MIDI Machine Control commands</strong> when enabled Ardour
      will respond to MIDI Machine Control commands received on the
      <code>ardour:MMC in</code> JACK port.
    </p>
  </li>

  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Send MIDI Machine Control commands</strong> when enabled Ardour
      will send MIDI Machine Control commands on the <code>ardour:MMC out</code>
      JACK port.
    </p>
  </li>

  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Send MIDI control feedback</strong>
    </p>
  </li>

  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Inbound MMC device ID:</strong> is the only device ID Ardour will
      respond to when an MMC command is received on the
      <code>ardour:MMC in</code> JACK port.
    </p>
  </li>

  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Outbound MMC device ID:</strong> is the MIDI device ID Ardour will
      use when it sends MMC commands.
    </p>
  </li>

  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Initial program change:</strong> Ardour will send a MIDI program
      change message on the <code>ardour:MMC out</code> JACK port when a session
      is loaded and whenever this field is changed. A value of -1 is for don't
      send any program change message.
    </p>
  </li>

  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Display first MIDI bank/program as 0</strong>
    </p>
  </li>

  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Never display periodic MIDI messages</strong>
    </p>
  </li>

  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Sound MIDI notes as they are selected</strong>
    </p>
  </li>

  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Midi Audition Synth</strong>
    </p>
  </li>
</ul>

---
title: User Interaction Tab
menu_title: User Interaction Tab
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  This tab contains settings that affect the user's interaction with
  <a href="/ardours-interface">Ardours interface</a>.
</p>

<img src="/images/a4_preferences_interaction.png" alt="preferences
user interaction tab"/>

<ul>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Use translations</strong>
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Keyboard</strong>
    </p>
    <ul>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Edit using:</strong> Use this keyboard and mouse combination
          to edit a region's name, and for audio, the region gain.
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Delete using:</strong>
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Insert note using</strong> Using this mouse and keyboard
          combination allows MIDI note drawing while the <strong>Editor</strong>
          is in edit mode.
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Ignore snap using:</strong> This mouse and keyboard combination
          temporarily changes the
          <a href="/editing-and-arranging/snap-to-the-grid/">snap mode</a> to
          <strong>No Grid</strong>.
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Keyboard layout:</strong>
        </p>
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>
</ul>

---
title: Control Surfaces Tab
menu_title: Control Surfaces Tab
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  This tab contains settings for control surfaces. Also see
  <a href="/using-control-surfaces/">Using Control Surfaces</a>.
</p>

<img src="/images/a4_preferences_control_surfaces.png" alt="preferences
control surfaces tab"/>

<p>
  Enable a <dfn>Control Surface Protocol</dfn> and double-click on it to edit
  protocol specific  settings. Enable feedback to allow Ardour to send position
  information back to a control surface.
</p>

<p>
  <strong>Control surface remote ID:</strong> can follow the order of the mixer
  or be user assigned.
</p>

---
title: Video Tab
menu_title: Video Tab
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  This tab contains settings related to handling of Video.
</p>

<img src="/images/a4_preferences_video.png" alt="preferences
video tab"/>

<ul>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Advanced Setup (remote video server)</strong>
    </p>
    <ul>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Video Server URL:</strong>
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Video Folder:</strong>
        </p>
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Show Video Export Info before export</strong>
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Show Video Server Startup Dialog</strong>
    </p>
  </li>
</ul>

---
title: Plugins Tab
menu_title: Plugins Tab
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  This tab contains settings that control the discovery and availability of
  plugins.
</p>

<img src="/images/a4_preferences_plugins.png" alt="preferences
plugins tab"/>

<ul>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>General</strong>
    </p>
    <ul>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Scan for Plugins</strong> will initiate an immediate scan of
          the system for available plugins.
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Always Display Plugin Scan Progress</strong> When enabled a
          popup window showing plugin scan progress is displayed for indexing
          (cache load) and discovery (detect new plugins).
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Scan Time Out</strong> Specify the default timeout for plugin
          instantiation in 1/10 seconds. Plugins that require more time to load
          will be blacklisted. A value of 0 disables the timeout.
        </p>
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>

  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>VST</strong>
    </p>
    <ul>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Clear VST Cache</strong> Remove all VST plugins from the list
          of plugins available to be inserted into the processor box.
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Clear VST Blacklist</strong> Make blacklisted VST plugins
          available to be added to the processor box.
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Scan for [new] VST Plugins on Application Start</strong> When
          enabled new VST plugins are searched, tested and added to the cache
          index on application start. When disabled new plugins will only be
          available after triggering a 'Scan' manually.
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Linux VST Path:</strong> Launch a dialog to manage the
          directories that will be searched for Linux VST plugins.
        </p>
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>
</ul>

---
title: GUI Tab
menu_title: GUI Tab
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  This tab contains settings that affect
  <a href="/ardours-interface/">Ardour's Interface</a>.
</p>

<img src="/images/a4_preferences_gui.png" alt="preferences
gui tab"/>

<ul>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Graphically indicate mouse pointer hovering</strong>
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Use name highlight bars in region display</strong> When enabled the
      region name is displayed, in the editor,  in it's own bar at the bottom of
      the region. When disabled, the region name is display at the top of the
      region, possibly over audio waveforms or MIDI notes.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Font scaling</strong> allows the display size of some text in the
      user interface to be scaled up or down. May require a restart to take
      affect.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Update transport clock display at FPS</strong> when enabled the transport clock
      will update at the synchronization framerate instead of the default 100&nbsp;ms rate.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Lock timeout</strong> Lock GUI after this many idle seconds (zero to never
      lock). GUI may also be locked with <kbd class="menu">Session &gt; Lock</kbd>. When
      locked a dialog will display a &quot;Click to unlock&quot; button.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Mixer Strip</strong> Enable (checked) or disable (unchecked) display of
      controls in the mixer strip. Controls whose display can be toggled are
      <strong>Input</strong>, <strong>Phase&nbsp;Invert</strong>,
      <strong>Record&nbsp;&amp;&nbsp;Monitor</strong>, <strong>Solo&nbsp;Iso/Lock</strong>,
      <strong>Output</strong>, and <strong>Comments</strong>.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Use narrow strips in the mixer by default</strong> When enabled, new mixer
      strips are created in narrow format. When disabled, they are created in wide format.
      Existing mixer strips width can be toggled with the width control at the top left of
      the mixer stip.
    </p>
  </li>
</ul>

---
title: Metering Tab
menu_title: Metering Tab
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  This tab contains settings that affect <a href="/ardours-interface/meters/">
    Metering</a> in Ardour.
</p>

<img src="/images/a4_preferences_metering.png" alt="preferences
metering tab"/>

<ul>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Peak hold time:</strong> Some meter types that have a peak
      indicator that has a user controlled hold time. The options are off, short,
      medium, or long.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>DPM fall-off:</strong>
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Meter line-up level; 0&nbsp;dBu:</strong>
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>IEC1/DIN Meter line-up level; 0&nbsp;dBu:</strong>
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>VU Meter standard:</strong>
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Peak threshold[dBFS]:</strong>
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>LED meter style</strong>
    </p>
  </li>
</ul>

---
title: Theme Tab
menu_title: Theme Tab
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  This tab contains settings that change the visual appearence of Ardour.
</p>

<img src="/images/a4_preferences_theme.png" alt="preferences
theme tab"/>

<ul>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Restore Defaults</strong> When clicked will change all settings
      on the Theme tab back to Ardour's default values.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>All floating windows are dialogs</strong> When enabled Ardour will
      use type &quot;Dialog&quot; for all floating windows instead of using type
      &quot;Utility&quot; for some of them. This may help usability with some
      window managers. This setting requires a restart of Ardour to take effect.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Transient windows follow front window</strong> When enabled
      transient windows will follow the front window when toggling between the
      editor and mixer. This setting requires a restart of Ardour to take effect.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Draw &quot;flat&quot; buttons</strong> When enabled button controls
      in the user interface will be drawn with a flat look. When disabled button
      controls will have a slight 3D appearence.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Blink Rec-Arm buttons</strong> When enabled the record-armed
      buttons on tracks will blink when they are armed but not currently
      recording. When disabled the record-armed buttons on tracks will be
      outlined in red instead of blinking.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Color regions using their track's color</strong> When enabled
      the background color of regions in the editor will be displayed using the
      the color assigned to the track. When disabled the default region
      background color will be used.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Show waveform clipping</strong> When enalbled the waveform
      displayed will show peaks marked in red if they exceed the clip level. The
      Waveform Clip Level is set with a slider on the Preferences
      <a href="/preferences-and-session-properties/preferences-dialog/editor/">
        Editor tab</a>
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Icon Set</strong> Changes the mouse cursor icons used to indicate
      different tool modes in the editor. An example would be the icons used to
      indicate whether the cursor will select a region or change the length of a
      region.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Waveforms color gradient depth</strong> Determines how much
      gradient effect is applied to audio waveforms displayed in the editor.
      Values range from 0.00, no graident effect, to 0.95, maximum effect.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Timeline item gradient depth</strong> Determines how much
      gradient effect is applied to the backgrounds of regions displayed in the
      editor. Values range from 0.00, no graident effect, to 0.95, maximum
      effect.
    </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>
      <strong>Colors</strong> The color of an item in the user interface is
      determined by which named color is assigned to it, the color displayed for
      each named color in the palette, and in some cases, the transparency of
      stacked items.
    </p>
    <ul>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Items</strong> Each display item has a named color assigned to
          it from the palette. Example color names are
          &quot;meter&nbsp;color9&quot; and &quot;color&nbsp;4&quot;.
        </p>
        <p>
          Click on an item's color example to change the named color choice.
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Palette</strong> Hover over a color to display it's name. Click
          on a color to open a color chooser dialog.
        </p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>
          <strong>Transparency</strong> Some items have a transparency value.
          Transparency can be changed from opaque to totally transparent.
        </p>
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>
</ul>

---
title: Session Properties Dialog
menu_title: Session Properties
part: subchapter
---

<img src="/images/a4_session_properties_timecode.png" alt="session properties dialog"/>

<p>
  This dialog allows you to change settings for the current session. These
  settings are initially set from the template used to create the session. To
  open the dialog use <kbd class="menu">Session &gt; Properties</kbd>
</p>

---
title: Timecode Tab
menu_title: Timecode Tab
part: subchapter
---

<img src="/images/a4_session_properties_timecode.png" alt="session properties timecode tab"/>

<p>
  This tab is used to change how Ardour interprets and manipulates timecode.
</p>

<ul>
  <li>
    Timecode Settings lets you set the number of frames per second
    and pull up/down to match the timecode used other synchronized systems.
  </li>
  <li>
    External Timecode Offsets allows Ardour to a fixed offset from other
    synchronized systems. <dfn>Slave Timecode offset</dfn> adds the
    specified offset to the recieved timecode (MTC or LTC).
    <dfn>Timecode Generator offset</dfn> adds the specified offset to
    the timecode generated by Ardour (so far only LTC).
  </li>
  <li>
    Jack Transport / Time Settings determines whether Ardour controls
    Bar|Beat|Tick and other information for Jack.
  </li>
</ul>

---
title: Sync Tab
menu_title: Sync Tab
part: subchapter
---

<img src="/images/a4_session_properties_sync.png" alt="session properties sync tab"/>

<p>
  This tab is used to modify the timecode settings when working with video to
  use the imported video's timecode settings instead of the session defaults.
</p>

---
title: Fades Tab
menu_title: Fades Tab
part: subchapter
---

<img src="/images/a4_session_properties_fades.png" alt="session properties fades tab"/>

<p>
  Change how Ardour works with region crossfades.
</p>

<ul>
  <li>
    <dfn>Destructive crossfade length</dfn> is used when an operation on a
    region is destructive, such as when recording in a track is in tape mode.
  </li>
  <li>
    When <dfn>Region fades</dfn> <strong>active</strong> is checked, the
    region fades set up in the mixer are used during playback.  When unchecked,
    the fades are ignored.
  </li>
  <li>
    When <strong>Region fades visible</strong> is checked the region fades are visible
    in the the <strong>Editor</strong>.
  </li>
</ul>

---
title: Media Tab
menu_title: Media Tab
part: subchapter
---

<img src="/images/a4_session_properties_media.png" alt="session properties media tab"/>

<p>
  Change how sound is stored on disk. These options do not change how sound is handled
  internally.
</p>

<ul>
  <li>
    <dfn>Sample format</dfn> defaults to 32-bit floating point, the same as
    the internal representation. 24 and 16-bit integer representation are
    also available.
  </li>
  <li>
    <strong>File type</strong> options are WAVE,  WAVE-64, and CAF.
  </li>
</ul>

---
title: Locations Tab
menu_title: Locations Tab
part: subchapter
---

<img src="/images/a4_session_properties_locations.png" alt="session properties locations tab"/>

<p>
  These options add file locations that will be searched to find the audio and
  midi files used by the session. This is useful when the files have been
  imported into the session but not copied into the session.
</p>

<p>
  To add a location, navigate to the directory where the files are stored.
  Drill down into the directory and then click open.  The directory will
  show up in the dialog.  The remove button next to the added directory can be used
  to remove it from the search path.
</p>

---
title: Filenames Tab
menu_title: Filenames Tab
part: subchapter
---

<img src="/images/a4_session_properties_filenames.png" alt="session properties filenames tab"/>

<p>
  This tab is used to change how Ardour names recorded regions.
  If <dfn>Prefix track number</dfn> is selected a unique number will appear on each track
  in the <dfn>Editor</dfn> window and will prefix the region name. If the track number
  is 2 and the region would have been Gtr-1.1 with track number prefix turned on the region
  will be named 2_Gtr-1.1 instead.  See XX for base of the region name.
</p>

<p>
  If <dfn>Prefix take name</dfn> is selected and the <dfn>Take name</dfn> has Take1 the region
  will have the name Take1_Gtr-1.1 instead.  If both boxes are checked the name will be
  Take1_2_Gtr-1.1 instead.
</p>

<p>
  When <dfn>Prefix take name</dfn> is enabled, the first time a track is recorded it will
  have the specified take name.  When recording is stopped, any trailing number on the
  end of the take name will incremented by 1. If the track name specified doen't have
  a number on the end, the number 1 will be suffixed.
</p>

---
title: Monitoring Tab
menu_title: Monitoring Tab
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Provides options affecting monitoring.
</p>

<img src="/images/a4_session_properties_monitoring.png" alt="session properties monitoring tab"/>

<p>
  The <strong>Track Input Monitoring automatically follows transport state</strong>
  affects how input monitoring is handling. See
  <a href="/recording/monitoring/monitor-setup-in-ardour/">Monitor Setup in Ardour</a>.
</p>

<img class="left" src="/images/a4_monitoring_section.png" alt="monitoring section"/>

<p>
  The 'Use monitor section' displays an extra section in the <strong>Mixer</strong>
  window that is modelled on the similiarly named section on large analog consoles.
</p>

---
title: Meterbridge Tab
menu_title: Meterbridge Tab
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  The meters from audio tracks always display in the <dfn>Meterbridge</dfn>.
  This tab changes what additional controls are also displayed.
</p>

<img src="/images/a4_session_properties_meterbridge.png" alt="session properties meterbridge tab"/>

<ul>
  <li>
    <dfn>Route Display</dfn> has options for showing midi tracks, busses, and the master bus.
  </li>
  <li>
    <dfn>Button Area</dfn> has options for adding record enable, mute, solo, and input monitor buttons.
  </li>
  <li>
    <dfn>Name Labels</dfn> adds the track name and, if numbers are enabled on the filenames tab, the number.
  </li>
</ul>

<img src="/images/a4_meterbridge_full.png" alt="image of meterbidge with all options on"/>

---
title: Misc Tab
menu_title: Misc Tab
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  This tab has several things that don't fit on the other tabs.
</p>

<img src="/images/a4_session_properties_misc.png" alt="session properties misc tab"/>

<ul>
  <li>
    <dfn>MIDI Options</dfn>
    <ul>
      <li>
        If <dfn>MIDI region copies are independent</dfn> is selected, when a
        MIDI region is copied or duplicated, the new region is not linked to
        the region it was copied from. If it is not selected, the copied regions
        are linked and any editing of one of the linked regions changes all
        of the linked regions.
      </li>
      <li>
        The <dfn>Editor</dfn> can be configured to handle overlapping MIDI notes
        several ways.
        <ul>
          <li>never allow them</li>
          <li>don't do anything in particular</li>
          <li>replace any overlapped existing notes</li>
          <li>shorten the overlapped existing note</li>
          <li>shorten the overlapped new note</li>
          <li>replace both overlapping notes with a single note</li>
        </ul>
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>
  <li>
    <dfn>Glue to bars and beats</dfn>
    <ul>
      <li>New markers can be glued to bars and beats</li>
      <li>New regions can be glued to bars and beats</li>
    </ul>
  </li>
  <li>
    Settings from the session properties dialogs can be saved to the
    default session template.
  </li>
</ul>


---
title: Peripherals
part: chapter
---


---
title: Controlling Ardour with OSC
part: subchapter
include: controlling-ardour-with-osc.html
---

---
title: Controlling Ardour with OSC (Ardour 4.7 and Prior)
part: subchapter
include: controlling-ardour-with-osc-4.7-and-prior.html
---

---
title: OSC Feedback With Ardour
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Feedback from the Ardour to the the control surface is very useful for
  a number of things. Motor faders need to know where the the track
  they have been attached to is at before they were assigned otherwise
  the DAW fader will jump to where the controller fader is. Likewise,
  the buttons on each strip need to know what their value is so they can
  light their LED correctly. Transport controls should let you know if
  they are active too. This is what feedback is all about.
</p>

<p>
  Ardour does feedback by sending the same path back that is used to
  control the same function. As such any controls that have feedback
  have a parameter that is the value of the control or it's state
  (on or off). In the case of OSC paths listed on the main OSC page
  as having no parameter, if they have feedback, they will also work
  with a 1 for button press and 0 for button release. This is because
  many OSC controllers will only use exactly the same path for feedback
  as for control. For example:
</p>

<dl class="bindings">
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/transport_stop</kbd></dt>
  <dd></dd>
</dl>

<p>can be used also in the form:</p>

<dl class="bindings">
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/transport_stop <em>press</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>press</em> is an int/bool indicating if the button is pressed or not.</dd>
</dl>

<p>
  The feedback does not have the same meaning as the control message.
  Where the button release sent to Ardour will be ignored and has no
  meaning. Both states have meaning in feedback to the controller.
  The feedback will be:
</p>

<dl class="bindings">
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/transport_stop <em>state</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>state</em> is an int/bool indicating if the transport is stopped or not.</dd>
</dl>
<p>
  With feedback turned on, OSC control commands that try to change a
  control that does not exist will get feedback that resets that control
  to off. For example, sending a /strip/recenable to a buss will not work
  and Ardour will try to turn the controller LED off in that case. Also
  note that Pan operation may be limited by pan width in some cases.
  That is with pan width at 100% (or -100%) there is no pan position
  movement available.
</p>
<p>
  It may come as a surprise, but feedback often generates more network
  traffic than control itself does. Some things are more obvious like
  head position or meters. But even a simple button push like transport
  start sends not only a signal to turn on the play LED, but also one to
  turn off the stop LED, the Rewind LED, the Fast Forward LED and the
  Loop LED. That is still minor, think instead of a surface refresh
  such as happens when the surface is first connected and then most of
  that happens every time the fader strips are banked. This is why
  feedback is enabled in sections so that as little feedback as is
  actually needed is sent. This is also a consideration if the surface
  is connected via wifi.
</p>
<h2>List of OSC feedback messages</h2>

<h3>Feedback only</h3>
<p>
  These messages are feedback only. They are sent as status from Ardour
  and some of them may be enabled separately from other feedback. See:
  <a href="/using-control-surfaces/controlling-ardour-with-osc/calculating-feedback-and-strip-types-values/">
  Calculating Feedback and Strip-types Values.</a>
</p>
<p class="note">
  See strip section below for info about ssid and wrapping it into the
  path. Also /master and /monitor support what the /strip does.
</p>
<p>
  In the case where Gainmode is set to position, the track name will
  show the dB value while values are changing.
</p>
<dl class="bindings">
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/strip/name <em>ssid</em> <em>track_name</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>track_name</em> is a string representing the name of the track</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/session_name <em>session_name</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>session_name</em> is a string representing the name of the session</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/strip/meter <em>ssid</em> <em>meter</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>meter</em> is a value repesenting the current audio level.
  (the exact math used is determined by the feedback bits set)</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/strip/signal <em>ssid</em> <em>signal</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>signal</em> is a float indicating the instantaneous
  audio level is -40dB or higher.</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/position/smpte <em>time</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>time</em> is a string with the current play head time. Seconds as per smpte.</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/position/bbt <em>beat</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>beat</em> is a string with the current play head bar/beat.</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/position/time <em>time</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>time</em> is a string with the current play head time. Seconds are in milliseconds</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/position/samples <em>samples</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>samples</em> is a string with the current play head position in samples.</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/heartbeat <em>LED</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>LED</em> is a float that cycles 1/0 at 1 second intervals.</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/record_tally <em>state</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>Some record enable is true or "ready to record". For a "Recording" sign at studio door.</dd>
</dl>

<h3>Transport Control</h3>
<dl class="bindings">
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/transport_stop <em>state</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd><em>state</em> is true when transport is stopped</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/transport_play <em>state</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd><em>state</em> is true when transport speed is 1.0</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/ffwd <em>state</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd><em>state</em> is true when transport is moving forward but not at speed 1.0</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/rewind <em>state</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd><em>state</em> is true when transport speed is less than 0.0</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/loop_toggle <em>state</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd><em>state</em> is true when loop mode is true</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/cancel_all_solos <em>state</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>Where <em>state</em> true indicates there are active solos that can be canceled.</dd>
</dl>

<h3>Recording control</h3>
<dl class="bindings">
  <!--dt><kbd class="osc">/toggle_punch_in</kbd></dt>
  <dd></dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/toggle_punch_out</kbd></dt>
  <dd></dd-->
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/rec_enable_toggle <em>state</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>Master record enabled.</dd>
</dl>

<h3>Master and monitor strips</h3>
<p>
  Master and monitor strips are similar to track strips but do not use
  the SSID. Rather they use their name as part of the path:
</p>
<dl class="bindings">
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/master/gain <em>dB</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>dB</em> is a float ranging from -193 to +6 representing the actual gain of master in dB</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/master/fader  <em>position</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>position</em> is an int ranging from 0 to 1023 representing the fader control position</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/master/trimdB <em>dB</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>dB</em> is a float ranging from -20 to +20 representing the actual trim for master in dB</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/master/pan_stereo_position <em>position</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>position</em> is a float ranging from 0 to 1 representing the actual pan position for master</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/master/mute  <em>yn</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>yn</em> is a bool/int representing the actual mute state of the Master strip</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/monitor/gain <em>dB</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>dB</em> is a float ranging from -193 to 6 representing the actual gain of monitor in dB</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/monitor/fader  <em>position</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>position</em> is an int ranging from 0 to 1023 representing the fader control position</dd>
</dl>

<h3>Track specific operations</h3>
<p>
  For each of the following, <em>ssid</em> is the surface strip ID for the track
</p>
<p class="note">
  Some Surfaces (many Android applets) are not able to deal with more
  than one parameter in a command. However, the two parameter commands
  below can also be sent as /strip/command/ssid param. Feedback can be
  set to match this with the /set_surface/feedback <em>state</em>
  command. See <a
  href="/using-control-surfaces/controlling-ardour-with-osc/calculating-feedback-and-strip-types-values/">
  Calculating Feedback and Strip-types Values.</a>
</p>

<dl class="bindings">
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/bank_up <em>LED</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>LED</em> is a bool that indicates another bank_up operation is possible.</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/bank_down <em>LED</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>LED</em> is a bool that indicates another bank_down operation is possible.</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/strip/name <em>ssid</em> <em>track_name</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>track_name</em> is a string representing the name of the track
  (note there is no coresponding command to set the track name)</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/strip/mute <em>ssid</em> <em>mute_st</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>mute_st</em> is a bool/int representing the actual mute state of the track</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/strip/solo <em>ssid</em> <em>solo_st</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>solo_st</em> is a bool/int representing the actual solo state of the track</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/strip/monitor_input <em>ssid</em> <em>monitor_st</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>monitor_st</em> is a bool/int. True/1 meaning the track is force to monitor input</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/strip/monitor_disk <em>ssid</em> <em>monitor_st</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>monitor_st</em> is a bool/int. True/1 meaning the track is force to monitor disk,
  where both disk and input are false/0, auto monitoring is used.</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/strip/recenable <em>ssid</em> <em>rec_st</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>rec_st</em> is a bool/int representing the actual rec state of the track</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/strip/record_safe <em>ssid</em> <em>rec_st</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>rec_st</em> is a bool/int representing the actual record safe state of the track</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/strip/gain <em>ssid</em> <em>gain</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>gain</em> is a float ranging from -193 to 6 representing the actual gain of the track in dB.</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/strip/fader <em>ssid</em>  <em>position</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>position</em> is an float ranging from 0 to 1 representing the actual fader position of the track.</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/strip/trimdB <em>ssid</em>  <em>trim_db</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>trim_db</em> is a float ranging from -20 to 20 representing the actual trim of the track in dB.</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/strip/pan_stereo_position <em>ssid</em> <em>position</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>position</em> is a float ranging from 0 to 1 representing the actual pan position of the track</dd>
</dl>
<h3>Selection Operations</h3>
<p>
  Selection feedback is the same as for strips, only the path changes
  from <em>/strip</em> to <em>/select</em> and there is no <em>ssid</em>.
  there are some extra feedback and commands that will be listed here.
</p>
<dl class="bindings">
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/select/n_inputs <em>number</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>number</em> number of inputs for this strip</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/select/n_outputs <em>number</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>number</em> number of outputs for this strip</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/select/comment <em>text</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>text</em> is the strip comment</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/select/solo_iso <em>state</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>state</em> is a bool/int representing the Actual solo isolate state of the track</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/select/solo_safe <em>state</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>state</em> is a bool/int representing the actual solo safe/lock state of the track</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/select/polarity <em>invert</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>invert</em> is a bool/int representing the actual polarity of the track</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/select/pan_stereo_width <em>width</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>width</em> is a float ranging from 0 to 1 representing the actual pan width of the track</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/select/send_gain", <em>sendid</em> <em>send_gain</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>sendid</em> = nth_send, <em>send_gain</em>is a float
  ranging from -193 to +6 representing the actual gain in dB for the send</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/select/send_fader", <em>sendid</em> <em>send_gain</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>sendid</em> = nth_send, <em>send_gain</em>is a float
  ranging from 0 to 1 representing the actual position for the send as a fader</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/select/send_name <em>sendid</em> <em>send_name</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>where <em>send_name</em> is a string representing the name of the buss
  this send goes to.</dd>
</dl>
<h3>Menu actions</h3>
<p>
  Every single menu item in Ardour's GUI is accessible via OSC. However,
  there is no provision for returning the state of anything set this way.
  This is not a bad thing as most menu items either do not have an on/off
  state or that state is quite visible. Binding that affect other parameters
  that OSC does track will show on those OSC controls. Examples of this
  might be track record enable for tracks 1 to 32, play or stop.
</p>

---
title: Calculating Feedback and Strip-types Values
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  <em>/set_surface</em> has two values the user needs to calculate before
  use. In general these will not be calculated at run time, but
  beforehand. There may be more than one button with different values
  to turn various kinds of feedback on or off or to determine which
  kinds of strips are currently viewed/controlled.
</p>

<p>
  Both ,<em>feedback</em> and <em>strip-types</em> use bitsets to keep
  track what they are doing. Any number in a computer is made out of
  bits that are on or off, but we represent them as normal base 10
  numbers. Any one bit turned on will add a unique value to the
  number as a whole. So for each kind of feedback or strip type
  to be used, that number should be added to the total.
</p>

<h3>strip_types</h3>

<p>
  strip_types is an integer made up of bits. The easy way to
  deal with this is to think of strip_types items being worth a number and
  then adding all those numbers together for a value to send.
  Strip Types will determine What kind of strips will be included in
  bank. This would include: Audio, MIDI, busses, VCAs, Master, Monitor
  and hidden or selected strips.
</p>

<ul>
        <li>
                1       - AudioTracks.
        </li>
        <li>
                2       - MidiTracks.
        </li>
        <li>
                4       - AudioBuses.
        </li>
        <li>
                8       - MidiBuses.
        </li>
        <li>
                16      - VCAs.
        </li>
        <li>
                32      - Master.
        </li>
        <li>
                64      - Monitor.
        </li>
        <li>
                128     - Audio Aux.
        </li>
        <li>
                256     - Selected.
        </li>
        <li>
                512     - Hidden.
        </li>
  </ul>
<p class="note">
  Selected and Hidden bits are normally not needed as Ardour defaults to
  showing Selected strips and not showing Hidden strips. The purpose of
  these two flags is to allow showing only Selected strips or only
  Hidden strips. Using Hidden with other flags will allow Hidden strips
  to show inline with other strips.
</p>
<p>
  Some handy numbers to use might be: 15 (all tracks and buses), 31
  (add VCAs to that). Master or Monitor strips are generally not useful
  on a surface that has dedicated controls for these strips as there are
  /master* and /monitor* commands already. However, on a surface with
  just a bank of fader strips, adding master or monitor would allow
  access to them within the banks. Selected would be useful for working
  on a group or a set of user selected strips. Hidden shows strips the
  GUI has hidden.
</p>
<p class-"note">
  Audio Aux? say what? I am sure most people will have noticed that they
  can find no <em>Aux</em> strips in the Ardour mixer. There are none.
  There are buses that can be used a number of ways. From analog days,
  in OSC a bus is something that gets used as a sub mix before ending up
  going to Master. An auxiliary bus is used like a separate mixer and
  it's output goes outside the program or computer to be used as:
  a monitor mix, a back up recording, or what have you. In OSC where
  controller strips may be limited, it may be useful not to use up a
  strip for an aux that is not really a part of the mix. It is also
  useful to get a list of only aux buses if the control surface is a
  phone used to provide talent monitor mix control on stage. Each
  performer would be able to mix their own monitor. The user is free
  to enable both buses and auxes if they would prefer.
</p>

<h3>feedback</h3>
<p>Feedback is an integer made up of bits. The easy way to
  deal with this is to think of feedback items being worth a number and
  then adding all those numbers together for a value to send.
</p>
  <ul>
        <li>
                1 - Button status for strips.
        </li>
        <li>
                2 - Variable control values for strips.
        </li>
        <li>
                4 - Send SSID as path extension.
        </li>
        <li>
                8 - heartbeat to surface.
        </li>
        <li>
                16 - Enable master section feedback.
        </li>
        <li>
                32 - Send Bar and Beat.
        </li>
        <li>
                64 - Send timecode.
        </li>
        <li>
                128 - Send meter as dB (-193 to +6) or 0 to 1 depending on gainmode
        </li>
        <li>
                256 - Send meter a 16 bit value where each bit is a level
                and all bits of lower level are on. For use in a LED strip. This
                will not work if the above option is turned on.
        </li>
        <li>
                512 - Send signal present, true if level is higher than -40dB
        </li>
        <li>
                1024 - Send position in samples
        </li>
        <li>
                2048 - Send position in time, hours, minutes, seconds and milliseconds
        </li>
        <li>
                8192 - Turn on extra select channel feedback beyond what a /strip supports
        </li>
  </ul>
<p>
  So using a value of 19 would turn on feedback for strip and master
  controls, but leave meters, timecode and bar/beat feedback off.
</p>

---
title: Parameter Types in OSC
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  An OSC message is laid out in this form:
</p>

<kbd>
        /path/of/command type parameter
</kbd>

<p>
        The type is there to indicate what the parameter is. This gives
        the idea that parameter types are quite strict and if the command
        requires an Integer <em>"i"</em> then the controller had better send it.
        However, the checking of the parameter type is left to the receiving
        software.
</p>

<p>
        What this means in practical terms is that the surface can get away
        with sending the wrong type of parameter. There are some places
        where that just doesn't make sense. For example, a parameter that
        is specified as a Float with a range of 0 to 1, could be sent as
        an Integer, but would only have full scale and minimum value with
        nothing in between. This is not much use for a fader, though ok for
        a button.
</p>

<p>
        There are a number of OSC controllers based on iOS and Android
        tablets that only send or receive parameters as floats or text.
        These controllers should have no problem sending bool or int values
        as floats. Ardour will interpret the values as required.
</p>

---
title: Selection/Feedback Expansion Considerations in OSC
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Ardour does not send every possible feedback value for each channel.
  It does send expanded information on the selected channel. There are
  also extra commands for the selected strip. All the feedback and
  select commands have their own path <em>/select</em>.
  This means that for the selected channel the surface does not have to
  keep track of the strip ID. The /select strip will follow the
  "current mixer strip" in the GUI editor window.
</p>
<p>
  There are two major uses for this:
  <ol>
        <li>Single strip control surfaces. Using
          <em>/access_action Editor/select-next-route</em> or
          <em>/access_action Editor/select-prev-route</em>
          to step through the mixer strips.</li>
        <li>Using a "Super strip" section of knobs to control parts
        of the strip that are changed less often such as polarity, sends or
        plugin parameters.</li>
  </ol>
</p>
<p>
  Selection in Ardour's OSC implementation are complicated by the
  possibility of using more than one OSC controller at the same time.
  User "A" may select strip 4 and use a selected controller to make
  changes to that strip. User "B" may subsequently select strip 7 to
  make changes on. This leaves user "A" making changes to strip 7
  which they did not choose.
</p>

<p>
  For this reason Ardour offers local expansion aside from the GUI
  selection. Local expansion only affects the one OSC controller. GUI
  selection is global and affects all controllers using GUI selection
  as well as the GUI.
</p>

<p>
  In general, in a one user situation where that one user may use either
  the OSC surface or the GUI, using GUI based selection makes the most
  sense. This is the default because this is the more common use.
</p>

<p>
  When there is more than one operator, then expansion only is the
  mode of choice. It may make sense for one of the surfaces to
  use GUI selection where the operator is also using the GUI for some
  things. However, the set up should be carefully analyzed for the
  possibility of selection confusions. Expansion should be
  considered the <em>safe</em> option.
</p>

<p>
  It is always ok to use expansion on the surface even in a one
  user scenario. This allows the user to use GUI and surface selection
  for different uses.
</p>

<p>
  It is also possible to use both if desired. /strip/select will ways
  set the GUI select, but /strip/expand will set the select feedback
  and commands locally without changing the GUI select. Another
  /strip/expand or a /strip/select will override that expand command
  and releasing the /strip/expand or /select/expand (setting it to 0 or
  false) will set the /select set of commands/feedback back to whichever
  strip the GUI has selected at that time. This could be used to switch
  between the GUI select and the local expand to compare two strips
  settings.
</p>

---
title: Using the OSC Setup Dialog
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Starting with Ardour 5.1 OSC has a graphic setup dialog. This dialog
  can be accessed from Preferences->Control Surfaces. Select OSC and
  click on the Show Protocol Settings.
</p>

<p>
  The Ardour OSC dialog has three tabs. The main tab, the Strip Types
  tab and the Feedback tab.
</p>

<p>
  Many OSC devices get their IP from a DHCP making it difficult to set
  an IP in Ardour's OSC settings. Therefore, most of the settings are
  <em>default</em> settings. Values are set and the next OSC surface to
  send a /set_surface* message to Ardour will use those settings. An OSC
  surface that has previously sent a message to Ardour will retain the
  settings it already had. The <em>Clear OSC Devices</em> will reset all
  device settings. A <em>/refresh</em> message will both reset the
  device settings as well as set that device to any new settings. The
  Use of <em>/set_surface</em> will override all settings except
  <em>Port Mode</em>.
</p>

<h2>Dialog settings</h2>

<h3>OSC setup tab</h3>

<p>
<img alt="the OSC configuration dialog"
     src="/images/osc-dialog.png">
</p>

<h4>Connection:</h4>

<p>
  This field is informational only. It shows where Ardour will receive
  OSC messages. The system Name and the Port are the most important parts.
</p>

<h4>Port Mode:</h4>

<p>
  This drop down allows the choice of Auto or Manual outbound port
  setting. The default Auto port mode, will send OSC messages back to
  the port messages from that surface are received from. This setting
  allows two surfaces on the same IP to operate independently. However,
  there are a number of OSC control surfaces that do not monitor the
  same port they send from and in fact may change ports they send from
  as well. Manual allows the outgoing port (the port the surface will
  receive on, to be manually set. In Manual port mode only one control
  surface per IP can work. Most phone or tablet OSC controllers like
  touchOSC or Control need Manual port mode. More than one controller
  can be used so long as each has it's own IP.
</p>

<h4>Manual Port:</h4>

<p>
  This is an Entry box for setting the outgoing port when in
  Manual port mode.
</p>

<h4>Bank Size:</h4>

<p>
  This sets the default bank size for the next surface to send a
  <em>/set_surface/*</em> OSC message. Bank size 0 (the default) sets
  no banking and allows controlling all strips included in strip_types
  at once.
</p>

<h4>Gain Mode:</h4>

<p>
  Sets the faders (and sends faders) feedback math to position where a
  value between 0 and 1 represents the fader position of the same fader
  in the mixer GUI or dB where the feedback from fader movement will be
  returned as a dB value. When the Gain Mode is set to position, the
  /*/name feedback for the channel will show dB values in text while the
  fader is being adjusted and then return the the name text.
</p>
<h4>Debug:</h4>
<p>
  For debugging purposes this allows logging either good OSC messages
  Ardour receives or invalid messages received or none.
</p>
<h4>Preset:</h4>
<p>
  Ardour now allows the use of preset settings. The default settings
  used are the settings from the last session or the factory defaults
  the first time OSC is enabled. As soon as any of these settings are
  changed, the Preset will change to "User" and the new settings will be
  save to the osc directory Ardour configuration directory as
  <em>user.preset</em>. This preset file can be renamed for future use.
  It is suggested to also change the name value inside to avoid confusion
  in the preset listing. Ardour will ship with some of it's own presets
  that go with some popular OSC control and map combinations.
</p>
<h4>Clear OSC Devices</h4>
<p>
  This button clears operating device profiles so that Ardour will reset
  all devices settings to use the new defaults from changed settings. a
  device may still override these new settings with the /set_surface set
  of commands. The reason for setting defaults settings is that some OSC
  controllers are not able to send more than one parameter at a time and
  so having correct defaults allows one "Connect" button rather than 4.
</p>
<h3>Default Strip Types tab</h3>
<p>
<img alt="the Default Strip Types tab"
     src="/images/osc-strip-types.png">
</p>
<p>
  This allows selecting which of Ardour's mixer strips will be available
  for control. The Factory default is all strips except master, monitor
  and hidden strips. If it is desired to only see input tracks the
  others can be deselected. It is also possible to change these settings
  from the control surface. A set of buttons could select showing only
  inputs or only buses. If a group is selected in the GUI then showing
  only selected strips will show only that group. Showing hidden tracks
  is handy for cases where a groups of tracks that grouped to a bus or
  controlled by a VCA are hidden, but one of those tracks needs a tweak.
</p>

<h3>Default Feedback tab</h3>

<p>
<img alt="the Default Feedback tab"
     src="/images/osc-feedbackdefault.png">
</p>

<p>
  This allows setting up which controls provide feedback. The Factory
  default is none. If the controller is unable to receive feedback, this
  should be left blank. In the case of metering, Metering as a LED strip
  only works if Metering as a Float is disabled.
</p>

---
title: Querying Ardour with OSC
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  In order to make a custom controller that knows what strips Ardour
  has, the controller needs to be able to query Ardour for that
  information. These set of commands are for smarter control surfaces
  That have the logic to figure out what to do with the information.
  These are not of value for mapped controllers like touchOSC and
  friends. The controller will need to send these queries to ardour
  as often as it needs this information. It may well make sense to use
  regular feedback for things that need to be updated often such as
  position or metering.
  Here are the commands used to query Ardour:
</p>

<dl class="bindings">
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/strip/list</kbd></dt>
  <dd>Ask for a list of strips</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/strip/sends <em>ssid</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>Asks for a list of sends on the strip <em>ssid</em></dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/strip/receives <em>ssid</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>Asks for a list of tracks that have sends to the strip <em>ssid</em> points to</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/strip/plugin/list <em>ssid</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>Asks for a list of plug-ins for strip <em>ssid.</em></dd>
  <dt><kbd class="osc">/plugin/descriptor <em>ssid</em> <em>piid</em></kbd></dt>
  <dd>Asks for a list of descriptors for plug-in <em>piid</em> on strip <em>ssid</em></dd>
</dl>

<h3>A list of strips</h3>

<p>
  <code>/strip/list</code> asks Ardour for a list of strips that the
  current session has. Ardour replies with a message for each
  strip with the following information:
  <ul>
    <li>Strip type</li>
    <li>Strip name</li>
    <li>Number of inputs</li>
    <li>Number of outputs</li>
    <li>Muted (bool)</li>
    <li>Soloed (bool)</li>
    <li>Ssid (strip number)</li>
    <li>Record enabled (bool)</li>
  </ul>
  After all the strip messages have been sent, one final message is
  sent with:
  <ul>
    <li>The text <code>end_route_list</code></li>
    <li>The session frame rate</li>
    <li>The last frame number of the session</li>
  </ul>
</p>
<p class="note">A bus will not have a record enable and so a bus message
  will have one less parameter than a track. It is the controllers
  responsability to deal with this.
</p>

<h3>A list of sends</h3>
<p>
  <code>/strip/sends <em>ssid</em></code> asks Ardour for a list of
  sends for strip number ssid. The reply is sent back to the
  controller as one message with the following information:
  <ul>
    <li>Ssid that information is for</li>
    <li>Each send's information:</li>
    <ul>
      <li>The send's target bus ssid</li>
      <li>The send's target bus name</li>
      <li>The send id for this strip</li>
      <li>The send gain as a fader possition</li>
      <li>The Send's enable state</li>
    </ul>
  </ul>
</p>
<p>
  The controller can tell how many sends there are from the number of
  parameters as each send has 5 parameters and there is one extra for
  ssid.
</p>

<h3>A list if tracks that send audio to a bus</h3>
<p>
  <code>/strip/receives <em>ssid</em></code> will return a list of
  tracks that have sends to the bus at the ssid. The reply will
  contain the following information for each track conntected to this
  bus:
  <ul>
    <li>The ssid of the track sending</li>
    <li>The name of the sending track</li>
    <li>The id of the send at that track</li>
    <li>It's gain in fader possition</li>
    <li>The send's enable state</li>
  </ul>
</p>

<h3>A list of plug-ins for strip</h3>
<p>
  <code>/strip/plugin/list <em>ssid</em></code> will return a list of
  plug-ins that strip ssid has. The reply will contain the following
  information:
  <ul>
    <li>Ssid that information is for</li>
    <li>Each plugin's information:</li>
    <ul>
      <li>The plug-in's id</li>
      <li>The plug-in's name</li>
    </ul>
  </ul>
</p>

<h3>A list of a plug-in's parameters</h3>
<p>
  <code>/plugin/descriptor <em>ssid</em> <em>piid</em></code> will
  return the plug-in parameters for ppid plug-in on the ssid strip. The
  reply will contain the following information:
  <ul>
    <li>Ssid of the strip the plug-in is in</li>
    <li>The plug-in id for the plug-in</li>
    <li>The plug-in's name</li>
    <li>Information about each parameter</li>
    <ul>
      <li>The parameter id</li>
      <li>The parameter's name</li>
      <li>A bitset of flags (see below)</li>
      <li>Data type</li>
      <li>Minimum value</li>
      <li>Maximum value</li>
      <li>The number of scale points</li>
      <li>zero or more scale points of one value and one string each</li>
      <li>The current parameter value</li>
    </ul>
  </ul>
</p>

<p>
  The flag bitset above has been defined as (from lsb):
  <ul>
    <li>0 - enumeration</li>
    <li>1 - integer step</li>
    <li>2 - logarithmic</li>
    <li>3 - max unbound</li>
    <li>4 - min unbound</li>
    <li>5 - sample rate dependent</li>
    <li>6 - toggled</li>
    <li>7 - controllable</li>
  </ul>
</p>

<p>
  While this seems complex, it is really not that bad. Minimum, maximum and value will in most cases give you all you need.
</p>

---
title: Devices using Mackie/Logic Control Protocol
menu_title: Mackie/Logic Control Devices
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  This will walk you through the process of configuring and using
  a MIDI control surface with Ardour that uses the <dfn>Mackie Control
  protocol</dfn> (MCP) or <dfn>Logic Control protocol</dfn>. Devices that
  have been tested and are known to work include the SSL Nucleus, Mackie
  Control Pro (plus extenders), Behringer devices in Mackie/Logic mode,
  and Steinberg CMC devices.
</p>

<h2>Enabling Mackie Control in Ardour</h2>

<p>
  Navigate to <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; Control Surfaces</kbd>.
  Double-click on <kbd class="menu">Mackie Control</kbd> to see the setup dialog:
</p>

<img src="/images/missing.png" alt="Mackie Control Setup Dialog" />

<p>
  From the selector at the top, choose the type of device you are using.
  (<a
  href="/using-control-surfaces/devices-using-mackielogic-control-protocol/devices-not-listed/">
  What to do if your device is not listed</a>).
</p>

<p>
  Once your setup is complete, click "OK" to close the dialog. Now click
  on the enable checkbox for "Mackie Control".
</p>

<h2>Connecting control surface and Ardour MIDI ports</h2>

<p>
  If you are using a device that uses ipMIDI, such as the SSL Nucleus, no
  MIDI port connections are required&mdash;Ardour and your control
  surface will be able to talk to each other automatically.
</p>

<p>
  If you are using a device that uses normal MIDI (via a standard MIDI or
  USB cable), you need to connect Ardour's Mackie Control in and out ports
  to the MIDI ports leading to and coming from the control surface.
</p>

<p>
  When you have made these connections once, Ardour will recreate them
  for you in the future, as long as you leave Mackie Control enabled.
</p>

<h2>Customizing your control surface</h2>

<p>
  Every possible Mackie Control button can be bound to any action present
  in Ardour's GUI. Please check your control surface page for suggestions.
</p>

<h2>Preparing your device for use with Ardour</h2>

<p>
  Most interfaces will require some configuration to send and respond to
  MCP.
</p>

<p class="note">
  When setting up the control surface, do <em>not</em> use "Pro Tools"
  mode. Pro Tools is the only DAW that still requires HUI. The rest of
  world uses Mackie Control Protocol. Ardour does not support HUI.
</p>

---
title: Behringer devices in Mackie/Logic Control Mode
menu_title: Behringer devices
part: subchapter
---

<h2>Behringer BCF-2000 Faders Controller</h2>

<p>
  <img alt="Digramatic Image of the BCF2000"
     src="/images/BCF2000.png">
</p>

<p>
  The Behringer BCF-2000 Fader Controller is a control surface with 8 motorized
  faders, 8 rotary encoders and 30 push buttons. The device is a class
  compliant USB Midi Interface and also has standard Midi DIN IN/OUT/THRU  ports.
  The device has included a Mackie/Logic Control Emulation Mode since firmware v1.06.
  If you're devices firmware is older than v1.06 it will require an update before
  Mackie Control Emulation will work as described here.
</p>

<p>
  <img alt="Digramatic Image of the BCF2000 in Edit Global Mode"
     src="/images/BCF2000-EG.png">
</p>

<p>
  In order to put the controller into Mackie/Logic control mode turn on the
  unit while holding third button from the left in the top most row
  of buttons (under the rotary encoder row). Hold the button down until <dfn>EG</dfn>
  or edit global mode is displayed on the LCD screen of the unit. The global parameters
  can then be edited using the 8 rotary encoders in the top row.
</p>
  <ul>
    <li><code>
      Encoder #1 sets the operating mode and should be set to <dfn>U-1</dfn> or
      USB mode 1 if using with a USB cable connection.
    </li></code>
    <li><code>
      Encoder #3 sets the foot switch mode and should most likely be set to
      <dfn>Auto</dfn> to detect how the foot switch is wired.
    </li></code>
    <li><code>
      Encoder #5 sets the device id, if you are using only 1 device the id
      should be set to <dfn>ID 1</dfn>. If you are using multiple BCF/BCR2000 each
      device is required to be set up sequentially and one at a time.
    </li></code>
    <li><code>
      Encoder #7 controls the MIDI <dfn>Dead Time</dfn> or the amount of milliseconds
      after a move has been made that the device ignores further changes, this
      should be set to <dfn>100</dfn>.
    </li></code>
    <li><code>
      Encoder #8 controls the MIDI message <dfn>Send Interval</dfn> in milliseconds
      and should be set to <dfn>10</dfn>
    </li></code>
  </ul>
<p>
  To exit the <dfn>EG</dfn> mode press the <dfn>Exit</dfn> button. The device is now
  ready to use with Ardour.
</p>

<h3>Modes of Operation</h3>
<p>
  <img alt="Digramatic Image of the BCF2000 Control Modes"
     src="/images/BCF2000-Modes.png">
</p>
<p>
  The four buttons arranged in a rectangle and located under the Behringer logo
  are the mode selection buttons in Logic Control Emulation Mode,
  currently Ardour has implemented support for two of these modes.
</p>
<p>
The surface can be broken into 8 groups of controls.
</p>

<ol>
  <li>The rotary encoders at the top of the device</li>
  <li>The first row of buttons under the encoders</li>
  <li>The second row of buttons under the encoders</li>
  <li>The row of motorized faders<li>
  <li>
    The group of 4 buttons at the top right that will be
    referred to here as the <dfn>Shift Group</dfn>
  </li>
  <li>
    The group of 4 buttons under the <dfn>Shift Group</dfn>
    referred to here as the <dfn>Mode Group</dfn>
  </li>
  <li>
    The group of 2 buttons under the <dfn>Mode Group</dfn>
    referred to here as the <dfn>Select Group</dfn>
  </li>
  <li>
    The group of 4 buttons under the <dfn>Select Group</dfn>
    referred to here as the <dfn>Transport Group</dfn>
  </li>
</ol>

<h3>Mixer Pan Mode</h3>
<p>
  <img alt="Digramatic Image of the BCF2000 Control Modes"
     src="/images/BCF2000-Pan.png">
</p>
<p>
  This is the standard work mode that organizes the control surface to emulate
  a standard mixer layout where controls for each track/bus are arranged vertically.
  The order of the faders is either controlled by the order of the tracks in the
  mixer or can be set manually by the user.
</p>
<dl>
  <dt>Encoders</dt>
  <dd>Mixer Pans. The red LEDs show the amount of pan left or right</dd>
  <dt>First Row of Buttons</dt>
  <dd>Mixer Mutes. The button led lights if the track is currently muted</dd>
  <dt>Second Row of Buttons</dt>
  <dd>Select Active Track/Bus. Currently selected track/bus is indicated by the button led</dd>
  <dt>Faders</dt>
  <dd>Mixer Gains</dd>
  <dt>Shift Group</dt>
  <dd>
    The top and bottom left buttons are the simply shifts to change the function of other buttons
  </dd>
  <dd>
    The top right is the <dfn>Fine Control</dfn> button that allows the increment values sent by
    by rotary encoders and faders to be a small value for more precise editing. This button
    can also act as a shift button.
  </dd>
  <dd>
    The bottom right is the <dfn>Global Shift</dfn> button that allows you to change back to the
    standard Mixer Pan view from other views and modes. This button can also act as a shift button.
  </dd>
  <dt>Mode Group</dt>
  <dd>The top two buttons functions are not currently implemented in Ardour.</dd>
  <dd>The bottom left button sets the device to <dfn>Pan</dfn> mode and should currently be lit</dd>
  <dd>
    The bottom right button sets the device to <dfn>Send</dfn> mode but will only allow the switch
    if the currently selected track/bus has a send or sends to control.
  </dd>
  <dt>Select Group</dt>
  <dd>
    In this mode they function as bank select left and right. If your session has more than 8 tracks
    the next set of 8 tracks is selected with the right button and the faders will move to match the
    current gain settings of that bank of 8 tracks/busses. If the last bank contains less than 8
    tracks/busses the unused  faders will move to the bottom and the pan lights will all turn
    off. An unlimited amount of tracks can be controlled with the device.
  </dd>
  <dt>Transport Group</dt>
  <dd>The upper left button controls <dfn>Rewind<dfn>.
  <dd>The upper right button controls <dfn>Fast Foreword</dfn>
  <dd>The lower left button controls stop</dd>
  <dd>The lower right button controls play</dd>
</dl>
<h3>Send Mode</h3>
<p>
  <img alt="Digramatic Image of the Send Mode"
     src="/images/BCF2000-Send.png">
</p>
<p>
  Send mode allows for the top row of encoders to control the sends for a selected channel.
  One interesting option is to flip the controls from the encoders to the faders by pressing
  the shift 1 button and the global view button at the same time.
</p>
<dl>
  <dt>Encoders</dt>
  <dd>
    In send mode, the encoders control sends from left to right instead of mixer pans.
    If there are less than 8 sends the behavior of the encoder will be to continue controlling
    the mixer pan. Visually it's indicated by the change in the LED from originating at the 12
    o'clock position to originating at the 7 o'clock position. If <dfn>FLIP</dfn> is pressed
    the encoder will control the mixer gain for the selected track/bus.
  </dd>
  <dt>First row of buttons</dt>
  <dd>No Change</dd>
  <dt>Second row of buttons</dt>
  <dd>No Change.</dd>
  <dt>Faders</dt>
  <dd>
    No change unless <dfn>FLIP</dfn>is pressed then it controls the send for the selected track/bus.
  </dd>
  <dt>Shift Group</dt>
  <dd>No Change</dd>
  <dt>Select Group</dt>
  <dd>No Change</dd>
  <dt>Transport Group</dt>
  <dd>No Change</dd>
</dl>
<h3>Mixer Pan While Holding Shift 1</h3>
<p>
  <img alt="Digramatic Image of the Mixer Mode while holding down shift 1"
     src="/images/BCF2000-Shift1.png">
</p>
<p>
  The operations of various buttons change while holding down the <dfn>Shift 1</dfn> button
</p>
<dl>
  <dt>Encoders</dt>
  <dd>No Change</dd>
  <dt>First row of buttons</dt>
  <dd>These now control the Soloing of each track/bus in the current bank</dd>
  <dt>Second row of buttons</dt>
  <dd>These now control the Enable Record for each track</dd>
  <dt>Faders</dt>
  <dd>No Change</dd>
  <dt>Shift Group</dt>
  <dd>No change</dd>
  <dt>Mode Group</dt>
  <dd>No Change</dd>
  <dt>Select Group</dt>
  <dd>
    These now change the current bank of tracks being controlled over by
    one. So if you where controlling tracks 1-8 a push the right
    button the surface would now control tracks 2-9 pressing the left
    would then shift back to controlling tracks 1-8.
  </dd>
  <dt>Transport Group</dt>
  <dd>The upper left now controls turning on and off <dfn>Loop</dfn> mode.</dd>
  <dd>
    The upper right now toggles
    <dfn>Click</dfn>.
  </dd>
  <dd>The lower left toggles <dfn>Replace</dfn>.</dd>
  <dd>
    The lower right toggles
    <dfn>Global Record</dfn>.
  </dd>
</dl>
<h3>Mixer Pan While Holding Shift 2</h3>
<p>
  <img alt="Digramatic Image of the Mixer Mode while holding down shift 2"
     src="/images/BCF2000-Shift2.png">
</p>
<p>
  The operations of various buttons change while holding down the <dfn>Shift 2</dfn> button
</p>
<dl>
  <dt>Encoders</dt>
  <dd>No Change</dd>
  <dt>First row of buttons</dt>
  <dd>FIX ME</dd>
  <dt>Second row of buttons</dt>
  <dd>These now control setting up different <dfn>Views</dfn>. See bellow for more info</dd>
  <dt>Faders</dt>
  <dd>No Change</dd>
  <dt>Shift Group</dt>
  <dd>No change</dd>
  <dt>Mode Group</dt>
  <dd>No Change</dd>
  <dt>Select Group</dt>
  <dd>Left button controls <dfn>Undo</dfn>(NEEDS VERIFIED)</dd>
  <dt>Transport Group</dt>
  <dd>FIX ME</dd>
  <dd>FIX ME</dd>
  <dd>FIX ME</dd>
  <dd>FIX ME</dd>
</dl>

<h3>Views</h3>

<p>
  <img alt="Digramatic Image of the LED display for different Views"
     src="/images/BCF2000-Views.png">
</p>

<p class="fixme">FIX ME</p>

---
title: SSL Nucleus
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  The Nucleus, from Solid State Logic, is a 16 fader Mackie Control
  device that includes many buttons, separate meters, two LCD displays
  and other features. The device is not cheap (around US$5000 at the
  time of writing), and has some <a href="#design">design features</a>
  (or lack thereof) which some Ardour developers find
  questionable. Nevertheless, it is a very flexible device, and makes
  a nice 16 fader surface without the need to somehow attach an
  extender to your main surface.
</p>

<h2>Pre-configuring the Nucleus</h2>

<p>
  Your Nucleus comes complete with a number of "profiles" for a few
  well-known DAWs. At the time of writing it does not include one for
  Ardour (or related products such as Harrison Mixbus).
</p>
<p>
  We have prepared a profile in which as many buttons as possible send
  Mackie Control messages, which makes the device maximally useful
  with Ardour (and Mixbus). You can
  download <a href="https://community.ardour.org/files/ArdourNucleusProfile.zip">the
  profile</a>
  and load it to your Nucleus using the <code>Edit Profiles</code>
  button in SSL's Nucleus Remote application. Be sure to select it for
  the active DAW layer in order to make Ardour work as well as
  possible. <em>Note: unfortunately, the Nucleus Remote application
  only runs on OS X or Windows, so Linux users will need access to
  another system to load the profile. We will provide notes on the
  profile settings at a future time.</em>
</p>

<h2>Connecting the Nucleus</h2>

<p>
  Unlike most Mackie Control devices, the Nucleus uses an ethernet
  connection to send and receive the MIDI messages that make up the
  Mackie Control protocol. Specifically, it uses a technology called
  "ipMIDI" which essentially "broadcasts" MIDI messages on a local
  area network, so that any connected devices (computers, control
  surfaces, tablets etc.) can participate.
</p>
<p>
  All other DAWs so far that support the Nucleus have chosen to do so
  by using a 3rd party MIDI driver called "ipMIDI", which creates a
  number of "virtual" MIDI ports on your computer. You, the user,
  tells the DAW which ports to connect to, and ipMIDI takes care of
  the rest.
</p>
<p>
  Ardour has builtin ipMIDI support, with no need of any 3rd party
  packages, and no need to identify the "ports" to connect to in order
  to communicate with the Nucleus. This makes setting it up a bit
  easier than most other systems.
</p>
<p>
  Unless ... you already installed the ipMIDI driver in order to use
  some other DAW with your Nucleus. If ipMIDI is configured to create
  any "ports", it is not possible for Ardour's own ipMIDI support to
  function. We decided to offer both methods of communicating with
  your Nucleus. If you regularly use other DAWs, and appreciate having
  ipMIDI permanently set up to communication with the Nucleus&mdash;that's
  OK, you can tell Ardour to use the ipMIDI driver you already
  have. But if you're not using other DAWs with the Nucleus (and thus
  have not installed the ipMIDI driver), then you can ignore the
  ipMIDI driver entirely, and let Ardour connect directly with no
  configuration.
</p>

<h3>Connecting via Ardour's own ipMIDI support</h3>

<p class="alert alert-info">
  This is usable only on computers with no 3rd party ipMIDI
  driver software installed and configured. If you have the OS X or
  Windows ipMIDI driver from nerds.de, it <strong>MUST</strong> be
  configured to offer <strong>ZERO</strong> ports before using this
  method.
</p>

<p>
  Open <code>Preferences > Control Surfaces</code>. Ensure that the
  Mackie protocol is enabled, then double-click on it to open the
  Mackie Control setup dialog.
</p>
<p>
  Ensure that the device selected is "SSL Nucleus". The dialog should
  show a single numerical selector control below it, defining the
  ipMIDI port number to use (it should almost always be left at the
  default value of 21928).
</p>
<p>
  Communication is automatically established with the Nucleus and you
  need do nothing more.
</p>
<p>
  If this does not work, then make sure your network cables are
  properly connected, and that you are <strong>not</strong> running
  other ipMIDI software on the computer.
</p>

<h3>Connecting via 3rd party ipMIDI support</h3>

<p class="alert alert-info">
  This is usable only on computers with 3rd party ipMIDI
  driver software installed and configured for (at least) 2 ports.
</p>

<p>
  Open <code>Preferences > Control Surfaces</code>. Ensure that the
  Mackie protocol is enabled, then double-click on it to open the
  Mackie Control setup dialog.
</p>
<p>
  Ensure that the device selected is "SSL Nucleus (via platform MIDI)". The dialog should
  show four combo/dropdown selectors, labelled (respectively):
</p>
  <ul>
    <li><code>Main Surface receives via</code></li>
    <li><code>Main Surface sends via</code></li>
    <li><code>1st extender receives via</code></li>
    <li><code>1st extender sends via</code></li>
  </ul>
<p>
  You should choose "ipMIDI port 1", "ipMIDI port 1", "ipMIDI port 2"
  and "ipMIDI port 2" for each of the 4 combo/dropdown selectors.
</p>
<p>
  Communication should be automatically established with the Nucleus.
</p>
<p>
  If this does not work, then make sure your network cables are
  properly connected, and that you are running the approprate ipMIDI
  driver and have configured it for 2 (or more) ports.
</p>

<h2><a name="design">Nucleus Design Discussion</a></h2>

<p>
  You might be reading this part of the manual seeking some guidance
  on whether the Nucleus would make a suitable control surface for
  your workflows. We don't want to try to answer that question
  definitively, since the real answer depends on the very specific
  details of your workflow and situation, but we would like to point
  out a number of design features of the Nucleus that might change
  your opinion.
</p>

<h3>Cons</h3>
<dl>
  <dt>No Master Faster</dt>
  <dd>It is not possible to control the level of the Master bus or
  Monitor section. Really don't know what SSL was thinking here.</dd>
  <dt>No dedicated rec-enable buttons</dt>
  <dd>You have to press the "Rec" button and convert the per-strip
    "Select" buttons into rec-enables</dd>
  <dt>No dedicated automation buttons</dt>
  <dd>You have to press the "Auto" button and convert the first 4
  vpots into 4 automation-related buttons, losing your current view
    of the session.</dd>
  <dt>No buttons with Mackie-defined "Marker" functionality</dt>
  <dd>Mackie's design intentions for the interoperation of the
    Marker, rewind and ffwd buttons requires profile editing in order
    to function properly.
  </dd>
  <dt>No "Dyn" button</dt>
  <dd>This is hard to assign in an edited profile. To be fair, other
    Mackie Control devices also lack this button.
  </dd>
</dl>

<h3>Pros</h3>
<dl>
  <dt>Single cable connectivity</dt>
  <dd>No need for multiple MIDI cables to get 16 faders</dd>
  <dt>Broadcast connectivity</dt>
  <dd>Connecting to multiple computers does not require recabling</dd>
  <dt>16 faders from a single box</dt>
  <dd>No need to figure out how to keep extenders together</dd>
  <dt>Meters separated from displays</dt>
  <dd>Contrast with the Mackie Control Universal Pro, where meters
    interfere with the display
  </dd>
  <dt>DAW profiles</dt>
  <dd>Easy to flip profiles for use by different DAWs.</dd>
</dl>


<h3>Ambiguous</h3>
<dl>
  <dt>Ability to make buttons generate USB keyboard events</dt>
  <dd>The extent to which this is useful reflects the target DAWs
    inability to manage all of its functionality via Mackie Control
  </dd>
  <dt>Sophisticated "profile" editing</dt>
  <dd>It is nice to be able to reassign the functionality of most
    buttons, but this is only necessary because of the relatively few
    global buttons on the surface.
  </dd>
  <dt>Builtin analog signal path</dt>
  <dd>SSL clearly expects users to route audio back from their
  computer via the Nucleus' own 2 channel output path, and maybe even
  use the input path as well. They take up a significant amount of
  surface space with the controls for this signal path, space that
  could have been used for a master fader or more Mackie Control
  buttons. The USB audio device requires a proprietary driver, so
  Linux users can't use this, and OS X/Windows users will have to
  install a device driver (very odd for a USB audio device these
  days). The analog path also no doubt adds notable cost to the
  Nucleus. There's nothing wrong with this feature for users that
  don't already have a working analog/digital signal path for their
  computers. But who is going to spend $5000 on a Nucleus that
  doesn't have this already?</dd>
</dl>

---
title: Mackie Control Setup on Linux
part: subchapter
---

<h2>Devices using ipMIDI</h2>

<p>
  If you are using a device like the SSL Nucleus that uses ipMIDI,
  no set up is required other than to ensure that your control surface
  and computer are both connected to the same network.
</p>

<h2>Devices using conventional MIDI</h2>

<p>
  Before attempting to use a Mackie Control device that communicates via
  a standard MIDI cable or a USB cable, you should ensure that
  <a href="/setting-up-your-system/setting-up-midi/midi-on-linux">your Linux
  MIDI environment is setup</a>.
</p>

---
title: What to do if your Device is not Listed
menu_title: Unlisted devices
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  All Mackie Control devices are based on the original Logic Control and the
  documentation in the user manual that came with it. The Mackie Control and
  the Mackie Control Pro and so on, all use this same protocol. Any units
  from other manufactures will also use the same encoding as best the
  hardware will allow. If the unit in use has more than one Mackie Control
  option, it is best to choose Logic Control or LC. Any Templates for the
  buttons should be chosen the same way as the Function key Editor uses these
  button names. The "Mackie Control" option should be considered default and
  should be tried with any unlisted device before attemping to create a
  custom definition file.
</p>

---
title: Working With Extenders
menu_title: Working With Extenders
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Extenders will require a custom file as there are no combinations listed
  at this time. The best way is to start with the mc.device file and copy it
  to a new name such as xt+mc.device and then edit that file. It is best to
  name the file with the order the devices are expected to be used in as
  the position of the master device is specified in this file.
</p>

<p>
  The two lines of interest are:
<p>

<pre>
 &lt;Extenders value="0"/&gt;
 &lt;MasterPosition value="0"/&gt;
</pre>

<p>
  Add these two lines if they are not present. The <code>Extenders</code>
  value is the number of extenders used and should not include the master in
  that number.
</p>

<p>
  When an <code>Extenders</code> value of greater than 0 is used, extra midi
  ports will appear for the extenders to be connected to. The MIDI ports
  for the controllers will be named <code>mackie control #1</code>,
  <code>mackie control #2</code> and up. The numbers will go from left to
  right. That is, from lowest number channel to highest.
</p>

<p>
  The <code>MasterPosition</code> value is the port number the master unit
  (with the master fader) is connected to. So if there are three surfaces,
  <code>&lt;MasterPosition value="1"/&gt;</code> will expect the master on
  the left, <code>&lt;MasterPosition value="2"/&gt;</code> would be master
  in the middle and <code>&lt;MasterPosition value="3"/&gt;</code> would be
  master on the right. So the position matches the port name.
</p>

<p class="note">
  The default value of <code>&lt;MasterPosition value="0"/&gt;</code> has
  the same effect as <code>&lt;MasterPosition value="1"/&gt;</code>.
</p>

<p>
  If the <code>MasterPosition</code> value does not properly match the
  physcal position and MIDI port, the master fader and global controls will
  not work. The master unit will act like an extender.
</p>

---
title: MIDI Binding Maps
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Ardour 2.X supported
  <a href="/using-control-surfaces/midi-learn"><dfn>MIDI learning</dfn></a>
  for more or less any control. This was a nice feature that quite a few other
  DAWs are providing by now, but it didn't allow Ardour to work "out of the
  box" with sensible defaults for existing commercial MIDI
  controllers. In Ardour 3 and later versions, we have augmented the
  MIDI learn feature with the ability to load a <dfn>MIDI binding map</dfn>
  for a given controller, which can set up an arbitrary number of physical
  controls with anything inside Ardour that can be controlled.
</p>

<p>
  Currently (August 2016), we have presets for the following devices/modes:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>AKAI MPD-32</li>
  <li>AKAI MPK61</li>
  <li>AKAI MPKmini</li>
  <li>Behringer BCF2000</li>
  <li>Behringer BCF2000 (Mackie Emulation mode; better to use
    Ardour's actual Mackie Control Protocol support)</li>
  <li>Behringer DDX3216</li>
  <li>Korg nanoKONTROL (2 layouts)</li>
  <li>Korg nanoKONTROL 2 (2 layouts)</li>
  <li>Korg Taktile</li>
  <li>M-Audio Axiom 25 (2 layouts)</li>
  <li>M-Audio Axiom 61</li>
  <li>M-Audio Oxygen 49</li>
  <li>M-Audio Oxygen 61v3</li>
  <li>M-Audio Oxygen 25</li>
  <li>M-Audio Oxygen 8v2</li>
  <li>Novation Impulse 49</li>
  <li>Novation Impulse 61</li>
  <li>Novation LaunchControl XL</li>
  <li>Novation LaunchKey 25</li>
  <li>Roland SI-24</li>
  <li>Roland V Studio 20</li>
  <li>Yamaha KX25</li>
</ul>
  At this time, new binding maps need to be created with a text editor.
<p>
  MIDI binding maps are accessible by double-clicking <kbd class="menu">Edit
  &gt; Preferences &gt; Control Surfaces &gt; Generic MIDI</kbd>. Ardour will
  retain your selection after you choose one.
</p>

<h2>Creating new MIDI maps</h2>
<h3>The Basic Concept</h3>
<p>
  Since the beginning of time (well, sometime early in the 2.X series),
  Ardour has had the concept of identifying each track and bus with a
  <dfn>remote control ID</dfn>. This ID uniquely identifies a track or bus
  so that when messages arrive from elsewhere via MIDI or OSC , we can determine
   which track or bus they are intended to control. Ardour has a
   <a
  href="/working-with-tracks/controlling-track-ordering/track-ordering-and-remote-control-ids/">number
   of ways of assigning remote control IDs</a>, but they don't really matter
   very much when creating MIDI binding maps, so we won't discuss that here.
   You just need to know that there is a "first track" and its remote control
   ID is 1, and so on.
</p>
<h3>Getting Started</h3>
<p>
  MIDI bindings are stored in files with the suffix ".map" attached to their
  name. The minimal content looks like this:
</p>
<pre>
&lt;?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?&gt;
&lt;ArdourMIDIBindings version="1.0.0" name="The name of this set of
bindings"&gt;
&lt;/ArdourMIDIBindings&gt;
</pre>
<p>
  So, to start, create a file with that as the initial contents.
</p>
<p>
  On OS X, Ardour loads midi maps from its binary-bundle folder in
  <code>Ardour-&lt;version&gt;/midi_maps/</code> and checks
  various other locations as well (defined by the ARDOUR_MIDIMAPS_PATH
  environment variable). On GNU/Linux the easiest is to save the file to
  <code>~/.config/ardour3/midi_maps/</code>.
</p>

<h3>Finding out what your MIDI control surface sends</h3>
<p>
  This is the most complex part of the job, but its still not very hard.
  You need to connect the control surface to an application that will show
  you the information that the device sends each time you modify a knob,
  slider, button etc. There are a variety of such applications (notably
  <code>gmidimon</code> and <code>kmidimon</code>, but you can actually use
  Ardour for this if you want. Start Ardour in a terminal window, connect
  MIDI ports up, and in the Preferences window, enable "Trace Input" on the
  relevant MIDI port. A full trace of the MIDI data received will show up in
  the terminal window. (Note: in Ardour3, you get a dedicated, custom dialog
  for this kind of tracing.)
</p>
<h3>Types of Bindings</h3>
<p>
  There are two basic kinds of bindings you can make between a MIDI message
  and something inside Ardour. The first is a binding to a specific parameter
  of a track or bus. The second is a binding to a function that will change
  Ardour's state in some way.
</p>
<h4>Binding to Track/Bus controls</h4>
<p>
  A track/bus binding has one of two basic structures
</p>
<code>
  &lt;Binding <em>msg specification</em>  uri="<em>... control address ...</em>"/&gt;
  &lt;Binding <em>msg specification</em>  function="<em>... function name ...</em>"/&gt;
</code>

<h4>Message specifications</h4>
<p>
  You can create a binding for either 3 types of channel messages, or for a
  system exclusive ("sysex") message.  A channel message specification looks
  like this:
</p>
<code>
   &lt;Binding channel="1" ctl="13" ....
</code>
<p>
  This defines a binding for a MIDI Continuous Controller message involving
  controller 13, arriving on channel 1. There are 16 MIDI channels, numbered
  1 to 16. Where the example above says <code>ctl</code>, you can alternatively
  use <code>note</code> (to create binding for a Note On message) or
  <code>pgm</code>  (to create a binding for a Program Change message).
</p>
<p>
  As of Ardour 4.2, <code>enc-r</code>, <code>enc-l</code>, <code>enc-2</code> and
  <code>enc-b</code> may be used for surfaces that have encoders that send
  offsets rather than values. These accept Continuous Controller messages
  but treat them as offsets. These are good for banked controls as they are
  always at the right spot to start adjusting. (
   <a href="/using-control-surfaces/midi-binding-maps/working-with-encoders/">
   Learn more about working with encoders
   </a>)
</p>
<p>
  You can also bind sysex messages:
</p>
<code>
  &lt;Binding sysex="f0 0 0 e 9 0 5b f7" ....
  &lt;Binding sysex="f0 7f 0 6 7 f7" ....
</code>
<p>
  The string after the <code>sysex=</code> part is the sequence of MIDI bytes,
  as hexadecimal values, that make up the sysex message.
</p>
<p>
  Finally, you can bind a totally arbitrary MIDI message:</p>
<code>
  &lt;Binding msg="f0 0 0 e 9 0 5b f7" ....
  &lt;Binding msg="80 60 40" ....
</code>
<p>
  The string after the <code>msg=</code> part is the sequence of MIDI bytes, as
  hexadecimal values, that make up the message you want to bind. Using this is
  slightly less efficient than the other variants shown above, but is useful for
  some oddly designed control devices.
</p>

<p class="note">
  As of Ardour 4.6 it is possible to use multi-event MIDI strings such as
  two event CC messages, RPN or NRPN.
</p>

<p class="note">
  The <code>sysex=</code> and <code>msg=</code> bindings will only work with
  <code>function=</code> or <code>action=</code> control addresses. They
  will <em>not</em> work with the <code>uri=</code> control addresses.
  Controls used with <code>uri=</code> require a <em>Value</em> which is
  only available in a known place with channel mode MIDI events.
</p>

<h4>Control address</h4>
<p>
  A <dfn>control address</dfn> defines what the binding will actually control.
  There are quite a few different things that can be specified here:
</p>
<dl class="wide-table">
<dt>/route/gain</dt>
<dd>the gain control ("fader") for the track/bus</dd>
<dt>/route/trim</dt>
<dd>the trim control for the track/bus (new in 4.1)</dd>
<dt>/route/solo</dt>
<dd>a toggleable control for solo (and listen) of the track/bus</dd>
<dt>/route/mute</dt>
<dd>a toggleable control to mute/unmute the track/bus</dd>
<dt>/route/recenable</dt>
<dd>a toggleable control to record-enable the track</dd>
<dt>/route/panwidth</dt>
<dd>interpreted by the track/bus panner, should control image "width"</dd>
<dt>/route/pandirection</dt>
<dd>interpreted by the track/bus panner, should control image "direction"</dd>
<dt>/route/plugin/parameter</dt>
<dd>the Mth parameter of the Nth plugin of a track/bus
</dd>
<dt>/route/send/gain</dt>
<dd>the gain control ("fader") of the Nth send of a track/bus</dd>
</dl>
<p>Each of the specifications needs an address, which takes various forms too. For track-level controls (solo/gain/mute/recenable), the address is one the following:</p>
<dl class="wide-table">
<dt>a number, eg. "1"
</dt>
<dd>identifies a track or bus by its remote control ID
</dd>
<dt>B, followed by a number
</dt>
<dd>identifies a track or bus by its remote control ID within the current bank (see below for more on banks)
</dd>
<dt>one or more words
</dt>
<dd>identifies a track or bus by its name
</dd>
</dl>
<p>
  For send/insert/plugin controls, the address consists of a track/bus
  address (as just described) followed by a number identifying the plugin/send
  (starting from 1). For plugin parameters, there is an additional third
  component: a number identifying the plugin parameter number (starting from
  1).
</p>
<p>
  One additional feature: for solo and mute bindings, you can also add
  <code>momentary="yes"</code> after the control address. This is useful
  primarily for NoteOn bindings&mdash;when Ardour gets the NoteOn it
  will solo or mute the targetted track or bus, but then when a NoteOff
  arrives, it will un-solo or un-mute it.
</p>

<h4>Bindings to Ardour "functions"</h4>
<p>
  Rather than binding to a specific track/bus control, it may be useful to
  have a MIDI controller able to alter some part of Ardour's state. A
  binding definition that does this looks like this:
</p>
<code>
  &lt;Binding channel="1" note="13" function="transport-roll"/&gt;
</code>
<p>
  In this case, a NoteOn message for note number 13 (on channel 1) will
  start the transport rolling. The following function names are available:
</p>
<dl class="narrower-table">
<dt>
<code>transport-stop</code>
</dt>
<dd>stop the transport
</dd>
<dt>
<code>transport-roll</code>
</dt>
<dd>start the transport "rolling"
</dd>
<dt>
<code>transport-zero</code>
</dt>
<dd>move the playhead to the zero position
</dd>
<dt>
<code>transport-start</code>
</dt>
<dd>move the playhead to the start marker
</dd>
<dt>
<code>transport-end</code>
</dt>
<dd>move the playhead to the end marker
</dd>
<dt>
<code>loop-toggle</code>
</dt>
<dd>turn on loop playback
</dd>
<dt>
<code>rec-enable</code>
</dt>
<dd>enable the global record button
</dd>
<dt>
<code>rec-disable</code>
</dt>
<dd>disable the global record button
</dd>
<dt>
<code>next-bank</code>
</dt>
<dd>Move track/bus mapping to the next bank (see Banks below)
</dd>
<dt>
<code>prev-bank</code>
</dt>
<dd>Move track/bus mapping to the previous bank (see Banks below)
</dd>
</dl>

<h4>Binding to Ardour "actions"</h4>
<p>
  You can also bind a sysex or arbitrary message to any of the items
  that occur in Ardour's main menu (and its submenus).  The best place
  to look for the (long) list of how to address each item is in your
  keybindings file, which will contain lines that look like this:
</p>
<code>
(gtk_accel_path "&lt;Actions&gt;/Editor/temporal-zoom-in" "equal")
</code>
<p>
  To create a binding between an arbitrary MIDI message (we'll use a
  note-off on channel 1 of MIDI note 60 (hex) with release velocity
  40 (hex)), the binding file would contain:
</p>
<code>
   &lt;Binding msg="80 60 40" action="Editor/temporal-zoom-in"/&gt;
</code>
<p>
  The general rule, when taken an item from the keybindings file and
  using it in a MIDI binding is to simply strip the
  <code>&lt;Action&gt;</code> prefix of the second field in the
  keybinding definition.
</p>

<h3>Banks and Banking</h3>
<p>
  Because many modern control surfaces offer per-track/bus controls
  for far fewer tracks &amp; busses than many users want to control,
  Ardour offers the relatively common place concept of <dfn>banks</dfn>. Banks
  allow you to control any number of tracks and/or busses easily,
  regardless of how many faders/knobs etc. your control surface has.<br />
  To use banking, the control addresses must be specified using the
  <dfn>bank relative</dfn> format mentioned above ("B1" to identify
  the first track of a bank of tracks, rather than "1" to identify
  the first track).
</p>
<p>
  One very important extra piece of information is required to use
  banking: an extra line near the start of the list of bindings
  that specifies how many tracks/busses to use per bank. If the
  device has 8 faders, then 8 would be a sensible value to use for
  this. The line looks like this:</p>
<code>
   &lt;DeviceInfo bank-size="8"/&gt;
</code>
<p>
  In addition, you probably want to ensure that you bind something
  on the control surface to the <code>next-bank</code> and
  <code>prev-bank</code> functions, otherwise you and other users
  will have to use the mouse and the GUI to change banks, which
  rather defeats the purpose of the bindings.
</p>
<h2>A Complete (though muddled) Example</h2>
<pre>
&lt;?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?&gt;
&lt;ArdourMIDIBindings version="1.0.0" name="pc1600x transport controls"&gt;
  &lt;DeviceInfo bank-size="16"/&gt;
  &lt;Binding channel="1" ctl="1"   uri="/route/gain B1"/&gt;
  &lt;Binding channel="1" ctl="2"   uri="/route/gain B2"/&gt;
  &lt;Binding channel="1" ctl="3"   uri="/route/send/gain B1 1"/&gt;
  &lt;Binding channel="1" ctl="4"   uri="/route/plugin/parameter B1 1 1"/&gt;
  &lt;Binding channel="1" ctl="6"   uri="/bus/gain master"/&gt;

  &lt;Binding channel="1" note="1"  uri="/route/solo B1"/&gt;
  &lt;Binding channel="1" note="2"  uri="/route/solo B2" momentary="yes"/&gt;

  &lt;Binding channel="1" note="15"  uri="/route/mute B1" momentary="yes"/&gt;
  &lt;Binding channel="1" note="16"  uri="/route/mute B2" momentary="yes"/&gt;

  &lt;Binding sysex="f0 0 0 e 9 0 5b f7" function="transport-start"/&gt;
  &lt;Binding sysex="f0 7f 0 6 7 f7" function="rec-disable"/&gt;
  &lt;Binding sysex="f0 7f 0 6 6 f7" function="rec-enable"/&gt;
  &lt;Binding sysex="f0 0 0 e 9 0 53 0 0 f7" function="loop-toggle"/&gt;

  &lt;Binding channel="1" note="13" function="transport-roll"/&gt;
  &lt;Binding channel="1" note="14" function="transport-stop"/&gt;
  &lt;Binding channel="1" note="12" function="transport-start"/&gt;
  &lt;Binding channel="1" note="11" function="transport-zero"/&gt;
  &lt;Binding channel="1" note="10" function="transport-end"/&gt;
&lt;/ArdourMIDIBindings&gt;
</pre>
<p>
  Please note that channel, controller and note numbers are specified as
  decimal numbers in the ranges 1-16, 0-127 and 0-127 respectively
  (the channel range may change at some point).
</p>

---
title: Working With Encoders in Ardour
menu_title: Working With Encoders
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Encoders are showing up more frequently on controllers. However, they use
  the same MIDI events as Continuous Controllers and they have no standard
  way of sending that information as MIDI events. Ardour 4.2 has implemented
  4 of the more common ways of sending encoder information.
</p>
<p>
  Encoders that send the same continuous values as a pot would are not
  discussed here as they are already supported by <code>ctl</code>.
</p>
<P>
  Encoders as this page talks about them send direction and offset that the
  DAW will add to or subtract from the current value.
</p>
<p>
  The 4 kinds of encoder supported are:
</p>
<ul>
<li>
  enc-r:  On the bcr/bcf2000 this is called "Relative Signed Bit". The most
  significant bit sets positive and the lower 6 signifcant bits are the
  offset.
</li>
<li>
  enc-l: The bcr2000 calls this "Relative Signed Bit 2". The most
  significant bit sets negative and the lower 6 signifcant bits are the
  offset. If you are using one of these two and the values are right but
  reversed, use the other. This one is the one the Mackie Control Protocol
  uses.
</li>
<li>
  enc-2: The bcr2000 calls this one "Relative 2s Complement". Positive
  offsets are sent as normal from 1 to 64 and negative offsets are sent as
  2s complement negative numbers.
</li>
<li>
  enc-b: The bcr2000 calls this one "Relative Binary Offset". Positive
  offsets are sent as offset plus 64 and negative offsets are sent as 64
  minus offset.
</li>
</ul>
<p>
  If the wrong one is chosen, either the positive or negative side will act
  incorrectly. It is not really possible to auto detect which one the
  controller is using. Trial and error is the only way if the specification
  of the controller is not known.
</p>
<p>
  Many controllers have more than one choice as well, check the manual for
  the surface.
</p>

---
title: MIDI Learn
part: subchapter
---

<h2>Philosophy</h2>

<p>
  There are no "best" ways to map an arbitrary MIDI controller for controlling Ardour. There may be very legitimate reasons for different users to prefer quite different mappings.
</p>

<p>
  On every platform that Ardour runs on, there are excellent free-of-charge tools for making connections between MIDI hardware and "virtual" MIDI ports like the ones that Ardour creates and uses. Rather than waste precious developer time replicating these connection/patch managers, we prefer to leverage their existence by having users rely on them to actually connect Ardour to other MIDI devices and software. On OS X, we recommend Pete Yandell's MIDI Patchbay. On Linux, a wide variety of tools are available including QJackctl, aconnect, Patchage, and more.
</p>

<h2>Basics</h2>

<ol>
  <li>Enable Generic MIDI control: <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences
  &gt; Control Surfaces &gt; Generic MIDI</kbd></li>
  <li>Connect Ardour's MIDI port named <samp>control</samp> to whatever
  hardware or software you want (using a MIDI patchbay app)</li>
  <li><kbd class="mod1 mouse">Middle</kbd>-click on whatever on-screen
  fader, plugin parameter control, button etc. you want to control</li>
  <li>A small window appears that says "Operate Controller now"</li>
  <li>Move the hardware knob or fader, or press the note/key.</li>
  <li>The binding is complete. Moving the hardware should control the Ardour fader etc. </li>
</ol>

<h2>Avoiding work in the future</h2>

<p>
  If you want the bindings you set up to be used automatically in every session, the simplest thing to do is to use <kbd class="menu">Session &gt; Save Template</kbd>. Then, when creating new sessions, select that template and all the bindings will be automatically set up for you.
</p>

---
title: Using the Presonus Faderport
menu_title: Presonus Faderport
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Since version 4.5, Ardour has had full support for the Presonus
  Faderport. This is a compact control surface featuring a single
  motorized fader, a single knob (encoder) and 24 buttons with fixed
  labels. It is a relatively low-cost device that functions very well
  to control a single (selected) track or bus, along with a variety of
  other "global" settings and conditions.
</p>

<h2>Connecting the Faderport</h2>

<p>
  The Faderport comes with a single USB socket on the back. Connect a
  suitable USB cable from there to a USB port on your computer. As of
  the end of 2015, you should avoid USB3 ports&mdash;these cause erratic
  behaviour with the device. This issue might get fixed by Presonus in
  the future.
</p>

<p class="well">
  Ardour uses the Faderport in what Presonus calls "native" mode. You
  do not need to do anything to enable this&mdash;Ardour will set the
  device to be in the correct mode. In native mode, the Faderport
  sends and receives ordinary MIDI messages to/from the host, and the
  host understands the intended meaning of these messages. We note
  this detail to avoid speculation about whether Ardour supports the
  device via the HUI protocol&mdash;it does not.
</p>

<p>
  The Faderport will be automatically recognized by your operating
  system, and will appear in any of the lists of possible MIDI ports
  in both Ardour and other similar software.
</p>

<p>
  To connect the Faderport to Ardour, open the Preferences dialog, and
  then click on "Control Surfaces". Click on the "Enable" button
  in the line that says "Faderport" in order to activate Ardour's
  Faderport support. Then double click on the line that says
  "Faderport". A new dialog will open, containing (among other things)
  two dropdown selectors that will allow you to identify the MIDI
  ports where your Faderport is connected.
</p>

<p>
<img alt="the Faderport configuration dialog"
     src="/images/faderport_dialog.png">
</p>

<p>
  Once you select the input and output port, Ardour will initialize
  the Faderport and it will be ready to use. You only need do this
  once: once these ports are connected and your session has been
  saved, the connections will be made automatically in this and other
  future sessions.
</p>

<p>
  You do not need to use the power supply that comes with the
  Faderport but without it, the fader will not be motorized. This
  makes the overall experience of using the Faderport much less
  satisfactory, since the fader will not move when Ardour tells it
  to, leading to very out-of-sync conditions between the physical
  fader position and the "fader position" inside the program.
</p>

<h2>Using the Faderport</h2>

<p>
  The Faderport's controls can be divided into three groups:
  <ol>
    <li>Global controls such as the transport buttons</li>

    <li>Controls which change the settings for particular track or
      bus</li>

    <li>Controls which alter which track or bus is modified by the
      per-track/bus controls.</li>
  </ol>
</p>
<p>
  Because the Faderport has only a single set of per-track controls,
  by default those controls operate on the first selected track or
  bus. If there is no selected track or bus, the controls will do
  nothing.
</p>

<h3>Transport Buttons</h3>
<p>
  The transport buttons all work as you would expect.
  <dl>
    <dt>Rewind</dt>
    <dd>
      <p>
      When pressed on its own, starts the transport moving backwards. Successive presses
      speed up the "rewind" behaviour.
      </p>
      <p>
        If pressed while also holding the Stop button, the playhead will
        return to the zero position on the timeline.
      </p>
      <p>
        If pressed while also holding the Shift button, the playhead will
        move to the session start marker.
      </p>
    </dd>
    <dt>Fast Forward</dt>
    <dd>
      <p>
        When pressed on its own, starts the transport moving faster than normal. Successive presses
        speed up the "fast forward" behaviour.
      </p>
      <p>
        If pressed while also holding the Shift button, the playhead
        will move to the session end marker.
      </p>
    </dd>
    <dt>Stop</dt>
    <dd>
      Stops the transport. Also used in combination with the Rewind
      button to "return to zero".
    </dd>
    <dt>Play</dt>
    <dd>
      Starts the transport. If pressed while the transport is
      already rolling at normal speed, causes the playhead to jump to
      the start of the last "roll" and continue rolling ("Poor man's
      looping").
    </dd>
    <dt>Record Enable</dt>
    <dd>Toggles the global record enable setting
    </dd>
  </dl>
</p>

<h3>Other Global Controls</h3>
<p>
  The Mix, Proj, Trns buttons do not obviously correspond any
  particular functions or operations in Ardour. We have therefore
  allowed users to choose from a carefully curated set of possible
  actions that seem related to the button labels in some clear
  way. This can be done via the Faderport configuration dialog
  accessed via <code>Preferences &gt; Control Surfaces</code>. Each
  button has 3 possible actions associated with it:
  <ul>
    <li>Plain Press: action to be taken when the button is pressed on
      its own.</li>
    <li>Shift-Press: action to be taken when the button is pressed in
      conjunction with the Shift button.</li>
    <li>Long Press: action to be taken when the button is pressed on
      its own and held down for more than 0.5 seconds.</li>
  </ul>
  Click on the relevant drop-down selector to pick an action as you
  prefer.
</p>
<p>
  The User button also has no obvious mapping to specific Ardour
  functionality, so we allow users to choose from <em>any</em>
  possible GUI action. The menu for selecting the action is somewhat
  confusing and it can be hard to find what you're looking
  for. However, all possible actions are there, so keep looking!
<p>
  <dl>
    <dt>Mix</dt>
    <dd>
      <p>
        Possible actions include:
        <ul>
          <li>Toggle Editor &amp; Mixer visibility</li>
          <li>Show/Hide the Editor mixer strip</li>
        </ul>
      </p>
    </dd>
    <dt>Proj</dt>
    <dd>
      <p>
        Possible actions include:
        <ul>
          <li>Toggle Meterbridge visibility</li>
          <li>Toggle Session Summary visibility</li>
          <li>Toggle Editor Lists visibility</li>
          <li>Zoom to session</li>
          <li>Zoom in</li>
          <li>Zoom out</li>
        </ul>
      </p>
   </dd>
    <dt>Trns</dt>
    <dd>
      <p>
        Possible actions include:
        <ul>
          <li>Toggle Locations window visibility</li>
          <li>Toggle Metronome</li>
          <li>Toggle external sync</li>
          <li>Set Playhead at current pointer position</li>
        </ul>
      </p>
    </dd>
    <dt>Undo/Redo</dt>
    <dd>
      Undo Causes the last operation carried out in the editor to be
      undone. When pressed in conjuction with the Shift button, it
      causes the most recent undone operation to be re-done.
    </dd>
    <dt>Punch</dt>
    <dd>
      <p>
        When pressed on its own, toggles punch recording. If there is no
        punch range set for the session, this will do nothing.
      </p>
      <p>
        When pressed in conjunction with the Shift button, this moves
        the playhead to the previous Marker
      </p>
    </dd>
    <dt>User</dt>
    <dd>
      <p>
        See above. Any and all GUI-initiated actions can be driven with
        by pressing this button on its own, or with a "long" press.
      </p>
      <p>
        When pressed in conjunction with the Shift button, this will move
        the playhead to the next marker.
      </p>
    </dd>
    <dt>Loop</dt>
    <dd>
      <p>
        When pressed on its own, this toggles loop playback. If the
        Ardour preference "Loop-is-mode" is enabled, this does nothing
        to the current transport state. If that preference is disabled,
        then engaging loop playback will also start the transport.
      </p>
      <p>
        When pressed in conjunction with the Shift button, this will
        create a new (unnamed) marker at the current playhead
        position.
      </p>
    </dd>
  </dl>
</p>

<h3>Per-track Controls</h3>
<p>
  <dl>
    <dt>Mute</dt>
    <dd>
      This toggles the mute setting of the currently controlled
      track/bus. The button will be lit if the track/bus is muted.
    </dd>
    <dt>Solo</dt>
    <dd>
      This toggles the solo (or listen) setting of the currently
      controlled track/bus. The button will be lit if the track/bus is
      soloed (or set to listen mode).
    </dd>
    <dt>Rec</dt>
    <dd>
      This toggles the record-enabled setting of the currently
      controlled track/bus. The button will be lit if the track is
      record-enabled. This button will do nothing if the Faderport is
      controlling a bus.
    </dd>
    <dt>Fader</dt>
    <dd>
      The fader controls the gain applied to the currently controlled
      track/bus. If the Faderport is powered, changing the gain in
      Ardour's GUI or via another control surface, or via automation,
      will result in the fader moving under its own control.
    </dd>
    <dt>Knob/Dial/Encoder</dt>
    <dd>
      <p>
        The knob controls 1 or 2 pan settings for the current
        controlled track/bus. When used alone, turning the knob controls
        the "azimuth" or "direction" (between left and right) for the
        panner in the track/bus (if any). This is all you need when
        controlling tracks/busses with 1 input and 2 outputs.
      </p>
      <p>
        If controlling a 2 input/2 output track/bus, Ardour's panner
        has two controls: azimuth (direction) and width. The width
        must be reduced to less than 100% before the azimuth can be
        changed. Pressing the "Shift" button while turning the knob
        will alter the width setting.
      </p>
      <p>
        The knob can also be turned while the "User" button is held,
        in order to modify the input gain for the currently controlled
        track.
      </p>
    </dd>
    <dt>Read</dt>
    <dd>
      Enables playback/use of fader automation data by the controlled track/bus.
    </dd>
    <dt>Write</dt>
    <dd>
      Puts the fader for the controlled track/bus into automation
      write mode. While the transport is rolling, all fader changes
      will be recorded to the fader automation lane for the relevant track/bus.
    </dd>
    <dt>Touch</dt>
    <dd>
      Puts the fader for the controlled track/bus into automation
      touch mode. While the transport is rolling, touching the fader
      will initiate recording all fader changes until the fader is
      released. When the fader is not being touched, existing
      automation data will be played/used to control the gain level.
    </dd>
    <dt>Off</dt>
    <dd>
      This disables all automation modes for the currently controlled
      track/bus. Existing automation data will be left unmodified by
      any fader changes, and will not be used for controlling gain.
    </dd>
  </dl>
</p>

<h3>Track Selection Controls</h3>
<p>
  You can manually change the track/bus controlled by the Faderport by
  changing the selected track in Ardour's editor window. If you select
  more than 1 track, the Faderport will control the first selected
  track and <em>only</em> that track/bus.
</p>
<p>
  <dl>
    <dt>Left (arrow)</dt>
    <dd>
      This causes the Ardour GUI to select the previous track/bus
      (using the current visual order in the editor window), which
      will in turn cause the Faderport to control that track. If there
      is no previous track/bus, the selected track/bus is left
      unchanged, and the Faderport continues to control it.
    </dd>
    <dt>Right (arrow)</dt>
    <dd>
      This causes the Ardour GUI to select the next track/bus
      (using the current visual order in the editor window), which
      will in turn cause the Faderport to control that track. If there
      is no next track/bus, the selected track/bus is left
      unchanged, and the Faderport continues to control it.
    </dd>
    <dt>Output</dt>
    <dd>
      <p>
        Pressing the Output button causes the Faderport to control
        the fader, pan, mute and solo settings of the Master bus. If
        your session does not contain a Master bus, it does nothing.
        This is a toggle button&mdash;pressing it again returns Faderport
        to controlling whichever track/bus was selected before the
        first press of the Output button.
      </p>
      <p>
        If your session uses Ardour's monitor section, you can use
        Shift-Output to assign it to the Faderport in the same way
        that Output assigns the Master bus. This is also a toggle
        setting, so the second Shift-Output will return the Faderport
        to controlling whichever track/bus was selected before.
      </p>
      <p>
        If you press Shift-Output after a single press to Output
        (i.e. control the Monitor Section while currently controlling
        the Master bus) or vice versa (i.e. control the Master bus
        while currently controlling the Monitor Section), the press
        will be ignored. This avoids getting into a tricky situation
        where it is no longer apparent what is being controlled and
        what will happen if you try to change it.
      </p>
    </dd>
    <dt>Bank</dt>
    <dd>
      The "Bank" button is currently not used by Ardour
    </dd>
  </dl>
</p>

---
title: Using the Ableton Push 2
menu_title: Ableton Push 2
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  <img alt="the Ableton Push 2 surface" src="/images/push2-main.jpg">
</p>

<p>
  Since version 5.4, Ardour has had extensive support for the Ableton
  Push2. This is an expensive but beautifully engineered control
  surface primarily targetting the workflow found in Ableton's Live
  software and other similar tools such as Bitwig. As of version 5.4, Ardour
  does not offer the same kind of workflow, so we have designed our support for the
  Push 2 to be used for mixing and editing and musical performance,
  without the clip/scene oriented approach in Live. This may change in
  future versions of Ardour.
</p>

<h2>Connecting the Push 2</h2>

<p>
  Plug the USB cable from the Push 2 into a USB2 or USB3 port on your
  computer. For brighter backlighting, also plug in the power supply
  (this is not necessary for use).
</p>

<p>
  The Push 2 will be automatically recognized by your operating
  system, and will appear in any of the lists of possible MIDI ports
  in both Ardour and other similar software.
</p>

<p>
  To connect the Push 2 to Ardour, open the Preferences dialog, and
  then click on "Control Surfaces". Click on the "Enable" button
  in the line that says "Ableton Push 2" in order to activate Ardour's
  Push 2 support.
</p>

<p>
  Once you select the input and output port, Ardour will initialize
  the Push 2 and it will be ready to use. You only need do this
  once: once these ports are connected and your session has been
  saved, the connections will be made automatically in this and other
  future sessions.
</p>

<h2>Push 2 Configuration</h2>

<p>
  The only configuration option at this time is whether the pads send
  aftertouch or polyphonic pressure messages. You can alter this
  setting via the Push 2 GUI, accessed by double-clicking on the "Push
  2" entry in the control surfaces list.
<p>

<img alt="the Push 2 configuration dialog"
     src="/images/push2-gui.png">
</p>

<h2>Basic Concepts</h2>

<p>
  With the Push 2 support in Ardour 5.4, you can do the following
  things:
  <dl>
    <dt>Perform using the 8 x 8 pad "grid"</dt>
    <dd>The Push 2 has really lovely pressure-sensitive pads that can
    also generate either aftertouch or note (polyphonic) pressure.</dd>
    <dt>Global Mixing</dt>
    <dd>See many tracks at once, and control numerous parameters for each.</dd>
    <dt>Track/Bus Mixing</dt>
    <dd>View a single track/bus, with even more parameters for the track.</dd>
    <dt>Choose the mode/scale, root note and more for the pads</dt>
    <dd>37 scales are available. Like Live, Ardour offers both
    "in-key" and "chromatic" pad layouts.</dd>
  </dl>

  &hellip; plus a variety of tasks related to transport control, selection,
  import, click track control and more.
</p>

<h2>Musical Performance</h2>

<p>
  Messages sent from the 8x8 pad grid and the "pitch bend bar" are
  routed to a special MIDI port within Ardour called "Push 2 Pads"
  (no extra latency is incurred from this routing). Although you can
  manually connect this port to whatever you wish, the normal
  behaviour of Ardour's Push 2 support is to connect the pads to the
  most recently selected MIDI track.
</p>

<p>
  This means that to play a soft-synth/instrument plugin in a given
  MIDI track with the Push 2, you just need to select that track.
</p>

<p>
  If multiple MIDI tracks are selected at once, the first selected
  track will be used. Note that messages originating from all other
  controls on the Push 2 will <em>not</em> not be delivered to the
  "Push 2 Pads" port. This makes no difference in practice, because
  the other controls do not send messages that are useful for musical
  performance.
</p>

<h2>Global Mix</h2>

<p>
  This is the default mode that Ardour will start the Push 2 in. In
  this mode, the 8 knobs at the top of the device, the 8 buttons below
  them, the video display and the 8 buttons below that are combined to
  provide a global view of the session mix.
</p>

<p>
  <img alt="global mix mode on Push2 screen"
       src="/images/push2-globalmix.png">
</p>

<p>
  The upper buttons are labelled by text in the video display just
  below them. Pressing one of the buttons changes the function of the
  knobs, and the parameters that will shown for each track/bus in the
  display.
</p>

<p>
  As of Ardour 5.4, the possible parameters are:
  <dl>
    <dt>Volumes</dt>
    <dd>The display shows a knob and text displaying
      the current gain setting for the track, and a meter that
      corresponds precisely to the meter shown in the Ardour GUI for
      that track. Changing the meter type (e.g. from Peak to K12) in the
      GUI will also change it in the Push 2 display. The physical knob
      will alter track/bus gain.
    </dd>
    <dt>Pans</dt>
    <dd>The display shows a knob indicating the pan direction/azimuth
    for the corresponding track/bus. Turning the physical knob will
    pan the track left and right. If the track/bus has no panner
    (i.e. it has only a single output), no knob is shown and the
    physical knob will do nothing. </dd>
    <dt>Pan Widths</dt>
    <dd><p>For tracks with 2 outputs, the display will show a knob
        indicating the pan width setting for the corresponding
        track/bus. The physical knob can be turned to adjust the
        width.
        </p>

        <p>
        Unlike many DAWs, Ardour's stereo panners have "width"
        parameter that defaults to 100%. You cannot change the pan
        direction/azimuth of a track with 100% width, but must first
        reduce the width in order to pan it. Similarly, a track panned
        anywhere other than dead center has limits on the maximum
        width setting. If these concepts are not familiar to you,
        please be aware than many DAWs use a "panner" that actually
        implement "balance" and not "panning", hence the difference.
      </p>
    </dd>
    <dt>A Sends</dt>
    <dd>The display shows a knob indicating the gain level for the
      first send in that track. If the track has no send, no knob will
      be shown, and the physical knob for that track will do nothing.
    </dd>
    <dt>B Sends, C Sends, D Sends</dt>
    <dd>Like "A Sends", but for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th sends of a
      track/bus respectively.
    </dd>
  </dl>
</p>

<p>
  To change which tracks are shown while in global mix mode, use the
  left and right arrow/cursor keys just below and to the right of the
  display. Tracks and busses that are hidden in Ardour's GUI will also
  be hidden from display on the Push 2.
</p>

<p>
  To select a track/bus directly from the Push 2, press the
  corresponding button below the display. The track name will be
  highlighted, and the selection will change in Ardour's GUI as well
  (and also any other control surfaces).
</p>

<h3>Soloing and Muting in Global Mix mode</h3>

<p>
  The Solo and Mute buttons to the left of the video display can be
  used to solo and mute tracks while in Global Mix mode. The operation
  will be applied to the <em>first</em> currently selected
  track(s).
</p>

<p>
  There are two indications that one or more tracks are soloed:
  <ol>
    <li>The solo button will blink red</li>
    <li>Track names will be prefixed by "*" if they are soloed, and
      "-" if they are muted due to soloing.</li>
  </ol>
</p>

<p>
  To cancel solo, either:
  <ul>
    <li>Select the soloed track(s) and press the solo button
      again</li>
    <li>Press and hold the solo button for more than 1 second</li>
  </ul>
</p>

<h2>Track Mix</h2>

<p>Track Mix mode allows you to focus on a single track in more detail
  than is possible in Global Mix mode. To enter (or leave) Track Mix
  mode, press the "Mix" button.
</p>

<p>
  In Track Mix mode, various aspects of the state of the first
  selected track/bus will be displayed on the Push 2. Above the
  display, the first 4 knobs control track volume (gain), pan
  directiom/azimuth, pan width, and where appropriate, track input
  trim.
</p>

<p>
  Below the display, 7 buttons provide immediate control of mute,
  solo, rec-enable, monitoring (input or disk or automatic), solo
  isolate and solo safe state. When a a track is muted due to other
  track(s) soloing, the mute button will flash (to differentiate from
  its state when it is explicitly muted).
</p>

<p>
  The video display also shows meters for the track, which as in
  Global Mix mode, precisely match the meter type shown in Ardour's
  GUI. There are also two time displays showing the current playhead
  position in both musical (beats|bars|ticks) format, and as
  hours:minutes:seconds.
</p>

<p>
  To change which track is visible in Track Mix mode, use the
  left/right arrow/cursor keys just below and to the right of the
  video display.
</p>

<h2>Scale Selection</h2>

<p>
  Press the Scale button to enter Scale mode. The display will look
  like this:
</p>

<p>
  <img alt="track mix mode on Push2 screen"
       src="/images/push2-scale.png">
</p>

<p>
  In the center, 37 scales are presented. Scroll through them by
  either using the cursor/arrow keys to the lower right of the
  display, or the knobs above the display. The scale will change
  dynamically as you scroll. You can also scroll in whole pages using
  the upper right and upper left buttons above the display (they will
  display "<" and ">" if scrolling is possible).
</p>

<p>
  To change the root note of the scale, press the corresponding button
  above or below the video display.The button will be lit to indicate
  your selection (and the text will be highlighted).
</p>

<p>
  By default, Ardour configures the Push 2 pads to use "in-key" mode,
  where all pads correspond to notes "in" the chosen scale. Notes
  corresponding to the root note, or the equivalent note in higher
  octaves, are highlighted with the color of the current target MIDI
  track.
</p>

<p>
  In
  "chromatic" mode, the pads correspond to a continuous sequence of
  notes starting with your selected root note. Pads corresponding to
  notes in the scale are illuminated; those corresponding to the root
  note are lit with the color the current target MIDI track. Other
  pads are left dark, but you can still play them.
</p>

<p>
  To switch between them, press button on the lower left of the video
  display; the text above it will display the current mode (though it
  is usually visually self-evident from the pad lighting pattern).
</p>

<p>
  To leave Scale mode, press the "Scale" button again. You may also
  use the upper left button above the display, though if you have
  scrolled left, it may require more than one press.
</p>

<h2>Specific Button/Knob Functions</h2>

<p>
  In addition to the layouts described above, many (but not all) of
  the buttons and knobs around the edges of the Push 2 will carry out
  various functions related to their (illuminated) label. As of Ardour
  5.4, this includes:
  <dl>
    <dt>Metronome (button and adjacent knob)</dt>
    <dd>
      Enables/disables the click (metronome). The knob directly above
      it will control the volume (gain) of the click.
    </dd>
    <dt>Undo/Redo</dt>
    <dd>
      Undo or redo the previous editing operation.
    </dd>
    <dt>Delete</dt>
    <dd>
      Deletes the currently selected region, or range, or
      note. Equivalent to using Ctrl/Cmd-x on the keyboard.
    </dd>
    <dt>Quantize</dt>
    <dd>
      If a MIDI region is selected in Ardour, this will open the
      quantize dialog.
    </dd>
    <dt>Duplicate</dt>
    <dd>
      Duplicates the current region or range selection.
    </dd>
    <dt>Rec-Enable</dt>
    <dd>
      Enables and disables Ardour's global record enable state.
    </dd>
    <dt>Play</dt>
    <dd>
      Starts and stops the transport. Press Shift-Play to return to the session start.
    </dd>
    <dt>Add Track</dt>
    <dd>
      Opens Ardour's Add Track/Bus dialog.
    </dd>
    <dt>Browse</dt>
    <dd>
      Open's Ardour's import dialog to select and audition existing
      audio and MIDI files.
    </dd>
    <dt>Master</dt>
    <dd>
      Pressing this button jumps directly to Track Mix mode, with the
      master out bus displayed.
    </dd>
    <dt>Cursor arrows</dt>
    <dd>
      These are used by some modes to navigate within the display (e.g
      Scale mode). In other modes, the up/down cursor arrows will
      scroll the GUI display up and down, while the left/right cursor
      arrows will generally scroll within the Push 2 display itself.
    </dd>
    <dt>Repeat</dt>
    <dd>
      Enables/disables loop playback. This will follow Ardour's "loop
      is mode" preference, just like the loop button in the Ardour
      GUI.
    </dd>
    <dt>Octave buttons</dt>
    <dd>
      These shift the root note of the current pad scale up or down by
      1 octave.
    </dd>
    <dt>Page buttons</dt>
    <dd>
      These scroll Ardour's editor display left and right along the
      timeline.
    </dd>
    <dt>Master (top right) knob</dt>
    <dd>
      This knob controls the gain/volume of Ardour's main output. If
      the session has a monitor saec
    </dd>
  </dl>
</p>


---
title: Configuring MIDI
part: chapter
---


---
title: Using External MIDI Devices
part: subchapter
---

<p class="fixme">Add content</p>


---
title: Setting Up MIDI
part: subchapter
---

<h2>What Can Ardour Do With MIDI?</h2>
<p>
  <dfn><abbr title="Musical Instrument Digital
  Interface">MIDI</abbr></dfn> is a way to describe musical
  performances and to control music hardware and software.
</p>
<p>Ardour can import and record MIDI data, and perform a variety of
  editing operations on it. Furthermore, MIDI can be used to control
  various functions of Ardour.
</p>

<h2>MIDI Handling Frameworks</h2>
<p>
  MIDI input and output for Ardour are handled by the same "engine"
  that handles audio input and output. Up to release 3.5, that means
  that all MIDI I/O takes place via JACK. JACK itself uses the
  native MIDI support of the operating system to receive and send
  MIDI data. The native MIDI support  provides device drivers for MIDI
  hardware and libraries needed by software applications that want to
  work with MIDI.
</p>

<dl>
<dt>OS X</dt>
<dd>  <dfn>CoreMIDI</dfn> is the standard MIDI framework on OSX systems.
</dd>
<dt>Linux</dt>
<dd>
  <dfn><abbr title="Advanced Linux Sound API">ALSA</abbr> MIDI</dfn>
  is the standard MIDI framework on Linux systems.
</dd>
</dl>

<p class="note">
  On Linux systems, <dfn>QJackCtl</dfn> control software displays ALSA MIDI
  ports under its "ALSA" tab (it does not currently display CoreMIDI
  ports).  By contrast, JACK MIDI ports show up under
  the <kbd class="menu">MIDI</kbd> tab in QJackCtl.
</p>

<h2>JACK MIDI Configuration</h2>
<p>
By default, JACK will <strong>not</strong> automatically detect and use existing MIDI
ports on your system. You must choose one of several ways
of <dfn>bridging</dfn> between the native MIDI frameworks
(e.g. CoreMIDI or ALSA) and JACK MIDI, as described in the sections
below.
</p>

---
title: MIDI on Linux
part: subchapter
---

<p>The right approach for using MIDI on Linux depends on which version of
JACK you use. The world divides into:</p>

<dl>
<dt>Systems using JACK 1, versions 0.124 or later</dt>
<dd>On these systems, just start JACK with the <code>-X alsa_midi</code> server argument. To support legacy control applications, you can also use the <code>-X seq</code> argument to the ALSA backend of JACK and get the exact same results.</dd>
<dt>All others</dt>
<dd>Use a2jmidid to act as a bridge between ALSA MIDI and JACK. Do not use the <code>-X seq</code> or <code>-X raw</code> arguments&mdash;the timing and performance of these options is not acceptable.
</dd>
</dl>

<h2>a2jmidid</h2>

<p>
  <dfn>a2jmidid</dfn> is an application that bridges between the system
  <abbr title="Musical Instrument Digital Interface">MIDI</abbr> ports and
  <abbr title="JACK Audio Connection Kit">JACK</abbr>.
</p>

<p>
  First you should make sure that there is no ALSA sequencer support enabled
  in JACK. To do that open QJackCtl's <kbd class="menu">Setup</kbd> window.
</p>

<p>
  Set <kbd class="menu">Settings &gt; MIDI Driver</kbd> to <kbd
  class="input">none</kbd>.
  Then uncheck the <kbd class="optoff">Misc &gt; Enable ALSA Sequencer
  support</kbd> option.<br />
  Now it's time to restart your jack server before going on.
</p>

<h3>Check for a2jmidid availability</h3>

<p>
  First, check whether a2jmidid is already installed in your system. After
  starting your JACK server, go to the command line and type
</p>

<kbd class="cmd lin">a2jmidid -e</kbd>

<p>
  If a2jmidid does not exist, install it with the software manager of your
  Linux distribution and try again.
</p>

<h2>Check available MIDI ports</h2>

<p>
  If you have correctly configured JACK for MIDI, then your MIDI ports should appear in
  qjackctl under <kbd class="menu">Connections &gt; MIDI </kbd>.
</p>

<h3>Making it automatic</h3>

<p>
Once you've verified that the ports appear in JACK as expected, you
can make this happen whenever you start JACK.
</p>

<p>If you use a newer version of JACK 1, just make sure the -X
alsa_midi or -X seq options are enabled for whatever technique you use
to start JACK.
</p>

<p>
For other versions of JACK,
add <kbd class="input">a2jmidid -e &amp;</kbd> as an "after start-up" script
in the <kbd class="menu">Setup &gt; Options</kbd> tab of QJackCtl, so
that it is started automatically whenever you start JACK.
</p>

<p class="fixme">Is this true anymore in Ardour 5? This section may have been relevant in Ardour 3, but it might not be relevant anymore.</p>

---
title: MIDI on OS X
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  In order for CoreMIDI to work with Jack MIDI, a CoreMIDI-to-JACK-MIDI
  <dfn>bridge</dfn>
  is required. This feature is available on versions equal to or great than
  version 0.89 of JackOSX.
</p>

<h2>Routing MIDI</h2>

<h3>Inside Ardour</h3>

<p>
  MIDI ports show up in Ardour's MIDI connection matrix in multiple
  locations. Bridged CoreMIDI ports as well as JACK MIDI ports that have
  been created by other software clients will show up under the "Other" tab.
  Bridged CoreMIDI hardware ports show up under the "Hardware" tab.
</p>

<h3>External Applications</h3>

<p>
  There are multiple options for connecting MIDI ports outside of Ardour.
</p>

<ul>
  <li><a href="http://www.snoize.com/MIDIMonitor/">MIDI Monitor</a> is a handy
  tool for doing various MIDI-related tasks.</li>
  <li><a href="http://notahat.com/midi_patchbay">MIDI Patchbay</a> lets you
  connect ports and filters MIDI data.</li>
</ul>


---
title: Ardour's Interface
part: part
---


---
title: About Ardour's Interface
part: chapter
---

<p>
  In Ardour, you work in two main windows: the <dfn>Editor</dfn> and the
  <dfn>Mixer</dfn>.
</p>
<figure>
        <img src="/images/editor_split.png" alt="Ardour's mixer window">
        <img src="/images/mixer_split.png" alt="Ardour's editor window">
        <figcaption>
                <ol class="multicol4">
                        <li>Main menu</li>
                        <li>Status bar</li>
                        <li>Transport bar & Times</li>
</ol><ol class="multicol4" start="4">
                        <li>Mode switch</li>
                        <li>The <dfn>Editor</dfn> window</li>
                        <li>a track's mixer strip</li>
</ol><ol class="multicol4" start="7">
                        <li>Editors List</li>
                        <li>The <dfn>Mixer</dfn> window</li>
                        <li>Favorite plugins</li>
</ol><ol class="multicol4" start="10">
                        <li>Track list</li>
                        <li>Group list</li>
                        <li>Master strip</li>
                </ol>
        </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>
  To switch between those windows, use the buttons (#4 Mode switch in the upper right),
  the shortcut <kbd class="mod2">M</kbd>, or the menu
  <kbd class="menu">Window > Editor <em>(or Mixer)</em> > Show</kbd>.
  Both windows can be visible at the same time (eg. for a multi-monitor
  setup) using <kbd class="menu">Detach</kbd> in the same menu.</p>


---
title: Main Menu
part: chapter
---

<p class="fixme">Add content</p>


---
title: Status Bar
part: chapter
---

<img src="/images/status-bar.png" alt="The status bar">
<p>The status bar is an informative bar at the top of the window, showing:</p>
<ul>
  <li><dfn>File:</dfn> the file format used in the session, including when recording</li>
  <li><dfn>TC:</dfn> is the timecode, i.e. the number of frames per second used by the session (for videos)</li>
  <li><dfn>Audio:</dfn> gives the sample rate used in the session, and the latency computed from the buffer size</li>
  <li><dfn>Buffers:</dfn> decribe how much data is buffered, see below</li>
  <li><dfn>DSP:</dfn> for Digital Sound Processing, shows how much of the CPU is used by Ardour and its plugins</li>
  <li><dfn>X:</dfn> shows the number of xruns since Ardour's launch, see below</li>
  <li><dfn>Disk:</dfn> reports the remaining hard disk space as the time that can be recorded with the current session setting</li>
  <li><dfn>a Clock</dfn> showing the system time</li>
  <li><dfn>a Log button</dfn> that indicates if Ardour has encountered any warning or error.</li>
</ul>

<p>The buffers are labelled as <kbd class="menu">p</kbd> for playback and <kbd class="menu">c</kbd> for capture. If the
system is fast enough, these buffers should be 100% full at all times, showing the system has time to precompute
all the data before delivering it to the audio system. A buffer constantly under 20% is a sign of an underpowered
computer system or of too much processing.</p>

<p>An Xrun (short for buffer over- or under-run) happens when the system has been forced to skip audio frames, e.g. if the latency
asked is too short for the computing power of the machine. It usually results in clicks, pops and crackles if it happens while recording.</p>

<p>The log button turns yellow when a warning is shows, and red when an error occurs. Clicking the log button gives acces to the log.</p>

---
title: Transport bar and times
part: chapter
---

<p>
  Ardour offers many ways to <dfn>control playback</dfn> of your session, including the transport bar, key bindings and remote controls. You can also use markers to define locations or ranges within the session and rapidly move around between them.
</p>

<img src="/images/transport-bar.png" alt="Ardour's transport bar" />

<p class="note">
  If you synchronize Ardour with other devices then some or all of these control methods may be unavailable&mdash;depending on the synchronization protocol, Ardour may respond only to commands sent from its master device(s).
</p>

<p>
  The <dfn>Transport Bar</dfn> at the top of the window is made of:
</p>

<ul>
  <li><a href="/controlling-playback/using-the-transport-bar/">the Transport Controls</a></li>
  <li><a href="/ardours-interface/using-ardour-clock-displays/">the Clocks</a></li>
  <li>3 status indicators:
    <ul>
      <li><dfn>Solo</dfn>: Blinks when one or more tracks are being soloed, see <a href="/mixing/muting-and-soloing/">Muting and Soloing</a>. Clicking this button disables any active explicit and implicit solo on all tracks and busses.</li>
      <li><dfn>Audition</dfn>: Blinks when using the import dialog to audition material.</li>
      <li><dfn>Feedback</dfn>: Blinks when Ardour detects a <dfn>feedback loop</dfn>, which happens when the output of an audio signal chain is plugged back to its input. This is probably not wanted and can be dangerous for the hardware and the listener.</li>
    </ul></li>
  <li>A global Meter, showing the level of the Master Output, see <a href="/ardours-interface/meters/">Metering in Ardour</a></li>
  <li>the Mode Selector, allowing to switch between Editor and Mixer views, or edit the Preferences.</li>
</ul>

---
title: The Transport Bar
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  The <dfn>Transport Bar</dfn> groups all the actions regarding the control of playback and recording.
</p>

<p class="center"><img src="/images/transport.png" alt="The transport controls" /></p>

<p>
  This bar is made of (from left to right):
</p>

<ul>
  <li>
    <dfn>Midi Panic</dfn>: Immediately stops all midi output.
  </li>
  <li>
    <dfn>Enable/disable Audio Click</dfn>: Toggles (on/off) a click track (metronome) along the <a href="/tempo-meter/tempo-and-meter/">tempo</a>.
  </li>
  <li>
    <dfn>Go to Start of the Session</dfn>: Jumps back at the beginning of the session, as defined by the <a href="/working-with-markers/">start marker</a>.
  </li>
  <li>
    <dfn>Go to End of the Session</dfn>: Jumps forward to the end of the session, as defined by the <a href="/working-with-markers/">end marker</a>.
  </li>
  <li>
    <dfn>Play Loop Range</dfn>: Repeats the defined <a href="/controlling-playback/looping-the-transport/">loop</a> as defined by the <a href="/working-with-markers/loop-range/">Loop range</a>, until the "Stop playback" button is pressed. Clicking the "Play loop Range" button while already active switches to normal Play mode, which exits the loop without stopping and restarting playback.
  </li>
  <li>
    <dfn>Play Range/Selection</dfn>: If a range has been defined using the Range Mode button, plays the range, of if an audio or MIDI region is selected, plays this region. In both cases, the playback stops at the end of the range or selected region.
  </li>
  <li>
    <dfn>Play from playhead</dfn>: Starts the playback and optionally record (more below).
  </li>
  <li>
    <dfn>Stop</dfn>: Whatever the playing mode (loop, range, &hellip;) stops all playback. Depending on other settings, some effects (like chorus or reverb) might still be audible for a while.
  </li>
  <li>
    <dfn>Toggle Record</dfn>: Global switch button to activate/deactivate recording. While active, the button blinks red. The button doesn't start recording by itself: if one or more tracks are marked as record-enabled, pressing the "Play from Playhead" starts recording on those tracks. See <a href="/recording/">Recording</a>.
  </li>
</ul>

<p class="fixme">Add default keyboard shortcuts to the above.</p>

<p class="note">
  All these actions are bound to keyboard shortcuts, which allows for speedier use and more focused work.
</p>

<p>
  Under these buttons is the <dfn>Shuttle Speed Control</dfn> that allows to scrub through the audio quickly.
</p>

<p>
  The Shuttle Speed Control supports 2 operating modes, that can be chosen with right click > Mode:
</p>

<ul>
  <li><dfn>Sprung mode</dfn> that allows for a temporary scrub: it only scubs while the mouse is left clicked on the control.</li>
  <li><dfn>Wheel mode</dfn> that allows to set a playback speed until the "Stop" button is pressed, which stops the playback and resets its speed.
</ul>

<p>
  The mode is displayed on the right of the control. The current playback speed is shown by a green slider, that is square and centered when the playback speed is normal (1X) and becomes a circle when its changed. The further from the center the slider is set, the faster the playback will scrub in both directions, as displayed on the left of the control.
<p>

<p>
  The 3 vertical buttons on the right of the transport bar control the behaviour of the playhead:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>
     The positional sync button (which might show <dfn>Internal</dfn>, or <dfn>MTC</dfn> or several other values) can be used to control whether or not the transport position and start is controlled by Ardour, or by an external positional synchronization source, such as MIDI Time Code (MTC), Linear Time Code (LTC) or JACK. (see <a href="/synchronization/timecode-generators-and-slaves/">Timecode Generators and Slaves</a>).
  </li>
  <li>
    <dfn>Follow Edits</dfn> is a toggle that can be used to control whether or not making a selection (range or object) will move the playhead to the start of the selection.
  </li>
  <li>
    <dfn>Auto Return</dfn> is a toggle switch too. When active, pressing the Stop button returns the playhead to its previous position, and when inactive, pressing Stop keeps the playhead at its current location. Activating Auto Return can be useful for hearing the same piece of audio before and after tweaking it, without having to set a loop range on it.
  </li>
</ul>

---
title: Times
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  <dfn>Clocks</dfn> in Ardour are used to display <dfn>time values</dfn> precisely.
  In many cases, they are also one way to edit (change) time values, and in a few
  cases, the only way. All clocks share the same basic appearance and functionality,
  which is described below, but a few clocks serve particularly important roles.
</p>

<h2>Transport Clocks</h2>

<p>
  In the transport bar of the editor window there are two clocks (unless you
  are on a very small screen), that display the current position of the playhead
  and additional information related to transport control and the timeline. These
  are called the <dfn>transport clocks</dfn>; the left one is the primary
  transport clock and the right one is the secondary transport clock.
  They look like this:
</p>

<img src="/images/a3_new_main_clocks.png" alt="An image of the transport clocks in Ardour 3" />

<p>
  Editing the time in the transport clocks will reposition the playhead in the same
  way that various other editing operations will.
</p>

<h3>The Big Clock</h3>
<p>
  To show the current playhead position in a big, resizable window, activate
  <kbd class="menu">Window &gt; Big Clock</kbd>. The big clock is very useful
  when you need to work away from the screen but still want to see the playhead
  position clearly (such as when working with a remote control device across
  a room). The big clock will change its visual appearance to indicate when active
  recording is taking place. Below on the left is a screenshot showing a fairly
  large big clock window filling a good part of the display, and on the right,
  the same clock during active recording.
</p>
<a href="/images/bigclock.png"><img src="/images/bigclock.png" height="100" alt="an image of the big clock filling a screen" /></a> <a href="/images/bigclock-recording.png"><img src="/images/bigclock-recording.png" height="100" alt="an image of the big clock while recording"
/></a>

<h3>The Special Role of the Secondary Transport Clock</h3>
<p>
  On a few occasions Ardour needs to display time values to the user, but there
  is no obvious way to specify what units to use. The most common case is the big
  cursor that appears when dragging regions. For this and other similar cases,
  Ardour will display time using the same units as the secondary clock.
</p>
<h4>Why are there two transport clocks?</h4>
<p>
  Having two transport clocks lets you see the playhead position in two different
  time units without having to change any settings. For example, you can see the
  playhead position in both timecode units and BBT time.
</p>

<h3>Selection and Punch Clocks</h3>
<p>
  The transport bar also contains a set of 5 clocks that show the current
  <dfn>selection range</dfn> and <dfn>punch ranges</dfn>. Clicking on the punch
  range clocks will locate to either the beginning or end of the punch range.
  Similarly, clicking on the range clocks will locate to either the beginning
  or end of the current selection. In this screen shot there is no current
  selection range, so the selection clocks show an "off" state.
</p>

<img src="/images/selectionpunchclocks.png" alt="An image of the the selection and punch clocks in Ardour 3" />

<h2>Clock Modes</h2>
<p>
  Every clock in Ardour has four different, selectable <dfn>clock
  modes</dfn>. Each mode displays time using different units.
  You can change the clock mode by <kbd class="mouse">Right</kbd>-clicking
  on the clock and selecting the desired mode from the menu. Some clocks are
  entirely independent of any other clock's mode; others are linked so that
  changing one changes all clocks in that group. The different modes are:
</p>
<dl>
  <dt>Timecode</dt>
  <dd>Time is shown as <dfn><abbr title="Society of Motion Picture and Television
  Engineers">SMPTE</abbr> timecode</dfn> in Hours:Minutes:Seconds:Frames,
  measured from the timecode zero point on the timeline (which may not
  correspond to the session start and/or absolute zero on the timeline,
  depending on configurable timecode offsets).
  The frames value is dictated by either the session <abbr title="Frames Per
  Second">FPS</abbr> setting, or, if slaved to an external timecode master,
  the master's setting. In the transport clocks, the FPS value is shown below
  the time display, along with an indication of the current timecode source
  (<samp>INT</samp> means that Ardour is its own timecode source).</dd>
  <dt>BBT</dt>
  <dd>Time is shown as Bars:Beats:Ticks, indicating <dfn>musical time</dfn> measured
  from the start of the session. The transport clocks show the current tempo
  in <abbr title="Beats Per Minute">bpm</abbr> and meter below the time
  display.</dd>
  <dt>Minutes:Seconds</dt>
  <dd>Time is shown as Hours:Minutes:Seconds.Milliseconds, measured from the
  absolute start of the timeline (ignoring the session start and any timecode
  offsets).</dd>
  <dt>Samples</dt>
  <dd>Time is shown as a <dfn>sample count</dfn> from the absolute start of the timeline
  (ignoring the session start and any timecode offsets). The number of
  samples per second is given by the current sample rate, and in the transport
  clocks, this rate is shown below the time display along with any
  pullup/pulldown adjustment.</dd>
</dl>

<h3>Special Modes for the Transport Clocks</h3>
<p>
  In addition to the time-unit modes mentioned above, each of the two transport
  clocks (if you work on a small screen, you may only have one) can be
  independently set to display <dfn>Delta to Edit Point</dfn> in whatever time
  units its current mode indicates. This setting means that the clock shows the
  distance between the playhead and the current edit point, and it may show a
  positive or negative value depending on the temporal order of these two points.
  The clocks will use a different color when in this mode to avoid confusion.
</p>
<p>
  To switch either (or both!) of the transport clocks into this mode, use
  <kbd class="menu"> Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; Transport</kbd> and select
  the relevant checkboxes.
</p>
<p>
  Note that when in <samp>Delta to Edit Point</samp> mode, the transport clocks
  cannot be edited.
</p>

<h2>Changing clock values with the keyboard</h2>
<p>
  New values for the clock can be typed in after clicking on the relevant clock.
  Clicking on the clock will show a thin vertical cursor bar just to the right
  of the next character to be overwritten. Enter time in the same order as the
  current clock mode&mdash;if the clock is in Timecode mode, you need to enter
  hours, minutes, seconds, frames. So, to change to a time of 12:15:20:15 you
  would type <kbd class="input">1 2 1 5 2 0 1 5</kbd>. Each number you type will
  appear in a different color, from right to left, overwriting the existing value.
  Mid-edit, after typing <kbd class="input">3 2 2 2</kbd> the clock might look like this:
</p>
<img src="/images/clockedit.png" alt="An image of a clock being edited in Ardour 3" />
<p>
  To finish the edit, press <kbd>&crarr;</kbd> or <kbd>Tab</kbd>. To exit an
  edit without changing the clock press <kbd>ESC</kbd>. If you mis-type an entry
  so that the new value would be illegal (for example, resulting in more than 30
  frames when Timecode is set to 30 frames per second), the clock will reset at
  the end of the edit, and move the cursor back to the start so that you can
  start over.
</p>

<h3>Avoiding the mouse entirely</h3>
<p>
  There is a shortcut available for those who wish to be able to edit the transport
  clocks entirely without the mouse. It can be found in
  <kbd class="menu">Window &gt; Key Bindings &gt; Transport &gt; Focus On
  Clock</kbd>. If bound to a key (<kbd>&divide;</kbd> on the numerical
  keypad is the
  default), then pressing that key is equivalent to clicking on the primary (left)
  transport clock, and editing can begin immediately.
</p>

<h3>Entering Partial Times</h3>
<p>
  One detail of the editing design that is not immediately obvious is that it is
  possible to enter part of a full time value. Suppose that the clock is in BBT
  mode, displaying <samp>024|03|0029</samp>, and you want to alter the value to
  the first beat of the current bar. Click on the clock and type
  <kbd class="input">0 1 0 0 0 0</kbd>. Similarly, if it is in Minutes:Seconds
  mode, displaying <samp>02:03:04.456</samp>, and you want to get to exactly 2
  hours, click on the clock and type <kbd class="input">0 0 0 0 0 0 0</kbd> to
  reset the minutes, seconds and milliseconds fields.
</p>

<h3>Entering Delta Times</h3>
<p>
  You can also type values into the clock that are intended as a relative change,
  rather than a new absolute value. Simply end the edit by pressing
  <kbd>+</kbd> or <kbd>-</kbd> (the ones on any keypad will also work). The plus
  key will add the entered value to the current value of the clock, minus will
  subtract it. For example, if the clock is in Samples mode and displays
  <samp>2917839</samp>, you move it back 2000 samples by typing
  <kbd class="input">2 0 0 0</kbd> and <kbd>-</kbd>, rather than ending with
  Enter or Tab. </p>

<h2>Changing clock values with the mouse</h2>

<h3>Using a scroll wheel</h3>

<p>
  Position the mouse pointer over the clock, and move the scroll wheel. Moving
  the scroll wheel up (<kbd class="mouse">&uArr;</kbd>) increases the value
  shown on the clock, moving it down  (<kbd class="mouse">&uArr;</kbd>)
  decreases it. The step size is equal to the unit of the field
  you are hovering over (seconds, hours, etc.).
</p>

<h3>Dragging the mouse</h3>

<p>
  Position the mouse pointer over the clock, press the left mouse button and drag.
  Dragging upwards increases the value shown on the clock, dragging downwards
  decreases it, again with a step size equal to the unit of the field you
  began the drag on.
</p>


---
title: The Editor
part: chapter
---

<p>
  The <dfn>Editor</dfn> window includes the editor track <dfn>canvas</dfn>
  where you can arrange audio and MIDI data along a timeline. This is the
  window you will be in while editing and arranging a project. The window
  has a general "horizontal" sense to it: the timeline flows from left to
  right, the playhead showing the current position in the session moves
  from left to right &mdash; the window really represents <dfn>time</dfn>
  in a fairly literal way.
</p>

<p>
  It is possible to show a single channel strip in the editor window, and
  some people find this enough to work on mixing without actually opening
  the mixer window. Most of the time though, you will want both of these
  windows at various stages of a session's lifetime &mdash; sometimes
  you'll be focused on editing, sometimes on mixing and possibly some of
  the time on both.
</p>

<p>
  This section is a description of the Editor window. To learn more about the
  editing workflow, see <a href="fixme">Editing</a>.
</p>


---
title: The Editor Toolbar
part: chapter
---

<figure>
        <img src="/images/toolbar_split.png" alt="Ardour's editor toolbar">
        <figcaption>
                <ol class="multicol5">
                        <li>Toolbar</li>
    </ol><ol class="multicol5" start="2">
                        <li>Zoom Control</li>
                </ol><ol class="multicol5" start="3">
                        <li>Grid Control</li>
                </ol><ol class="multicol5" start="4">
                        <li>Edit Point</li>
    </ol><ol class="multicol5" start="5">
                        <li>Nudge</li>
                </ol>
        </figcaption>
</figure>

<p>
  The Toolbar is made of 5 "zones"
</p

---
title: The Toolbar
part: subchapter
---

<img src="/images/toolbar-tools.png" alt="Editor toolbar's tools">

<h2>Global Edit mode</h2>

<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><kbd class="menu">Slide</kbd></dt>
  <dd>Regions move freely. Ardour creates overlaps when necessary.</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="menu">Ripple</kbd></dt>
  <dd>Editing affects the regions to the "right" of the edit (see below).</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="menu">Lock</kbd></dt>
  <dd>No region motion is permitted (except for "nudge").</dd>
</dl>

<p>
  Ripple Edit mode provides the following conveniences:
  <ul>
    <li>Deleting a range will move later regions to compensate for the deleted time</li>
    <li>Deleting a region will move later regions to compensate for the deleted region's length</li>
    <li>Moving a region will move later regions to compensate for the length of the move</li>
    <li>Inserting a new region (via dragging or via Paste) will move later regions to the right to compensate</li>
  </ul>
</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>

<h2>The <em>Smart</em> switch

<p>
  The <dfn>Smart Mode</dfn> button to the left of the mouse mode buttons
  modifies the <dfn>Grab Mode</dfn>. When enabled, the mouse behaves as if it
  is in "Range Mode" in the upper half of a region, and in "Grab Mode" in the
  lower half. This allows avoiding constant switching between these two modes.
</p>

<h2>Mouse Modes</h2>

<dl class="wide-table">

  <dt id="object">Grab Mode</dt>
  <dd>The <dfn>Grab Mode</dfn> is used for selecting, moving, deleting and
  copying objects. When in object mode, the mouse pointer appears as a hand
  whenever it is over the track canvas or the rulers. The mouse can now be
  used to select and perform operations on objects such as regions, markers etc.
  This is the most common mode to work in, as it allows you to select and move regions,
  as well as modify automation points on the automation tracks.</dd>

  <dt>Range Mode</dt>
  <dd>When in <dfn>Range Mode</dfn>, the mouse pointer appears as a vertical line
  whenever it is over the track canvas or the rulers. The mouse will now be
  able to select a point or range of time. Time ranges can be selected over
  one or several tracks, depending on the selection of your tracks.<br>
  If none of your tracks are selected, the Range Tool will operate on all the
  session track visualized in the Editor.<br>
  If you want to edit only particular tracks, select them before you apply
  the range tool.</dd>

  <dt>Cut Tool Mode</dt>
  <dd>When in <dfn>Cut Tool Mode</dfn>, the mouse pointer appears as a pair of scissors
  whenever it is over the track canvas or the rulers. This tools allows to cut
  any region into 2 regions at the mouse cursor, regardless of the Edit Point.<br>
  If one or more track(s) is selected, then all the regions on these tracks will
  be split at the mouse cursor position.<br>
  If no track is selected, then only the region hovered by the mouse cursor will
  be split.</dd>

  <dt>Stretch Mode</dt>
  <dd>When in <dfn>time fx</dfn> mode, the mouse pointer appears as a
  distinctive expanding square symbol whenever it is over the track canvas or
  the rulers. This mode is used to resize regions using a timestretch
  algorithm. Click on an edge of a region of audio and drag it one way or the other to
  stretch or shrink the region.</dd>

  <dt>Audition Tool</dt>
  <dd>Clicking a region using the <dfn>audition tool</dfn> will play this
  region to the control room outputs.<br>
  You can also <dfn>scrub</dfn> with this tool by clicking and dragging in
  the direction you wish to listen.  The amount you drag in one direction or
  the other will determine the playback speed.</dd>

  <dt>Draw Tool</dt>
  <dd>When in <dfn>Draw Tool</dfn> mode, the mouse pointer will change to
  a pencil. You can then click within an audio region to change the <dfn>gain
  envelope</dfn> for that region. This curve is separate from fader automation
  for individual tracks. It will remain locked to the region's time, so if the
  region is moved, the region gain envelope is moved along with it.<br>
  The draw tool works on automation too, allowing the creation and modification
  of control points on the automation curves.<br>
  Last, it is used on a MIDI region to edit the notes.</dd>

  <dt>Internal/Region Edit Mode</dt>
  <dd>When in <dfn>Internal Edit</dfn> mode, the mouse pointer will change to
  cross-hairs. This tool acts on gegion gain and automation as the Draw tool.<br>
  On a MIDI region, it allows to lasso-select multiple notes at a time.</dd>
</dl>



<p class="fixme">Make sure the Internal Edit and Draw tool act as described</p>


---
title: the Zoom Controls
part: subchapter
---

<img class="left" src="/images/toolbar-zoom.png" alt="Editor toolbar's zoom">

<p>The zoom controls allow to navigate the session along both the time and track axes.</p>

<p>The drop down <kbd class="menu">Zoom Focus</kbd> menu allows to select a focus
point for the zoom, i.e. the center of the zoom. The choices are :</p>

<ul>
  <li><dfn>Left</dfn> of the screen</li>
  <li><dfn>Right</dfn> of the screen</li>
  <li><dfn>Center</dfn> of the screen</li>
  <li><dfn>Playhead</dfn></li>
  <li><dfn>Mouse</dfn></li>
  <li><dfn>Edit Point</dfn> as set in the <a href=" fixme ">Edit point</a> control.</li>
</ul>

<p>The 2 leftmost zoom buttons (<kbd class="menu">&minus;</kbd> and
<kbd class="menu">&plus;</kbd>) use this zoom focus to zoom out and in
respectively.<p>

<p>The <kbd class="menu">Zoom to session</kbd> button is a handy shortcut to zoom
out or in until all the session (as defined by it's <a href=" fixme ">start/end
markers</a>) fits horizontally.</p>

<p>Changing the <kbd class="menu">Number of visible tracks</kbd> dropdown menu
allows to fit this number of tracks vertically in the screen.<p>

<p class="note">There <em>is</em> a minimal track height to keep it visible, so
according to you screen vertical size, some high number can have no effect.</p>

<p>Inside this menu are 2 handy choices :</p>
<ul>
  <li><dfn>Selected tracks</dfn> that focus on the selected tracks. If the selected
  tracks are not contiguous, the unselected tracks inbetween will be hidden, see
  the <a href=" fixme ">Track and Bus list</a>.</li>
  <li><dfn>All</dfn> that fits all the tracks of the sessions vertically (provided
  there's enough screen estate).</li>
</ul>

<p>The rightmost buttons <kbd class="menu">Shrink tracks</kbd> and
<kbd class="menu">Expand tracks</kbd> reduce or expand the vertical size of the
selected tracks. If no track is selected, all the tracks will be shrunk or
expanded each time the button is pushed.

---
title: the Grid Controls
part: subchapter
---

<img class="left" src="/images/toolbar-grid.png" alt="Editor toolbar's 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>

<h2>About Snapping</h2>

<p>There are two ways to think about aligning material to a grid.
  The first and most obvious one is where an object's position is clamped
  to grid lines. In Ardour, this is called <dfn>absolute snap</dfn>
  and is commonly used when working with sampled material where audio
  begins exactly at the beginning of a file, note or region.</br>
  The second, <dfn>relative snap</dfn>, is used when an object's position
  relative to the grid lines is important. In music, this allows you to
  move objects around without changing the "feel" (or timing) of a performance.</br>
  Absolute snap is the default method of snapping in Ardour.</br>
  While dragging objects you may switch from absolute to relative snap by
  pressing the absolute snap modifier key(s).</br>
  You may also disable snap entirely by using the snap modifier (see below).</br>
  Note that in relative snap mode the reference point is taken to be the distance
  to the nearest grid line.</br>
  Note also that when an object lies exactly on a grid line, there will be no difference
  between relative and absolute snap modes.</br>
  The realtive snap and snap modifiers (along with other modifier keys) may be set in
  <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; User Interaction</kbd></br>
  For common use patterns, it is recommended that you assign a unique key for
  one snap modifier and two keys for the other in such a way that they share an otherwise unused key.
  For example, you may choose the snap modifier to be the <kbd class="mod2">&nbsp;</kbd> key and the
  relative snap modifier to be the <kbd class="mod2">&nbsp;</kbd> and <kbd class="mod4">&nbsp;</kbd> keys.
</p>.

<h2>Snap Modes</h2>
<p>
  Using the above modifications, Ardour supports three different modes of snapping to the grid:
</p>

<dl class="wide-table">
  <dt><kbd class="menu">No Grid</kbd></dt>
  <dd>disables the grid. All objects move freely in this mode.</br>
  In <kbd class="menu">No Grid</kbd> mode, you may temporarily activate the grid by pressing the
  snap modifier (for absolute snap) or switch to relative snap by pressing the relative snap modifier.</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="menu">Grid</kbd></dt>
  <dd>activates normal snapping. All positions of objects snap to
  the grid. (See <a href="#gridunits">Grid Units</a> below
  to change the grid). 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 line.</br>
  Sometimes you may wish to maintain an objects' position relative to the grid line.
  In order to do this, use the "snap relative" modifier.
  When holding down this modifier during a drag, the dragged object will jump
  while maintaining its original distance from the line.</br>
  New objects will always be created at grid points.</br>
  Holding down the snap modifier will disable the current grid setting and allow you to move the object freely.</br>
  </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 the relative or absolute grid points will snap.
  In order to move an object very close to a snap point, it may be necessary
  to zoom in to prevent snapping to that point, or to use the snap modifier to disable snap completely.</br>
  As with Grid mode, the snap modifier will disable snap completely while the
  absolute snap modifier will move the "notch" of Magnetic snap to the grid lines.</dd>
</dl>

<h2>Syncing Regions to the Grid</h2>
<p>
  By default, a region's beginning will be used as the reference for both types of snapping,
  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>

<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><kbd class="menu">CD Frames</kbd></dt>
  <dd>A CD Frame is 1/75th of a second. Snapping to CD Frames (using absolute snap) 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>The grid lines are the markers.</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="menu">Region Starts</kbd></dt>
  <dd>The grid lines are constructed from region start points (see below).</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="menu">Region Ends</kbd></dt>
  <dd>The grid lines are constructed from region end points (see below).</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="menu">Region Syncs</kbd></dt>
  <dd>The grid lines are constructed from region sync points.</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="menu">Region Bounds</kbd></dt>
  <dd>The grid lines are constructed from region start or end points.</dd>
</dl>

<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>
</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
  <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; Editor &gt; 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>


---
title: the Edit Point Control
part: subchapter
---

<img class="left" src="/images/toolbar-editpoint.png" alt="Editor toolbar's 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 <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 <dfn>Playhead</dfn> position</li>
  <li>the selected (or "active") <dfn>Marker</dfn></li>
  <li>the position of the <dfn>Mouse</dfn> (or touch) pointer</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>


---
title: the Nudge Controls
part: subchapter
---

<img class="left" src="/images/toolbar-nudge.png" alt="Editor toolbar's Nudge">

<p>
  The <dfn>nudge controls</dfn> will move the selected region(s) by a fixed amount
  of time. The left and right buttons move either backward or forward in time, and the small
  clock to the left of these buttons sets the amount of time to nudge by.
  As with all other clocks, you can right-click on the clock to choose the
  time representation you want to use.
</p>

<p>
  If there are no selected objects, the nudge controls can be
  used to move the playhead backward or forward by the amount shown on the clock.
</p>



---
title: Editor's Lists
part: chapter
---

<p>
  At the right of the editor window is an optional area which provides one of a
  range of useful lists of parts of your session. It is not shown by default
  when you first start using Ardour. The <dfn>Editor list</dfn> can be hidden
  or shown using <kbd class="menu">View &gt; Show Editor List</kbd>. The very
  right-hand side of the list gives a selection of tabs which are used to
  choose the list to view. The left-hand border of the list can be dragged to
  vary the width of the list.
</p>


---
title: Region List
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  The region list shows all the regions in the session. The left-hand column gives the region name, and there are a range of times given for information:
</p>

<dl>
  <dt>Position</dt><dd>position of the start of the region on the global timeline</dd>
  <dt>End</dt><dd>position of the region on the global timeline</dd>
  <dt>Length</dt><dd>duration of the region</dd>
  <dt>Sync</dt><dd>position of the sync point, relative to the start of region (can be negative)</dd>
  <dt>Fade In</dt><dd>duration of the fade in. Can't be less than 1 ms, to avoid clipping.</dd>
  <dt>Fade Out</dt><dd>duration of the fade out (positive value, &ge; 1 ms).</dd>
</dl>

<p>
  The units used to display those times are those used for the clock, so changing the units on the clocks change the display of this values.
</p>

<p>
  At the right of the list are four columns of flags that can be altered:
</p>

<dl>
  <dt>L</dt>
  <dd>whether the region position is locked, so that it cannot be moved.</dd>
  <dt>G</dt>
  <dd>whether the region's position is &lsquo;glued&rsquo; to bars and beats. If so, the region will stay at the same position in bars and beats even if the tempo and/or time signature change.</dd>
  <dt>M</dt>
  <dd>whether the region is muted, so that it will not be heard.</dd>
  <dt>O</dt>
  <dd>whether the region is opaque; opaque regions &lsquo;block&rsquo; regions below them from being heard, whereas &lsquo;transparent&rsquo; regions have their contents mixed with whatever is underneath. </dd>
</dl>

<p>
  Hovering the mouse pointer over a column heading shows a tool-tip which can be handy to remember what the columns are for.
</p>

<p>
  A handy feature of the region list is that its regions can be dragged and dropped into a suitable track in the session.
</p>

---
title: Tracks &amp; Busses List
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  This lists the tracks and busses that are present in the session. The list order reflects the order in the editor, and you can drag-and-drop track or bus names in the editor list to re-order them in the editor. The columns in the list represent the following:
</p>

<dl>
  <dt id="visible">V</dt>
  <dd>whether the track or bus is visible; they can be hidden, in which case they will still play, but just not be visible in the editor; this can be useful for keeping the display uncluttered.</dd>
  <dt id="active">A</dt>
  <dd>whether the track or bus is active; unactive tracks will not play, and will not consume any CPU.</dd>
  <dt id="input">I</dt>
  <dd>for MIDI tracks, whether the MIDI input is enabled; this dictates whether MIDI data from the track's inputs ports will be passed through the track.</dd>
  <dt id="record">R</dt>
  <dd>whether the track is record-enabled.</dd>
  <dt id="record-safe">RS</dt>
  <dd>whether the track is record safe; a record safe track cannot be armed for recording, to protect against a mistake.</dd>
  <dt id="mute">M</dt>
  <dd>whether the track is muted.</dd>
  <dt id="solo">S</dt>
  <dd>track solo state.</dd>
  <dt id="solo-isolated">SI</dt>
  <dd>track solo-isolated state.</dd>
  <dt id="solo-safe">SS</dt>
  <dd>solo safe state. </dd>
</dl>

<p class="note">
  Each icon in these columns can be clicked to toggle the track/bus state, which is a very fast way to set multiple tracks/busses state at once.
</p>

<p>
  As with the region list, hovering the mouse pointer over a column heading shows a tool-tip which can be handy to remember what the columns are for.
</p>

---
title: Snapshot List
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  This list gives the snapshots that exist of this session. Clicking on a snapshot
  name will load that snapshot.
</p>

<p>
  See <a href="/working-with-sessions">Working with Sessions</a> for more
  information on snapshots.
</p>

---
title: Track &amp; Bus Group List
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  This shows the track/bus groups that exist in the session. These groups allow related tracks to share various properties (such as mute or record enable state). For full details, see the section called <a href="/working-with-tracks/track-and-bus-groups/">Track and Bus Groups</a>.
</p>

<p>
  The columns in this list are as follows:
</p>

<dl>
  <dt>Col</dt>
  <dd>the colour that the group uses for its tab in the editor.</dd>
  <dt>Name</dt>
  <dd>the group name.</dd>
  <dt>V</dt>
  <dd>whether the tracks and busses in the group are visible.</dd>
  <dt>On</dt>
  <dd>whether the group is enabled.</dd>
  <dt>G</dt>
  <dd>ticked if the constituents of the group are sharing gain settings.</dd>
  <dt>Rel</dt>
  <dd>ticked if shared gains are relative.</dd>
  <dt>M</dt>
  <dd>ticked if the constituents share mute status.</dd>
  <dt>S</dt>
  <dd>ticked if the constituents share solo status.</dd>
  <dt>Rec</dt>
  <dd>ticked if the constituents share record-enable status.</dd>
  <dt>Mon</dt>
  <dd>whether the constituents share monitor settings.</dd>
  <dt>Sel</dt>
  <dd>whether the constituents are selected together.</dd>
  <dt>A</dt>
  <dd>whether the constituents share active status. </dd>
</dl>

---
title: Ranges &amp; Marks List
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  The <dfn>Ranges &amp; Marks List</dfn> is a tab in the <dfn>Editor
  Lists</dfn> area on the right of the Editor window. If the editor
  list area isn't visible it can be enabled by checking
  <kbd class="option">View &gt; Show Editor List</kbd>.
  The Ranges &amp; Marks list can be used as a single point
  of control for all range and location markers (including the punch and
  loop ranges), or as a supplement to other methods of working with them.
</p>

<h2>Common elements</h2>

<p>
  Each section has a set of <dfn>editable <a
  href="/ardours-interface/using-ardour-clock-displays/">clock widgets</a></dfn>
  which display
  the location of a marker, or the start, end, and duration times of a range,
  respectively.<br />
  The <kbd class="menu">Use PH</kbd> buttons allow you to set
  the corresponding clock to the current playhead position.
  A <kbd class="mouse">Middle</kbd> click on any of the clocks will move
  the playhead to that location. Both functions are also available from the
  clock context menus.<br />
  Right clicking on any of the clocks brings up a context menu that allows
  changing of the display between Timecode, Bars:Beats, Minutes:Seconds,
  and Samples.<br />
</p>
<p>
 The <kbd class="menu">&mdash;</kbd> (subtract) button in front of each
 user-defined range or marker in the list allows that particular item to
 be removed. The name fields of custom ranges and markers can be edited.
</p>
<p>
  The <kbd class="option">Hide</kbd> checkboxes make markers and ranges invisible
  on the respective ruler to reduce visual clutter; the markers remain
  active however, and can be used normally.<br />
  Selecting <kbd class="option">Lock</kbd> prevents the respective marker
  from being moved until unlocked.
  Where applicable, <kbd class="option">Glue</kbd> fixes the marker position
  relative to the current musical position expressed in bars and beats, rather
  than the absolute time. This will make the respective marker follow
  changes in the tempo map.
</p>
<p>
  At the bottom of the list are buttons to add new markers or ranges.
</p>
 <h2>List sections</h2>

<dl>
  <dt>Loop/Punch Ranges</dt>
  <dd>This list shows the current <dfn>loop</dfn> and <dfn>punch</dfn> range
  settings. Since these are built-in ranges, you cannot rename or remove them.</dd>
  <dt>Markers (Including CD Index)</dt>
  <dd>This section lists the session's <dfn>markers</dfn>. By ticking <kbd
  class="option">CD</kbd>, you instruct Ardour to create a <dfn>CD track
  index</dfn> from this marker, which will be included in the TOC or CUE file when you
  export.</dd>
  <dt>Ranges (Including CD Track Ranges)</dt>
  <dd>This is the list of <dfn>ranges</dfn> (including <dfn>CD track
  ranges</dfn>). Ticking <kbd class="option">CD</kbd> will convert
  the range to a <dfn>CD track</dfn>, which will again be included in
  exported TOC or CUE files. This is relevant for Disk-At-Once recordings
  that may contain audio data between tracks.</dd>
</dl>























---
title: The Mixer
part: chapter
---

<p>
  The <dfn>Mixer</dfn> window on the other hand represents signal flow and
  is the window you will probably be using most when mixing a session. It
  includes <dfn>channel strips</dfn> for each track and bus in your session.
  It has a general "vertical" sense to it: signals flow from the top of each
  channel strip through the processing elements in the strip to reach the
  output listed at the bottom.
</p>









---
title: Sessions & Tracks
part: part
---


---
title: Sessions
part: chapter
---


---
title: New/Open Session Dialog
part: subchapter
---
<p class="fixme">Info is out of date, image needs updating</p>

<p>
  The initial <dfn>Session</dfn> dialog consists of several consecutive pages:
</p>

<h2>Open Session Page</h2>
<p>
  On this page, you can open an <dfn>existing session</dfn>.  You can also
  open any <a href="/working-with-sessions/snapshots/">snapshot</a> of a
  particular session by clicking on the arrow next to the session name to
  display all snapshots, and then selecting one.  If your session is
  not displayed in the Recent Sessions list, the <kbd class="menu">Other
  Sessions</kbd> button will bring up a file selection dialog to navigate
  your hard drive.<br />
  Alternatively, you can opt to create a <kbd class="menu">New
  Session</kbd>.
</p>

<h2>New Session page</h2>
<p>
  Here you can type in the name of a session, select a folder to save in, and
  optionally use an existing <a href="/working-with-sessions/session-templates/">template</a>.
</p>
<p>
  Under <dfn>Advanced Options</dfn>, you can select whether you wish to create
  a Master Bus, or a Control Bus, and how many channels you wish either to have.
  You can also decide whether you want Ardour to automatically connect all inputs
  to the physical ports of your hardware. Ardour will do so
  sequentially and in round-robin fashion, connecting the first track's
  input to the first input of your hardware and so on. When Ardour has used
  all available hardware inputs, it will begin again with the first physical
  input.
  You can limit the number of channels on your physical hardware that Ardour
  uses.
</p>
<p>
  By default Ardour will connect all tracks and busses to the Master Bus if
  there is one. However you can also tell it to automatically connect each
  output to the physical outputs of your interface or sound card, and limit
  the number of physical outputs used, as above.
</p>

<h3>Audio/MIDI Setup</h3>

<img class="right" src="/images/Audio-MIDI_Setup.png" alt="The Audio+MIDI
Setup Dialog"/>

<p>
  This page is not displayed if <abbr title="JACK Audio Connection
  Kit">JACK</abbr> is already running when you start
  Ardour. It provides a simple interface to configure JACK, which
  will then be started by Ardour. For more control and options regarding
  JACK, it is recommended that you start JACK before using Ardour, via a
  JACK control application such as QJackCtl (sometimes called "Jack
  Control"), JackPilot, etc.
</p>
<dl>
  <dt>Audio System</dt>
  <dd>Currently, the only option here is <kbd class="menu">JACK</kbd>. In the future, native
  hardware access may be supported.</dd>
  <dt>Driver</dt>
  <dd>
    On Mac OS X this will typically be <kbd class="menu">CoreAudio</kbd>. On Linux usually
    this will be either <kbd class="menu"><abbr title="Free Firewire Audio Driver fOr
    linux">FFADO</abbr></kbd>
    or <kbd class="menu"><abbr title="Advanced Linux Sound
    Architecture">ALSA</abbr></kbd>, depending on whether or not you are
    utilizing a firewire device. Advanced users on all platforms may also
    use <kbd class="menu">NetJack</kbd> which provides network audio I/O.
  </dd>
  <dt>Device</dt>
  <dd>The selector should show all availiable interfaces provided by the
  driver above and which are capable of duplex operation.
  <p class="warning">
    If you are using an Intel Mac running OS X and the builtin audio
    interface, you must
    first <a href="setting-up-your-system/using_more_than_one_audio_device/">merge
    its separate input and output devices into a single "aggregate
    device"</a> before Ardour will be able to use it.
   </p>
  </dd>
  <dt>Sample Rate</dt>
  <dd>
    The selector will allow you to select from any sample rate
    supported by the device selected above it.
  </dd>
  <dt>Buffer Size</dt>
  <dd>
    You can adjust the size of the buffer used by your audio interface
    to allow for either lower latency, or lower CPU usage and higher
    latency.
  </dd>
  <dt>Input/Output Channels</dt>
  <dd>
    Here you can specify the number of hardware channels to use. The
    default is <kbd class="menu">all available channels</kbd>.</dd>
  <dt>Hardware Input/Output Latency</dt>
  <dd>Specify the hardware delay in samples for precise latency compensation.</dd>
  <dt>Calibrate</dt>
  <dd>
    This button guides you through a semi-automated process to obtain
    precise hardware latency measurements for the above option.</dd>
  <dt>MIDI System</dt>
  <dd>
    Select the MIDI driver to use. On Mac OS X, this will be <kbd
    class="menu">CoreMIDI</kbd>. On Linux, you can change between two legacy
    ALSA drivers or the (preferred) new JACK+ALSA implementation.</dd>
</dl>

---
title: What's in a Session?
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  The <dfn>Session</dfn> is the fundamental document type that is created and
  modified by the Ardour workstation.  A Session is a folder on your computer
  filesystem that contains all the items that pertain to a particular project
  or "recording/editing/mixing session".
</p>

<p>
  The Session folder includes these files and folders:
</p>

<ul>
  <li><code><em>session_name</em>.ardour</code> the main session snapshot</li>
  <li><code>*.ardour</code>, any additional snapshots </li>
  <li><code><em>session_name</em>.ardour.bak</code>, the auto-backup snapshot</li>
  <li><code><em>session_name</em>.history</code>, the undo history for the session </li>
  <li><code>instant.xml</code>, which records the last-used  zoom scale and other metadata</li>
  <li><code>interchange/</code>, a folder which holds your raw audio and MIDI
  files (whether imported or recorded)</li>
  <li><code>export/</code>, a folder which contains any files created by the
  <kbd class="menu">Session &gt; Export</kbd> function</li>
  <li><code>peaks/</code>, a folder which contains waveform renderings of
  all audio files in the session</li>
  <li><code>analysis/</code>, a folder which contains transient and pitch
  information of each audio file that has been analysed</li>
  <li><code>dead sounds/</code>, a folder which contains sound files which
  Ardour has detected are no longer used in the session (during a <kbd
  class="menu">Session &gt; Clean-up &gt; Clean-up Unused Sources</kbd>
  operation, will be purged by <kbd class="menu">Flush Waste Basket</kbd>)</li>
</ul>
<p>
  A session combines some setup information (such as audio and MIDI routing,
  musical tempo &amp; meter, timecode synchronization, etc.) with one or more
  Tracks and Buses, and all the Regions and Plug-Ins they contain.
</p>

---
title: Where Are Sessions Stored?
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  <dfn>Sessions</dfn> are stored in a single folder on your computer's filesystem.
</p>

<p>
  The first time you run Ardour, you will be asked where you would like the
  default location for sessions to be, with the initial choice being your
  home folder.
</p>

<p>
  After the first-run dialog, you can still change the default location at
  any time via <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; Misc &gt; Session
  Management</kbd>. You can also specify a particular (different) location for
  a session when creating it, in the
  <a href="/working-with-sessions/new-session-dialog/">New Session dialog</a>.
</p>

---
title: Backup and Sharing of Sessions
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  An Ardour session is stored in a single folder on your computer's filesystem.
  This makes <dfn>backup</dfn> very easy&mdash;any tool capable of backing up
  a folder can be used to backup a session. You pick the location of a session
  when it is created&mdash;by default it will be in your default session location,
  which can be altered via <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; Misc &gt; Session
  Management</kbd>.
</p>

<p class="warning">
  There is one complication: a session may reference media files that are stored
  outside of the session folder, if the user has opted not to select <kbd
  class="optoff">Session &gt; Import &gt; Copy to Session</kbd> during
  import. Backing up a session with embedded files will not create a
  copy of the session containing those files.
</p>

<p>
  The single folder approach also makes sharing a project easy. Simply copy the session
  folder (onto a storage device, or across a network) and another Ardour user (on any
  platform) will be able to use it. The limitation regarding embedded files applies to
  session sharing as well.
</p>

---
title: Interchange with other DAWs
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  It has never been particularly easy to move sessions or projects from one
  <abbr title="Digital Audio Workstation">DAW</abbr> to another. There are two
  <dfn>interchange standards</dfn> that have reasonably widespread support:</p>
<ul>
  <li>OMF (Open Media Framwwork), also known as OMFI. Developed and controlled
  by Avid, never standardized</li>
  <li>AAF (Advanced Authoring Format). Developed by a consortium of media-related
  corporations.</li>
</ul>
<p>
  In practice both of these standards have such complex and/or incomplete
  specifications that different DAWs support them only partially,
  differently, or not at all.
</p>
<h2>Moving an Ardour session to another DAW</h2>
<p>To move an Ardour session to another DAW, you have 3 basic choices:</p>
<ul>
  <li>Copy the interchange folder</li>
  <li>Stem exports</li>
  <li>Use AATranslator</li>
</ul>
<h3>Moving another DAW session to Ardour</h3>
<p>To move a session from another DAW to Ardour, you have 2 basic choices:</p>
<ul>
<li>Stem exports</li>
<li>Use AATranslator</li>
</ul>

---
title: Copying The Interchange Folder
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  All media in a session folder is stored in a sub-folder called
  <samp>interchange</samp>. Below that is another folder with the name
  of the session. You can copy either of these to another location and
  use the files within them with any other application, importing them
  all into a project/session. You will lose all information about regions,
  tracks, and timeline positioning, but all the data that Ardour was working
  with will be present in the other DAW. Nothing below the interchange
  folder is specific to Ardour&mdash;any DAW or other audio/MIDI
  application should be able to handle the files without any issues.
</p>

---
title: Stem Exports
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  <dfn>Stem exports</dfn> are covered fully in the
  <a href="/exporting">Export</a> chapter. A stem export creates one file
  per track, starting at the beginning of the session. You can then import
  each track into another DAW and begin working on it. You lose all data
  except the actual audio/MIDI (no plugins, no automation). This is one of
  the most common methods of interchange because it works between all DAWs.
</p>

---
title: Using AATranslator
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  <dfn>AATranslator</dfn> is a Windows
  application that can convert sessions/projects from many diffferent DAWs
  into other formats. At the present time (December 2016), it can read and
  write Ardour 2.X sessions, and can read Ardour 3 sessions.
</p>
<p>
  The program runs very well on Linux using
  <a href="http://www.winehq.org/">Wine</a> (a Windows environment for Linux).
  There are equivalent solutions for running Windows applications on OS X,
  but we have no experience with them at this time. Ardour users have reported
  great results using AATranslator on Ardour 2.X sessions.</p>
<p>
  The <a href="http://www.aatranslator.com.au/">AATranslator website</a>
  has full details on supported formats and DAWs. The list includes
  ProTools, Live, Reaper, OMF, AAF and many more.
</p>
<p class="warning">
  AATranslator is closed-source, non-free software (as of this writing, Dec. 2016, the cost is 60 USD for the "Standard" version, and 200 USD for the "Enhanced" version).
</p>

---
title: Renaming a Session
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Use <kbd class="menu">Session &gt; Rename</kbd> to give your session a
  new name. A dialog will appear to ask you for the new name.
</p>

<p>
  This operation does <strong>not</strong> make a new session folder &mdash;
   the existing session folder and relevant contents are renamed. If your
   session was not saved before a rename operation, it will be saved
   automatically and then renaming will continue.
</p>

<p class="warning">
  Ardour's <kbd class="menu">Session &gt; Save As</kbd> operation will not
  make a new copy of the session folder and its contents. All it does is
  create a new session file.
</p>

---
title: Session Templates
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  <dfn>Session templates</dfn> are a way to store the setup of a session
  for future use. They do not store any <em>audio</em> data but can store:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>The number of tracks and busses, along with their names</li>
  <li>The plugins present on each track or bus (if any)</li>
  <li>All I/O connections</li>
</ul>

<h2>Creating a Session Template</h2>

<p>
  Choose <kbd class="menu">Session &gt; Save Template</kbd>. A dialog will ask
  you for the name of the new template.
</p>

<h2>Using a Session Template</h2>

<p>
  In the New Session dialog, choose the desired template from the combo
  selector.
</p>

<p>
  Note that you can also use an existing session as a template, without
  saving it as one. This is available as an option in the New Session dialog.
  Doing this will not alter the existing session at all, but will use its track,
  bus and plugin configuration just like a template.
</p>

<p>
  See also <a href="/missing">Track &amp; Bus templates</a> for information
  on templates for individual tracks or busses.
</p>

<p class="fixme">Broken link</p>

---
title: Snapshots
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Sometimes you will want to save a <dfn>snapshot</dfn> of the current state of a session for possible
  use in the future. For example, you may be about to change the entire
  arrangement of a piece, or drastically alter the signal processing, and
  want a reference to come back to, should that not work out.
</p>

<p>
  This is easily accomplished using <kbd class="menu">Session &gt;
  Snapshot</kbd>.
  A small dialog will appear, allowing you to enter a name for the snapshot.
  The default name is based on the current date and time.<br />
  You can create any number of snapshots.
</p>

<p class="warning">
  Creating a snapshot does <strong>not</strong> modify your session,
  nor does it save your session. Instead, it saves an alternate version
  of the session, within the session folder. The snapshot shares all data
  present in the session.
</p>

<p>
  After creating a snapshot, you can continue working on the session and
  save it normally using <kbd class="menu">Session &gt; Save</kbd> and any
  existing snapshots will remain unchanged.
</p>

<h2>Switching to a Snapshot</h2>

<p>
  If you are already working on a session and want to to switch to an
  existing snapshot, navigate the Snapshots tab of the
  <a href="/ardours-interface/introducing-the-editor-window/editor-lists">Editor List</a>.
  Find the name of the snapshot in the list and click it. Ardour will switch
  to the snapshot. If there are unsaved changes in the  current session, Ardour will
  ask what you want to do.
</p>

<h2>Starting Ardour With a Snapshot</h2>

<p>
  Since a snapshot is just another session file stored within the session
  folder, you can specify that "version" when loading an existing session.
  The browser in the "Open Session" dialog will show an expander arrow for
  sessions that have more than 1 session file (i.e. snapshots) present&mdash;click on it to see the list, and then click on the name of the
  snapshot you want to load.
</p>

<h2>Saving and Switching to a Snapshot</h2>

<p>
  Sometimes you may want to create a snapshot and then have all future
  edits and modifications saved to that snapshot rather than the main
  session. This is easily done using <kbd class="menu">Session &gt; Save
  As</kbd>. This does not create a new session folder,  but saves your
  session as a new snapshot and then switches the "current snapshot"
  to the newly created one. All subsequent saves of the session will
  be stored in this new snapshot, and existing snapshots (and the main
  session) will be left unaffected.
</p>

---
title: Metadata
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Sessions can have various items of metadata attached to them, via
  <kbd class ="menu">Session &gt; Metadata &gt; Edit Metadata...</kbd> and
  <kbd class ="menu">Session &gt; Metadata &gt; Import Metadata...</kbd>.
</p>

<h2>Edit Session Metadata Dialog</h2>

<img src="/images/edit-session-metadata.png" />

<p class="fixme">Add content</p>

---
title: Cleaning up Sessions
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Recording and editing any serious session might leave the session with some
  unused or misplaced files here and there. Ardour can help deal with this clutter thanks
  to the tools located in the <kbd class="menu">Session &gt; Clean-up</kbd> menu.
</p>

<h2 id="bring_all_media_into_session_folder">Bring all media into session folder</h2>

<p>
  When <a href="/adding-pre-existing-material/">importing media files</a>, if
  the <kbd class="option">Copy files to session</kbd> hasn't been checked, Ardour uses
  the source file from its original destination, which can help avoiding file duplication.
  Nevertheless, when the session needs to be archived or transfered to another computer, moving
  the session folder won't move those <em>external</em> files as they are not in the folder, as seen
  in <a href="/working-with-sessions/backup-and-sharing-of-sessions/">Backup and sharing of sessions</a>.
</p>

<p>
  Using the <kbd class="menu">Bring all media into session folder</kbd> menu ensures
  that all media files used in the session are located inside the session's folder, hence avoiding
  any missing files when copied.
</p>

<h2 id="reset_peak_files">Reset Peak Files</h2>

<p>
  Ardour represents audio waveforms with peak files, that are graphical images generated from the
  sound files. This generation can be time and CPU consuming, so it uses a cache of the generated
  images to speed up the display process. To watch for files modification, Ardour relies on the file-modification
  time. If an external file is embedded in the session and that file changes, but the system-clock is skewed
  or it is stored on an external USB disk (VFAT), Ardour can't know the change happend, and will still use its
  deprecated peak files.
</p>

<p>
  Using the <kbd class="menu">Reset Peak Files</kbd> menu allows to reset this cache, which frees up disk space,
  and forces the re-creation of the peak files used in the session. It can prove useful if some waveforms
  are not used anymore, or if a graphical or time glitch happens.
</p>

<h2 id="clean_up_unused_sources">Clean-up Unused Sources...</h2>

<p>
  Recording usually lefts a lot of unused takes behind, be it in midi or audio form, that can clutter
  the Region List, and eat up a lot of hard drive space. While its generally a good practice to keep as
  many things as possible while recording, when transferring or archiving the session, some clean up can
  help a lot in reducing the sessions clutter and size.
<p>

<p>
  Selecting <kbd class="menu">Clean-up Unused Sources...</kbd> will force Ardour to detect those unused waveforms
  by looking for unused regions, and (through a prompt) for unused playlists. The media files won't be destroyed, though.
  At this stage, they are just copied in a particular place of the session path (namely, in the <code>dead sounds/</code>
  sub-folder).
</p>

<h2 id="flush_wastebasket">Flush Wastebasket</h2>

<p>
  Although Ardour is a <em>non-destructive</em> audio-editor, it allows for a very careful destruction of unused media materials.
  This function is closely linked to the previous one. When the unused sources have been cleaned up and quarantined, the
  <kbd class="menu">Flush Wastebasket</kbd> menu will allow for their physical destruction.
</p>

<p>
  As a safeguarding mechanism though, Flushing the wastebasket in impossible in the same working session as the Cleaning up of unused sources:
  the user needs to close the session and reload it before flushing. It allows to test the playback of the session and ensure both that Ardour didn't commit
  any mistake (unlikely, but better safe than sorry), and that the user is absolutely sure of what he does.
</p>

<p class="warning">
  Notice that all media destroyed this way is not sent to the system's <em>trash can</em> but permanently deleted. If a file is mistakenly destroyed this way, the user will have to rely on data recovery techniques to try getting it back.
</p>

---
title: Copying versus Linking
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  <dfn>Copying</dfn> and <dfn>linking</dfn> are two different methods of
  using existing audio files on your computer (or network file system)
  within a session. They differ in one key aspect:
</p>

<h2>Copying</h2>

<p>
  An existing media file is copied to the session's audio folder, and
  if necessary converted into the session's native format.
</p>

<p>
  For audio files, you can control the choice of this format (eg. WAVE
  or Broadcast WAVE). Audio files will also be converted to the session
  sample rate if necessary (which can take several minutes for larger
  files).
</p>

<p>
  MIDI files will already be in SMF format, and are simply copied into
  the session's MIDI folder.
</p>

<h2>Linking</h2>

<p>
  A link to an existing media file somewhere on the disk is used as a the
  source for a region, but the data is <strong>not copied or modified</strong>
  in any way.
</p>

<p class="warning">
  While linking is handy to conserve disk space, it means that your session
  is <dfn>no longer self-contained</dfn>. If the external file moves, it
  will become unavailable, and any changes to it from elsewhere will affect
  the session. A backup of the session directory will miss linked files.
</p>

<p>
  You can choose to copy or link files into your session with the
  <kbd class="option">Copy file to session</kbd> option in the Import
  dialog window.
</p>

<p>
  <img class="left" src="/images/225-ARDOUR_1_2_1.png" />
  &larr; This file will be imported in the audio/MIDI folder of your session.
</p>

<p>
  <img class="left" src="/images/226-ARDOUR_1_2_1.png" />
  &larr; This file won't be copied.
</p>

<p class="note">
  There is a global preference <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; Misc &gt; Session Management &gt; Always copy imported files</kbd>. If it is enabled, you will not be able to link a file.
</p>

---
title: Adding Pre-existing Material
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  There are several ways to importing an audio or MIDI file into a
  session:
</p>
<ul>
  <li><kbd class="menu">Session &gt; Import</kbd></li>
  <li>Region List context menu: <kbd class="menu">Import To Region List</kbd></li>
  <li>Track context menu: <kbd class="menu">Import Existing Media</kbd>
</li>
</ul>
<p>
  These methods are all equivalent: they open the <a
  href="/adding-pre-existing-material/import-dialog/">Add Existing Media</a>
  dialog.
</p>
<p>
  Finally, you can also easily import files into your project by dragging
  and dropping a file from some other application (e.g. your platform's
  file manager). You can drag onto the
  <dfn>Region List</dfn>, into the desired <dfn>track</dfn> or into empty
  space in the editor track display.<br />
  The file will be imported and copied
  into your session, and placed at the position where the drag ended.
</p>

---
title: Import Dialog
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Many sessions will require the use of <dfn>existing material</dfn>,
  whether it consists of audio and/or MIDI data. Using existing samples,
  loops and riffs from files stored on your system can be the basis for
  a new session, or a way to deepen and improve one that is already
  underway.
</p>

<p>
  You can import audio and MIDI data into your session with the
  <dfn>Add Existing Media</dfn> dialog.
</p>

<p class="fixme">Update image, possibly update content if out of date</p>
<img src="/images/209-ARDOUR_1_2_1.png" />

<h2>The Soundfile Information Box</h2>

<p>
  This box will display information about the currently selected file:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>number of channels,</li>
  <li>sample rate,</li>
  <li>file format,</li>
  <li>length,</li>
  <li>embedded timestamp (applies to some professional formats such as
  Broadcast WAVE), and</li>
  <li>tags (attached metadata to help categorize files in a library).</li>
</ul>

<p>
  If the sample rate differs from the current session rate, it is displayed
  in red, which indicates that the file must be resampled before
  importing. Resampling is controlled by the <kbd class="menu">Conversion quality</kbd> option described below.
</p>

<h2>Auditioner</h2>

<p>
  Files can be auditioned before importing. The slider under the play and
  stop buttons allows you to scrub around, a fader on the right side allows
  you to control the playback volume.
</p>

<h2>Importing options</h2>

<p>
  You can import files into new, automatically created tracks, to the region
  list (from where you can manually drag them into a track), or as new
  <a href="/working-with-tracks/track-types/">Tape tracks</a> with the
  <kbd class="menu">Add new files as...</kbd> option.
</p>

<p>
  New files will be inserted at either the file timestamp (if available,
  zero by default), at the <a href="/missing">edit point</a>, at the
  playhead, or at the start of the session, as specified in <kbd
  class="menu">Insert at...</kbd>.
</p>

<p>
  The Channel <kbd class="menu">mapping</kbd> is either "one track/region per
  file", or "one track/region per channel". The latter splits multichannel
  source files into mono regions. If you have selected multiple files and are importing them into a track,
  you can also choose whether to sequence all files into a single track in
  the order of selection, or to create as many tracks as there are files to
  import.
</p>

<p>
  The <kbd class="menu">Conversion quality</kbd> drop-down controls the
  quality of the resampling process, if the sampling rate of the source file
  differs from the session rate.
</p>

<p>
  Finally, and most importantly, you can decide whether to <kbd
  class="option">Copy files to session</kbd>, or to link them. Please read
  <a href="/adding-pre-existing-material/copying-versus-linking/">Copying
  versus Linking</a> for details.
</p>

---
title: Searching and Importing From Freesound
menu_title: Freesound Search/Import
part: subchapter
---

<p class="fixme">This section is irrelevant now, as the Freesound import function has been removed due to changes done on Freesound's end</p>

<p>
  <a href="http://www.freesound.org"
  title="http://www.freesound.org"><dfn>Freesound</dfn></a>
  is an online repository of searchable sound files licensed under
  Creative-Commons term. The <kbd class="menu">Search  Freesound</kbd> tab
  of the import dialog allows you to search the Freesound database,
  and to download and audition files directly.
</p>

<dl>
  <dt>Tags</dt>
  <dd>Enter metadata tags that you would like to search for. You may enter
  multiple search terms separated by spaces. For example,
  <kbd class="input">drums 120bpm</kbd> will search for files that are tagged
  <samp>drums</samp>, <samp>120bpm</samp>, or both.</dd>
  <dt>Sort</dt>
  <dd>Choosing one of the sort options will cause Freesound to return the list
  of available files sorted accordingly. This can save time if you know (for
  example) the sound you need is very short.</dd>
  <dt>Search</dt>
  <dd>Click this button to initiate the search. Freesound will begin returning
  pages of information, with 20 items per page. The <kbd
  class="menu">Stop</kbd> button interrupts the download.</dd>
  <dt>The file list</dt>
  <dd>Click on a file to download it from Freesound. Double-click the file to
  auto-play it in the auditioner.</dd>
</dl>

<p>
  Files imported with Freesound will automatically include any tags that are
  associated with the file, and these tags will be included in a search when
  you use the <kbd class="menu">Search Tags</kbd> tab.
</p>

---
title: Searching for Files Using Tags
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  A <dfn>tag</dfn> is bit of information, or metadata, that is associated
  with a data file. Specifically, tags are keywords or terms that you feel
  have some relevance to a particular soundfile. Ardour can store these tags
  in a searchable <dfn>database</dfn> so that you can quickly search for sounds
  based on the tags that you have assigned to them.
</p>

<p>
  For example you can assign the term <kbd class="input">120bpm</kbd> to a
  sound, and then when you search for this tag, the file will appear in the
  search list. Tags are independent of the filename or anything else about
  the file. Tags, and the file paths that they are associated with, are
  stored in a file called <samp>sfdb</samp> in your Ardour user folder.
</p>

<p>
  To <dfn>add tags</dfn> to a given file, open the <kbd class="menu">Session &gt;
  Import</kbd> dialog, select the file in the browser, and type new tags into tag
  area in the soundfile information box on the right. Tags are stored when the
  input box loses focus, there is no need to explicitly save them.
</p>

<p>
  You can <dfn>search</dfn> for specific tags in the <kbd
  class="menu">Search Tags</kbd> tab of the same dialog. Files which have
  been tagged with the relevant terms will appear in the results window.
  Selected files can be auditioned and marked with additional tags if
  required.
</p>

---
title: Supported File Formats
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  The list of audio file formats that Ardour can understand is quite long.
  It is based on the functionality offered by <dfn>libsndfile</dfn>, an excellent and
  widely used software library by Australian programmer Erik de Castro Lopo.
  As libsndfile's capabilities expand, so will Ardour's abilities to import
  (and export) new formats. Ardour supports all common audio file formats,
  including WAV, AIFF, AIFC, CAF, W64 and BWF, with all typical sample formats
  (8-, 16-, 24-, 32-bit integer, floating point, and more).
</p>

<p>
  You can find a full list of libsndfile's supported formats
  <a href="http://www.mega-nerd.com/libsndfile/#Features">here</a>.
</p>

<p>
  For MIDI import, Ardour will read any Standard MIDI Format (SMF) file.
</p>


---
title: Tracks
part: chapter
---


---
title: Track Types
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Ardour offers three <dfn>track types</dfn> depending on the type of
  data they contain, and differentiates between three <dfn>track modes</dfn>,
  depending on their recording behaviour.
</p>

<h2>Track types</h2>

<p>
  An Ardour track can be of type <dfn>audio</dfn> or <dfn>MIDI</dfn>,
  depending on the <dfn>data</dfn> that the track will primarily record
  and play back. <em>However, either type of track can pass either
  type of data.</em> Hence, for example, one might have a MIDI track that
  contains an instrument plugin; such a track would record and play back
  MIDI data from disk but would produce audio, since the instrument plugin
  would turn MIDI data into audio data.
</p>

<p>
  Nevertheless, when adding tracks to a session, you typically have an idea
  of what you need to use the new tracks for, and Ardour offers you three
  choices:
</p>

<dl class="narrower-table">
  <dt>Audio</dt>
  <dd>An <dfn>Audio Track</dfn> is created with a user-specified number of
  inputs. The number of outputs is defined by the master bus channel count
  (for details see <a href="#channelconfiguration">Channel Configuration</a>
  below). This is the type of track to use when planning to work with
  existing or newly recorded audio.</dd>
  <dt>MIDI</dt>
  <dd>A <dfn>MIDI track</dfn> is created with a single MIDI input, and a
  single MIDI output. This is the type of track to use when planning to
  record and play back MIDI. There are several methods to enable playback
  of a MIDI track: add an instrument plugin to the track, connect the
  track to a software synthesizer, or connect it to external MIDI hardware.
  <p class="note">
    If you add an instrument plugin, the MIDI track outputs audio instead
    of MIDI data.
  </p></dd>
  <dt>Audio/MIDI</dt>
  <dd>There are a few notable plugins that can usefully accept both <dfn>Audio
  and MIDI</dfn> data (Reaktor is one, and various "auto-tune" like plugins
  are another). It can be tricky to configure this type of track manually,
  so Ardour allows you to select this type specifically for use with such
  plugins. It is <em>not</em> generally the right choice when working normal
  MIDI tracks, and a dialog will warn you of this.</dd>
</dl>

---
title: Adding Tracks, Busses and VCAs
part: subchapter
---

<img class="right" src="/images/add-track-or-bus.png" alt="the add-track dialog" />

<p>
  A track, bus or VCA can be added to a session in various ways:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>Choose <kbd class="menu">Track &gt; Add Track, Bus or VCA...</kbd>.</li>
  <li><kbd class="mouse">Right</kbd>-click in an empty part of the track controls area.</li>
  <li>Click the <kbd class="menu">Plus (+)</kbd> button underneath the list of tracks in the mixer.</li>
</ul>

<p>
  Any of these actions will open the Add Track/Bus/VCA dialog.
</p>

<dl>
  <dt>Add</dt>
  <dd>Here you can select the number of tracks, busses or VCAs you wish to create, and
  their <a href="/working-with-tracks/track-types/">types</a>.</dd>
  <dt>Name</dt>
  <dd>Defines the name of the new track(s). If multiple tracks are created, or if a track with the same name already exists, a space and number will be happened at the end (e.g.: Audio 1, Audio 2...)</dd>
  <dt>Configuration</dt>
  <dd>This menu lets you choose from a number of route templates, which determine the number of input ports and optionally contain plugins and other mixer strip configuration. The most common choices here are <em>mono</em> and <em>stereo</em>.</dd>
  <dt>Record mode</dt>
  <dd>This option is only available for audio tracks and affects how it behaves when recording. See <a href="/working-with-tracks/track-types/#trackmodes">Track Modes</a> for details.</dd>
  <dt>Instrument</dt>
  <dd>This option is only available for MIDI tracks and busses and lets you select a
  default instrument from the list of available plugins.</dd>
  <dt>Group</dt>
  <dd>Tracks and busses can be assigned groups so that a selected range of
  operations are applied to all members of a group at the same time (selecting
  record enable, or editing, for example). This option lets you assign to an
  existing group, or create a new group.</dd>
  <dt>Insert</dt>
  <dd>Defines where in the track list is the track created. The default is <em>Last</em>, i.e. after all the tracks and busses, and can also be <em>First</em>, <em>Before Selection</em> (to place it just above the selected track) or <em>After selection</em>.</dd>
  <dt>Output Ports</dt>
  <dd>Defines how the number of output responds to adding a plugin with a different number of outputs than the track itself. in <em>Strict I/O</em> mode, the track will only use a few of the plugins I/O and will keep its own number of output fixed, while in <em>lexible I/O</em> mode, it will automatically adapt to the I/O of its plugins. See <a href="/signal-routing/signal-flow/">Signal flow</a> to learn more about those options.</dd>
</dl>

<p>
  New tracks appear in both the editor and mixer windows. The editor window
  shows the timeline, with any recorded data, and the mixer shows just the
  processing elements of the track (its plugins, fader and so on).
</p>

<h2>Removing Tracks and Busses</h2>

<p>
  To <dfn>remove</dfn> tracks and busses, select them, <kbd
  class="mouse">right</kbd>-click and choose <kbd
  class="menu">Remove</kbd>
  from the menu. A warning dialog will pop up, as track removal cannot be undone;
  use this option with care!
</p>

---
title: Selecting Tracks
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Tracks are <dfn>selected</dfn> by clicking on the Track header at the left
  of the Editor window. You can select multiple tracks with <kbd class="mod1
  mouse">Left</kbd> clicks, or a range of consecutive tracks with <kbd
  class="mod3 mouse">Left</kbd>.
</p>
<p>
  By default, <dfn>selecting regions</dfn> has no impact on
  <dfn>track selection</dfn>.
  You can select a track, then select a region in another track
  (or vice versa) and both selections will co-exist happily.
  Operations that are applied to tracks will use the track selection,
  and those that apply to regions will use the region selection.
  Similarly, deselecting a region will not deselect the track it
  is in (if that track was selected).
</p>
<p>
  In some workflows, and particularly if you have experience with
  other <abbr title="Digital Audio Workstation">DAW</abbr>s, this
  is not the most comfortable way to work. You may prefer to work
  in a style where selecting a region will also select the track
  that the region is in. Similarly, when the last selected region
  in a track is deselected, the track will also become unselected.
</p>
<p>
  To control this behaviour, set <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt;
  Preferences &gt; Editor &gt; Link selection of regions and tracks</kbd>.
</p>

---
title: Controlling Track Appearance
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Ardour offers many options for controlling the appearance of tracks, including color, height, waveform style and more. These can all be found in the <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; Editor</kbd> menu.
</p>

---
title: Layering Display
part: subchapter
---

<img class="right" style="clear:both" src="/images/track-layer-dialog.png"
alt="Track layering menu" />

<p>
  Ardour allows arbitrary <dfn>layering</dfn> of regions&mdash;you can
  have as many regions you wish at a given position. By default, the regions are
  <dfn>overlaid</dfn> in the editor window, to save vertical space.
</p>

<p>
  However, this display mode can be confusing for tracks with many overdubs,
  because its not obvious in which order the overdubs are layered. Although
  there are other methods of moving particular regions to the top of an
  overlapping set, and although Ardour also has playlists to let you manage
  <a href="/working-with-playlists/playlist_usecases/">takes</a> a bit more
  efficiently than just continually layering,
  there are times when being able to clearly see all regions in a track without
  any overlaps is reassuring and useful.
</p>

<p>
  Here is an image of a track with a rather drastic overdub situation,
  viewed in normal <dfn>overlaid mode</dfn>:
</p>

<img src="/images/a3_overlaps_layered.png" alt="overlapping regions in overlaid mode" />

<p>
  To change this display, right click on the track header, and you'll see
  the menu displayed above. There are two choices for layers. <kbd
  class="menu">overlaid</kbd> is currently selected. Click on <kbd
  class="menu">stacked</kbd> and the track display changes to this:
</p>

<img src="/images/a3_layers_stacked.png" alt="overlapping regions in stacked mode" />

<p>
  You can still move regions around as usual, and in fact you can
  even drag them so that they overlay each again, but when you
  release the mouse button, things will flip back to them all being
  stacked cleanly. The number of <dfn>lanes</dfn> for the track is determined by
  the maximum number of regions existing in any one spot throughout
  the track, so if you have really stacked up 10 overdubs in one spot,
  you'll end up with 10 lanes. Obviously, using a large track height
  works much better for this than a small one.
</p>

---
title: Track Color
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  New tracks in Ardour are assigned a random color from a pastel color
  palette, so they should never end up being particularly bright or
  particularly dark.
</p>

<h2>Changing the color of specific tracks</h2>

<p>
  Select the tracks whose color you wish to change. Context-click
  on the track header of one of them. From the context menu, select
  <kbd class="menu">Color</kbd> and pick a hue to your taste in the
  color dialog. Every selected track will be re-colored.
</p>

<p>
  Note that if you are only changing one track, context-clicking on
  that track's header will be enough to select it, saving the extra
  mouse click.
</p>

<h2>Changing the color of all tracks in a group</h2>

<p>
  Tracks that belong to a
  <a href="/working-with-tracks/track-and-bus-groups">track/bus group</a>
  can share a common color by enabling the <kbd
  class="option">Color</kbd> option for the group. With this enabled,
  any color change will be propagated to all group members.
</p>

<p>
  You can also explicitly change the group color by context-clicking
  on the group tab in the Mixer, selecting <kbd class="menu">Edit
  Group...</kbd> and then clicking on the Color selector in that dialog
  that is displayed.
</p>

---
title: Track Height
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Depending on the stage of your production, you may require a quick
  overview over as many tracks as possible, a detailed view into just a
  few, or a combination of the two. To facilitate this, the
  <dfn>height</dfn> may be configured individually for each track in
  the editor window.
</p>

<p>
  A context click on a track header will display the
  <kbd class="menu">Height</kbd> menu, and allow you to choose from a
  list of standard sizes. All selected tracks will be redrawn using that
  height.
</p>

<p>
  Alternatively, select the tracks you wish to resize. Move the pointer
  to the bottom edge of one track header. The cursor will change to a
  two-way vertical arrow shape. <kbd class="mouse">Left</kbd>-drag to
  dynamically resize all selected tracks.
</p>

<h2>Fit to the Editor Window</h2>

<p>
  Select the tracks you wish to display in the Editor window.
  Choose <kbd class="menu">Track &gt; Height &gt; Fit Selected Tracks</kbd>
  or use the keyboard shortcut, <kbd>f</kbd>. Ardour adjusts the track
  heights and view so that the selected tracks completely fill the vertical
  space available, unless the tracks cannot be made to fit even at the smallest
  possible size.
</p>

<p class="note">
  You can use <dfn>Visual Undo</dfn> (default shortcut: <kbd class="mod3">Z</kbd>
  to revert this operation.
</p>

---
title: Waveform display
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  The display of <dfn>waveforms</dfn> (or, more correctly, <dfn>peak
  envelopes</dfn>, since the actual waveform is only visible at the highest
  zoom levels) is configurable via the <kbd
  class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; Editor</kbd> dialog, to support
  different usecases and user preferences. The following options are
  available:
</p>

<dl class="wide-table">
  <dt>Show waveforms in regions</dt>
  <dd>By default, Ardour draws waveforms within audio regions. Disable this
  option to hide them.</dd>
  <dt>Waveform scale</dt>
  <dd>
    <dl>
      <dt>Linear</dt>
      <dd>This is the traditional <dfn>linear</dfn> (1:1) display of the
      peak envelope, or, at higher zoom levels, the individual samples.</dd>
      <dt>Logarithmic</dt>
      <dd>Alternatively, you can use a <dfn>logarithmic</dfn> display of the
      peak envelope. This will give you a better idea of program loudness (it is similar
      to dBs) and plot soft passages more clearly, which is useful for soft
      recordings or small track height.</dd>
    </dl>
  </dd>
  <dt>Waveform shape</dt>
  <dd>
    <dl>
      <dt>Traditional</dt>
      <dd>The <dfn>zero</dfn> line appears in the middle of the display and waveforms
      appear as positive and negative peaks above <em>and</em> below.</dd>
      <dt>Rectified</dt>
      <dd>The zero line appears at the bottom of the display and waveforms appear
      as absolute peaks <em>above</em> the line only.</dd>
    </dl>
  </dd>
</dl>

---
title: Controlling Track Ordering
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Ardour does not impose any particular ordering of tracks and busses in
  either the editor or mixer windows. The default arrangements are as follows:
</p>

<p>
  In the <dfn>Editor</dfn>, the Master bus will always be on top unless
  hidden. Tracks and busses will appear in their initial order, from top to
  bottom. The monitor section (if used) will never be visible in the editor
  window.
</p>

<p>
  In the <dfn>Mixer</dfn>, the tracks and busses will be displayed in their
  initial order, from left to right. The Master bus is always on the far
  right and occupies its own pane, so that it is always visible no matter
  how you scroll the other mixer strips. If a Monitor section is used,
  it shows up at the right edge of the mixer window, from where it can be
  torn off into a separate window.
</p>

---
title: Reordering Tracks
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  The <dfn>track ordering</dfn> of the Editor and Mixer is <dfn>synchronized</dfn>: if you
  reorder in one window, the ordering in the other window will follow.
</p>

<h2>Reordering in the Editor Window</h2>

<p>
  Select the tracks you want to move. Then use<br />
  <kbd class="menu">Track &gt; Move Selected Tracks Up</kbd>
  (shortcut: <kbd class="mod1">&uarr;</kbd>) or<br />
  <kbd class="menu">Track &gt; Move Selected Tracks Down</kbd>
  (shortcut: <kbd class="mod1">&darr;</kbd>).
</p>

<p>
  Alternatively, you can use the <kbd class="menu">Tracks &amp; Busses</kbd>
  panel of the
  <a href="/ardours-interface/introducing-the-editor-window/editor-lists/">Editor
  Lists</a>, if visible.
  Here, you can freely drag-and-drop tracks and busses into any order you prefer.
</p>

<h2>Reordering in the Mixer Window</h2>

<p>
  Within the <kbd class="menu">Strips</kbd> pane at the top left of the
  Mixer window, you can freely drag-and-drop tracks and busses into any
  desired order.
</p>

<h2>"Collecting" Group Members</h2>

<p>
  Tracks and Busses that are members of a group can be reordered so that they
  display contiguously within the Editor and Mixer windows. Context-click on
  the group tab and choose <kbd class="menu">Collect</kbd>.
</p>

<h2>Ordering of New Tracks</h2>

<p>
  When <dfn>adding new tracks</dfn>, the current selection determines their
  placement. New tracks will be placed after the rightmost (in the mixer) or
  bottom-most (in the editor) selected track. If no tracks are selected, new
  tracks will be added at the end.
</p>

<p class="note">
  Because new tracks are automatically selected, you can quickly reorder them
  in the editor window via the keyboard shortcuts after adding them (see above).
</p>

---
title: Track Ordering and Remote Control IDs
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Every track and bus in Ardour is assigned a <dfn>remote control ID</dfn>.
  When a <a href="/using-control-surfaces/">control surface</a> or any other
  remote control is used to control Ardour, these IDs are used to identify
  which track(s) or buss(es) are the intended target of incoming commands.
</p>

<p>
  By default, remote IDs will be assigned to tracks and busses in the order
  that they are created, starting from 1. The master bus and monitor section
  have their own unique IDs (318 and 319).
</p>

<p>
  Ardour provides two methods to control remote control IDs, which can be
  chosen via <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; Control Surfaces
  &gt; Control surface remote ID</kbd>:
</p>

<dl class="wide-table">
  <dt>follows order of mixer</dt>
  <dd>This will reset the remote control IDs to match the mixer and editor
  track order order, starting with rcID 1. Manual assignment of rcIDs is
  not possible.</dd>
  <dt>assigned by user</dt>
  <dd>When enabled, the remote control ID is completely independent of the
  ordering in either window, and may be changed manually by the user via the
  <kbd class="menu"><em>trackname</em> &gt; Remote Control ID...</kbd>
  dialog in each mixer strip.
  </dd>
</dl>

---
title: Bus Controls
part: subchapter
---

<p>A typical control area or <dfn>bus header<dfn> is shown below:</p>

<img src="/images/typical-bus-controls.png" alt="bus controls" />

<p>
  At the top-left of the controls is the name of the bus, which can be
  edited by double-clicking on it. The new name must be unique within the
  session. Underneath the name is a copy of the bus' main level fader.
  The control buttons to the right-hand side are:
</p>

<dl>
  <dt id="mute">M</dt>
  <dd><dfn>Mute</dfn>&mdash;click to mute the bus. Right-click to display
  a menu which dictates what particular parts of the bus should be muted.</dd>
  <dt id="solo">S</dt>
  <dd><dfn>Solo</dfn>&mdash;solo the bus. The behaviour of the solo system
  is described in detail in the section <a
  href="/mixing/muting-and-soloing/">Muting and Soloing</a>.</dd>
  <dt id="automation">A</dt>
  <dd><dfn>Automation</dfn>&mdash;opens the automation menu for the
  bus. For details see <a href="/automation/">Automation</a>.</dd>
  <dt id="group">G</dt>
  <dd><dfn>Group</dfn>&mdash;lets you assign the bus to an existing or a
  new group. For details see <a href="/working-with-tracks/track-and-bus-groups/">Track and bus groups</a>. </dd>
</dl>

---
title: Audio Track Controls
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  A typical control area or <dfn>track header</dfn> for an audio track is
  shown below:
</p>

<img src="/images/typical-audio-track-controls.png" alt="audio track controls"
  />

<p>
  An audio track has the same
  <a href="/working-with-tracks/bus-controls">controls as a bus</a>, with the
  addition of two extras.
</p>

<dl>
  <dt id="record" style="color:red;font-weight:bold;">[&bull;]</dt>
  <dd><dfn>Record</dfn>&mdash;The button with the pink circle arms the track
  for recording. When armed, the entire button will turn pink, and change to
  bright red as soon as the transport is rolling and the track is recording.</dd>
  <dt id="playlist">p</dt>
  <dd><dfn>Playlist</dfn>&mdash;Opens a playlist menu when clicked. The menu
  offers various operations related to the track's <a
  href="/working-with-playlists/">playlist</a>.
  </dd>
</dl>

---
title: MIDI Track Controls
part: subchapter
---

<p>A typical <dfn>MIDI track header</dfn> looks like this:</p>

<img src="/images/typical-midi-track-controls.png" alt="midi track controls"
  />

<p>
  To see the full set of MIDI track controls, you need to increase the
  <a href="/working-with-tracks/controlling-track-appearance/track-height/">track height</a>
  beyond the default. MIDI tracks show only a few of the control elements
  when there is insufficient vertical space.
</p>

<p>
  A MIDI track has the same basic
  <a href="/working-with-tracks/audio-track-controls">controls as an audio track</a>,
  with the addition of two extra elements. The set of buttons below the main track
  controls the <dfn>MIDI channel</dfn>(s) that will be visible in the editor. A MIDI track's
  data may span any number of the 16 available MIDI channels, and sometimes it is
  useful to view only a subset of those channels; different instruments may,
  for example, be put on different channels. Clicking on a channel number toggles
  its visibility.
</p>

<p>
  To the right of the MIDI track controls is a representation of a piano keyboard
  called the <dfn>scroomer</dfn> (a portmanteau of scrollbar and zoomer). This performs several functions:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>The scrollbar controls the range of pitches that are visible on the
  track, as visualized by the piano keyboard.</li>
  <li>Dragging the body of the scrollbar up and down displays higher or lower
  pitches.</li>
  <li>Dragging the scrollbar handles zooms in and out and increases and decreases the range of visible pitches.</li>
  <li>Clicking on the piano plays the corresponding MIDI note for reference.</li>
</ul>

<p>
  To edit the contents of a MIDI track see <a href="/editing-and-arranging/edit-midi/">Edit
  MIDI</a>.
</p>

---
title: Track Context Menu
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Within the editor window, context-click (right-click) on either a region
  or empty space within a track to display the <dfn>track context menu</dfn>.
  The context menu provides easy access to many track-level operations.
</p>

<p>
  If you click on a <dfn>region</dfn>, the first item in the menu is the name of the
  region. If you click on a
  <a href="/working-with-tracks/controlling-track-appearance/layering-display/">layered region</a>,
  the next item in the menu is <kbd class="menu">Choose Top</kbd>. If selected,
  you will see a dialog that allows you to change the vertical order of layers
  at that point. See <a href="/missing">Controlling Region Layering</a> for more details.
  <p class="fixme">Broken link</p>
</p>

<p>
  The rest of the track context menu is structured as follows:
</p>

<dl class="narrower-table">
  <dt>Play</dt>
  <dd>
    <dl class="narrower-table">
      <dt>Play from Edit Point</dt>
      <dd>Play from the location of the current <a href="/editing-and-arranging/edit-point">edit point</a>.</dd>
      <dt>Play from Start </dt>
      <dd>Play from the start of the session</dd>
      <dt>Play Region(s)</dt>
      <dd>Plays the duration of the session from the start of the earliest selected region to the end of the latest selected region</dd>
    </dl>
  </dd>
  <dt>Select</dt>
  <dd>
    <dl class="narrower-table">
      <dt>Select All in Track</dt>
      <dd>Selects all regions in a track</dd>
      <dt>Select All Objects</dt>
      <dd>Selects all regions in the session</dd>
      <dt>Invert Selection in Track</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Invert Selection</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Set Range to Loop Range</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Set Range to Punch Range</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Select All After Edit Point</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Select All Before Edit Point</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Select All After Playhead</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Select All Before Playhead</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Select All Between Playhead and Edit Point</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Select All Within Playhead and Edit Point</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Select Range Between Playhead and Edit Point</dt>
      <dd></dd>
    </dl>
  </dd>
  <dt>Edit</dt>
  <dd>
    <dl class="narrower-table">
      <dt>Cut</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Copy</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Paste</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Align</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Align Relative</dt>
      <dd></dd>
    </dl>
  </dd>
  <dt>Insert Selected Region</dt>
  <dd></dd>
  <dt>Insert Existing Media</dt>
  <dd></dd>
  <dt>Nudge</dt>
  <dd>
    <dl class="narrower-table">
      <dt>Nudge Entire Track Later</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Nudge Track After Edit Point Later</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Nudge Entire Track Earlier</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Nudge Track After Edit Point Earlier</dt>
      <dd></dd>
    </dl>
  </dd>
  <dt>Freeze</dt>
  <dd></dd>
</dl>

<p>
<i>This text here to prevent following FIXME from corrupting the above table</i>
</p>
<p class="fixme">Add missing content</p>


---
title: Grouping Tracks
part: chapter
---


---
title: Track and Bus Groups
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Tracks and busses can be put into <dfn>groups</dfn>. Members of a group
  can share various settings&mdash;useful for managing tracks that are closely
  related to each other. Examples might include tracks that contain
  multiple-microphone recordings of a single source (an acoustic guitar,
  perhaps, or a drum-kit).
</p>

<p>
  You can group tracks and busses in various ways. In the editor window,
  a track's controls might look like these:
</p>

<img class="left" src="/images/track-in-group.png" alt="track headers for a group" />

<p>
  The green tab to the left of the track header indicates that this track
  is in a group called <samp>Fred</samp>. You can drag these tabs to add
  adjacent tracks to a group.
</p>

<h2>Create New Groups</h2>

<p>
  There are several ways to <dfn>create groups</dfn> for tracks and bussess:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>Context-click on the group tab and use one of the <kbd
  class="menu">Create...</kbd> options there. You can create a group with
  no members, or one that starts with the currently selected tracks, or
  record-enabled tracks, or soloed tracks.</li>
  <li>Alternatively, click the ‘g’ button on a track header to open the
  Group menu. The menu lists the available groups. Selecting one of these
  groups will add the track or bus to that group. The menu also lets you
  create a new group.</li>
  <li>Finally, the Groups tab of the
  <a href="/ardours-interface/introducing-the-editor-window/editor-lists">Editor Lists</a>
  or the Mixer Window has a <kbd class="menu">plus (+)</kbd> button at the
  bottom of the list. Click on the plus sign to create a new group.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Remove Groups</h2>

<p>
  Context-click on a <dfn>group tab</dfn> and select <kbd class="menu">Remove
  Group</kbd> from the menu. Removing a group does <em>not</em> remove
  the members of a group.
</p>

<p>
  You can also remove groups by selecting them in the Groups tab of the
  <a href="/ardours-interface/introducing-the-editor-window/editor-lists">Editor Lists</a>
  or Mixer Window and then pressing the <kbd class="menu">minus (-)</kbd>
  button at the bottom of the list.
</p>

<h2>Add/Remove Tracks and Busses From a Group</h2>

<p>
  Click the <kbd class="menu">g</kbd> button to display a menu with a list
  of the available groups. Select one of these groups to add the track or bus
  to that group. Select <kbd class="menu">No Group</kbd> to remove it.
</p>

<p>
  Alternatively, you can also drag a group tab to add or remove tracks from
  the group.
</p>

<h2>Activate/Deactivate Groups via the Group Tab</h2>

<p>
  Clicking on a group tab toggles the group between being active and inactive.
  An inactive group has no effect when editing its members. An active group
  will share its configured properties across its members. Tabs for disabled
  groups are coloured grey.</p>

<h2>Modify Group Properties</h2>

<p>
  To edit the properties of a group, context-click on its tab and choose
  <kbd class="menu">Edit Group…</kbd>. This opens the track/bus group dialog,
  which is also used when creating new groups:
</p>

<img class="right" src="/images/route-group-dialogue.png" alt="the track/bus group dialog" />

<h3>Group Color</h3>

<p>
  Click on the color selector button to change a group's colour. This affects
  the colour of the group's tab in the editor and mixer windows. The color does
  <em>not</em> affect the color of the group members unless you also enable the
  shared <kbd class="menu">Color</kbd> property.
</p>

<h3>Shared Properties</h3>

<p>
  <kbd class="option">Gain</kbd> means that the track faders will be synced to
  always have the same value; <kbd class="option">Relative</kbd> means that the
  gain changes are applied relative to each member's current value. If, for
  example, there are two tracks in a group with relative gain sharing, and their
  faders are set to -3&nbsp;dB and -1&nbsp;dB, a change of the first track to a
  gain of -6&nbsp;dB will result in the second track having a gain of
  -4&nbsp;dB (the <em>difference</em> of the gains remains the same).
</p>

<p>
  <a href="/working-with-tracks/bus-controls/#mute"><kbd class="option">Muting</kbd></a>,
  <a href="/working-with-tracks/bus-controls/#solo"><kbd class="option">Soloing</kbd></a>,
  <a href="/working-with-tracks/audio-track-controls/#record"><kbd class="option">record enable</kbd></a>,
  <a href="/ardours-interface/introducing-the-editor-window/editor-lists/tracks--busses-list/#active"><kbd class="option">active state</kbd></a>,
  <a href="/working-with-tracks/controlling-track-appearance/track-coloring/"><kbd class="option">colour</kbd></a> and
  <a href="/recording/monitoring/"><kbd class="option">monitoring</kbd></a>
  are all straightforward. They simply mean that all member tracks or busses will
  share the same settings in these respects.
</p>

<p>
  <kbd class="option">Selection</kbd> means that if a region is selected or
  deselected on one member track, <a
  href="/working-with-regions/corresponding-region-selection/">corresponding
  regions</a> on other member tracks
  will be similarly selected. Since region editing operations are applied to all
  currently selected regions, this is the way to make edits apply across all tracks in the group.
</p>

<p class="fixme">Broken link</p>

<h3>Group Tab Context Menu</h3>

<p>Context-clicking on the group tab offers a further menu of group-related actions. </p>

<dl class="wide-table">
        <dt>Create a New Group</dt>
        <dd>create a new group</dd>
        <dt>Create New Group from...</dt>
        <dd> create a new group and automatically add ...
        <dl class="narrower-table">
                <dt>Selected</dt>
                <dd>all currently selected tracks and busses</dd>
                <dt>Rec-enabled</dt>
                <dd>all currently record-enabled tracks</dd>
                <dt>Soloed</dt>
                <dd>all currently soloed tracks and busses</dd>
        </dl>
        </dd>
        <dt>Collect Group</dt>
        <dd>moves all the member tracks so that they are together in the editor window</dd>
        <dt>Remove Group</dt>
        <dd>removes the group (and only the group, not its members).</dd>
        <dt>Add New Subgroup Bus</dt>
        <dd> creates a bus (giving it the name of the group) and connects the output of each member to the new bus.
        </dd>
        <dt>Add New Aux Bus</dt>
        <dd>adds a bus and gives each member a send to that bus. There are two options for this, specifying whether the sends should be placed pre- or post-fader.</dd>
        <dt>Fit to Window</dt>
        <dd> will zoom the member tracks so that they fill the editor window.</dd>
        <dt>Enable All Groups</dt>
        <dd>makes all group active, including any hidden groups.</dd>
        <dt>Disable All Groups</dt>
        <dd>makes all groups inactive, including any hidden groups.</dd>
</dl>


---
title: Importing and Exporting Session Data
part: chapter
---


---
title: File and Session Management and Compatibility
part: chapter
---


---
title: Playback & Recording
part: part
---


---
title: Playing Back Track Material
part: chapter
---




---
title: Looping the Transport
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  When the <dfn>loop transport</dfn> button is pressed, the playhead will
  jump the start of the loop range, and continue to the end of that range
  before returning to the start and repeating.
  While looping, a light green area is displayed in the time ruler over
  the tracks to show the loop range.
</p>

<p>
  By default, looping is bound to the <kbd>l</kbd> key.
</p>

<p>
  For more information on defining and altering the loop range see
  <a href="/working-with-markers/the-loop-range">Loop Range Markers</a>.
</p>

<p class="fixme">Broken link</p>

---
title: Positioning the Playhead
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  The <dfn>playhead</dfn> is a vertical line with two arrows at each end
  that indicates the current position of playback.
</p>

<h2>Positioning the playhead at the current pointer position</h2>

<p>
  Pressing <kbd>P</kbd> will set the playhead to the current position of
  the mouse pointer, if it is within the editor track area.
</p>

<h2>Positioning the playhead on the timeline</h2>

<p>
  A <kbd class="mouse">Left</kbd> click anywhere on the timeline (rulers)
  will move the playhead to that position.
</p>

<h2>Positioning the playhead with the transport clocks</h2>

<p>
  Click on either the primary or secondary transport clock and
  <a href="/ardours-interface/using-ardour-clock-displays">edit their value</a>
  to move the playhead to a specific position.
</p>

<h2>Positioning the playhead at a marker</h2>

<p>
  Click <kbd class="mouse">Right</kbd> on the marker and select either
  <kbd class="menu">Locate to here</kbd> or <kbd class="menu">Play from
  here</kbd>.
</p>

<p>
   The playhead can also be moved backward and forward through the markers by
   respectively pressing the <kbd>Q</kbd> and <kbd>W</kbd> keys. Pressing
   <kbd>Home</kbd> and <kbd>End</kbd> will move the playhead to the special
   markers <dfn>start</dfn> and <dfn>end</dfn>, respectively.
</p>

---
title: Using Key Bindings
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Ardour has many available commands for playback control that can be bound
  to keys. Many of them have default bindings, some do not, so the list below
  shows both the default bindings and internal command names.
</p>

<dl class="wide-table">
  <dt><kbd>Space</kbd></dt>
  <dd>switch between playback and stop.</dd>
  <dt><kbd>Home</kbd></dt>
  <dd>Move playhead to session start marker</dd>
  <dt><kbd>End</kbd></dt>
  <dd>Move playhead to session end marker</dd>
  <dt><kbd>&rarr;</kbd></dt>
  <dd></dd>
  <dt><kbd>&larr;</kbd></dt>
  <dd></dd>
  <dt><kbd>0</kbd></dt>
  <dd>Move playhead to start of the timeline</dd>
</dl>

<p>Commands without default bindings include:</p>

<p class="fixme">Add content</p>



---
title: Record Setup
part: chapter
---


---
title: Track Recording Modes
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  The <dfn>Recording mode</dfn> is a per-track property (applies to audio
  tracks only) that affects the way that recording new material on top of
  existing material ("overdubbing") operates <em>in that track</em>.
</p>

<h2 id="trackmodes">Track Modes</h2>

<p>
  Audio tracks in Ardour have a <dfn>mode</dfn> which affects how they behave
  when recording:
</p>

<dl class="narrower-table">
  <dt>Normal</dt>
  <dd>Tracks in <dfn>normal mode</dfn> will record non-destructively&mdash;new
  data is written to new files, and when overdubbing, new regions will be
  layered on top of existing ones. This is the recommended mode for most
  workflows.
  </dd>
  <dt>Non-Layered</dt>
  <dd>Tracks using <dfn>non-layered mode</dfn> will record non-destructively&mdash;new data is written to new files, but when overdubbing,
  the existing
  regions are trimmed so that there are no overlaps. This does not affect
  the previously recorded audio data, and trimmed regions can be expanded
  again at will. Non-layered mode can be very useful for spoken word material,
  especially in combination with <a href="/editing-and-arranging/change-region-lengths/pushpull-trimming">push/pull trimming</a>.

  <p class="fixme">Broken link</p>

  </dd>
  <dt>Tape</dt>
  <dd><dfn>Tape-mode</dfn> tracks do <strong>destructive</strong> recording:
  all data is recorded to a single file and if you overdub a section of existing
  data, the existing data is destroyed irrevocably&mdash;there is no undo.
  Fixed crossfades are added at every punch in and out point. This mode can be
  useful for certain kinds of re-recording workflows, but it not suggested for normal
  use.</dd>
</dl>

<img class="right" src="/images/a3_nonlayered_example.png" alt="normal and non-layered overdubbing comparision"
/>

<p>
  The screenshot on the right shows the subtle difference between an overdub
  in <dfn>normal mode</dfn> (upper track) and one in <dfn>non-layered mode</dfn>
  (lower track). Both tracks were created using identical audio data.
</p>

<p>
  The upper track shows a new region which has been <dfn>layered on
  top</dfn> of the the existing (longer) region. You can see this if you look
  carefully at the region name strips. The lower track has split the existing
  region in two, trimmed each new region to create space for the new overdub,
  and inserted the overdub region in between.
</p>

<h2 id="channelconfiguration">Channel Configuration</h2>

<p>
  Ardour tracks can have any number of inputs and any number of outputs, and
  the number of either can be changed at any time (subject to restrictions
  caused by any plugins in a track). However it is useful to not have to
  configure this sort of thing for the most common cases, and so the
  <a href="/working-with-tracks/adding-tracks">Add Tracks</a> dialog allows you
  to select "Mono", "Stereo" and few other typical multichannel presets.
  The name of the preset describes the number of <dfn>input channels</dfn>
  of the track or bus.
</p>

<p>
  If you have configured Ardour to automatically connect new tracks and
  busses for you, the number of outputs will be determined by the number of
  inputs of the <dfn>master <a
  href="/introducing-ardour/understanding-basic-concepts-and-terminology/#busses">bus</a></dfn>,
  to which the track outputs will be connected.
</p>

<p>
  For example, if you have a two-channel master bus, then a Mono track has one
  input and two outputs; a Stereo track has two inputs and two outputs.
</p>

<p class="note">
  Setting <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; Audio
  &gt; Connection of Tracks and Busses</kbd> to <kbd
  class="menu">manual</kbd> will leave tracks disconnected by default
  and there will be as many outputs as there are inputs. It is up to you to
  connect them as you wish. This is not a particularly useful way to work
  unless you are doing something fairly unusual with signal routing and
  processing. It is almost always preferable to allow Ardour to make
  connections automatically, even if some of them have to be changed manually
  at some point.
</p>


---
title: Audio Recording
part: chapter
---


---
title: Monitoring
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  When recording, it is important that performers hear themselves, and to
  hear any pre-recorded tracks they are performing with.
  Audio recorders typically let you <dfn>monitor</dfn> (i.e. listen to)
  the input signal of all tracks that are armed for recording, and playing
  back the unarmed tracks.
</p>

---
title: Latency Considerations
menu_title: Latency
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  In the days of analog tape recording, the routing of monitor signals was
  performed with relays and other analog audio switching devices.  Digital
  recorders have the same feature, but may impart some
  <a
  href="/synchronization/latency-and-latency-compensation/"><dfn>latency</dfn></a>
  (delay) between the time you make a noise and the time that you hear it
  come back from the recorder.
</p>

<p>
  The latency of <em>any</em> conversion from analog to digital and back to
  analog is about 1.5&ndash;2&nbsp;ms. Some musicians claim that even the
  basic <abbr title="Analog to Digital to Analog">A/D/A</abbr> conversion
  time is objectionable. However even acoustic instruments such as the piano
  can have approximately 3&nbsp;ms of latency, due to the time the sound
  takes to travel from the instrument to the musician's ears. Latency below
  5&nbsp;ms should be suitable for a professional recording setup. Because
  2&nbsp;ms are already used in the A/D/A process, you must use extremely low
  <dfn>buffer sizes</dfn> in your workstation <abbr title="Input/Output">I/O</abbr>
  setup to keep the overall latency below 5ms. Not all
  <a href="/setting-up-your-system/the-right-computer-system-for-digital-audio">computer audio systems</a>
  are able to work reliably at such low buffer sizes.
</p>

<p>
  For this reason it is sometimes best to route the monitor signal
  through an external mixing console while recording, an approach taken by
  most if not all professional recording studios. Many computer I/O devices
  have a hardware mixer built in which can route the monitor signal "around"
  the computer, avoiding the system latency.
</p>

<p>
  In either case, the monitoring hardware may be digital or analog.  And in
  the digital case you will still have the A-D-A conversion latency of
  1&ndash;2&nbsp;ms.
</p>

---
title: Monitor Signal Flow
menu_title: Signal Flow
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  There are three basic ways to approach monitoring:
</p>

<h3>External Monitoring</h3>

<p><img class="right" src="/images/external-monitoring.png" /></p>

<p>
  When using <dfn>external monitoring</dfn>, Ardour plays no role in monitoring at all. Perhaps the recording set-up has an external mixer which can be used to set up monitor mixes, or perhaps the sound-card being used has a "listen to the input" feature. This approach yields zero or near-zero latency. On the other hand it requires external hardware, and the monitoring settings are less flexible and not saved with the session.
</p>

<h3>JACK-Based Hardware Monitoring</h3>

<p><img class="right" src="/images/jack-monitoring.png" /></p>

<p>
  Some sound cards have the ability to mix signals from their inputs to their outputs with very low or even zero latency, a feature called <dfn>hardware monitoring</dfn>. Furthermore, on some cards this function can be controlled by JACK. This is a nice arrangement, if the sound card supports it, as it combines the convenience of having the monitoring controlled by Ardour with the low latency operation of doing it externally.
</p>

<p class="fixme">Broken link</p>

<h3>Software Monitoring</h3>

<p><img class="right" src="/images/ardour-monitoring.png" /></p>

<p>
  With the <dfn>software monitoring</dfn> approach, all monitoring is performed by Ardour&mdash;it makes track inputs available at track outputs, governed by various controls. This approach will almost always have more routing flexibility than JACK-based monitoring. The disadvantage is that there will be some latency between the input and the output, which depends for the most part on the JACK buffer size that is being used.
</p>

---
title: Monitor Setup in Ardour
menu_title: Setup in Ardour
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Ardour has three main settings which affect how
  monitoring is performed. The first is
  <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; Audio &gt;
  Record monitoring handled by</kbd>.  There are two or three
  options here, depending on the capabilities of your hardware.
</p>

<p>
  The other two settings are more complex.  One is
  <kbd class="menu">Tape machine mode</kbd>, found in the
  same dialog, and the other is the
  <kbd class="option">Session &gt; Properties &gt; Monitoring
  automatically follows transport state</kbd> setting.
</p>

<p>
  Monitoring also depends on the state of the track's record-enable button,
  the session record-enable button, and on whether or not the transport is
  rolling.
</p>

<h2>Software or Hardware Monitoring Modes</h2>

<p>
  If Ardour is set to <dfn>external monitoring</dfn>, the explanation of
  Ardour's monitoring behaviour is simple: it does not do any.
</p>

<h2>Monitoring in Non-Tape-Machine Mode</h2>

<p>
  When <dfn>Tape-Machine mode is off</dfn>, and a track is armed,
  Ardour <em>always</em> monitors the live input, except in one case:
  the transport is rolling, the session is not recording, and
  <dfn>auto-input</dfn>
  is active. In this case only, you will hear playback from an armed track.
</p>

<p>
  Unarmed tracks will play back their contents from disc, unless the
  transport is stopped <em>and</em> <dfn>auto-input</dfn> is enabled.
  In this case, the track monitors its live input.
</p>

<h2>Monitoring in Tape-Machine Mode</h2>

<p>
  In <dfn>Tape-Machine mode</dfn>, things are slightly simpler: when a
  track is armed, its behaviour is the same as in non-tape-machine mode.
</p>

<p>
  Unarmed tracks however will always just play back their contents from
  disk; the live input will never be monitored.
</p>


---
title: MIDI Recording
part: chapter
---


---
title: Punch Recording Modes
part: chapter
---


---
title: Working With Markers
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  It is very useful to be able to tag different locations in a session for
  later use when editing and mixing. Ardour supports both
  <dfn>locations</dfn>, which define specific positions in time,
  and <dfn>ranges</dfn> which define a start and end position in time.
</p>

<p>
  In addition to the standard location markers, there are three kinds of
  special markers:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>
    <dfn>CD markers</dfn> are locations that are restricted to legal
    <dfn>CD sector boundaries</dfn>. They can be used to add track index
    markers to compact disc images.
  </li>
  <li>
    The <dfn>Loop range</dfn> defines the start end end points for Looping.
  </li>
  <li>
    The <dfn>punch range</dfn> defines the in and out points for punch
    recording.
  </li>
</ul>

---
title: Creating Location Markers
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  <dfn>Location Markers</dfn> appear in the <dfn>Locations ruler</dfn> at the top
  of the timeline. The <dfn>start</dfn> and <dfn>end</dfn> markers appear
  automatically, but you can create custom markers at any position in a
  session.
</p>

<p>
  To add a marker at the <strong>current playhead position</strong>, press
  <kbd>Num-&crarr;</kbd> (the Enter key on the numeric  keypad).
  Alternatively, use <kbd class="menu">Transport &gt; Markers &gt; Add
  Mark from Playhead</kbd>.
</p>

<p>
  To add a marker at an <strong>arbitrary location</strong> on the timeline,
  navigate to the desired position, right-click on the Locations ruler and
  select <kbd class="menu">New Location Marker</kbd>.
  You can also go to the Editor list, click <kbd class="menu">New
  Marker</kbd> and use the clock widget to set its position.
</p>

<p>
  For details see
  <a href="/working-with-markers/rangesmarks-list/">Ranges &amp; Marks
  List</a>
  and <a href="/ardours-interface/using-ardour-clock-displays/"> Using
  Ardour Clock Displays</a>.
</p>

---
title: Creating Range Markers
part: subchapter
---

<p class="fixme">Add images</a>

<p>
  <dfn>Range markers</dfn> are essentially two location markers the are grouped
  together to mark the beginning and end of a section in the timeline.
</p>

<h2>Creating a Range on the timeline</h2>

<p>
  To create a new <dfn>range</dfn>, right-click on the
  Ranges ruler at the top of the timeline, then select
  <kbd class="menu">New Range</kbd>.
  Two markers with the same name will appear along the ruler.
  Both marks can be moved along the timeline by clicking and dragging
  them to the desired location.
</p>

<p>
  It is also possible to create range markers from a selected range or
  region in the Editor window, or to use the <kbd class="menu">Ranges
  &amp; Marks List</kbd> in the Editor list.
</p>


---
title: Moving Markers
part: subchapter
---

<h2>Single marker</h2>

<p>
  <kbd class="mouse">Left</kbd>-click and drag to move a single marker to a
  new location on the timeline.
</p>

<h2>Multiple markers</h2>

<p>
  It is possible to move multiple markers by the same distance. <kbd
  class="mouse mod1">Left</kbd>-click each marker you want to move, then drag
  one of the selected markers to a new location. All selected markers will
  then move together. Note that the markers are bounded by the zero point on
  the timeline. In other words, the first marker in your selection cannot move
  to the left of zero on the timeline.
</p>

<h2>Both ends of a range marker</h2>

<p>
  <kbd class="mod1 mouse">Left</kbd>-drag either end of the range marker. The
  other end will move by the same distance.
</p>

---
title: The Loop Range
part: subchapter
---

<p class="fixme">Missing content</a>

<p>
  The <dfn>loop range</dfn> is a special range that defines the start and end points
  for loop play, which can be enabled in the transport bar.
</p>

<p>
  It can be defined via the <a href="/missing">timeline</a> or the <a
  href="/working-with-markers/rangesmarks-list/">Ranges &amp; Marks
  list</a>.
</p>

<p class="fixme">Broken links</a>

---
title: Marker Context Menu
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  <kbd class="mouse">Right</kbd>-clicking a marker in the timeline opens the
  marker context menu. From this menu, you can:
</p>
<dl>
  <dt>Locate to Here</dt>
  <dd>Move the playhead to this marker's position.</dd>
  <dt>Play from Here</dt>
  <dd>start playback from this marker's position.</dd>
  <dt>Move Mark to Playhead</dt>
  <dd>Move this marker to the current playhead position.</dd>
  <dt>Create Range to Next Marker</dt>
  <dd>Create a range marker between this location and the next one along on
  the timeline.</dd>
  <dt>Hide</dt>
  <dd>Hide this marker from the view. It can be made visible again from the
  <kbd class="menu">Window &gt; Locations</kbd> window or the <a
  href="/working-with-markers/rangesmarks-list/">Ranges &amp; Marks
  list</a>.</dd>
  <dt>Rename</dt>
  <dd>Change the name of the marker.</dd>
  <dt>Lock</dt>
  <dd>If this is ticked, it will be impossible to drag the marker's
  position; useful if you want to prevent accidental movements.</dd>
  <dt>Glue to Bars and Beats</dt>
  <dd>If this is ticked, the marker will maintain its position in bars and
  beats even if there are changes in tempo and meter.</dd>
  <dt>Remove</dt>
  <dd>Removes the marker. </dd>
</dl>

<p>
  There are also a few options in <kbd class="menu">Transport &gt; Active
  Mark</kbd>. These options apply to the currently selected location marker,
  and move it to a nearby region boundary, region sync point, or to the
  playhead or mouse.
</p>

---
title: Punch Range
part: subchapter
---

<p class="fixme">Missing content</a>

<p>
  The <dfn>punch range</dfn> is a special range used to define where
  recording will start and/or stop during a <dfn>punch</dfn>.
</p>

<p>
  It can be defined on the <a href="/missing">timeline</a> or in the
  <a href="/working-with-markers/rangesmarks-list/">Ranges &amp; Marks</a>
  list.
</p>

<p class="fixme">Broken links</a>


---
title: Editing
part: part
---


---
title: Editing Basics
part: chapter
---


---
title: Working With Regions
part: subchapter
---

<h2>Working With Regions</h2>

<p>
  <dfn>Regions</dfn> are the basic elements of editing and composing in
  Ardour. In most cases, a region represents a single contiguous section
  of one or more media files. Regions are defined by a fixed set of attributes:
</p>
<ul>
  <li>the audio or
  <abbr title="Musical Instrument Digital Interface">MIDI</abbr>
  <dfn>source file(s)</dfn> they represent,</li>
  <li>an <dfn>offset</dfn> (the "start point") in the audio or MIDI file(s), and</li>
  <li>a <dfn>length</dfn>.</li>
</ul>
<p>
  When placed into a playlist, they gain additional attributes:
</p>
<ul>
  <li>a <dfn>position</dfn> along the timeline, and</li>
  <li>a <dfn>layer</dfn>.</li>
</ul>
<p>
  There are other attributes as well, but they do not <em>define</em> the
  region. Things you should know about regions:
</p>

<h3>Regions Are Cheap</h3>
<p>
  By themselves, regions consume very little of your computer's resources.
  Each region requires a small amount of memory, and represents a rather
  small amount of CPU work if placed into an active track. So, don't worry
  about creating regions whenever you need to.
</p>

<h3>Regions Are Not Files</h3>
<p>
  Although a region can represent an entire audio file, they are never
  equivalent to an audio file. Most regions represent just parts of an audio
  file(s) on disk, and removing a region from a track has nothing to do with
  removing the audio file(s) from the disk (the <kbd
  class="menu">Destroy</kbd> operation, one of Ardour's few destructive
  operations, can affect this). Changing the length of a region has no effect
  on the audio file(s) on disk. Splitting and copying regions does not alter
  the audio file in anyway, nor does it create new audio files (only
  <dfn>recording</dfn>,
  and the <kbd class="menu">Export</kbd>, <kbd class="menu">Bounce</kbd> and
  <kbd class="menu">Reverse</kbd> operations create new audio files).</p>

---
title: Region Naming
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  <dfn>Region names</dfn> are initially derived from either</p>
<ul>
  <li>the name of the playlist for which they were recorded,</li>
  <li>the name of the track for which they were recorded, or</li>
  <li>the name of the embedded/imported file they represent.</li>
</ul>
<p class="fixme">
  It appears that recorded regions are always named after the track, not the
  active playlist in that track.
</p>

<h2>Whole File Region Names</h2>
<p>
  These are not audio files, but regions that represent the full extent of an
  audio file. Every time a new recording is done, or a new file is imported
  to the session, a new region is created that represents the <dfn>entire audio
  file</dfn>. This region will have the name of the track/playlist/original file,
  followed by a "-", then a number plus a dot and then a number.
</p>
<p>
  For <dfn>recorded regions</dfn>, the number will increase each time a new recording
  is made. So, for example, if there is a playlist called
  <samp>Didgeridoo</samp>, the
  first recorded whole file region for that playlist will be called
  <samp>Digderidoo-1</samp>. The next one will be <samp>Digeridoo-2</samp> and so on.
</p>
<p>
  For <dfn>imported regions</dfn>, the region name will be based on the original file
  name, but with any final suffix (e.g. ".wav" or ".aiff") removed.
</p>
<p>
  Normally, whole file regions are not inserted into tracks or playlists,
  but regions derived from them are. The whole-file versions live in the
  editor region list where they act as an organizing mechanism for regions
  that are derived from them.
</p>

<h2>Normal Region Names</h2>
<p>
  When a region is inserted into a track and playlist, its initial name will
  end in a <dfn>version number</dfn>, such as <samp>.1</samp>. For a recorded region,
  if the whole file region was <samp>Hang drum-1</samp>, then the region in
  the track will appear with the name <samp>Hang drum-1.1</samp>. For an
  imported region, if the whole file region was <samp>Bach:Invention3</samp>,
  then the region in the track will appear with the name
  <samp>Bach:Invention3.1</samp>.
</p>

<h2>Copied Region Names</h2>
<p>
  If you <dfn>copy a region</dfn>, it initially shares the same name as the original.
  When you perform an operation modifies one of the copies, Ardour will
  increment the version number on the particular copy that changed.
</p>

<h2>Renaming Regions</h2>
<p>
  You can <dfn>rename a region</dfn> at any time. Use the region context menu to
  pop up the <kbd class="menu">Rename</kbd> dialog. The new name does not need to
  have a version number in it (in fact, it probably should not). Ardour will add a
  version number in the future if needed (e.g. if you copy or split the region).
</p>

---
title: Corresponding Regions Selection
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  <a href="/working-with-tracks/track-and-bus-groups/">Track Groups</a> have
  a property titled <kbd class="option">Select</kbd> which, if enabled, cause
  Ardour to propagate a region selection in one track of a group to the
  <dfn>corresponding regions</dfn> of the other tracks in that group.
 </p>
<p>
  For example, let's assume you have used multiple microphones to record a
  drum kit to multiple tracks. You have created a track group, added all the
  drum tracks, enabled the group and enabled the Select property for the group.
  When you select a region in one of the drum tracks, Ardour will select the
  corresponding region in every other drum track in the group, which in turn
  means that a subsequent edit operation will affect all the grouped drum
  tracks together.
</p>

<h2>How Ardour Decides Which Regions are "Corresponding"</h2>
<p>
  Regions in different tracks are considered to be corresponding for the purposes
  of sharing <dfn>selection</dfn> if they satisfy <em>all</em> the following criteria:
</p>
<ol>
  <li>Each region starts at the <dfn>same offset</dfn> within its source file,</li>
  <li>each region is located at the <dfn>same position</dfn> on the timeline, and</li>
  <li>each region has the <dfn>same length</dfn>.</li>
</ol>

<h2>Overlap Correspondence</h2>
<p>
  Sometimes, the rules outlined above are too strict to get Ardour to do what you
  want. Regions may have been trimmed to slightly different lengths, or positioned
  slightly differently, and this will cause Ardour to not select regions in other
  grouped tracks.</p>
<p>
  In this case, change
  <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; Editor &gt; Regions in
  active edit groups are edited together:</kbd> to <kbd
  class="menu">whenever they overlap in time</kbd>. With this option enabled, r
  egions in different tracks will be considered equivalent for the purposes of selection if they
  <dfn>overlap</dfn>. This is much more flexible and will cover almost all of the
  cases that the fixed rules above might make cumbersome.
</p>

---
title: Region Context Menu
part: subchapter
---

<p class="fixme">Need to add detail to the context menu table to describe what the options do</p>

<p>
  In the editor window, right clicking (context clicking) on a region
  displays a menu with <dfn>track and region operations</dfn>. The menu begins with the
  name of the region, or <kbd class="menu">Selected Regions</kbd> if multiple
  regions are selected.
</p>
<p>
  If there is more than one region layered at the point where you clicked, the
  menu will also contain an item <kbd class="menu">Choose Top</kbd>. This
  dialog lets you select which region you want on the top <dfn>layer</dfn>. See
  <a href="manual/region_layering">Adjusting Region Layering</a> for more details.
</p>
<p>
  Below these items is the rest of the
  <a href="/working-with-tracks/track-context-menu">Track Context Menu</a>, which
  provides access to <dfn>track-level operations</dfn>. To see the contents
  of the region context menu, select the region name or "Selected Regions", and
  the following submenu structure appears:
</p>
<dl class="narrower-table">
  <dt>Play</dt>
  <dd></dd>
  <dt>Loop</dt>
  <dd></dd>
  <dt>Properties</dt>
  <dd></dd>
  <dt>Rename</dt>
  <dd></dd>
  <dt>Edit</dt>
  <dd>
    <dl class="wide-table">
      <dt>Combine</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Uncombine</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Split</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Make Mono Regions</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Opaque</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Mute</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Pitch Shift</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Reverse</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Close Gaps</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Place Transients</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Rhythm Ferret</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Strip Silence</dt>
      <dd></dd>
    </dl>
  </dd>
  <dt>Position</dt>
  <dd>
    <dl class="wide-table">
      <dt>Move To Original Position</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Lock</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Glue to Bars and Beats</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Snap Position to Grid</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Set Sync Position</dt>
      <dd></dd>
      <dt>Remove Sync</dt>
      <dd></dd>
<dt>Nudge Later</dt>
<dd></dd>
<dt>Nudge Earlier</dt>
<dd></dd>
<dt>Nudge Later by capture offset</dt>
<dd></dd>
<dt>Nudge Earlier by capture offset</dt>
<dd></dd>
</dl>
</dd>
<dt>Trim</dt>
<dd>
<dl class="wide-table">
<dt>Trim Start at Edit Point</dt>
<dd></dd>
<dt>Trim End at Edit Point</dt>
<dd></dd>
<dt>Trim to Loop</dt>
<dd></dd>
<dt>Trim to Punch</dt>
<dd></dd>
<dt>Trim to Previous</dt>
<dd></dd>
<dt>Trim to Next</dt>
<dd></dd>
</dl>
</dd>
<dt>Layering</dt>
<dd>
<dl class="wide-table">
<dt>Raise to Top</dt>
<dd></dd>
<dt>Raise</dt>
<dd></dd>
<dt>Lower</dt>
<dd></dd>
<dt>Lower to Bottom</dt>
<dd></dd>
</dl>
</dd>
<dt>Ranges</dt>
<dd>
<dl class="wide-table">
<dt>Set Loop Range</dt>
<dd></dd>
<dt>Set Punch Range</dt>
<dd></dd>
<dt>Add Single Range Marker</dt>
<dd></dd>
<dt>Add Range Marker per Region</dt>
<dd></dd>
<dt>Set Range Selection</dt>
<dd></dd>
</dl>
</dd>
<dt>Gain</dt>
<dd>
<dl class="wide-table">
<dt>Normalize</dt>
<dd></dd>
<dt>Boost</dt>
<dd></dd>
<dt>Cut</dt>
<dd></dd>
<dt>Reset Envelope</dt>
<dd></dd>
<dt>Envelope Active</dt>
<dd></dd>
</dl>
</dd>
<dt>Fades</dt>
<dd>
<dl class="wide-table">
<dt>Fade In</dt>
<dd></dd>
<dt>Fade Out</dt>
<dd></dd>
<dt>Fades        </dt>
<dd></dd>
</dl>
</dd>
<dt>Duplicate</dt>
<dd>
<dl class="wide-table">
<dt>Duplicate</dt>
<dd></dd>
<dt>Multi-Duplicate</dt>
<dd></dd>
<dt>Fill Track</dt>
<dd></dd>
</dl>
</dd>
<dt>Export</dt>
<dd></dd>
<dt>Bounce (without processing)</dt>
<dd></dd>
<dt>Bounce (with processing)</dt>
<dd></dd>
<dt>Spectral Analysis</dt>
<dd></dd>
<dt>Remove</dt>
<dd></dd>
</dl>

---
title: Common Region Edit Operations
menu_title: Region Editing
part: subchapter
---

<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/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><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>

---
title: Copy Regions
part: subchapter
---

<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 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="mouse mod1">Middle</kbd>-drag instead.
</p>


---
title: Move Regions With the Mouse
part: subchapter
---

<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
  <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 class="mouse">Middle</kbd>-drag instead.
</p>

---
title: Align (Spot) Regions
part: subchapter
---

<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/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>
</dl>


---
title: Edit Mode and Tools
part: chapter
---


---
title: Which Regions Are Affected?
menu_title: Affected Regions
part: subchapter
---

<p class="fixme">This one is alone in its chapter. Find him a place somewhere else.</p>

<p>
  This section explains the rules used to decide which regions are affected
  by editing operations. You don't really have to understand them&mdash;hopefully
  things will Just Work&trade;&mdash;but it may be useful eventually to understand the rules.
</p>

<p>
  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>

<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, 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 <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>
</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>


---
title: Making Selections
part: chapter
---


---
title: Select Regions
part: subchapter
---

<p class="fixme">Remove all "you" references FFS</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 &amp; Track Selection</a>
  for more information on how selecting regions and selecting tracks interact.
</p>

<p class="fixme">Broken link</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>

<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="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="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>
  Context-click the track, and in the context menu, navigate to
  <kbd class="menu">Select &gt; 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>

<p class="fixme">Broken link</p>

<h2>Select Multiple Regions Across Different Tracks</h2>

<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>


---
title: Editing Clips and Selections
part: chapter
---

---
title: Trimming Regions
part: subchapter
---

<p class="fixme">Add images, description of mouse cursor changes that signal this type of editing</p>

<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>

<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>

<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>

<h2>Keyboard Shortcuts for Trimming</h2>
<p>
  There are several commands for region trimming. Some use the
  <a href="/editing-and-arranging/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><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>

<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 &gt;Trim &gt; Trim to
  Next</kbd> or <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Trim &gt; 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><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>

<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><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>

---
title: Push/Pull Trimming
part: subchapter
---

<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&mdash;you are not trying to make one of the regions extend
  over the other&mdash;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>

<p class="center"><img src="/images/a3_before_trim.png" alt="region arrangement before trim" /></p>

<p>
  Here is what happens after we trim the right hand (selected) region by
  dragging its starting position earlier:
</p>

<p class="center"><img src="/images/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 <kbd
  class="mouse mod3">Left</kbd>-dragging to turn it into a push-pull trim instead:
</p>

<p class="center"><img src="/images/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>

---
title: Separate Under
part: subchapter
---

<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 &gt; Separate &gt; Separate
  Under</kbd>. This will split the lower region so that it no longer overlaps
  the upper region at all.
</p>

<p>
  Here is an example where we start with a short region placed so that it
  overlaps a longer region:
</p>

<p class="center"><img src="/images/a3_before_separate_under.png" alt="region arrangement before separate under" /></p>

<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>

<p class="center"><img src="/images/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/Previous Region</a>, depending on which end is covered.
</p>

---
title: Separate Range
part: subchapter
---

<p class="fixme">Add example with images; 1p &ge; 1,000w</p>

<p>
  A final new editing feature is an operation in the context menu of a
  range labeled <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>

---
title: Strip Silence from Audio Regions
menu_title: Stripping Silence
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  From the region context menu, choose <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; 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&mdash;useful
  when editing very percussive material and just needing to automatically trim
  the ends of a region. The dialog looks like this:
</p>

<p class="center">
  <img src="/images/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>


---
title: Fades and Crossfades
part: chapter
---


---
title: Create Region Fades and Crossfades
part: subchapter
---

<p class="fixme">Add images--an image is worth more than 1,000 words</p>

<p>
  Every Region has a fade-in and fade-out. By default, the region fade
  is very short, and serves to de-click the transitions at the start and
  end of the region. By adjusting the regions fade length, a more
  gradual transition can be accomplished.
</p>

<h2>Region Fades</h2>

<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>

<h2>Crossfades</h2>

<p>
  <dfn>Crossfades</dfn> refer to the behavior when you want to make
  a smooth transition (mix) from one audio region to another on the same
  track. Historically, this was done by splicing 2 pieces of analog
  tape together, and this concept was carried forward into digital
  editing. Each track is a sequence of sound files (regions). If
  two regions are butted against each other, there needs to be a method
  to splice them smoothly together. The crossfade allows one region
  to fade smoothly out, while the next region fades smoothly in, like 2
  pieces of tape that have been cut at and angle, and overlapped.
</p>

<p>
  But Ardour uses a more refined "layered" editing model, and
  therefore it is possible for multiple regions to be stacked on a single
  location with arbitrary overlaps between different layers. For
  this reason, crossfades must be implemented differently. We can't
  assume that a crossfade is an entitry that exists between 2 regions;
  instead each region must have its own associated crossfades at each
  end, and the topmost region must always crossfade down to the
  underlying region(s), if any.
</p>

<p>
  Ardour solves this problem by putting a crossfade at the beginning
  and end of every region. The fades of the bottom-most region are
  first rendered, and then each region is rendered on top of the one
  below it, with fades at the end of each region providing a crossfade to
  the region(s) beneath it.
</p>

<p>
  It is important to understand that region fades <em>are</em> crossfades. When one region has
  another region or multiple regions beneath its fade area, then you will
  hear the topmost region fade-out be mirrored as a fade-in on the
  underlying region(s). The grip for the topmost region will allow
  changing the length and type of the crossfade into the underlying
  region(s). In this way you can create a complicated series of
  crossfades, and then layer another region atop the others, and fade
  into <em>that</em> complicated series.
</p>
<p class="fixme">An image here would probably help.</p>

<p>
  If a region doesn't have any region(s) under it, then the region is
  crossfaded to silence; for convenience we call this a "fade"
  rather than a crossfade.
</p>

<h2>Fade Shapes</h2>
<p>
  To activate/deactivate or change the shape of a region's fade-in or
  fade-out, hover the cursor over the region fade 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
  region fade. <kbd class="menu">Activate/Deactivate</kbd> enables and
  disables the region fade.
</p>

<p>
  Because each fade is also a crossfade, it has an inverse fade shape
  for the audio beneath the fade. It is important to know how the
  shapes differ, and which are most suitable for various editing tasks.
</p>

<p>
  The different types of fades are:
</p>

<dl class="narrower-table">
  <dt><kbd class="menu">Linear</kbd></dt>
  <dd>A simple linear coefficient decrease, and its mathematical inverse. A Linear fade starts attentuating quickly and then cuts off even more abruptly at lower levels. When used as a crossfade, the signals are each -6dB attenuated at the midpoint. This is the correct crossfade to use with highly-correlated signals for a smooth transition.</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="menu">Constant Power</kbd></dt>
  <dd>The constant power curve starts fading slowly and then cuts off abruptly. When used as a crossfade between 2 audio regions, the signals are symetrically attenuated, and they each reach -3dB at the midpoint. This is the correct crossfade to use when you want to splice audio in the general (uncorrelated) case.</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="menu">Symmetric</kbd></dt>
  <dd>The Symmetric fade starts slowly, then attenuates significantly before transitioning to a slower fade-out near the end of the fade. When used as a crossfade, the Symmetric curve is not mathematically correct like the Equal Power or Linear curves, but it provides a slower fade-out at low volumes. This is sometimes useful when editing two entire works of music together so that the transition is more gradual.</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="menu">Fast</kbd></dt>
  <dd>The Fast curve is a linear decibel fade; It sounds like a perfectly smooth fader or knob moved to silence. This shape is excellent as a general-purpose fade-in. When used as a crossfade, the inverse fade curve maintains constant power but is therefore non-symmetric; so its use is limited to those cases where the user finds it appropriate.</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="menu">Slow</kbd></dt>
  <dd>The Slow curve is a modified linear decibel fade. The initial curve starts more gradually so that it has a less abrupt transition near unity. After that, it sounds like a perfectly smooth fader or knob moved to silence. This shape is excellent as a general-purpose fade-out. When used as a crossfade, the inverse fade curve maintains constant power but is therefore non-symmetric; so its use is limited to those cases where the user finds it appropriate.</dd>
</dl>

<p>
  Although these fade shapes serve specific purposes, any of the shapes is usable in certain situations. The final decision is an artistic choice rather than a rigidly prescribed one.
</p>

<p>
  These fade curves are developed to provide a range of common uses, and
  are developed with the least possible amount of changes in the "slope"
  of the line. This provides artifact-free crossfades. Some
  DAWs provide complicated fade editors with parametric "spline" controls
  of the fade curves. While it might be interesting to develop a
  fade curve with a faster cutoff, the mathematical difference between
  this and simply shortening the fade is vanishingly small; the
  amount of effort to shorten the fade is much easier than fooling around with a
  crossfade editor dialog.
</p>


---
title: Playlists
part: chapter
---


---
title: Understanding Playlists
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  A <dfn>playlist</dfn> is a list of regions ordered in time. It defines
  which parts of which source files should be played and when.  Playlists
  are a fairly advanced topic, and can be safely ignored for many types
  of audio production. However, the use of playlists allows the audio
  engineer more flexibility for tasks like multiple takes of a single
  instrument, alternate edits of a given recording, parallel effects such
  as reverb or compression, and other tasks.
</p>
<p>
  Each audio <dfn>track</dfn> in Ardour is really just a mechanism for
  taking a playlist and generating the audio stream that it represents.
  As a result, editing a track really means modifying its playlist in
  some way. Since a playlist is a list of regions, most of the
  modifications involve manipulating regions: their position, length
  and so forth. This is covered in the chapter
  <a href="/working-with-regions/">Working With Regions</a>.<br />
  Here, we cover some of the things you can do with playlists as objects
  in their own right.
</p>

<h2>Tracks are not Playlists</h2>
<p>
  It is important to understand that a track <em>is not</em> a playlist.
  A track <em>has</em> a playlist. A track is a mechanism for generating
  the audio stream represented by the playlist and passing it through a
  signal processing pathway. At any point in time, a track has a single
  playlist associated with it. When the track is used to record, that
  playlist will have one or more new regions added to it. When the track
  is used for playback, the contents of the playlist will be heard.
  You can change the playlist associated with a track at (almost) any
  time, and even share playlists between tracks.
</p>

<p>
  If you have some experience of other
  <abbr title="Digital Audio Workstation">DAW</abbr>s, then you might
  have come across the term <dfn>"virtual track"</dfn>, normally defined as a track
  that isn't actually playing or doing anything, but can be
  mapped/assigned to a real track. This concept is functionally
  identical to Ardour's playlists. We just like to be little more
  clear about what is actually happening rather than mixing old and
  new terminology ("virtual" and "track"), which might be confusing.</p>

<h2>Playlists are Cheap</h2>

<p>
  One thing you should be clear about is that playlists are cheap. They
  don't cost anything in terms of CPU consumption, and they have very
  minimal efforts on memory use. Don't be afraid of generating new
  playlists whenever you want to. They are not equivalent to tracks,
  which require extra CPU time and significant memory space, or audio
  files, which use disk space, or plugins that require extra CPU time.
  If a playlist is not in use, it occupies a small amount of memory, and
  nothing more.
</p>

---
title: Playlist Operations
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  In the track header (editor window, left pane) is a button labelled <kbd
  class="menu">p</kbd> (for "Playlist"). If you click on this button, Ardour
  displays the following menu:
</p>

<dl class="wide-table">
  <dt>(Local Playlists)</dt>
   <dd>Shows all of the playlists associated with this track, and indicates
   the currently selected playlist</dd>
  <dt>Rename</dt>
  <dd>Displays a dialog to rename the current playlist</dd>
  <dt>New</dt>
  <dd>Creates a new empty playlist, and the track switches to the new playlist</dd>
  <dt>New Copy</dt>
  <dd>Creates a new playlist that is a copy of the current playlist; the track switches to the new playlist</dd>
  <dt>Clear Current</dt>
  <dd>Removes all regions from the current playlist</dd>
  <dt>Select From All</dt>
  <dd>Displays a playlist browser to manually choose which playlist this track should use. (You can even select playlists from other tracks here)</dd>
</dl>

<h2>Renaming Playlists</h2>

<p>
  Playlists are created with the name of the track of which they are
  associated, plus a version number. So, the first playlist for a track
  called "Cowbell" will be called <samp>Cowbell.1</samp>. This name will
  be used to define the names of any regions added to the playlist by
  recording. You can change the name at any time, to anything you want.
  Ardour does not require that your playlist names are all unique, but it
  will make your life easier if they are. Suggested examples of user-assigned
  names for a playlist might include <kbd class="input">Lead Guitar, 2nd
  take</kbd>, <kbd class="input">vocals (quiet)</kbd>,
  and <kbd class="input">downbeat cuica</kbd>. Notice how these might be
  different from the associated track names, which for these examples might
  be <kbd class="input">Lead Guitar</kbd>,
  <kbd class="input">Vocals</kbd> and <kbd class="input">Cuica</kbd>. The
  playlist name provides more information because it is about a specific
  version of the material that may (or may not) end up in the final version
  of the track.
</p>

<p>
  If you are going to rename your playlists, do so before recording new
  material to them.
</p>

<p class="fixme">
  It appears that recorded regions are not named after the playlist, but
  after the track.
</p>

<h2>Sharing Playlists</h2>

<p>
  It is entirely possible to <dfn>share playlists</dfn> between tracks. The only
  slightly unusual thing you may notice when sharing is that edits to the
  playlist made in one track will magically appear in the other. If you
  think about this for a moment, its an obvious consequence of sharing.
  One application of this attribute is parallel processing, described
  below.
</p>

<p>
  You might not want this kind of behaviour, even though you still want
  two tracks to use the same (or substantially the same) playlist. To
  accomplish this, select the chosen playlist in the second track, and
  then use New Copy to generate an <dfn>independent copy</dfn> of it for
  that track. You can then edit this playlist without affecting the original.
</p>

---
title: Playlist Usecases
part: subchapter
---

<h3>Using Playlists for Parallel Processing</h3>

<p>
  One of the uses of playlists is to apply multiple effects to the same
  audio stream. For example, let's say you would like to apply two
  different non-linear effects such as distortion or compression to the
  same audio source (for linear effects, you could just apply them one after
  the other in the same track).<br />
  Create a new track, apply the original track's playlist, and
  then apply effects to both tracks independently.
</p>

<p class="note">
  The same result could be achieved by feeding your track to multiple busses which
  then contain the processing, but this increases the overall latency,
  complicates routing and uses more space in the Mixer window.
</p>

<h2>Using Playlists for "Takes"</h2>

<p>
  Using Playlists for <dfn>takes</dfn> is a good solution if you are going
  to need the ability to edit individual takes, and select between them.
</p>

<p>
  Each time you start a new take, create a new playlist with
  <kbd class="menu">p &gt; New</kbd>
  Later, you can Select your way back to previous or later takes as
  desired.
</p>

<p>
  If you want to create a composite edit from multiple takes, create a new
  track to assemble the final version, and "cherry pick" from the playlists
  in the original track by copying regions over as required.
</p>

<p>
  Alternatively, record each successive take on top of the
  others in "layers" and then edit them using the layer tools, explained
  later.
</p>

<h2>Using Playlists for Multi-Language Productions</h2>

<p>
  The same approach as for takes is useful when you are recording or
  editing content in multiple versions, such as dubbed movie dialog in
  several languages, and you want all versions on the same track, to
  get the same processing. <br />
  Select the appropriate language before exporting the session.
</p>


---
title: Rhythm Ferret
part: chapter
---


---
title: MIDI
part: part
---


---
title: MIDI Editing
part: chapter
---


---
title: Edit MIDI
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Ardour's handling of <dfn><abbr title="Musical Instrument Digital Interface">MIDI</abbr> editing</dfn> differs from most other <abbr title="Digital Audio Workstation">DAW</abbr>s and MIDI sequencers.
</p>

<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 <abbr title="Jack Audio Connection Kit">JACK</abbr> 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 <abbr title="Continuous Controller">CC</abbr> 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 <em>Normal</em> and a <em>Percussive</em> 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>

<h2>Notable Differences</h2>

<ul>
  <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>&mdash;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 &gt; 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>

---
title: Fundamental Concepts
part: subchapter
---

<p class="fixme">Check to see if this is still true for v5</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>
</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>

<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>

---
title: Create MIDI Tracks
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  To create a new <dfn>MIDI track</dfn>, choose <kbd class="menu">Session &gt;
  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 track template 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 class="fixme">Remove "you" language</p>

---
title: Create MIDI Regions
part: subchapter
---

<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. It can
  <a href="/editing-and-arranging/changing-region-lengths">trimmed</a> to any
  length desired.
</p>

<p class="fixme">Broken link</p>

<p>
  Once a region has been created, <a href="/editing-and-arranging/edit-midi/add-new-notes">notes can be added</a> to it.
</p>

---
title: Add New Notes
part: subchapter
---

<h2>Adding new notes</h2>

<p>
  In general, most MIDI editing will be done with the mouse in object mode. This allows selecting notes, copying, moving or deleting them and altering their properties (see below). <em>Adding</em> notes to a MIDI region using the mouse requires dragging with the mouse if they are to be anything other than a fixed length. Since this would normally be a selection operation if the mouse is in object mode, there needs to be some way to tell Ardour 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 entering 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, Draw Notes mode cannot be used while using region-level editing.
</p>

<p>So, to summarize:</p>

<dl class="wide-table">
  <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>

<!-- FIXME: This is needed to keep the table from sucking up the following note's styling. Probably need a fix in the CSS. -->
<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p class="note">
  It is also a <a href="/editing-and-arranging/edit-midi/step-entry">a step entry editor</a> allowing entry of notes from a virtual keyboard, and lots more besides.
</p>

---
title: Change Note Properties
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Details about a selected note can be viewed by context-clicking on it. The
  dialog that pops up will also allow modification of all the properties of the
  selected note(s). Individual properties can be modified more efficiently using
  the techniques described below:
</p>

<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>&uarr;</kbd> increases the pitch of the selected notes.<br />
    <kbd>&darr;</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.
    This can be overridden with <kbd class="mod2">&zwnj;</kbd>. The default shift
    distance is one semitone. Use <kbd class="mod3">&zwnj;</kbd> to alter this to
    one octave.
  </dd>
  <dt>Changing velocity values</dt>
  <dd>
    <kbd class="mod1">&uarr;</kbd> increases the velocity of the selected notes.
    <br/>
    <kbd class="mod1">&darr;</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.
    This can be overridden with <kbd class="mod2">&zwnj;</kbd>.
    Presssing <kbd>v</kbd> will popup a dialog that will allow the setting of
    the absolute velocity value of each selected note. Finally, the scroll wheel
    <kbd class="mouse">&uArr;</kbd> <kbd class="mouse">&dArr;</kbd> will also
    adjust notes in the same way as the arrow keys.
    <p class="note">Like the arrow keys, it only affects selected notes, not the note the pointer is over.</p>
  </dd>
  <dt>Changing channel</dt>
  <dd>
    Press <kbd>c</kbd> to bring up a dialog that allows viewing and altering 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">&zwnj;</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 resetting of the quantize settings, and then
    quantize 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><em>missing</em></dd>
</dl>

<p class="fixme">Add missing content</p>

---
title: Handling Overlapping Notes
menu_title: Overlapping Notes
part: subchapter
---

<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&mdash;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 &gt; Properties &gt; Misc &gt; 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&mdash;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 not retroactively make changes&mdash;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>

---
title: Note Cut, Copy and Paste
part: subchapter
---

<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
part: subchapter
---

<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 notes with the mouse</h2>

<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&mdash;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 <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; MIDI &gt; 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
part: subchapter
---

<p class="fixme">Needs fleshing out; this is a bit thin at the moment</p>

<p><img class="right" src="/images/a3_quantize.png" alt="quantize dialog" /></p>

<p>Accessed via <kbd>q</kbd>, the dialog includes:</p>

<ul>
  <li>Options for grid, legato and 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
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Sometimes editing MIDI data directly from a connected MIDI device like a musical
  keyboard or pad controller is desired; sometimes using the mouse is. Sometimes
  the fine-grained control, precision and speed of entry that comes from using a
  custom note entry dialog is; the <dfn>Step Entry</dfn> dialog aims to be the
  latter.
</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&mdash;step editing and recording MIDI via the track's MIDI port cannot be
  done simultaneously.
</p>

<p class="center"><img src="/images/a3_step_entry.png" /></p>

<p>The dialog (closely modeled after 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 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 moving back and forth from keyboard to mouse to do complex data
  insertion is unnecessary.
</p>

---
title: Patch Change
part: subchapter
---

<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 class="fixme">Add missing images</p>

<h2>Inserting Patch Changes</h2>

<p>
  Ensure that the
  <a href="/editing-and-arranging/edit-point">edit point</a> is
  located where the patch change should be (within an existing
  MIDI region). Context click, and from the MIDI region's context menu,
  select <kbd class="menu">MIDI &gt; Insert Patch Change</kbd>. A
  dialog will appear allowing the setting of 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 the modification of the program and/or bank
  numbers.
</p>

<p>
  The mouse wheel can also be used: <kbd class="mouse">&uArr;</kbd>/<kbd
  class="mouse">&dArr;</kbd> on the patch change will alter the program
  number, <kbd class="mouse mod1">&uArr;</kbd>/<kbd
  class="mouse mod1">&dArr;</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>
  &hellip;mising&hellip;
</p>

<p class="fixme">Add missing content</p>

---
title: Independent and Dependent MIDI Region Copies
menu_title: Copy MIDI Region
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  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>

<h2>Changing dependent/independent copying for the entire session</h2>

<p>
  <kbd class="menu">Sesson &gt; Properties &gt; Misc &gt; 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.
</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.
</p>

<p>
  Changing the status of this option has no effect on the existing
  dependent/independent status of existing region copies.
</p>

<h2>Making an existing copy of a MIDI region independent</h2>

<p>
  Context-click on the MIDI region to be made independent. From the context menu, select <kbd class="menu">MIDI &gt; 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 linked copies will continue to share data.
</p>

<p class="note">
  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 from. Put differently, if an independent copy of a trimmed MIDI region is made, it cannot be "untrimmed" to a larger size.
</p>

---
title: Automating MIDI - Pitch bending and aftertouch
menu_title: Automating MIDI
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Adding pitch bending or aftertouch can add a lot of subtlety to an otherwise plain sounding midi region and help humanize it.
</p>

<img src="/images/MIDI_pitch_bending.png" alt="Automation: pitch bending" />

<p>
  Pitch bending and aftertouch both work the same way, through automation. Right click the MIDI track's header &gt; Automation &gt; Bender <em>(or Pressure)</em> &gt; <em>choose the channel you want to bend</em>.
</p>

<p>
  Using the Draw tool, as for all the automation, allows creation of a gradual change from one drawn point to another. A line in the center produces no change to the pitch, while a line above the center will bend the pitch to a higher note (up to 4 semitones) and a line going under the middle will bend the pitch to a lower note.
</p>

<p>
  The values can be anything between 0 (-4 semitones) to 16,383 (+4 semitones). No automation or a value of 8,192 means no pitch shifting.
</p>

<p>
  Aftertouch works very similarly, though the values are between 0 and 127. It should be noted that aftertouch differs from velocity, as aftertouch allows to slightly change the timbre or create a vibrato, while the velocity sets the power with which the note is played (e.g. on a keyboard, the key is hit).
</p>

---
title: Transforming MIDI - Mathematical operations
menu_title: Transforming MIDI
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Considering the numerical nature of MIDI events, it can be tempting to apply mathematical transformations to our MIDI regions by using mathematical operations. Ardour makes it very easy and powerful with the Transform tool.
</p>

<p class="center"><img src="/images/MIDI_transform.png" alt="MIDI transformation" /></p>

<p>
  To access the Transform tool, right click the MIDI region &gt; <em>name_of_the_region</em> &gt; MIDI &gt; Transform...
</p>

<p>
  First, select the property you want to modify in the 'Set' field, then change the target value using the 2 following fields. If you want to add more operands, click the "+" sign to create new lines. You can remove a superfluous line using the "-" sign on the right of the newly created line.
</p>

<p>
  In the picture above, we've used the Transform tool to add a bit of humanization, by slightly changing the velocity of each note of the region, by a random number between -19 and +19 from it's original velocity. So we've used 3 operations:
</p>

<ul>
        <li>Set velocity to this note's velocity</li>
        <li>+ a random number from 1 to 20</li>
        <li>- a random number from 1 to 20</li>
</ul>

<p>Each note will trigger a calculation of its own, so its velocity will be increased by a random number between 1 and 20, then decreased by a random number between 1 and 20.</p>

<p>
  The properties that can be computed are:
</p>

<ul>
        <li>note number (eg C2 is note number 24, C#2 is 25 and so on)</li>
        <li>velocity (the global intensity of the note, between 0 and 127)</li>
        <li>start time (in beats)</li>
        <li>length (in beats)</li>
        <li>channel</li>
</ul>

<p>
  and the calculation may be based on the following properties:
</p>

<ul>
        <li>this note's</li>
        <li>the previous note's</li>
        <li>this note's index (number of the note, i.e. the first one is 0, the second is 1, etc.)</li>
        <li>exactly (for a constant value, between 1 and 127)</li>
        <li>a random number from <em>lower</em> to <em>higher</em> (<em>lower</em> and <em>higher</em> beeing constant values between 1 and 127)</li>
        <li>equal steps from <em>lower</em> to <em>higher</em> (<em>lower</em> and <em>higher</em> beeing constant values between 1 and 127)</li>
</ul>

<p>
  The mathematical operators can be:
</p>

<ul>
        <li>+ (addition)</li>
        <li>- (substration)</li>
        <li>* (multiplication)</li>
        <li>/ (euclidian division)</li>
        <li>mod (rest of the euclidian division)</li>
</ul>

<p>
  All this operations can be very handy, as long as you find a mathematical way to achieve your goal. Beware though of odd "border cases": division by zero (which does nothing), using the note's index and forgetting it starts at 0 and not 1, etc.
</p>

<p>
  You can nevertheless create very interesting results, like humanizing (randomizing the velocity, start time and duration of all the notes), creating arpeggios, automating tedious tasks, transposing, etc.
</p>


---
title: MIDI Editors
part: chapter
---


---
title: MIDI Scene Automation
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Ardour is capable of being used to both record and deliver MIDI
"scene" automation. These are MIDI messages typically used to switch
presets or "scenes" on a variety of external equipment (or
software), including lighting and other audio/video tools. A common
use case is to automatically change presets between songs or to change
lighting conditions based on a specific position on the timeline.
</p>

<p>
  Each change from one scene to another is represented by a marker in
the "Marker" bar.
</p>

<p>
  Technically, scene changes are delivered as a combination of bank and
program change MIDI messages. MIDI allows for 16,384 banks, each with
128 programs.
</p>

<h2>Recording Scene Changes</h2>

<p>
  Ardour has a dedicated MIDI port named "Scene In". Connect this port
to whatever source(s) of MIDI scene (bank/program change) messages you
wish to record.
</p>

<p>
  Whenever the global record enable button is engaged and Ardour's
  transport is rolling, a new marker will be created for each scene
change message received via the "Scene In" port.
</p>

<p>
  If two different scene changes are received within a certain time
period, only the later one will be recorded as a new marker. The
default threshold for this is one millisecond.
</p>

<p>
  If a scene change message is received while the playhead is close to
an existing marker with an associated scene change, the recording
process will alter the scene change in the existing marker rather than
adding a new one. The default threshold for this "proximity" test is one
millisecond.
</p>

<h2>Manually Creating Scene Changes</h2>

<p>
  This feature is not currently implemented.
</p>

<h2>Playing back Scene Changes</h2>

<p>
  Ardour has a dedicated MIDI port named "Scene Out". Connect this port
to wherever you wish to send MIDI scene (bank/program change) messages.
</p>

<p>
  When the global record enable button is
<em>not</em> enabled, the relevant message(s) will be sent via the
"Scene Out" port as the playhead rolls past each marker with a scene
change associated with it.
</p>

<h2>Editing Scene Changes</h2>

<p>
  This feature is not currently implemented.
</p>

<h2>Disabling Scene Changes</h2>

<p>
  This feature is not currently implemented.
</p>


---
title: Score Editor
part: chapter
---


---
title: MIDI Event List
part: chapter
---


---
title: Arranging
part: part
---


---
title: Time, Tempo and Meter
part: chapter
---


---
title: Tempo and Meter
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Tempo and meter belong together. without both, there is no way to know where a beat lies in time.
</p>

<p>
  Tempo provides a musical pulse, which is divided into beats and bars by a meter. When tempo is changed or an audio-locked meter is moved, all objects on the timeline that are glued to bars and beats (locations, regions) will move in sympathy.
</p>

<p class="note">
  When performing meter or tempo operations, it is advised to show the BBT ruler (available by right-clicking an existing marker or ruler name), and that the constraint modifier is set (in Preferences->User Interaction) so that no other modifiers share its key combination.
</p>

<p>
  The constraint modifier is the "Constrain drags using:" setting under the "When Beginning a Drag" heading. One viable setting is <kbd class="mod1"></kbd><kbd class="mod3"></kbd>.
</p>

<h3>Tempo</h3>

<p>
  Tempo can be adjusted in several ways:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>by double clicking on a tempo marker. This opens the tempo dialog which will allow entering the tempo directly into an entry box.</li>
  <li>by using the constraint modifier (which is set in Preferences->User Interaction) to drag the beat/bars in the BBT ruler or the tempo/meter lines.
  This is the preferred way to match the tempo to previously recorded material.</li>

  <p class ="note">
    When dragging the BBT ruler, musical snap has no effect, however be warned that non-musical snap is in effect if enabled. Snapping to a minute while dragging a beat may result in some verly slow tempos. Snapping a beat to a video frame however is an incredibly useful way to ensure a soundtrack is punchy and synchronised to the sample.
  </p>

  <li>by holding down the constaint modifier while dragging a tempo vertically. This is used for more complex tempo solving, as it allows changing the position and tempo of a tempo marker in the same drag; it is, however, a useful way to adjust the first tempo for a quick result.</li>
</ul>

<p>
  A tempo may be locked to audio or musical time. This may be changed by right-clicking on a tempo. If a tempo is locked to music, an entry will be available to lock it to audio. Similarly an audio-locked tempo may be locked to music by right clicking it an selecting the "Lock to Music" entry.
</p>

<p>
  Audio locked tempo marks stay in their frame position as their neigbours positions are altered. Their pulse (musical) position will change as their neighbours move. Music locked tempo marks move their frame position as their neighbours are moved, but keep their pulse position (they will move as the music is moved).
</p>

<p>
  A tempo may be ramped or constant.
  <ul>
    <li>A constant tempo will keep the sesion tempo constant until the next tempo section, at which time it will jump instantly to the next tempo. These are mostly useful abrupt changes, and is the way in which traditional DAWs deal with tempo changes (abrupt jumps in tempo).</li>
    <li>A ramped tempo increases its tempo over time so that when the next tempo section has arrived, the sesion tempo is the same as the second one. This is useful for matching the session tempo to music which has been recorded without a metronome. Ramps may also be used as a compositional tool, but more on this later. Note that a ramp requires two points&mdash;a start and an end tempo. The first tempo in a new session is ramped, but appears to be constant as it has no tempo to ramp to. It is only when a new tempo is added and one of them is adjusted that a ramp will be heard. The same applies to the last tempo in the session&mdash;it will always appear to be constant until a new last tempo is added and changed.
  </li>
  </ul>
</p>

<p>
  <img src="/images/constant-tempo.png" alt="A constant tempo displaying the tempo at the playhead in the audio clock">
  <br>
  A series of constant tempo markers. The tempo at the playhead position is the same as the previous tempo.
</p>

<p>
  <img src="/images/ramped-tempo.png" alt="A ramped tempo displaying the tempo at the playhead in the audio clock">
  <br>
  A ramped tempo marker. The tempo at the playhead position is approaching the second tempo. Because the playhead is equidistant (in beats) between the
  two markers, the tempo at the playhead is the average of the two.
</p>

<p>
  To add a new tempo, use the primary modifier and click on the tempo line at the desired position. The new tempo will be the same as the tempo at the position of the mouse click (it will not change the shape of the ramp).
</p>

<p>
  To copy a tempo, hold down the primary modifier and drag the tempo desired to be copied.
</p>

<h3>Meter</h3>

<p>
  Meter positions beats using the musical pulse of a tempo, and groups them into bars using its number of divisions per bar.
</p>

<p>
  The first meter in a new session may be moved freely. It has an associated tempo which cannot be dragged by itself (although all others can). It can be moved freely and is locked to audio.
</p>

<p>
  New meters are locked to music. They may only occur on a bar line if music locked.
</p>

<p>
  An audio locked meter provides a way to cope with musical passages which have no meter (rubato, pause), or to allow a film composer to insert a break in music which cannot be counted in beats.
</p>

<p>
  If a meter is audio-locked, its bar number is fixed from the point at which it left the main score. That bar number cannot be changed, nor can tempo motion allow the previous bar to overlap. If another bar is needed, lock the meter to music again (right click->"Lock to Music"), drag the meter to the desired bar and re-lock to audio. The new bar may be freely moved again.
</p>

<li>To change a meter, double click it. A dialog will appear.</li>
<li>To copy a meter, hold down <kbd class="mod1"></kbd> and drag it.</li>

---
title: Techniques for Working with Tempo and Meter
part: subchapter
---

<h3>Techniques </h3>

<p>
  As a general approach, the best way to control tempo ramps is to use them in pairs.
</p>

<p>
  Lets imagine we want to match the click to a drum performance recorded in 'free time'.
</p>

<p>
  The first thing we need to do is determine where the first beat is. Drag the first meter to that position.
</p>

<p>
  Now the first click will be in time with the first beat. To get all the other beats to align, we listen to the drums and visually locate the position of bar 4. You may wish to place the playhead here.
</p>

<p>
  We then locate bar 4 in the BBT ruler and while holding the constraint modifier, drag it to bar 4 in the drum performance.
</p>

<p>
  We notice that the click now matches the first 4 bars, but after that it wanders off. You will see this reflected in the tempo lines.. they won't quite match the drum hits. We now locate the earliest position where the click doesn't match, and place a new tempo just before this. Two bars later, place another new tempo.
</p>

<p>
  Now while dragging any beat <strong>after</strong> the second new tempo, watch the drum audio and tempo lines until they align.
</p>

<p class="note">
  Notice what is happening here: the tempo previous to your mouse pointer is being changed so that the beat you grabbed aligns with the pointer. Notice that the tempo lines previous to the changed one also move. This is because the previous tempo is ramping <strong>to</strong> the tempo you are changing. Look further to the left. The tempo lines in the first four bars do not move.
</p>

<p>
  Again, some time later the click will not align. I didn't say this was easy.
</p>

<p>
  Repeat the same technique: add two new tempos and drag the BBT ruler <strong>after</strong> the newest tempo so that the beats align with the audio again.
</p>

<p>
  In a general sense, adding tempo markers in pairs allows you to 'pin' your previous work while you move further to the right.
</p>

<h3>Another use case: matching accelerando</h3>

<p>
  Imagine you have some video and have located where your music cue begins. Move the first meter to that frame (you may snap to TC frames, but not music with an audio locked meter).
</p>

<p>
  Find a starting tempo by listening to the click while you drag the meter's tempo vertically using the constraint modifier.
</p>

<p>
  You have the playhead at point where the dude slams the phone down, and your idea was that 4|1|0 would be good for this, but you want an accelerando to that point.
</p>

<p>
  Add a tempo at bar 4.
</p>

<p>
  Holding down the constraint modifier, and with snap set to 'TC Frames', grab the BBT ruler just <strong>after</strong> 4|1|0. Drag the ruler so that 4|1|0 snaps to the 'phone' frame.
</p>

<p class="note">
  Notice what happened: The second tempo was changed.<br />
  You had set a musical position for the second tempo marker. It was not aligned with the frame you wanted, so you dragged the BBT ruler, making the second tempo provide enough pulses over the ramp for 4|1|0 to align with the desired frame.
</p>

<p>
  If the ramp doesn't feel right, you may add more points within it and keep adjusting beat positions in a similar manner.
</p>

<h3>General</h3>

<p>
  Audio locked meters can be useful when composing, as they allow a continuous piece of music to be worked on in isolated segments, preventing the listening fatigue of a fixed form. Reassembly is left as an excercise for the reader.
</p>


---
title: Memory Locations
part: chapter
---


---
title: Arranging Regions
part: chapter
---


---
title: Region Loops and Groups
part: chapter
---


---
title: Mixing
part: part
---


---
title: Basic Mixing
part: chapter
---


---
title: Metering in Ardour
part: subchapter
---

<h2>Introduction</h2>

<p>
  An engineer reading and using audio level meters compares to a musician
  reading or writing sheet-music. Just like there are virtuoso musicians
  who can't read a single note, there are great sound-engineers who just
  go by their ears and produce great mixes and masters without ever looking
  at a single meter.
</p>

<p>
  Yet, if you want to work in or with the broadcast industry, it is
  usually unavoidable to use meters.
</p>

<p>
  Audio level meters are very powerful tools that are useful in every
  part of the entire production chain:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>When tracking, meters are used to ensure that the input
  signal does not <dfn>overload</dfn> and maintains reasonable
  <dfn>headroom</dfn>.</li>
  <li>Meters offer a <dfn>quick visual indication</dfn> of a
  activity when working with a large number of tracks.</li>
  <li>During mixing, meters provide an rough estimate of the
  <dfn>loudness</dfn> of each track.</li>
  <li>At the mastering stage, meters are used to check
  compliance with upstream <dfn>level</dfn> and <dfn>loudness
  standards</dfn> and to optimize the <dfn>loudness range</dfn>
  for a given medium.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Meter Types</h2>

<p>
  A general treatise on metering is beyond the scope of this
  manual. It is a complex subject with a history...
  For background information and further reading we recommend:
</p>

<ul>
  <li><a href="http://www.digido.com/how-to-make-better-recordings-part-2.html">How To Make Better Recordings in the 21st Century&mdash;An Integrated Approach to Metering, Monitoring, and Leveling Practices</a> by Bob Katz. Has a good historic overview of meters and motivates the K-meter</li>
  <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_programme_meter#Table_of_characteristics">Wikipedia: Peak programme meter</a>&mdash;overview of meter types.</li>
  <li>"Audio Metering: Measurements, Standards and Practice: Measurements, Standards and Practics", by Eddy Brixen. ISBN: 0240814673</li>
  <li>"Art of Digital Audio", by John Watkinson. ISBN: 0240515870</li>
</ul>

<p>
  There are different metering standards, most of which are available in Ardour. In short:
</p>

<dl>
  <dt>Digital peak-meter</dt>
  <dd>A <dfn>Digital Peak Meter</dfn> displays the absolute maximum signal
  of the raw audio PCM signal (for a given time). It is commonly used when
  tracking to make sure the recorded audio never clips. To that end, DPMs
  are always calibrated to 0&nbsp;<abbr title="DeciBel Full
  Scale">dBFS</abbr>, or the maximum level that can be represented digitally
  in a given system. This value has no musical reason whatsoever and depends
  only on the properties of the signal chain or target medium. There are
  conventions  for <dfn>fall-off-time</dfn> and <dfn>peak-hold</dfn>, but no
  exact specifications.
  <p>
  Various conventions for DPM fall-off times and dBFS line-up level can be
  chosen in <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; GUI</kbd>.
  </p>
  </dd>

  <dt>RMS meters</dt>
  <dd>An <dfn><abbr title="Root Mean Square">RMS</abbr>-type meter</dfn>
  is an averaging meter that looks at the energy in the signal. It
  provides a general indication of loudness as perceived by humans. Ardour
  features three RMS meters, all of which offer additonal peak indication.
  <ul>
    <li><dfn>K20</dfn>: A meter according to the K-system introduced by Bob
    Katz, scale aligned to -20&nbsp;dBFS, rise/fall times and color schema
    according to spec.</li>
    <li><dfn>K14</dfn>: Same as K20 with scale aligned to -14&nbsp;dBFS.</li>
    <li><dfn>K12</dfn>: Same as K20 with scale aligned to -12&nbsp;dBFS (since 3.5.143).</li>
    <li><dfn>Peak + RMS</dfn>: standard RMS, customizable via
    <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; GUI &gt; Metering</kbd></li>
  </ul>
  </dd>

  <dt>IEC PPMs</dt>
  <dd><dfn><abbr title="International Electrontechnical Commission">IEC</abbr>-type
  <abbr title="Peak Programme Meters">PPM</abbr>s</dfn> are a mix between DPMs and
  RMS meters, created mainly for the purpose of
  interoperability. Many national and institutional varieties exist (<abbr
  title="European Broadcasting Union">EBU</abbr>, <abbr title="British Broadcasting
  Corporation">BBC</abbr>, <abbr title="Deutsche Industrie-Norm">DIN</abbr>).
  <p>
  These loudness and metering standards provide a common point of
  reference which is used by broadcasters in particular so that the
  interchange of material is uniform across their sphere of influence,
  regardless of the equipment used to play it back.
  </p>
  <p>
  For home recording, there is no real need for this level of
  interoperability, and these meters are only strictly required when
  working in or with the broadcast industry. However, IEC-type meters have
  certain characteristics (rise-time, ballistics) that make them useful
  outside the context of broadcast.
  </p>
  <p>
  Their specification is very exact, and consquently, there are no
  customizable parameters.
  </p>
  </dd>

  <dt>VU meters</dt>
  <dd><dfn><abbr title="Volume Unit">VU</abbr> meters</dfn> are the dinosaurs (1939)
  amongst the meters. They react very slowly, averaging out peaks.
  Their specification is very strict (300ms rise-time, 1&ndash;1.5% overshoot,
  flat frequency response). Ardour's VU meter adheres to that spec, but for
  visual consistency it is displayed as a bar-graph rather than needle-style
  (more below).
  </dd>
</dl>

<h2>Ardour Specifics</h2>

<img class="right" src="/images/mixer-meter-context-menu.png" alt="mixer strip meter context menu" />

<p>
  Meters are available in various places in ardour:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>The mixer window features fixed height meters for each <dfn>channel strip</dfn>.</li>
  <li>There are small (narrow) meters on each <dfn>track-header</dfn> in the editor window.</li>
  <li>There are variable height meters in the <dfn>meterbridge window</dfn>.</li>
  <li>Optionally, a fixed-size <dfn>master meter</dfn> can be displayed in the main toolbar.</li>
  <li>Various other locations (<dfn>file import</dfn>, <dfn>sends</dfn>) have level-meters.</li>
</ul>

<p>
  They all share the same configuration and color-theme which is available in
  preferences and the theme-manager. Settings for the Peak and RMS+Peak meters
  as well as VU meter standards are found in
  <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; GUI &gt; Metering</kbd>.
</p>

<p>
  The type of meter and the <dfn>metering point</dfn> (the place in the signal chain
  where the meter taps the signal) are configurable in the context menu of each meter.
  Depending on the <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; GUI &gt; Mixer
  Strip</kbd> settings, the metering point is also accessible via a button in
  each Mixer strip.
</p>

<img class="right" src="/images/meter-preferences.png" alt="" />

<p>
  Regardless of meter type and standard the meter display will highlight red if
  the signal on the given channel exceeds the configured peak threshold.
</p>

<p>
  <kbd class="mouse">Left</kbd> on the peak-indicator button resets the
  <dfn>peak-hold indicator</dfn> of a single channel.<br />
  <kbd class="mod1 mouse">Left</kbd> resets a whole <dfn>group</dfn>, and<br/>
  <kbd class="mod13 mouse">Left</kbd> resets all meters.
</p>

<h2>Overview of meter types</h2>

<p>
  The figure on the left below shows all available meter-types in Ardour 3.4 when fed with a -18&nbsp;dBFS 1&nbsp;kHz sine wave.
</p>

<img class="right" style="max-width:45%;height:400px;" src="/images/needle-meters-18.png"
alt="Needle-style meters as external LV2 plugins" />
<img style="max-width:45%; height:400px" src="/images/meter-types-18.png"
alt="Bar-graph meters in Ardour" />
<br /><br />

<p>
  Due to layout concerns and consistent look &amp; feel, all meters available in
  Ardour itself are bar-graph type meters. Corresponding needle-style meters&mdash;which take up more visual screen space&mdash;are available as
  <a href="https://github.com/x42/meters.lv2/">LV2 plugins</a> (see image on the upper right).
</p>

---
title: Signal Routing
part: subchapter
---

<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&mdash;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.
</p>

<p>
  By default, Ardour will create the following connections:
</p>

<ul>
  <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 &gt; 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 normally sufficient to do basic tracking and playback of sessions without any adjustments. When changing these connections, be certain that there is good reason for doing so&mdash;it is generally not necessary and can often lead to problems.
</p>

<p>
  However, for many workflows during mixing, more complicated signal routing is required. Fortunately, Ardour is very flexible in the ways it offers to connect things to each other.
</p>

---
title: Busses and VCAs
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  In order to use the process of mixing, Ardour offers two tools traditionally found on hardware mixing consoles: <dfn>Busses</dfn> and <dfn><abbr title="Voltage-Controlled Amplifier">VCA</abbr></dfn>s.
</p>

<h2>Busses</h2>

<p>
  An Ardour bus can be considered a virtual track, as in a track that doesn't have a playlist (so, no regions).
</p>

<p>
  Its use is to "group" some audio signals to be treated the same way. One simple use case is to group all the audio tracks containing the different drums of a drumkit. Routing all the drums tracks outputs to a bus allows, once the different levels amongst the drums have been set, to adjust the global level of the drumkit in the mix.
</p>

<p>
  Bus usage goes way beyond this simple example though: busses, as tracks, can receive plugins for common audio treatment, and be routed themselves as needed. This makes for a very useful tool that is very commonly used both for musical purposes and computing ones: instead of using e.g. 10 discrete delay plugins on 10 different tracks, busses are often used as receivers of <a href="/signal-routing/aux-sends/">sends</a>, and only 1 delay plugin is used on this bus, reducing the processing power needed.
</p>

<p class="note">Note that the Master strip, which by default receives the output from all tracks, <em>is</em> a bus itself.</p>

<h3>Audio Busses vs MIDI Busses</h3>

<p>
        Ardour supports 2 types of busses: Audio and MIDI. A MIDI bus differs from an audio bus just by its input (which is 1 midi input instead of <em>n</em> audio), the fact that you can put an instrument on it at creation time, whereas you can't easily add an instrument to an audio bus.
</p>

<p>
  MIDI bus are provide a particularly efficient workflow for virtual drumkits where the arrangement uses different MIDI tracks. Moreover, busses with both Audio and MIDI inputs are well suited for vocoders and similar plugins.
</p>

<p>
  Depending on the user's workflow and the way busses are used, 2 possibilities exists:
</p>

<h3>Connecting a track to a bus via outputs</h3>

<img class="right" src="/images/connecting_bus_output.png" alt="Connecting a bus through a track's outputs">

<p>
        Connecting the output(s) of a track to the input(s) of the bus sends <em>all</em> the audio/MIDI to the bus. In the mixer strip, select (at the bottom) the OUTPUT button (often, by default, "Master"), and in the list, choose the input of a bus. Note that only the bus able to receive this output will show up, e.g. a mono bus wont be able to be connected to the output of a stereo track).
</p>

<p>
        Obviously, doing so will (by default) disconnect the output from the Master's input, which means all the        audio/MIDI will be routed to the bus. For more complex routing, the OUTPUT button allows to show the <kbd class="menu">Routing Grid</kbd> that allows to plug the output of the track to multiple outputs at once, be it busses, tracks, Master... The button will then reflect these multiple connections by showing a <em>*number*</em>, number being the number of connections made in the routing grid.
</p>

<h3>Connecting a track to a bus via Sends</h3>

<img class="left" src="/images/connecting_bus_send.png" alt="Connecting a bus through a send">

<p>
        This allows not to interrupt the natural flow of the signal, i.e. the track will still output to what its connected to (e.g. Master). The signal is "tapped" at the point of insertion of the send, to be sent to the bus. Right click where in the signal flow you want the send to happen, and select <kdb class="menu">New Aux Send... &gt; name_of_the_bus</kbd>.
</p>

<p>
  By <kbd class="mouse">left-clicking</kbd> the send meter, it is possible to adjust the amount of signal sent to the bus. This is often the way tracks are connected to an effect bus, like a Delay bus.
</p>

<p class="note">
  Busses can be plugged to other busses, through outputs or sends. Both example workflows discussed previously, i.e. busses for grouping tracks and busses for effects, can both coexist, as e.g. a "grouping" drum bus can have a send to a reverb bus, and be connected to a compressor bus.
</p>

<h2>VCAs</h2>

<img class="left" src="/images/vcas.png" alt="VCAs strips">

<p>
   Although track/bus <a href="/working-with-tracks/track-and-bus-groups/">groups</a> offer a certain kind of grouped-control over gain, solo, mute and more, traditional mixing consoles have long had group master channels ("VCAs") which allows to combine both a single fader to control the group level while also allowing you to easily adjust the relative levels inside the group. For large projects, this can make mixing much easier to control.
</p>

<p>
  It allows to use either or both of the conventions for combining multiple masters:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>Nest VCAs (VCA 2 controls VCA 1 etc.)</li>
  <li>Chain VCAs (VCA 1 and VCA2 both control track or bus N)</li>
</ul>

<h3>Using a VCA strip</h3>

<p>
  A VCA strip is made of (from top to bottom in the screenshot):
</p>

<ul>
  <li><dfn>1</dfn>: number of the VCA</li>
  <li><dfn>X</dfn>: allows to hide the VCA strip. Left clicking this button toggles the exclusive visibility of the tracks connected to this VCA</li>
  <li><dfn>M</dfn>: mutes the VCA</li>
  <li><dfn>S</dfn>: solos the VCA</li>
  <li><dfn>A level meter</dfn>: allows to adjust the level of the VCA</li>
  <li><dfn>~vca~</dfn>: a VCA button to optionally connect to another VCA</li>
</ul>

<p>
  Right-clicking the name button shows a context menus comprised of:
</p>

<ul>
  <li><kbd class="menu">Rename</kbd>: Renames the VCA</li>
  <li><kbd class="menu">Color...</kbd>: Changes the color of the VCA button in the tracks connected to this one</li>
  <li><kbd class="menu">Drop All Slaves</kbd>: Deletes all connections to this VCA, i.e. no tracks are controlled by this VCA anymore</li>
  <li><kbd class="menu">Remove</kbd>: Deletes this VCA</li>
</ul>

<h3>Connecting to a VCA strip</h3>

<img class="left" src="/images/connecting_to_vca.png" alt="Connecting to VCA">

<p>
  Connecting a track/bus/VCA to a VCA is as simple as clicking the VCA button on any mixer strip and choosing the VCA to connect to.
</p>

<p class="note">
  The VCA button only shows up in mixer strips when at least 1 VCA exists, i.e., you have to first create a VCA before connecting it.
</p>

---
title: Aux Sends
part: subchapter
---

<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).
</p>

<p>
  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="/signal-routing/external-sends/">External Sends</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 <kbd class="menu">Session &gt; Add New Track or Bus</kbd>. In the
  <kbd class="menu">New Track &amp; 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 <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.
  <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</dfn> sends ensure that the level sent to the bus
  is controlled <em>only</em> by the send, not the main fader&mdash;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
  <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>

<p class="fixme">Add images, fix factual inaccuracies</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 three approaches to this:
</p>

<h3>Use the Send Fader</h3>

<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>

<h3>Map Aux Sends To Main Faders</h3>

<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>
  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>

---
title: Comparing Aux Sends and Subgroups
menu_title: Auxes vs. Groups
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Auxes and Subgroups share a common concept&mdash;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>
  <dfn>Aux sends</dfn> leave the existing signal routing to the main mix in place,
  and are typically used to create a separate mix to send to (for example)
  monitors or headphones (for performer monitor mixes):
</p>

<img width="300px" src="/images/a3_aux_routing.png" alt="aux signal routing" />

<p>
  <dfn>Subgroups</dfn> 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 width="300px" src="/images/a3_subgroup_routes.png" alt="sub group signal routing" />

---
title: External Sends
part: subchapter
---

<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&mdash;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/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>

<p class="fixme">Broken links</p>

<h2>Removing an External Send</h2>

<p>You can remove an external send in several ways:</p>

<ul>
<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>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>

---
title: Inserts
part: subchapter
---

<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.
</p>

<p>
  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>
  To disable (bypass) an insert, click on its LED in the processor box.
</p>

<p class="note">
  When you create an insert, the signal will be interrupted until you make
  the relevant connections to the insert ports!
</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
part: subchapter
---

<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>
  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="menu">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&mdash;tracks
  that had been subgrouped will be left with their main outputs disconncted.
</p>

---
title: Patchbay
part: subchapter
---

<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="/images/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>
    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 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 <kbd class="menu">Window &gt 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>

<dl class="wide-table">
  <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>

---
title: Track/Bus Signal Flow
part: subchapter
---

<h2>Overview</h2>

<p>
In each individual Track or Bus the signal flow is top to bottom. Consider the following diagram:
</p>

<p class="center"><img width="360px" src="/images/track_signal_routing.png" alt="track signal routing" /></p>

<p>
  Trim, Fader and Panner are provided by Ardour. The Processor-Box can hold 3rd Party Plugins or host-provided redirects (insert, aux-send,..).
</p>

<p class="fixme">Where is the processor box in that image?</p>

<p>
  An important aspect is that the signal flow is multi-channel and not fixed throughout the track. For example, a Track can have a mono input, a mono to stereo plugin (e.g. reverb) flowing into a surround panner with 6 outputs. The design of Ardour is that width of the signal flow is defined by the passage through plugins in the processor box, followed by panning.
  The number of inputs to the panner is defined by the number outputs of the last plugin in the chain. The number of panner outputs is equal to the track's outputs ports, which can be added and remove dynamically. This schema called <em>Flexible I/O</em>. It's very powerful and a distinct feature of Ardour.
</p>

<p class="note">
  The golden rule of processor signal flow:<br/>The number of outputs of one link of the process chain defines the number inputs of the next, until the panner.
</p>

<p>
  Due to this rule there is one very common case that is hard to achieve: Keep a mono track mono.  With <em>Flexible I/O</em>, if a stereo plugin is added on a mono track, the signal flow after that plugin becomes stereo.
</p>

<h2>Strict I/O</h2>

<p>
  Strict I/O enforces a simple rule: Plugins have the same number of inputs as they have outputs. By induction the track will have as many output-ports as there are input ports.
</p>

<ol>
        <li>Adding a Plugin will not modify the signal-flow. The number of plugin outputs is forced to the number of inputs present at the point of insertion.
                If a plugin-pin is missing, it is ignored. If Plugin-pin is unconnected, it is fed with silence. Unconnected plugin outputs are ignored).</li>
        <li>Strict I/O enforces the number of output ports.  The number of inputs to the panner (outputs of last plugin) defines the number of track outputs (after panner).
                Required ports are automatically added, excess ports are removed. The user cannot manually add/remove output ports.</li>
</ol>

<p>
  Strict I/O is set when creating the track and can later be en/disabled dynamically in the context menu of every mixer strip.
</p>

<p class="center"><img src="/images/strict_io_routing.png" alt="strict i/o routing" /></p>

<p>
  There are two exceptions to the above rule 1.
</p>

<ul>
<li>Midi Synths. When adding a synth at a point where there is a Midi port only, the synthesizer plugin will add audio-output ports,
  which trickle down the processor chain to all follow up plugins as inputs and in turn force their outputs to match.</li>
<li>Side chain inputs are not affected by strict I/O</li>
</ul>

<h2>Customizing the Signal Flow</h2>

<p>
  The signal flow though the mixer can be customized at every processor node via "Pin Configuration" in the context menu of every processor.
  User customization override all automatic (flexible/strict I/O mode) inferred output port settings for the given processor.
  Non-customized plugins downstream will follow suit depending on the selected route mode, e.g. adding an additional output to a plugin on a track set to strict I/O will trickle down the process chain until the output and result in the addition of an output port.  This is useful for example in case of a mono to stereo reverb.
</p>

<p>
  One can also bypass plugin instances with a 'thru' connection. This connection is latency compensated. One example is separate Left/Right channel Equalization using two mono plugins on a stereo track:
</p>

<p class="center"><img src="/images/left_right_eq.png" alt="separate left/right Eq" /></p>

---
title: Muting and Soloing
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Each track and bus has two buttons which have important implications
  for signal flow: <dfn>mute</dfn> and <dfn>solo</dfn>. The behaviour
  of these buttons is configurable in Ardour, to suit different studio
  set-ups.
</p>

<h2>Without a monitor bus</h2>

<p>
  If you are using Ardour without a monitor bus, there is only one way
  in which mute and solo will work:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>
    Mute on a track or bus will mute that track on the master bus,
     so that it will not be heard.
  </li>
  <li>
    Solo on a track or bus will solo that track or bus and mute all
    others. Soloing a bus will also solo any tracks or
    busses which feed that bus.
  </li>
</ul>

<h2>With a monitor bus</h2>

<p>
  For setups with a monitor bus, you have more options, mostly
  governed by the setting of the
  <kbd class="option">Solo controls are Listen controls</kbd> option
  in <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; Solo / mute.
</p>

<p>
  With <kbd class="optoff">Solo controls are Listen controls</kbd>
  unticked, behaviour is almost exactly the same as the situation
  without a monitor bus. Mute and solo behave the same, and the monitor
  bus is fed from the master bus, so it sees the same thing.
</p>

<p>
  With <kbc class="option">Solo controls are Listen controls</kbd>
  ticked, the master and monitor busses behave differently. In this
  mode, solo controls are more properly called <dfn>listen</dfn>
  controls, and Ardour's solo buttons will change their legend from
  <samp>S</samp> to either <samp>A</samp> or <samp>P</samp> to
  reflect this.
</p>

<p>
  Now, without any mute or listen, the monitor bus remains fed by
  the master bus. Also:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>
    Mute will mute the track or bus, so that it will not be heard
    anywhere (neither on the master nor monitor busses), much as before.
  </li>
  <li>
    Listen will disconnect the monitor bus from the master bus, so
    that the monitor bus now only receives things that are "listened to".
    Listen will not perform any muting, and hence the master bus will
    not be affected by a listened track or bus.
  </li>
</ul>

<p>
  When solo controls are listen controls, the listening point can be set
  to either After-Fade Listen (AFL) or Pre-Fade Listen (PFL). The precise
  point to get the signal from can further be configured using the
  <kbd class="menu">PFL signals come from</kbd> and
  <kbd class="menu">AFL signals come from</kbd> options.
</p>

<p>
  The solo-mute arrangement with a monitor bus is shown below:
</p>

<img src="/images/solo-mute.png" alt="mute/solo signal flow" />

<p>
  Here we have a number of tracks or busses (in orange). Each one has an
  output which feeds the master bus. In addition, each has PFL and AFL
  outputs; we have a choice of which to use. PFL/AFL from each track or
  bus are mixed. Then, whenever anything is set to AFL/PFL, the monitor out
  becomes just those AFL/PFL feeds; the rest of the time, the monitor out is
  fed from the master bus.
</p>

<p>
  In this scheme Solo has no effect other than to mute other non-soloed tracks;
  with solo (rather then listen), the monitor out is fed from the master bus.
</p>

<h2>Other solo options</h2>

<p>
  <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt;  Solo / Mute</kbd> has some
  more solo options:
</p>

<h3>Solo-in-place mute cut</h3>

<p>
  When using solo-in-place (SiP), in other words when soloed tracks are being
  listened to on the master bus, this fader specifies the gain that will be
  applied to other tracks in order to mute them. Setting this level to
  -∞&nbdp;dB will mean that other tracks will not be heard at all; setting to
  some higher value less than 0dB means that other non-soloed tracks will be h
  eard, just reduced in volume compared to the soloed tracks. Using a value
  larger than -∞dB is sometimes called "Solo-In-Front" by other DAWs, because
  the listener has the sense that soloed material is "in front" of other
  material. In Ardour, this is not a distinct mode, but instead the mute cut
  control offers any level of "in-front-ness" that you might want to use.
</p>

<h3>Exclusive solo</h3>

<p>
  If this is enabled, only one track or bus will ever be soloed at once; soloing
  track B while track A is currently soloed will un-solo track A before soloing
  track B.
</p>

<h3>Show solo muting</h3>

<p>
  If this is enabled, the mute button of tracks and busses will be drawn
  outlined to indicate that the track or bus is muted because something else
  is soloed. This is enabled by default, and we recommend that you leave it
  that way unless you are extremely comfortable with Ardour's mute/solo
  behaviour.
</p>

<h3>Soloing overrides muting</h3>

<p>
  If this is enabled, a track or bus that is both soloed and muted will behave
  as if it is soloed.
</p>

<h3>Mute affects…</h3>

<p>
  These options dictate whether muting the track will affect various routes out
  of the track; through the sends, through the control outputs (to the monitor
  bus) and to the main outputs.
</p>

---
title: Panning
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  <dfn>Panning</<dfn> is the process of distributing one or more signals
  across a series of outputs so that the listener will have the
  experience of them coming from a particular point or area of the
  overall listening field.
</p>

<p>
  It is used to create a sense of space and/or a sense of motion in an
  audio mix. You can spread out different signals across the space, and
  make them move over time.
</p>

<h2>Types of Panners</h2>

<p>
  The way a panner works depends a great deal on how many signals it
  is going to process and how many outputs it will send them to. The
  simplest case is distributing a single signal to 2 outputs, which is
  the common case when using a "mono" track and a stereo speaker
  setup.
</p>

<p>
  But panning in Ardour could theoretically involve distributing any
  number of signals to any number of ouputs. In reality, Ardour does
  not have specific panners for each different situation. Currently,
  it has dedicated panners for the following situations:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>1 signal distributed to 2 outputs (the mono panner)</li>
  <li>2 signals distributed to 2 outputs (the stereo panner)</li>
  <li>N signals distributed to M outputs (the VBAP panner)</li>
</ul>

<p>
  Even for each of these cases, there are many different ways to
  implement panning. Ardour currently offers just one solution to each
  of these situations, but in the future will offer more.
</p>

<p>
  In addition to the panners, Ardour has a balance control for subtle
  corrections to existing stereo images.
</p>

---
title: Mono Panner
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  The default <dfn>mono panner</dfn> distributes 1 input to 2 outputs. Its
  behaviour is controlled by a single parameter, the <dfn>position</dfn>. By
  default, the panner is centered.
</p>

<h2>Mono Panner User Interface</h2>

<img src="/images/mono-panner-annotated.png" alt="image of the mono panner"/>

<p class="note">
  The mono panner looks a quite similar to the
  <a href="/mixing/panning/stereo_panner">stereo panner</a>
  interface. The difference is that the L/R labels in the lower half
  of the mono panner do not move because there is no "width" to
  control.
</p>

<h2>Using the mouse</h2>

<p>To change the position smoothly, press the right button and drag
  anywhere within the panner. <em>Note: you do not need
  to grab the position indicator in order to drag</em>
</p>

<dl class="faq">

<dt>Reset to defaults</dt>
<dd>Click <kbd class="mod3 mouse">right</kbd></dd>

<dt>Change to a "hard left"</dt>
<dd>Double click <kbd class="mouse">right</kbd> in the left side
  of the panner</dd>

<dt>Change to a "hard right"</dt>
<dd>Double click <kbd class="mouse">right</kbd> in the right side
  of the panner</dd>

<dt>Set the position to center</dt>
<dd>Double Click <kbd class="mouse">right</kbd> in the middle of the panner</dd>
</dl>

<h2>Keyboard bindings</h2>

<p>
  When the pointer is within a mono panner user interface, the following keybindings are available to operate on that panner:
</p>

<dl>
  <dt><kbd>&larr;</kbd> / <kbd class="mod1">&larr;</kbd></dt>
  <dd>move position 1&deg; / 5&deg; to the left</dd>
  <dt><kbd>&rarr;</kbd> / <kbd class="mod1">&rarr;</kbd></dt>
  <dd>move position 1&deg; / 5&deg; to the right</dd>
  <dt><kbd>0</kbd></dt>
  <dd>reset position to center</dd>
</dl>

<h2>Using the scroll wheel/touch scroll</h2>

<p>
  When the pointer is within a mono panner user interface, the scroll wheel may be used as follows:
</p>

<dl>
  <dt><kbd class="mouse">&uArr;</kbd> or <kbd class="mouse">&lArr;</kbd></dt>
  <dd>move position to the left by 1&deg;</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="mod1 mouse">&uArr;</kbd> or <kbd class="mod1 mouse">&lArr;</kbd></dt>
  <dd>move position to the left by 5&deg;</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="mouse">&dArr;</kbd> or <kbd class="mouse">&rArr;</kbd></dt>
  <dd>move position to the right by 1&deg;</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="mod1 mouse">&dArr;</kbd> or <kbd class="mod1 mouse">&rArr;</kbd></dt>
  <dd>move position to the right by 5&deg;</dd>
</dl>

---
title: Balance Control
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  For stereo tracks, you can now switch between the default stereo panner and a traditional <dfn>balance control</dfn> by right-clicking on the panner widget.
</p>

<img class="left" src="/images/stereo-balance.png" alt="Stereo Balance
control"/>

<p>
  When the balance is centered, the incoming signals will be unaffected. Moving it to one side will linearly attenuate the signal of the opposite side.
</p>

<p class="note">
  While the balance control is considerably less flexible than the stereo panner, it works with arbitrary content without danger of introducing comb filter artifacts.
</p>

---
title: Stereo Panner
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  The default <dfn>stereo panner</dfn> distributes two inputs to two outputs. Its
  behaviour is controlled by two parameters, <dfn>width</dfn> and
  <dfn>position</dfn>. By default, the panner is centered at full width.
</p>

<p>
  The stereo panner assumes that the signals
  you wish to distribute are either uncorrelated (i.e. totally
  independent), or that they contain a stereo image which is
  <dfn>mono-compatible</dfn>, such as a co-incident microphone recording, or a
  sound stage that has been created with pan pots.<sup><a href="#caveat">*</a></sup>
</p>

<p class="note">
  With the default values it is not possible to alter the position,
  since the width is already spread entirely across both outputs. To
  alter the position, you must first reduce the width.
</p>

<h2>Stereo Panner User Interface</h2>

<img src="/images/stereo-panner-annotated.png" alt=""/>

<p>
  The <dfn>panner user interface</dfn> consists of three elements, divided between
  the top and bottom half. Click and/or drag in the top half to
  control position; click and/or drag in the bottom half to control
  width (see below for details).
</p>

<p>
  In the top half is the position indicator, which shows where the
  center of the stereo image is relative to the left and right
  edges. When this is the middle of the panner, the stereo image is
  centered between the left and right outputs. When it all the way to
  the left, the stereo image collapses to just the left speaker.
</p>

<p>
  In the bottom half are two signal indicators, one marked "L" and the
  other "R". The distance between these two shows the width of the
  stereo image. If the width is reduced to zero, there will only be a
  single signal indicator marked "M" (for mono), whose color will
  change to indicate the special state.
</p>

<p>
  It is possible to invert the outputs (see below) so that whatever
  would have gone to the right channel goes to the left and vice
  versa. When this happens, the entire movable part of the panner
  changes color to indicate clearly that this is the case.
</p>

<h3>Position vs. L/R</h3>

<p>
  Although the implementation of the panner uses the "position"
  parameter, when the user interface displays it numerically, it shows
  a pair of numbers that will be familiar to most audio engineers.
</p>

<table>
<tr><th>Position</th><th>L/R</th><th>English</th></tr>
<tr><td>0</td><td>L=50% R=50%</td><td>signal image is midway between
    left and right speakers</td></tr>

<tr><td>-1</td><td>L=100% R=0%</td><td>signal image is entirely
    at the left speaker</td></tr>

<tr><td>1</td><td>L=0% R=100%</td><td>signal image is entirely
    at the right speaker</td></tr>
</table>

<p>
  One way to remember this sort of convention is that the middle of the
  USA is not Kansas, but "Los Angeles: 50% New York: 50%".
</p>

<h3>Examples In Use</h3>

<table>
<tr><th>Appearance</th><th>Settings</th></tr>
<tr><td><img src="/images/stereo-panner.png"></td><td>Width=100%,
    L=50 R=50</td></tr>
<tr><td><img src="/images/stereo-panner-zero.png"></td><td>Width=0%,
    L=50 R=50</td></tr>
<tr><td><img src="/images/stereo-panner-inverted.png"></td><td>Width=-100%, Position = 0 (center)</td></tr>
<tr><td><img src="/images/stereo-panner-right.png"></td><td>Width=36%,
    L=44 R=56</td></tr>
<tr><td><img src="/images/stereo-panner-hard-right.png"></td><td>Width=0%,
    L=0 R=100</td></tr>
</table>

<h4>Using the mouse</h4>

<p>
  Mouse operations in the upper half of the panner adjust the position
  parameter, constrained by the current width setting.
</p>
<p>
  Mouse operations in the lower half of the panner adjust the width
  parameter, constrained by the current position setting.
</p>
<p>
  To change the position smoothly, press the right button and drag
  within the top half of the panner, then release. The position will
  be limited by the current width setting. <em>Note: you do not need
  to grab the position indicator in order to drag.</em>
</p>
<p>
  To change the width smoothly, press the right button and drag
  within the lower half of the panner, then release. The width will be
  limited by the current position setting. <em>Note: you do not need to
  grab the L/R indicators in order to drag.</em>
</p>

<dl class="faq">

<dt>Reset to defaults</dt>
<dd>Click <kbd class="mod3 mouse">right</kbd></dd>

<dt>Change to hard left</dt>
<dd>Double click <kbd class="mod2 mouse">right</kbd> in the upper left half
  of the panner</dd>

<dt>Change to a hard right</dt>
<dd>Double click <kbd class="mod2 mouse">right</kbd> in the upper right half
  of the panner</dd>

<dt>Move position as far left as possible, given width</dt>
<dd>Double click <kbd class="mouse">right</kbd> in the upper left half of the
  panner</dd>

<dt>Move position as far right as possible, given width</dt>
<dd>Double click <kbd class="mouse">right</kbd> in the upper right half of the
  panner</dd>

<dt>Set the position to center</dt>
<dd>Click <kbd class="mouse">right</kbd> in the upper middle of the panner</dd>

<dt>Reset to maximum possible width</dt>
<dd>Double click <kbd class="mouse">right</kbd> on the lower left side</dd>

<dt>Invert (flip channel assignments)</dt>
<dd>Double click <kbd class="mouse">right</kbd> on the lower right side</dd>

<dt>Set width to 0&deg;</dt>
<dd>Double click <kbd class="mouse">right</kbd> in the lower middle</dd>
</dl>

<h4>Keyboard bindings</h4>

<p>
  When the pointer is within a stereo panner user interface, the following
  keybindings are available to operate on that panner:
</p>

<dl>
  <dt><kbd>&uarr;</kbd> / <kbd class="mod1">&uarr;</kbd></dt>
  <dd>increase width by 1&deg; / 5&deg;</dd>
  <dt><kbd>&darr;</kbd> / <kbd class="mod1">&darr;</kbd></dt>
  <dd>decrease width by 1&deg; / 5&deg;</dd>
  <dt><kbd>&larr;</kbd> / <kbd class="mod1">&larr;</kbd></dt>
  <dd>move position 1&deg; / 5&deg; to the left</dd>
  <dt><kbd>&rarr;</kbd> / <kbd class="mod1">&rarr;</kbd></dt>
  <dd>move position 1&deg / 5&deg; to the right</dd>
  <dt><kbd>0</kbd></dt>
  <dd>reset position to center</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="mod2">&uarr;</kbd></dt>
  <dd>reset width to full (100%)</dd>
</dl>

<h4>Using the scroll wheel/touch scroll</h4>

<p>
  When the pointer is within a stereo panner user interface, the scroll
  wheel may be used as follows:
</p>

<dl>
  <dt><kbd class="mouse">&lArr;</kbd> / <kbd class="mod1 mouse">&lArr;</kbd></dt>
  <dd>increase width by 1&deg; / 5&deg;</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="mouse">&rArr;</kbd> / <kbd class="mod1 mouse">&rArr;</kbd></dt>
  <dd>decrease width by 1&deg; / 5&deg;</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="mouse">&uArr;</kbd> / <kbd class="mod1 mouse">&uArr;</kbd></dt>
  <dd>move position 1&deg; / 5&deg; to the left</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="mouse">&dArr;</kbd> / <kbd class="mod1 mouse">&dArr;</kbd></dt>
  <dd>move position 1&deg; / 5&deg;to the right</dd>
</dl>

<h2><a name="caveat"></a>Stereo panning caveats</h2>

<p class="warning">
  The stereo panner will introduce unwanted side effects on
  material that includes a time difference between the channels, such
  as A/B, ORTF or NOS microphone recordings, or delay-panned mixes.<br />
  When you reduce the width, you are effectively summing two highly
  correlated signals with a delay, which will cause <dfn>comb filtering</dfn>.
</p>

<p>
  Let's take a closer look at what happens when you record a source at 45° to the
  right side with an ORTF stereo microphone array and then manipulate the width.
</p>

<p>
  For testing, we apply a <dfn>pink noise</dfn> signal to both inputs of an Ardour stereo
  bus with the stereo panner, and feed the bus output to a two-channel analyser.
  Since pink noise contains equal energy per octave, the expected readout is a
  straight line, which would indicate that our signal chain does not color the
  sound:
</p>

<img src="/images/stereo-panner-with-ORTF-fullwidth.png" />

<p>
  To simulate an ORTF, we use Robin Gareus' stereo balance
  control LV2 to set the level difference and time delay. Ignore the Trim/Gain&mdash;its purpose is just to align the test signal with the 0dB line of the
  analyser.
</p>

<p>
  Recall that an <dfn>ORTF</dfn> microphone pair consists of two cardioids
  spaced 17&nbsp;cm apart, with an opening angle of 110°. For a far source at
  45° to the right, the time difference between the capsules is 350&nbsp;&mu;s
  or approximately 15 samples at 44.1&nbsp;kHz. The level difference due to the
  directivity of the microphones is about 7.5&nbsp;dB (indicated by the
  distance between the blue and red lines in the analyser).
</p>

<p>
  Now for the interesting part: if we reduce the width of the signal to 50%,
  the time-delayed signals will be combined in the panner. Observe what
  happens to the frequency response of the left and right outputs:
</p>

<img src="/images/stereo-panner-with-ORTF-halfwidth.png" />

<p>
  You may argue that all spaced microphone recordings will undergo comb
  filtering later, when the two channels recombine in the air between the speakers.
  Perceptually however, there is a huge of difference: our hearing system is
  very good at eliminating comb filters in the real world, where their component
  signals are spatially separated. But once you combine them
  inside your signal chain, this spatial separation is lost and the brain will
  no longer be able to sort out the timbral mess. As usual, you
  get to keep the pieces.
</p>

<p class="note">
  Depending on your material and on how much you need to manipulate the width,
  some degree of comb filtering may be acceptable. Then again, it may not. Listen
  carefully for artefacts if you manipulate unknown stereo signals&mdash;many
  orchestra sample libraries for example do contain time-delay components.
</p>


---
title: Plugin and Hardware Inserts
part: chapter
---


---
title: Working With Plugins
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  <dfn>Plugins</dfn> are bits of software that get loaded by Ardour in order to create various audio or MIDI effects, or generate audio by functioning as "software instruments".
</p>

<p>
  Ardour supports a variety of different plugin standards:
</p>

<dl class="narrower-table">
  <dt><abbr title="Linux Audio Developers' Simple Plugin API">LADSPA</abbr></dt>
  <dd>An early, simple, lightweight plugin <abbr title="Application
  Programming Interface">API</abbr>, audio effects only,
  plugins have no editors/GUI of their own (Ardour provides one, however).</dd>
  <dt><abbr title="LADSPA Version 2">LV2</abbr></dt>
  <dd>An extensible, full-featured plugin API, audio and <abbr
  title="Musical Instrument Digital Interface">MIDI</abbr>, plugins can provide their
  own  <abbr title="Graphical User Interface">GUI</abbr>s; the successor to LADSPA</dd>
  <dt><abbr title="Audio Unit">AU</abbr></dt>
  <dd>OS X only, full featured, audio and MIDI, plugins can provide their own GUI</dd>

  <dt><abbr title="Virtual Studio Technology">VST</abbr></dt>
  <dd>Plugins using Steinberg's VST plugin standard. Varies by platform:
    <dl>
    <dt>on Linux</dt><dd>(native) Linux VST plugins fully supported (VST2.4)</dd>
    <dt>on Windows</dt><dd>(native) Windows VST plugins fully supported (VST2.4)</dd>
    <dt>on OS X</dt><dd>Not supported, unless you use a VST-to-AU
    bridge plugin. Similar to Apple's Logic DAW.</dd>
  </dl>
  </dd>

  <dt>Windows VST Plugins on Linux</dt>
  <dd>VST plugins for Windows, but being used on Linux. <strong>Normally not supported.</strong> See <a href="/working-with-plugins/windows-vst-support">Windows VST Plugins on Linux</a> for details.
  </dd>
</dl>

---
title: Processor Box
part: subchapter
---

<p><img class="right" src="/images/processor-box.png" alt="the Processor Box" /></p>

<p>
  In Ardour terminology, a <dfn>processor</dfn> is anything which treats the signal in some way and gets plugged into a mixer strip. Ardour provides several builtin processors such as the fader or panners. Processors can also be <dfn>plugins</dfn> used for effects or as instruments, as well as sends or inserts which affect <a href="/signal-routing">signal routing</a>.
</p>

<p>
  The arrangement of processors is arbitrary, and there is no limit to how
  many there can be. The Processor Box will automagically add a scrollbar to
  itself if there are more processors in it than can be shown in the given space.
</p>

<p>
  The main box in the top half of a mixer strip shows the <dfn>processor
  box</dfn>. Processors are shown as colored rectangles, with a small "LED" beside
  them that lights up when the processor is enabled. The color of the
  processor depends on its location in the sequence; processors that are <dfn>pre-fader</dfn> are colored in red, and <dfn>post-fader</dfn> processors are colored green (in the default theme).
</p>

<p>
  The <dfn>processor box</dfn> will always contain a blue <dfn>Fader</dfn> processor. This indicates where in the processor chain the main channel fader is located; this is the fader shown in the lower half of the strip. It can be enabled and disabled like any other processor.
</p>

<h2>Adding Processors</h2>
<p>
  Processors can be added to the chain by <kbd class="mouse">Right</kbd>-clicking in the processor list, This does three things:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>A gap is opened up to indicate the location of the click. The gap shows where any new processors will be inserted.</li>
  <li>The processor under the click is selected.</li>
  <li>An options menu is presented.</li>
</ul>

<p>
  From the menu, new processors can be inserted.
</p>

<p>
  Processors can also be dragged and dropped from the <a href="/working-with-plugins/plugin-sidebar/"><dfn>Favorite Plugins</dfn> window</a> to an appropriate spot in the Processor Box.
</p>

<p class="note">
  The <dfn>Favorite Plugins</dfn> window can be populated via the <a href="/working-with-plugins/plugin-manager/">Plugin Manager</a>, or by dragging and dropping an existing processor from the <dfn>processor box</dfn> to the <dfn>Favorite Plugins</dfn> window.
</p>

<h2>To Reorder (Move) Processors</h2>
<p>
  Processors can be re-ordered using drag &amp; drop. Dragging a processor
  allows it to be moved around within the chain, or copied to another
  processor list on another track or bus.
</p>

<h2>To Enable/Disable a Processor</h2>

<p><img class="right" src="/images/processor.png" alt="a typical processor" /></p>

<p>
  To the left of the name of each processor is a small LED symbol; if this
  is lit-up, the processor is active. Clicking on it will deactivate the
  processor and effectively bypass it.
</p>

<p class="note">
  Some processors have their own bypass controls that are independent of the one that Ardour provides; this can make it appear that the plugin is non-responsive when its independent bypass control is active.
</p>

<h2>Selecting Processors</h2>
<p>
  A processor in the <dfn>processor box</dfn> can be selected with a <kbd class="mouse">Left</kbd>-click on it; it will be highlighed in red. Other processors can be selected at the same time by <kbd class="mouse">Left</kbd>-clicking on them while holding down the <kbd class="mod1">&zwnj;</kbd> key, and ranges can be selected by <kbd class="mouse">Left</kbd>-clicking on them while holding down the <kbd>Shift</kbd> key
</p>

<h2>Removing Processors</h2>
<p>
  Context-click on the processor to be removed, and select <kbd
  class="menu">Delete</kbd>; or <kbd class="mod3 mouse">Right</kbd>-click on it; or <kbd class="mouse">Left</kbd>-click on it and press the <kbd>Delete</kbd> key. If multiple processors are selected, they will all be deleted at the same time.
</p>

---
title: Plugin Manager
part: subchapter
---

<p class="fixme">This needs updating; it was written for v3 or v4, and it's out of date</p>

<p>
  The <dfn>Plugin Manager</dfn> serves two purposes. Primarily it is used to control the display status of plugins. It can also be used to find and insert plugins into the <a href="/working-with-plugins/processor-box/">Processor Box</a>. It is displayed either by a double-click in the <dfn>Processor Box</dfn> or by choosing <kbd class="menu">New Plugin &gt; Plugin Manager...</kbd> from the <dfn>Processor Box</dfn> context menu.
</p>

<p class="center"><img src="/images/plugin-manager.png" alt="Plugin Manager window"/></p>

<p>
  Displayed for each plugin is the status (normal, favorite, hidden),
  name, type, category, creator (author), and the number of audio and MIDI
  connections. The plugins can be sorted by clicking on a column header.
</p>

<h2>Plugin Display Status</h2>

<p>
  Click on a Fav(orite) or Hide radio button to change a plugin's display status. Clicking on an already selected radio button will cancel it, returning the plugin to the normal display status. Plugins marked as a favorite show up in the <dfn>Processor Box</dfn> context menu under <kbd class="menu">New Plugin &gt; Favorites</kbd> and in <dfn>Favorite Plugins</dfn> pane in the Mixer window. Setting the hide radio button on a plugin will keep the plugin from showing in the <dfn>Processor Box</dfn> context menus <kbd class="menu">New Plugin &gt; By Creator</kbd> or <kbd class="menu">New Plugin &gt; By Category</kbd>.
</p>

<h2>Filtering Listed Plugins</h2>

<p>
  The middle of the <dfn>Plugin Manager</dfn> is used to filter the listed plugins. Typing into the text-box will filter the plugins based on the filter mode selected by drop-down box. Clicking <kbd class="button">Clear</kbd> empties the text-box.
</p>

<h2>Inserting Plugins in the Processor Box</h2>

<p>
  The bottom half of the plugin manager shows plugins that have been selected
  for insertion into the <dfn>Processor Box</dfn>. A plugin can be added by
  either double clicking the plugin entry in the top half, or, if already
  selected in top half, by clicking <kbd class="button">Add</kbd>.
<p>

<p>
  Plugins can be removed from the bottom half with a double click, or, if
  already selected, by clicking <kbd class="button">Remove</kbd>.
</p>

---
title: Favorite Plugins Window
part: subchapter
---

<p><img class="right" src="/images/favorite-plugins.png" alt="Favorite Plugins window"/></p>

<p>
  The <dfn>Favorite Plugins</dfn> window is on the top-left side of the <dfn>Mixer Window</dfn>. Like other elements in that window it has variable height and can be hidden by dragging it to zero-height. If it is not visible, the top-handle can be grabbed and dragged down to reveal it.
</p>

<p>
  Plugin names that have a right facing triangle next to them have presets associated with them; clicking on the triangle will cause all presets associated with the plugin to show in the list.
</p>

<h2 style="clear:both;">Features</h2>

<p>
  The Favorite Plugins window provides easy access to frequently used plugins:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>Plugins can be dragged from the window to any track or bus <a href="/working-with-plugins/processor-box/"><dfn>processor box</dfn></a>, which will add the plugin to that track or bus at the given position.</li>
  <li>The list includes user-presets for the plugins. Dragging a preset to a given track or bus will load that preset after adding the plugin.</li>
  <li>Double-clicking on a plugin or preset adds the given plugin to all selected tracks/busses pre-fader. Other insert positions are available from the context menu (right click).</li>
  <li>
  <p><img class="right" src="/images/mixer-to-fav-dnd.png" alt="Dragging plugin to Favorites window"/></p>
  Dragging a plugin from a track into the window will add it to the list and optionally create a new preset from the current settings. The horizontal line in the list shows the spot where the plugin will land.
  </li>
  <li>The context-menu allows the deletion of presets or removal of the plugin from the list.</li>
  <li>Plugins in the list can be re-ordered using drag &amp; drop. The custom order is saved.</li>
</ul>

<p style="clear:both;" class="note">
  When favorites are added with the <a href="/working-with-plugins/plugin-manager">Plugin Manager</a>, they are appended to the bottom of the list.
</p>

---
title: Managing Plugin Presets
part: subchapter
---

<p class="fixme">Add images</p>

<p>
  All plugin control widgets, whether they are created by Ardour or
  by the plugin, have a common set of controls at the top of the window.
  These include 4 controls for managing <dfn>plugin presets</dfn>.
</p>

<h2>What Is a Plugin Preset?</h2>

<p>
  A <dfn>preset</dfn> for a plugin is simply a saved set of values for
  all of a plugin's parameters. If you load a preset, you are restoring
  all the parameters of that plugin to the values stored in the preset.
  This is an easy, fast way to manage your preferred settings for
  particular plugins.
</p>

<h2>The Preset Selector</h2>

<p>
  The <dfn>preset selector</dfn> is a regular selector that can be
  clicked to display a list of all known presets for this plugin. This
  will include presets that you have created yourself, and for some
  plugin formats, presets that come with the plugin itself.
</p>

<h2>Load a New Preset</h2>

<p>
  Click on the preset selector to pop up a menu showing the names of
  all available presets. Click on the name of the preset you wish to load.
  The preset will be loaded&mdash;you may see various controls in the
  plugin editor change to reflect the new value of some or all parameters.
</p>

<h2>Create a Preset</h2>

<p>
  To save the current plugin settings as a new preset, click on the
  <kbd class="menu">Add</kbd> button at the top of the window. A dialog
  will appear to ask for the name of the preset.
</p>

<h2>Save a Preset</h2>

<p>
  If you wish to modify the settings in an existing preset, first use
  the preset selector to load the preset, then adjust the settings as
  you wish. When done, click the <kbd class="menu">Save</kbd> button
  and the new values will be stored, overwriting the previous version
  of this preset.
</p>

<h2>Delete a preset</h2>

<p>
  To delete an existing preset, use the preset selector to load the preset.
  Click the <kbd class="menu">Delete</kbd> button, and the preset will be
  removed. The preset selector turn blank, showing that no preset is
  currently loaded (although the settings will stay as they were).
</p>

---
title: Working with Ardour-built Plugin Editors
part: subchapter
---

<p class="fixme">This section needs expansion, and at least one image</p>

<p>
  To view a plugin editor, double-click on the plugin within the
  <a href="/working-with-plugins/processor-box">processor box</a>.
  A new window will appear showing the editor/GUI for the plugin.
</p>

<p>
  If a plugin does not have its own GUI, Ardour will construct a
  <dfn>generic plugin editor</dfn> from a small set of common control
  elements. Ardour will do this even for plugins that have their
  own, if <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt;
  GUI &gt; Use Plugins' own interface instead of Ardour's</kbd> is disabled.
</p>

<p>
  The generic UI can be temporarily switched to by context-clicking on
  a processor and selecting <kbd
  class="menu">Edit with generic controls</kbd>. This will be necessary to
  access the <a href="/automation">plugin automation controls</a>.
</p>

<p>
  In the generic UI, any controller can be reset to its default by
  <kbd class="mod3 mouse">Left</kbd>-clicking on it.
</p>

---
title: Plugins Bundled With Ardour
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Ardour now comes with the following plugins as part of a standard installation:
</p>

<dl class="narrower-table">
  <dt>a-Amplifier</dt>
  <dd>A versatile &plusmn;20dB multichannel amplifier</dd>
  <dt>a-Compressor</dt>
  <dd>A side-chain enabled compressor with the usual controls. Comes in stereo and mono versions</dd>
  <dt>a-Delay</dt>
  <dd>A basic single-tap delay line, with tempo sync</dd>
  <dt>a-EQ</dt>
  <dd>A nice sounding 4-band parametric EQ with shelves</dd>
  <dt>a-Fluid Synth</dt>
  <dd>Wraps the Fluidsynth SoundFont2 synthesis engine as a new sample player</dd>
  <dt>a-High/Low Pass Filter</dt>
  <dd>Independent high and low pass filters with steepness up to 48dB/octave</dd>
  <dt>a-Inline Scope</dt>
  <dd>A mixer strip inline waveform display</dd>
  <dt>a-Inline Spectrogram</dt>
  <dd>A mixer strip inline specturm display</dd>
  <dt>a-MIDI Monitor</dt>
  <dd>A mixer strip inline display to show recent <abbr title="Musical Instrument Digital Interface">MIDI</abbr> events</dd>
  <dt>a-Reverb</dt>
  <dd>A reverb that finds a balance between sounding good, using a lot of CPU and having too many controls</dd>
</dl>

---
title: Getting More Plugins
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  The following list shows <dfn>plugin packages</dfn>. In some cases, a package contains just one or two plugins; in other cases, dozens.
</p>

<h2>Plugins by Standard</h2>

<h3 id="LADSPA">LADSPA</h3>

<ul>
  <li>AMB <a href="http://kokkinizita.linuxaudio.org/linuxaudio/">http://kokkinizita.linuxaudio.org/linuxaudio/</a></li>
  <li>Blepvco <a href="http://smbolton.com/linux.html">http://smbolton.com/linux.html</a></li>
  <li>Blop <a href="http://blop.sourceforge.net">http://blop.sourceforge.net</a></li>
  <li>CAPS <a href="http://quitte.de/dsp/caps.html">http://quitte.de/dsp/caps.html</a></li>
  <li>CMT <a href="http://www.ladspa.org/cmt/">http://www.ladspa.org/cmt/</a></li>
  <li>FIL <a href="http://kokkinizita.linuxaudio.org/linuxaudio/">http://kokkinizita.linuxaudio.org/linuxaudio/</a></li>
  <li>FOO <a href="http://code.google.com/p/foo-plugins/">http://code.google.com/p/foo-plugins/</a></li>
  <li>MCP <a href="http://kokkinizita.linuxaudio.org/linuxaudio/">http://kokkinizita.linuxaudio.org/linuxaudio/</a></li>
  <li>NJL <a href="https://github.com/tialaramex/njl-plugins">https://github.com/tialaramex/njl-plugins</a></li>
  <li>Omins <a href="http://www.nongnu.org/om-synth/omins.html">http://www.nongnu.org/om-synth/omins.html</a></li>
  <li>REV <a href="http://kokkinizita.linuxaudio.org/linuxaudio/">http://kokkinizita.linuxaudio.org/linuxaudio/</a></li>
  <li>SWH <a href="http://plugin.org.uk/">http://plugin.org.uk/</a></li>
  <li>TAP <a href="http://tap-plugins.sourceforge.net/">http://tap-plugins.sourceforge.net/</a></li>
  <li>VCF <a href="http://users.suse.com/~mana/ladspa.html">http://users.suse.com/~mana/ladspa.html</a></li>
  <li>VCO <a href="http://kokkinizita.linuxaudio.org/linuxaudio/">http://kokkinizita.linuxaudio.org/linuxaudio/</a></li>
  <li>VLevel <a href="http://vlevel.sourceforge.net/about/">http://vlevel.sourceforge.net/about/</a></li>
  <li>Vocoder <a href="http://www.sirlab.de/linux/download_vocoder.html">http://www.sirlab.de/linux/download_vocoder.html</a></li>
  <li>WASP <a href="http://linux01.gwdg.de/~nlissne/wasp/index.html">http://linux01.gwdg.de/~nlissne/wasp/index.html</a> (mar wanted!)</li>
  <li>Nova <a href="http://klingt.org/~tim/nova-filters/">http://klingt.org/~tim/nova-filters/</a></li>
  <li>Calf <a href="http://calf.sourceforge.net/">http://calf.sourceforge.net/</a></li>
  <li>Socal’s LEET Plugins <a href="http://code.google.com/p/leetplugins/">http://code.google.com/p/leetplugins/</a></li>
  <!--<li>Holap synthesizer and DSP effects <a href="http://holap.berlios.de/">http://holap.berlios.de/</a></li>-->
</ul>

<h3 id="LV2">LV2</h3>

<ul>
  <li>SWH <a href="http://plugin.org.uk/lv2/">http://plugin.org.uk/lv2/</a></li>
  <li>ll-plugins <a href="http://ll-plugins.nongnu.org/">http://ll-plugins.nongnu.org/</a></li>
  <li>zynadd <a href="http://home.gna.org/zyn/">http://home.gna.org/zyn/</a></li>
  <li>Calf <a href="http://calf.sourceforge.net/">http://calf.sourceforge.net/</a></li>
  <li>LinuxDSP <a href="http://www.overtonedsp.co.uk/download/linuxdsp-archive/">http://www.overtonedsp.co.uk/download/linuxdsp-archive/</a></li>
  <li>Invada Studio <a href="https://launchpad.net/invada-studio/">https://launchpad.net/invada-studio/</a></li>
</ul>

<h3 id="LinuxVST">Linux VST (LXVST)</h3>

<ul>
  <li>Loomer <a href="http://www.loomer.co.uk/">http://www.loomer.co.uk/</a></li>
  <li>Distrho <a href="http://distrho.sourceforge.net/ports.php">http://distrho.sourceforge.net/ports.php</a></li>
  <li>Argotlunar <a href="http://argotlunar.info/">http://argotlunar.info/</a></li>
</ul>

<h2>How do I install plugins?</h2>

<h3>Linux</h3>

<p>
  <dfn>Installation</dfn> will vary a little depending on how you get plugins.  If your repository has a particular plugin package, just install it using the normal software package management tool for your system. Most Linux distributions that are good for audio work will have most of the LADSPA and LV2 plugins mentioned above available in ready-to-use forms.
</p>

<p>
  Finding them will typically require <em>searching</em> your distribution's repository to find the name of the package. The tools for doing this vary from distribution to distribution. A good place to start searching is with the name of the package (e.g. "caps" or "calf"). There are no fixed rules about what different Linux distributions call their packages for a given set of plugins.
</p>

<p>
  If the package isn't available, then you can build the plugins from source (plugins are generally fairly easy to compile if you've ever done this sort of thing before).
</p>

<p>
  LADSPA plugins are shared library files. They need to be installed in either /usr/lib/ladspa, /usr/local/lib/ladspa or in a directory mentioned in your LADSPA_PATH environment variable.
</p>

<p>
  LV2 plugins are folders/directories. They need to installed in either /usr/lib/lv2, /usr/local/lib/lv2 or a directory mentioned in your LV2_PATH environment variable.
</p>

<p>
  Linux VST (LXVST) plugins are distributed as shared library files. They are typically installed in /usr/lib/lxvst, /usr/local/lib/lxvst or a directory mentioned in your LXVST_PATH environment variable.
</p>

<h3>OS X</h3>

<p>
  Unless you're a particularly technical computer user, building and installing plugins in the LV2 (or LADSPA) format is probably not something worth planning on.
</p>

<p>
  Most of the plugins you are likely to use on OS X will be in Apple's AudioUnit format. These have their own installation process that tends to just work.
</p>

---
title: Using Windows VST Plugins on Linux
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Thanks to the combined work of Torben Hohn, Kjetil Mattheusen, Paul
  Davis and a few other developers, it is possible to use Windows
  <dfn><abbr title="Virtual Studio Technology">VST</abbr>
  plugins</dfn> (that is, plugins in VST format built and distributed
  for the Windows platforms) on Ardour running on Linux. (Note: there
  is no VST support of any kind on OS X).
</p>

<p>However, doing so has three <em>substantial</em> downsides:</p>

<ul>
  <li>It requires a special build of Ardour that is fundamentally
  very different from normal builds</li>
  <li>Support depends on <a href="http://winehq.org/">Wine</a>,
  a Windows "emulator"</li>
  <li>As usual with plugins, a crashing plugin will take Ardour down
  with it&mdash;and crashes in Windows VST plugins are more likely when
  used in this way</li>
</ul>

<p>
  The dependence on Wine makes it almost impossible for the Ardour
  project to support this feature. Wine's functionality generally
  improves over time, but any given release of Wine may behave worse
  with some or all Windows VST plugins. It may even just crash Ardour
  completely.
</p>

<p>
  Step back and think about what "using Windows VSTs" really means:
  taking bits of software written with only one idea in mind&mdash;running
  on the Windows platform&mdash;and then trying to use them on an entirely
  different platform. It is a bit of a miracle (largely thanks to the
  incredible work done by the Wine project) that it works at all. But is
  this the basis of a stable, reliable DAW for a non-Windows platform?
  Getting Ardour on Linux to pretend that its really a Windows
  application running on Windows?
</p>

<p>
  We understand that there are many outstanding plugins available as
  Windows VSTs and that in many cases, no equivalent is available for
  Ardour's Linux-based users. If your workflow is so dependent on those
  plugins, then remain on Windows (or potentially consider using an
  actual Windows VST host running inside of Wine). If you can make the
  effort, you will get a better environment by using a normal build of
  Ardour and exploring the world of plugins built to run on Linux
  natively. This covers LADSPA, LV2 and Linux VST formats, and even some
  outstanding proprietary plugins such as those
  from <a href="http://www.loomer.co.uk/">Loomer</a>.
</p>

<h2>A Plea To Plugin Manufacturers</h2>

<p>
  Please consider porting your plugins so that users can enjoy them on
  Linux too. Several other commercial plugin developers have already
  done this. You can choose between using "Linux VST" (which is what
  Loomer and others have done)&mdash;you will find toolkits like JUCE that
  help to make this fairly easy&mdash;or using LV2 format which is
  ultimately more flexible but probably more work. We have users&mdash;thousands of users&mdash;on Linux who would like to use your plugins.
</p>


---
title: Automation
part: chapter
---


---
title: Mixdown
part: chapter
---


---
title: Export Dialog
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  When you have finished mixing your session, you probably want to export it to a sound file to burn to a CD, upload to the web, or whatever. <kbd class="menu">Session &gt; Export &gt; Export to Audio file(s)...</kbd> shows the Export Dialog to do this.
</p>

<p>
  You can also export the outputs of multiple tracks &amp; busses all at once via
  <kbd class="menu">Session &gt; Export &gt; Stem Export...</kbd>.
</p>

<h2>File Format</h2>

<img src="/images/export-dialog-file-format.png" />

<p>
  This tab contains controls for the format of the exported audio file. You can enable more than one format here, in which case each will be exported in turn. Ardour is supplied with a list of export formats, including:
  <ul>
    <li>CD (Red Book)</li>
    <li>DVD-A</li>
    <li>FLAC 24 bit </li>
    <li>FLAC 24 bit (tagged)</li>
    <li>Ogg_Vorbis</li>
    <li>Ogg_Vorbis (tagged)</li>
    <li>Ring Tone</li>
  </ul>
  You can edit these formats, or create your own, with the <a href="/exporting/edit-export-format-profile/">"Edit Export Format Profile"</a> dialog, which appears when you click the "Edit" or "New" button to the right of the drop-down list of formats.
</p>

<p>
  You can also create a 'Preset' consisting of one or more formats. Ardour provides some ready-made presets, too:
  <ul>
    <li>CD + DVD-A</li>
    <li>CD + FLAC</li>
    <li>CD + FLAC (tagged)</li>
    <li>CD + Ogg_Vorbis + FLAC (tagged)</li>
    <li>CD + Ogg_Vorbis</li>
    <li>CD + Ogg_Vorbis (tagged)</li>
    <li>CD only</li>
    <li>DVD-A only</li>
    <li>FLAC</li>
    <li>FLAC (tagged)</li>
    <li>Ogg_Vorbis + FLAC</li>
    <li>Ogg_Vorbis + FLAC (tagged)</li>
    <li>Ogg_Vorbis </li>
    <li>Ogg_Vorbis (tagged)</li>
  </ul>
</p>

<h3>Soundcloud upload</h3>

<p>
  When 'Upload to Soundcloud' is ticked on in any format's tab, a pane containing fields to enter in Soundcloud account details (email and password), and what should happen to the uploaded files will become visible.
</p>

<img src="/images/soundcloud-upload.png" />

<p>
<dl>
<dt>Make files public</dt><dd>Choose whether to make uploaded files available to anyone via the Soundcloud web site.</dd>
<dt>Open uploaded files in browser</dt><dd>Open each file on soundcloud in your browser after upload. If you don't enable this, you can still see the URLs in the <a href="">Log window</a>.</dd>
<dt>Make files downloadable</dt><dd>Choose whether to allow downloading of files uploaded to Soundcloud.</dd>
</dl>
</p>

<h2>Time Span</h2>

<img src="/images/export-dialog-timespan.png" />

<p>
  This tab allows you to select the range (or ranges) of the timeline to export. By default, "session" is enabled&mdash;this will export the whole session from the start marker to the end marker.
</p>


<h2>Channels</h2>

<img src="/images/export-dialog-channels.png" />

<p>
  Here you can choose which outputs (tracks or busses) should be sent to the exported file.
</p>

<h2>Stem Export</h2>

<img src="/images/export-dialog-stem-export.png" />

<p>
  If you chose 'Stem Export', the 'Channels' tab appears slightly differently:
  in this case each chosen channel (track or bus) is exported to its own file,
  instead of all channels being mixed together into a single file. You can
  choose to export either the region contents or the track output here in this
  case.
</p>

---
title: Export Format Profiles
part: subchapter
---

<h2>Export Format Profiles</h2>

<p>
  An Export Format Profile specifies the file format in which Ardour will export
  audio files, and also other audio file export options.
</p>

<p>
  Export Format Profiles are edited via the 'Edit Export Format Profile' dialog.
</p>

<img src="/images/edit-export-format-profile.png" />

<h3>Normalize</h3>

<p>
  If enabled, peak levels of exported files will be normalized to the level chosen here.
</p>

<h3>Trim/Add silence at start/end</h3>

<p>
</p>

<h3>Compatibility/Quality/File format/Sample rate</h3>

<h4>Compatibility</h4>

<p>
  Selecting an item in the 'Compatibility' column will display options in the
  other columns that are incompatible with that item in red.
</p>

<h4>Quality</h4>

<p>
  The appropriate item in the 'Quality' column will be highlighted when you
  choose a file format. Clicking on items in the 'Quality' column currently
  doesn't seem to do anything useful.
</p>

<h4>File format</h4>

<p>
  This column contains a list of Ardour's supported export file types. Click on
  the format you want to use.
</p>

<h4>Sample rate</h4>

<p>
  You can explicitly choose the sample rate of your exported files here, or
  choose 'Session rate' to export in the current session's sample rate, without
  sample rate conversion.
</p>

<h4>Sample rate conversion quality</h4>

<p>
  If your chosen sample rate does not match the current session's sample rate,
  choose the sample rate conversion quality here. Better quality options are
  slower.
</p>

<h3>Options</h3>

<p>
  Options relevant to the chosen file format will appear here.
  Categories of audio file format are:
  <ul>
    <li>Linear encoding</li>
    <li>Broadcast Wave</li>
    <li>Ogg Vorbis</li>
    <li>FLAC</li>
  </ul>
</p>

<p>
  Available options include a selection of the following:
</p>

<h4>Sample Format</h4>

<p>
  Choose the bit depth of exported files.
</p>

<h4>Dithering</h4>

<p>
  If the exported files bit depth is less than Ardour's native bit depth,
  choose the dithering algorithm to use.
</p>

<h4>Create CUE file/Create TOC file</h4>

<p>
  As well as exporting an audio file, create a file (in CUE or TOC format
  respectively) containg CD track information, as defined in the
  <a href="/working-with-markers/rangesmarks-list/">Ranges &amp; Marks List</a>.
</p>

<h4>Tag with session's metadata</h4>

<p>
  If the exported file format supports metadata, use data entered in the
  <a href="/working-with-sessions/metadata/">Session Metadata</a>
  window to tag the exported files.
</p>

<h3>Label</h3>

<p>
  The 'Label' field lets you choose the name which will be shown for this format
  in the drop-down list of export formats in the 'File Formats' tab of the
  <a href="/exporting/export-dialog/">Export dialog</a>.
</p>

<h3>Command to run post-export</h3>

<p>
  If this is not blank, it is considered as a command to be run after the export
  of each file. Either the command must exist in $PATH, or you can specify an
  absolute path to an executable file here.
</p>

<p>
  Certain sequences are allowed here to stand for the exported file name and the
  like. Currently these are:
  <dl>
    <dt><code>%f</code></dt>
    <dd>Full path &amp; filename of the exported audio file</dd>
    <dt><code>%d</code></dt>
    <dd>Directory containing the exported audio file (including trailing directory separator)</dd>
    <dt><code>%b</code></dt>
    <dd>Basename of the exported audio file (without extension)</dd>
    <dt><code>%s</code></dt>
    <dd>Path to the current session file</dd>
    <dt><code>%n</code></dt>
    <dd>Name of the current session file</dd>
    <dt><code>%%</code></dt>
    <dd>A literal percent sign</dd>
  </dl>
</p>

<p>
  Any part of the command-line enclosed in double-quotes (") will be used as-is.
</p>


---
title: Surround
part: part
---


---
title: Ardour Setup for Surround
part: chapter
---


---
title: Multichannel Tracks and Signal Routing
part: chapter
---


---
title: Surround Panning and Mixing
part: chapter
---


---
title: VBAP Panner
part: subchapter
---

<p class="warning">
  Ardour's VBAP panner is currently in development, and its semantics may
  change in the near future, possibly affecting your mixes. Please do not
  rely on it for important production work while the dust settles.
</p>

<p>
  <dfn><abbr title="Vector-base Amplitude Panning">VBAP</abbr></dfn>
  is a versatile and straightforward method to pan a source around over an
  arbitrary number of speakers on a horizontal polygon or a 3D surface,
  even if the speaker layout is highly irregular.
</p>

<h2>Basic concepts</h2>

<p>
  VBAP was developed by Ville Pulkki at Aalto University, Helsinki, in 2001.
  It works by distributing the signal to the speakers nearest to the desired
  direction with appropriate weightings, aiming to create a maximally sharp
  phantom source by using as few speakers as possible:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>one speaker, if the desired direction coincides with a speaker
  location,</li>
  <li>two speakers, if the desired direction is on the line between two
  speakers,</li>
  <li>and three speakers in the general 3D case.</li>
</ul>

<p>
  Thus, if you move the panner onto a speaker, you can be sure that only
  this speaker will get any signal. This is handy when you need precise
  1:1 routing.
</p>

<p>
  The drawback of VBAP is that a moving source will constantly change its
  apparent sharpness, as it transitions between the three states mentioned
  above.
</p>

<p>
  A <dfn>horizontal</dfn> VBAP panner has one parameter, the <dfn>azimuth
  angle</dfn>. A <dfn>full-sphere</dfn> panner offers an additional
  <dfn>elevation angle</dfn> control.
</p>

<p class="note">
  More elaborate implementations of VBAP also include a
  <dfn>spread</dfn> parameter, which  will distribute the signal over a
  greater number of speakers in order to maintain constant (but no longer
  maximal) sharpness, regardless of position. Ardour's VBAP panner does not
  currently include this feature.
</p>

<h2>Speaker layout</h2>

<p>
  Each VBAP panner is specific to its <dfn>speaker layout</dfn>&mdash;the panner has to "know" about the precise location of all the speakers. A complete VBAP implementation must therefore include the possibility to define this layout.
</p>

<img src="/images/VBAP-panner-5.png" class="small right" alt="The VBAP
panner with 5 outputs"/>

<p>
  Ardour currently uses a simplified approach: if a track or bus has more
  than two output channels (which implies stereo), it assumes that you
  have N speakers distributed in a regular N-gon. That means that for
  irregular layouts such as 5.1 or 7.1, the direction you dial in will
  differ a bit from the actual auditory result, but you can still achieve
  any desired spatialisation.
</p>

<h3>Experimental 3D VBAP</h3>

<img src="/images/VBAP-panner-10.png" class="small right" alt="The VBAP
panner with 10 outputs, in experimental 3D mode"/>

<p>
  For tracks with 10 outputs, Ardour will currently assume a 3-dimensional
  speaker layout corresponding to Auro-3D 10.1, which is a horizontal 5.1
  system, four elevated speakers above L, R, Ls, and Rs, and an additional
  "voice-of-god" speaker at the zenith.
</p>

<h2>N:M panning</h2>

<img src="/images/VBAP-panner-4in5.png" class="small right" alt="The VBAP
panner in 4 in, 5 out mode"/>

<p>
  For tracks and busses with more than one input, Ardour will (for now) assume that
  you wish to distribute the inputs symmetrically along the latitude around
  the panner direction. The width parameter controls the opening angle of
  the distribution sector.
</p>


---
title: Sync & Video
part: part
---


---
title: Working with Synchronization
part: chapter
---


---
title: On Clock and Time
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  <dfn>Synchronization</dfn> in multimedia involves two concepts which are
  often confused: <dfn>clock</dfn> (or speed) and <dfn>time</dfn> (location
  in time).
</p>

<p>
  A <dfn>clock</dfn> determines the speet at which one or more systems
  operate. In the audio world this is generally referred to as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_clock" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_clock">Word Clock</a>. It does not carry any absolute reference to a point in time: A clock is used to keep a system's sample rate regular and accurate. Word clock is usually at the frequency of the sample rate&mdash;at 48&nbsp;kHz, its period is about 20&nbsp;μs. Word Clock is the most common sample rate based clock but other clocks do exist such as Black and Burst, Tri-Level and DARS. Sample rates can be derived from these clocks as well.
</p>

<p>
  Time or <dfn>timecode</dfn> specifies an absolute  position on a timeline,
  such as <code>01:02:03:04</code> (expressed as Hours:Mins:Secs:Frames). It is
  actual <em>data</em> and not a clock <em>signal</em> per se.
  The granularity of timecode is <dfn>Video Frames</dfn> and is an order of
  magnitude lower than, say, Word Clock which is counted in
  <dfn>samples</dfn>. A typical frame rate is 25&nbsp;<abbr title="frames
  per second">fps</abbr> with a period of
  40&nbsp;ms.
  In the case of 48&nbsp;kHz and 25&nbsp;fps, there are 1,920 audio samples
  per video frame.
</p>

<p>
  The concepts of clock and timecode are reflected in JACK and Ardour:
</p>

<p>
  JACK provides clock synchronization and is not concerned with time code
  (this is not entirely true, more on jack-transport later).
  On the software side, jackd provides sample-accurate synchronization
  between all JACK applications.
  On the hardware side, JACK uses the clock of the audio-interface.
  Synchronization of multiple interfaces requires hardware support to sync
  the clocks.
  If two interfaces run at different clocks the only way to align the
  signals is via re-sampling (SRC&mdash;Sample Rate Conversion), which is
  expensive in terms of CPU usage and may decreases fidelity if done
  incorrectly.
</p>

<p>
  Timecode is used to align systems already synchronized by a clock to
  a common point in time, this is application specific and various
  standards and methods exist to do this.
</p>

<p class="note">
  To make things confusing, there are possibilities to synchronize clocks
  using timecode. e.g. using mechanism called <dfn>jam-sync</dfn> and a
  <dfn>phase-locked loop</dfn>.
</p>

<p>
  An interesting point to note is that LTC (Linear Time Code) is a
  Manchester encoded, frequency modulated signal that carries both
  clock and time. It is possible to extract absolute position data
  and speed from it.
</p>

---
title: Latency and Latency-Compensation
menu_title: Latency
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  <a
  href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latency_%28audio%29"><dfn>Latency</dfn></a>
  is a system's reaction time to a given stimulus. There are many factors that
  contribute to the total latency of a system. In order to achieve exact time
  synchronization all sources of latency need to be taken into account and
  compensated for.
</p>

<h2>Sources of Latency</h2>

<h3>Sound propagation through the air</h3>

<p>
  Since sound is a mechanical perturbation in a fluid, it travels at
  comparatively slow <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_sound">speed</a>
  of about 340 m/s. As a consequence, your acoustic guitar or piano has a
  latency of about 1&ndash;2 ms, due to the propagation time of the sound
  between your instrument and your ear.
</p>

<h3>Digital-to-Analog and Analog-to-Digital conversion</h3>

<p>
  Electric signals travel quite fast (on the order of the speed of light),
  so their propagation time is negligible in this context. But the conversions
  between the analog and digital domain take a comparatively long time to perform,
  so their contribution to the total latency may be considerable on
  otherwise very low-latency systems. Conversion delay is usually below 1&nbsp;ms.
</p>

<h3>Digital Signal Processing</h3>

<p>
  Digital processors tend to process audio in chunks, and the size of that chunk
  depends on the needs of the algorithm and performance/cost considerations.
  This is usually the main cause of latency when you use a computer and one you
  can try to predict and optimize.
</p>

<h3>Computer I/O Architecture</h3>

<p>
  A computer is a general purpose processor, not a digital audio processor.
  This means our audio data has to jump a lot of fences in its path from the
  outside to the CPU and back, contending in the process with some other parts
  of the system vying for the same resources (CPU time, bus bandwidth, etc.)
</p>

<h2>The Latency chain</h2>

<img src="/images/latency-chain.png"  title="Latency chain" alt="Latency chain" />

<p>
  <em>Figure: Latency chain.</em>
  The numbers are an example for a typical PC. With professional gear and an
  optimized system the total roundtrip latency is usually lower. The important
  point is that latency is always additive and a sum of many independent factors.
</p>

<p>
  Processing latency is usually divided into <dfn>capture latency</dfn> (the time
  it takes for the digitized audio to be available for digital processing, usually
  one audio period), and <dfn>playback latency</dfn> (the time it takes for
  In practice, the combination of both matters. It is called <dfn>roundtrip
  latency</dfn>: the time necessary for a certain audio event to be captured,
  processed and played back.
</p>

<p class="note">
  It is important to note that processing latency in a jackd is a matter of
  choice. It can be lowered within the limits imposed by the hardware (audio
  device, CPU and bus speed) and audio driver. Lower latencies increase the
  load on the system because it needs to process the audio in smaller chunks
  which arrive much more frequently. The lower the latency, the more likely
  the system will fail to meet its processing deadline and the dreaded
  <dfn>xrun</dfn> (short for buffer over- or under-run) will make its
  appearance more often, leaving its merry trail of clicks, pops and crackles.
</p>

<p>
  The digital I/O latency is usually negligible for integrated or
  <abbr title="Periphal Component Interface">PCI</abbr> audio devices, but
  for USB or FireWire interfaces the bus clocking and buffering can add some
  milliseconds.
</p>


<h2>Low Latency usecases</h2>

<p>
  Low latency is <strong>not</strong> always a feature you want to have. It
  comes with a couple of drawbacks: the most prominent is increased power
  consumption because the CPU needs to process many small chunks of audio data,
  it is constantly active and can not enter power-saving mode (think fan-noise).
  Since each application that is part of the signal chain must run in every
  audio cycle, low-latency systems will undergo<dfn>context switches</dfn>
  between applications more often, which incur a significant overhead.
  This results in a much higher system load and an increased chance of xruns.
</p>

<p>
  For a few applications, low latency is critical:
</p>

<h3>Playing virtual instruments</h3>

<p>
  A large delay between the pressing of the keys and the sound the instrument
  produces will throw-off the timing of most instrumentalists (save church
  organists, whom we believe to be awesome latency-compensation organic systems.)
</p>

<h3>Software audio monitoring</h3>

<p>
  If a singer is hearing her own voice through two different paths, her head
  bones and headphones, even small latencies can be very disturbing and
  manifest as a tinny, irritating sound.
</p>

<h3>Live effects</h3>

<p>
  Low latency is important when using the computer as an effect rack for
  inline effects such as compression or EQ. For reverbs, slightly higher
  latency might be tolerable, if the direct sound is not routed through the
  computer.
</p>

<h3>Live mixing</h3>

<p>
  Some sound engineers use a computer for mixing live performances.
  Basically that is a combination of the above: monitoring on stage,
  effects processing and EQ.
</p>

<p>
  In many other cases, such as playback, recording, overdubbing, mixing,
  mastering, etc. latency is not important, since it can easily be
  compensated for.<br />
  To explain that statement: During mixing or mastering you don&#039;t care
  if it takes 10ms or 100ms between the instant you press the play button
  and sound coming from the speaker. The same is true when recording with a count in.
</p>

<h2>Latency compensation</h2>

<p>
  During tracking it is important that the sound that is currently being
  played back is internally aligned with the sound that is being recorded.
</p>

<p>
  This is where latency-compensation comes into play. There are two ways to
  compensate for latency in a DAW, <dfn>read-ahead</dfn> and
  <dfn>write-behind</dfn>. The DAW starts playing a bit early (relative to
  the playhead), so that when the sound arrives at the speakers a short time
  later, it is exactly aligned with the material that is being recorded.
  Since we know that play-back has latency, the incoming audio can be delayed
  by the same amount to line things up again.
</p>

<p>
  As you may see, the second approach is prone to various implementation
  issues regarding timecode and transport synchronization. Ardour uses read-ahead
  to compensate for latency. The time displayed in the Ardour clock corresponds
  to the audio-signal that you hear on the speakers (and is not where Ardour
  reads files from disk).
</p>

<p>
  As a side note, this is also one of the reasons why many projects start at
  timecode <samp>01:00:00:00</samp>. When compensating for output latency the
  DAW will need to read data from before the start of the session, so that the
  audio arrives in time at the output when the timecode hits <samp>01:00:00:00</samp>.
  Ardour3 does handle the case of <samp>00:00:00:00</samp> properly but not all
  systems/software/hardware that you may inter-operate with may behave the same.
</p>

<h2>Latency Compensation And Clock Sync</h2>

<p>
  To achieve sample accurate timecode synchronization, the latency introduced
  by the audio setup needs to be known and compensated for.
</p>

<p>
  In order to compensate for latency, JACK or JACK applications need to know
  exactly how long a certain signal needs to be read-ahead or delayed:
</p>

<img src="/images/jack-latency-excerpt.png"  title="Jack Latency Compensation" alt="Jack Latency Compensation" />

<p>
  <em>Figure: Jack Latency Compensation.</em>
</p>

<p>
  In the figure above, clients A and B need to be able to answer the following
  two questions:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>
    How long has it been since the data read from port Ai or Bi arrived at the
    edge of the JACK graph (capture)?
  </li>
  <li>
    How long will it be until the data writen to port Ao or Bo arrives at the
    edge of the JACK graph (playback)?
  </li>
</ul>

<p>
  JACK features an <abbr title="Application Programming Interface">API</abbr>
  that allows applications to determine the answers to above questions.
  However JACK can not know about the additional latency that is introduced
  by the computer architecture, operating system and soundcard. These values
  can be specified by the JACK command line parameters <kbd class="input">-I</kbd>
  and <kbd class="input">-O</kbd> and vary from system
  to system but are constant on each. On a general purpose computer system
  the only way to accurately learn about the total (additional) latency is to
  measure it.
</p>

<h2>Calibrating JACK Latency</h2>

<p>
  Linux DSP guru Fons Adriaensen wrote a tool called <dfn>jack_delay</dfn>
  to accurately measure the roundtrip latency of a closed loop audio chain,
  with sub-sample accuracy. JACK itself includes a variant of this tool
  called <dfn>jack_iodelay</dfn>.
</p>

<p>
  Jack_iodelay allows you to measure the total latency of the system,
  subtracts the known latency of JACK itself and suggests values for
  jackd's audio-backend parameters.
</p>

<p>
  jack_[io]delay works by emitting some rather annoying tones, capturing
  them again after a round trip through the whole chain, and measuring the
  difference in phase so it can estimate with great accuracy the time taken.
</p>

<p>
  You can close the loop in a number of ways:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>
    Putting a speaker close to a microphone. This is rarely done, as air
    propagation latency is well known so there is no need to measure it.
  </li>
  <li>
    Connecting the output of your audio interface to its input using a
    patch cable. This can be an analog or a digital loop, depending on
    the nature of the input/output you use. A digital loop will not factor
    in the <abbr title="Analog to Digital, Digital to Analog">AD/DA</abbr>
    converter latency.
  </li>
</ul>

<p>
  Once you have closed the loop you have to:
</p>

<ol>
  <li>Launch jackd with the configuration you want to test.</li>
  <li>Launch <kbd class="input">jack_delay</kbd> on the commandline.</li>
  <li>Make the appropriate connections between your jack ports so the loop is closed.</li>
  <li>Adjust the playback and capture levels in your mixer.</li>
</ol>

---
title: Timecode Generators and Slaves
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Ardour supports three common timecode formats:
  <abbr title="Linear/Longitudinal Time Code"><dfn>LTC</dfn></abbr>,
  <abbr title="MIDI Time Code"><dfn>MTC</dfn></abbr>, and
  <dfn>MIDI Clock</dfn>, as well as
  <dfn>JACK-transport</dfn>, a JACK-specific timecode implementation.
</p>

<p>
  Ardour can generate timecode and thus act as timecode <dfn>master</dfn>,
  providing timecode information to other applications. Ardour can also be
  <dfn>slaved</dfn> to some external source in which case the playhead
  follows the incoming timecode.
</p>

<p>
  Combining the timecode slave and generator modes, Ardour can also
  <dfn>translate</dfn> timecode. e.g create LTC timecode from incoming MTC.
</p>

<h2>Ardour Timecode Configuration</h2>

<p>
  Each Ardour session has a specific timecode frames-per-second setting which
  is configured in <kbd class="menu">session &gt; properties &gt;
  timecode</kbd>. The selected timecode affects the timecoderuler in the main
  window as well as the clock itself.
</p>

<p>
  Note that some timecode formats do not support all of Ardour's available
  fps settings. MTC is limited to 24, 25, 29.97 and 30 fps.
</p>

<p>
  The video pull-up modes change the effective samplerate of Ardour to allow
  for changing a film soundtrack from one frame rate to another. The concept is
  beyond the scope of this manual, but Wikipedia's entry on
  <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecine">Telecine</a>
  may get you started.
</p>

<h2>Ardour Timecode Generator Configuration</h2>

<p>
  This is pretty straightforward: simply turn it on. The MTC and MIDI-Clock
  generator do not have any options. The LTC generator has a configurable
  output level. JACK-transport cannot be <em>generated</em>. Jack itself is
  always synced to its own cycle and cannot do varispeed&mdash;it will
  always be synced to a hardware clock or another JACK master.
</p>

<p>
  The relevant settings for timecode generator can be found in
  <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; MIDI Preferences</kbd> (for MTC,
  MC) and
  <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; Transport Preferences</kbd>
  (for LTC).
</p>

<p>
  The timecode is sent to jack-ports <code>ardour:MTC out</code>,
  <code>ardour:MIDI clock out</code> and <code>ardour:LTC-out</code>. Multiple
  generators can be active simultaneously.
</p>

<p class="note">
  Note that, as of Jan 2014, only the LTC generator supports latency
  compensation. This is due to the fact the Ardour MIDI ports are not
  yet latency compensated.
</p>

<p>
  In <kbd class="menu">Session &gt; Properties</kbd>, it is possible to
  define an offset between Ardour's internal time and the timecode sent.
  Currently only the LTC generator honors this offset.
</p>

<p>
  Both LTC and MTC are limited to 30&nbsp;fps. Using frame rates larger
  than that will disable the generator. In both cases also only 24, 25,
  29.97df (drop-frame) and 30&nbsp;fps are well defined by specifications (such as
  SMPTE-12M, EU and the MIDI standard).
</p>

<h3>MTC Generator</h3>

<p>
  The <dfn>MTC generator</dfn> has no options. Ardour sends full MTC
  frames whenever the transport is relocated or changes state (start/stop).
  MTC <dfn>quarter frames</dfn> are sent when the transport is rolling and
  the transport speed is within 93% and 107%.
</p>

<h3>LTC Generator</h3>

<p>
  The level of the <dfn>LTC generator</dfn> output signal can be configured
  in in the <kbd class="menu">Preferences &gt; Transport</kbd> dialog. By
  default it is set to -18&nbsp;dBFS, which corresponds to 0dBu in an EBU
  calibrated system.
</p>

<p>
  The LTC generator has an additional option to keep sending timecode even
  when the transport is stopped. This mode is intended to drive analog tape
  machines which unspool the tape if no LTC timecode is received.
</p>

<p>
  LTC is send regardless of Ardour's transport speed. It is accurately
  generated even for very slow speeds (&lt;5%) and only limited by the
  soundcard's sampling-rate and filter (see
  <a
  href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibbs_phenomenon#Signal_processing_explanation">Gibbs phenomenon</a>)
  for high speeds.
</p>

<h2>Ardour Slave Configuration</h2>

<p>
  The timecode source can be switched with the button just right of
  Ardour's main clock. By default it is set to <kbd
  class="menu">Internal</kbd> in which case Ardour will ignore any external
  timecode. The button allows to toggle between Internal and the configured
  timecode source which is chosen in <kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences
  &gt; Transport</kbd>.
</p>

<p>
  When Ardour is <dfn>chasing</dfn> (synchronizing to) an external timecode
  source, the following cases need to be distinguished:
</p>

<ol>
  <li>the timecode source shares the clock</li>
  <li>the timecode source is independent (no wordclock sync)</li>
</ol>

<p>and</p>

<ol>
  <li>the timecode source uses the same FPS setting as Ardour</li>
  <li>the timecode source runs at different frames-per-second</li>
</ol>

<p>
  In both cases the first option is preferred: clock sync + same FPS setting.
</p>

<h3>Frames-per-second</h3>

<p>
  If the frames-per-second do not match, Ardour can either re-calculate
  and map the frames, or the configured FPS (<kbd class="menu">Session &gt;
  Properties</kbd>) can be changed automatically while the slave is active.
  The behavior is configured with the checkbox <kbd class="option">Edit
  &gt; Preferences &gt; Transport &gt; Match session video frame rate to
  external timecode</kbd>.
</p>

<p>
  When enabled, the session video frame rate will be changed to match that
  of the selected external timecode source. When disabled, the session video
  frame rate will not be changed to match that of the selected external
  timecode source. Instead the frame rate indication in the main clock will
  flash red, and Ardour will convert between the external timecode standard
  and the session standard.
</p>

<p class="warning">
  29.97 drop-frame timecode is another corner case. While the SMPTE 12M-1999
  specifies 29.97df as 30000/1001 frames per second, not all hardware devices
  follow that standard. The checkbox
  <kbd class="option">Lock to 29.9700 fps instead of 30000/1001</kbd> allows
  to use a compatibility mode for those devices.
</p>

<p>
  When enabled, the external timecode source is assumed to use 29.970000 fps
  instead of 30000/1001. SMPTE 12M-1999 specifies 29.97df as 30000/1001. The
  <abbr title="specification">spec</abbr> further mentions that drop-frame
  timecode has an accumulated error of -86&nbsp;ms over a 24-hour period.
  Drop-frame timecode would compensate exactly for a NTSC color frame rate
  of 30 * 0.9990 (ie 29.970000). That is <em>not</em> the actual rate. However,
  some vendors use that rate&mdash;despite it being against the specs&mdash;because the variant of using exactly 29.97 fps yields zero timecode
  drift.
</p>

<h3>Clock Sync Lock</h3>

<p>
  As described in the
  <a href="http://manual.ardour.org/synchronization/on-clock-and-time/">On Clock and Time</a>
  chapter, timecode and clock are independent. If the external timecode
  source is not in sample-sync with the audio hardware (and JACK), Ardour
  needs to run at varispeed to adjust for the discrepancy.
</p>

<p>
  The checkbox <kbd class="option">External timecode is sync locked</kbd>
  allows to select the behavior according to your setup. When enabled, it
  indicates that the selected external timecode source shares sync (Black
  &amp; Burst, Wordclock, etc) with the audio interface.
</p>

<p>
  In other words: if enabled, Ardour will only perform initial
  synchronization and keep playing at speed 1.0 instead of vari-speed
  adjusting to compensate for drift.
</p>

<p class="note">
  Note that vari-speed is unavailable when recording in Ardour, and all
  tracking happens at speed 1.0. So if you want to record in sync with
  external timecode it must be sample-locked or it will drift over time.
</p>

<h3>MIDI Clock</h3>

<p>
  <dfn>MIDI Clock</dfn> is not a timecode format but tempo-based time. The
  absolute reference point is expressed as beats-per-minute and Bar, Beat
  and Tick. There is no concept of sample-locking for MIDI clock signals.
  Ardour will vari-speed if necessary to chase the incoming signal.
</p>

<p>
  Note that the MIDI Clock source must be connected to the
  <code>ardour:MIDI clock in</code> port.
</p>

<h3>LTC&mdash;Linear Timecode</h3>

<p>
  The <dfn>LTC</dfn> slave decodes an incoming LTC signal on a JACK audio
  port. It will auto-detect the frame rate and start locking to the signal
   once two consecutive LTC frames have been received.
</p>

<p>
  The incoming timecode signal needs to arrive at the
  <code>ardour:LTC-in</code> port. Port-connections are restored for each
  session and the preference dialog offers an option to select it for all
  sessions.
</p>

<p>
  Ardour's transport is aligned to LTC-frame start/end positions according
  to the SMPTE 12M-1999 specification, which means that the first bit of an
  LTC-Frame is aligned to different Lines of a Video-Frame, depending on the
  TV standard used. Only for Film (24fps) does the LTC-Frame directly match
  the video Frame boundaries.
</p>

<img src="/images/ltc-transport-alignment.png"  title="LTC frame alignment" alt="LTC frame alignment"/>
<p><em>Figure: LTC frame alignment for the 525/60 TV standard</em></p>

<p>
  Ardour supports vari-speed and backwards playback but will only follow
  speed changes if the <kbd class="optoff">sync locked</kbd> option is
  disabled.
</p>

<p>
  While Ardour is chasing LTC, the main transport clock will display the
  received Timecode as well as the delta between the incoming signal and
  Ardour's transport position.
</p>

<p>
  A global offset between incoming timecode and Ardour's transport can be
  configured in <kbd class="menu">Session &gt; Properties</kbd>.
</p>

<p>
  The user-bits in the received LTC frame are ignored.
</p>

<h3>MTC&mdash;MIDI Timecode</h3>

<p>
  Ardour's MTC slave parses <dfn>full timecode messages</dfn> as well as
  MTC <dfn>quarter-frame messages</dfn> arriving on the
  <code>ardour:MTC in</code> port. The transport will only start rolling
  once a complete sequence of 8 quarter frames has been received.
</p>

<p>
  Ardour supports vari-speed and backwards playback but will only follow
  MTC speed changes if the <kbd class="optoff">sync locked</kbd> option
  is disabled.
</p>

<p>
  When Ardour is chasing MTC, the main transport clock will display the
  received Timecode as well as the delta between the incoming signal and
  Ardour's transport position.
</p>

<h3>JACK Transport</h3>

<p>
  When slaved to jack, Ardour's transport will be identical to
  JACK-transport. As opposed to other slaves, Ardour can be used to control
  the JACK transport states (stopped/rolling). No port connections need to
  be made for jack-transport to work.
</p>

<p>
  JACK-transport does not support vari-speed, nor offsets. Ardour does not
  chase the timecode but is always in perfect sample-sync with it.
</p>

<p>
  JACK-transport also includes temp-based-time information in Bar:Beats:Ticks
  and beats-per-minute. However, only one JACK application can provide this
  information at a given time. The checkbox
  <kbd class="option">Session &gt; Properties &gt; JACK Time Master</kbd>
  configures Ardour to act as translator from timecode to BBT information.
</p>

---
title: Overview of all Timecode related settings
menu_title: Overview of Timecode settings
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Timecode settings are accessed from the menu in three places:
</p>

<ul>
  <li><kbd class="menu">Session &gt; Properties &gt; Timecode</kbd></li>
  <li><kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; Transport</kbd></li>
  <li><kbd class="menu">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; MIDI</kbd></li>
</ul>

<h2>Timecode Settings</h2>
<dl>
  <dt><kbd class="menu">Timecode frames-per-second</kbd></dt>
  <dd>
    Configure timecode frames-per-second (23.976, 24, 24.975, 25, 29.97,
    29.97 drop, 30, 30 drop, 59.94, 60). Note that all fractional
    framerates are actually fps*(1000.0/1001.0).
  </dd>
  <dt><kbd class="menu">Pull up/down</kbd></dt>
  <dd>
    Video pull-up modes change the effective samplerate of Ardour to
    allow for changing a film soundtrack from one frame rate to another.
    See <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecine">Telecine</a>
  </dd>
  <dt><kbd class="menu">Slave Timecode offset</kbd></dt>
  <dd>
    The specified offset is added to the received timecode (MTC or
    LTC).
  </dd>
  <dt><kbd class="menu">Timecode Generator offset</kbd></dt>
  <dd>
    Specify an offset which is added to the generated timecode (so far only LTC).
  </dd>
  <dt><kbd class="option">JACK Time Master</kbd></dt>
  <dd>
    Provide Bar|Beat|Tick and other information to JACK.
  </dd>
</dl>
<p>These settings are session specific.</p>


<h2>Transport Preferences</h2>
<dl>
  <dt><kbd class="menu">External timecode source</kbd></dt>
  <dd>
    Select timecode source: JACK, LTC, MTC, MIDI Clock
  </dd>
  <dt><kbd class="option">Match session video frame rate to external timecode</kbd></dt>
  <dd>
    This option controls the value of the video frame rate <em>while
    chasing</em> an external timecode source. When enabled, the
    session video frame rate will be changed to match that of the selected
    external timecode source. When disabled, the session video frame rate
    will not be changed to match that of the selected external timecode
    source. Instead the frame rate indication in the main clock will flash
    red and Ardour will convert between the external timecode standard and
    the session standard.
  </dd>
  <dt><kbd class="option">External timecode is sync locked</kbd></dt>
  <dd>
    Indicates that the selected external timecode source shares sync (Black
    &amp; Burst, Wordclock, etc) with the audio interface.
  </dd>
  <dt><kbd class="option">Lock to 29.9700 fps instead of 30000/1001</kbd></dt>
  <dd>
    The external timecode source is assumed to use 29.97 fps instead of
    30000/1001. SMPTE 12M-1999 specifies 29.97df as 30000/1001. The spec
    further mentions that drop-frame timecode has an accumulated error of -86ms
    over a 24-hour period. Drop-frame timecode would compensate exactly for a
    NTSC color frame rate of 30 * 0.9990 (ie 29.970000). That is not the actual
    rate. However, some vendors use that rate&mdash;despite it being against
    the specs&mdash;because the variant of using exactly 29.97 fps has zero
    timecode drift.
  </dd>
  <dt><kbd class="menu">LTC incoming port</kbd></dt>
  <dd>
    Offers a session agnostic way to retain the LTC port connection.
  </dd>
  <dt><kbd class="option">Enable LTC generator</kbd></dt>
  <dd>Does just what it says.</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="option">Send LTC while stopped</kbd></dt>
  <dd>
    Enable to continue to send LTC information even when the transport
    (playhead) is not moving. This mode is intended to drive analog tape
    machines which unspool the tape if no LTC timecode is received.
  </dd>
  <dt><kbd class="menu">LTC generator level</kbd></dt>
  <dd>
    Specify the Peak Volume of the generated LTC signal in dbFS. A good value
    is 0&nbsp;dBu (which is -18&nbsp;dbFS in an EBU calibrated system).
  </dd>
</dl>
<p>These settings are common to all sessions.</p>


<h2>MIDI Preferences</h2>
<dl>
  <dt><kbd class="option">Send MIDI Timecode</kbd></dt><dd>Enable MTC generator</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="option">Send MIDI Clock</kbd></dt><dd>Enable MIDI Clock generator</dd>
</dl>
<p>These settings are also common to all sessions.</p>


---
title: Working with Field Recorders in Ardour
part: chapter
---


---
title: Working with Video in Ardour
part: chapter
---


---
title: Video Timeline and Monitoring
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Ardour offers a <dfn>video timeline</dfn> and <dfn>video monitoring</dfn>
  for convenient audio mixing and editing to video, in order to produce
  film soundtracks and music videos, or perform TV postproduction tasks.
</p>

<p>
  The video capabilities are:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>Import a single video and optionally extract the soundtrack from it.</li>
  <li>Provide a video monitor window, or full-screen display, of the
  imported video in sync with any of the available Ardour timecode
  sources.</li>
  <li>Display a frame-by-frame (thumbnail) timeline of the video.</li>
  <li>Allow for a configurable timecode offset.</li>
  <li><em>Lock</em> audio regions to the video.</li>
  <li>Move audio regions with the video at video-frame granularity.</li>
  <li>Export the video, trim start and end, add blank frames and/or
  multiplex it with the soundtrack of the current session.</li>
</ul>

<p>
  The setup of the video subsystem is modular and can be configured
  in different ways, including:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>One machine for all video decoding, video monitoring and audio editing
  tasks</li>
  <li>Two machines, one for video monitoring, one for Ardour</li>
  <li>Three machines,  separate video server (for timeline decoding
  and file archive), dedicated video monitor, and Ardour</li>
</ul>

<p>
  Ardour does <em>not</em>:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>allow for more than one video to be loaded at a time.</li>
  <li>provide video editing capabilities</li>
</ul>

---
title: Video Timeline Setup
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  No configuration is required if you intend to run everything on a single
  machine, and if you acquired Ardour from
  <a href="http://www.ardour.org"
  title="http://www.ardour.org">http://www.ardour.org</a>.
  Everything is pre-configured and included with the download/install.
</p>

<h2>Single Machine</h2>

<p>
  If you compile Ardour from source, or have installed it from a 3rd party
  repository, three additional tools will need to be installed manually,
  which are used by Ardour to provide video features:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>xjadeo (the video monitor application): <a href="http://xjadeo.sf.net"
  title="http://xjadeo.sf.net" rel="nofollow">http://xjadeo.sf.net</a></li>
  <li>harvid (a video decoder used for the thumbnail timeline): <a
  href="http://x42.github.com/harvid/" title="http://x42.github.com/harvid/"
  rel="nofollow">http://x42.github.com/harvid/</a></li>
  <li>ffmpeg, ffprobe (used to import/export video, extract soundtracks and
  query video information): <a href="http://ffmpeg.org" title="http://ffmpeg.org"
  rel="nofollow">http://ffmpeg.org</a></li>
</ul>

<p>
  Ardour requires xjadeo &ge; version 0.6.4, harvid &ge; version 0.7.0 and ffmpeg (known to work versions: 1.2, 2.8.2)
</p>

<p>
  The Ardour development team is in control of the first two applications. ffmpeg however can be a bit of a problem. To avoid conflicts with distribution packages, Ardour looks for <code>ffmpeg_harvid</code> and <code>ffprobe_harvid</code>.
</p>

<p>
  All four applications need to be found in <code>$PATH</code> (e.g.
  <code>$HOME/bin</code> or <code>/usr/local/bin</code>). For convenience the
  binary releases of harvid include ffmpeg_harvid and ffprobe_harvid, but if
  your distribution provides suitable ffmpeg commands you can also just create
  symbolic links:
</p>

<kbd class="cmd lin">sudo ln -s /usr/bin/ffmpeg /usr/bin/ffmpeg_harvid</kbd>
<kbd class="cmd lin">sudo ln -s /usr/bin/ffprobe /usr/bin/ffprobe_harvid</kbd>

<p>
  Binary releases are available from ardour.org as well as an installer script:
  <a href="https://github.com/Ardour/ardour/blob/master/tools/videotimeline/install_video_tools.sh"
  title="https://github.com/Ardour/ardour/blob/master/tools/videotimeline/install_video_tools.sh"
  rel="nofollow">install_video_tools.sh</a>.
</p>

<p>
  The easiest way to install the video-utilities is by running the following
  line in a terminal:
</p>

<kbd class="cmd lin">sh -c &quot;$(curl -s -L http://git.io/tVUCkw)&quot;</kbd>

<h2>Studio Setup</h2>

<p>
  Please read the info in the previous section to familiarize yourself with
  the tools involved first. Setting up a proper A/V post-production studio
  can be a complicated task. As much as we streamline and simplify the
  <em>single machine</em> setup, the <dfn>studio setup</dfn> is focused on modularity.
</p>

<ul class="fixme">
  <li>TODO:</li>
  <li>Synchronization ardour → video-display-box should be accomplished by external
 means jack-transport(netjack), MTC, LTC
 (<abbr title="Open Sound Control&mdash;&quot;postmodern MIDI&quot;">OSC</abbr> and/or
 ssh-pipe work but introduce additional latency + jitter)</li>
  <li>Ardour launches <code>XJREMOTE</code> (environment variable, default &#039;xjremote&#039; which comes with xjadeo).</li>
  <li>Either use a custom shell script that ssh&#039;es into the remote box and launches/controls xjadeo there, selects the sync-source and passes though communication between ardour ⇔ xjadeo via ssh (xjadeo is launched stopped with the session).</li>
  <li>..or override xjremote&#039;s behavior – instead of  IPC with a local running xjadeo-process, using <abbr title="Open Sound Control&mdash;&quot;postmodern MIDI&quot;">OSC</abbr> for example. xjadeo would run permanently and Ardour will just tell it to load files and set offsets via <acronym title="Open Sound Control&mdash;&quot;postmodern MIDI&quot;">OSC</acronym>. see <a href="http://xjadeo.git.sourceforge.net/git/gitweb.cgi?p=xjadeo/xjadeo;a=blob_plain;f=contrib/xjremote-osc" title="http://xjadeo.git.sourceforge.net/git/gitweb.cgi?p=xjadeo/xjadeo;a=blob_plain;f=contrib/xjremote-osc"  rel="nofollow">xjremote-osc</a> example script.</li>
  <li>If the video server runs remotely, Ardour needs to be configured in Ardour &gt; Preference &gt; Video (hostname of the video-server).</li>
  <li> Ideally the machines have a common shared folder (NFS or similar).  Ardour&#039;s import (audio-extract) and export (mux) functionality depends on having access to the video file.  Also Ardour's video-import transcodes the file into a suitable proxy-format that allows reliable seeking to any frame…</li>
</ul>

---
title: Transcoding, Formats &amp; Codecs
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  This chapter provides a short primer on video files, formats and
  codecs – because it is often cause for confusion:
</p>

<p>
  A video file is a <dfn>container</dfn>. It usually contains one
  <dfn>video track</dfn> and one or more <dfn>audio tracks</dfn>.
  How these tracks are stored in the file is defined by the
  <dfn>file format</dfn>. Common formats are
  avi, mov, ogg, mkv, mpeg, mpeg-ts, mp4, flv, or vob.
</p>

<p>
  Each of the tracks by itself is encoded using a <abbr
  title="Coder-Decoder"><dfn>Codec</dfn></abbr>. Common video codecs
  are h264, mpeg2, mpeg4, theora, mjpeg, wmv3. Common audio codecs are
  mp2, mp3, dts, aac, wav/pcm.
</p>

<p>
  Not all codecs can be packed into a given format. For example the
  mpeg format is limited to mpeg2, mpeg4 and mp3 codecs (not entirely true).
  DVDs do have stringent limitations as well. The opposite would be .avi;
  pretty much every audio/video codec combination can be contained in an avi
  file-format.
</p>

<p>
  To make things worse, naming conventions for video codecs and formats are
  often identical (especially MPEG ones) which leads to confusion.
  All in all it is a very wide and deep field. Suffice there are different
  uses for different codecs and formats.
</p>

<h2>Ardour specific issues</h2>

<p>
  Ardour supports a wide variety of video file formats codecs. More specifically, Ardour itself actually does not support any video at all but delegates handling of video files to <a href="http://ffmpeg.org">ffmpeg</a>, which supports over 350 different video codecs and more than 250 file formats.
</p>

<p>
  When importing a video into Ardour, it will be <dfn>transcoded</dfn> (changed from one format and codec to another) to avi/mjpeg for internal use (this allows reliable seeking to frames at low CPU cost&mdash;the file size will increase, but hard disks are large and fast).
</p>

<p>
  The export dialog includes presets for common format and codec combinations (such as DVD, web-video,..). If in doubt use one of the presets.
</p>

<p>
  As last note: every time a video is transcoded, the quality can only get worse. Hence for the final mastering/<abbr title="Multiplexing Audio and Video">muxing</abbr> process, one should always to back and use the original source of the video.
</p>

---
title: Workflow &amp; Operations
part: subchapter
---

<h2>Overview of Operations</h2>

<dl class="wide-table">
  <dt><kbd class="menu">Session &gt; Open Video</kbd></dt>
  <dd>Add/replace a video to/on the timeline</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="menu">Window &gt; View Monitor</kbd></dt>
  <dd>Open/close external video monitor window</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="menu">View &gt; Video Monitor &gt; …</kbd></dt>
  <dd>Various settings of the video monitor</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="menu">Session &gt; Export &gt; Video</kbd></dt>
  <dd>Export session and multiplex with video-file</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="mouse">Left</kbd>-drag the video in the timeline</dt>
  <dd>Re-align video and move 'locked' audio-regions along</dd>
  <dt>Context-menu on the video-timeline: <kbd class="menu"> &#039;lock&#039;</kbd></dt>
  <dd>Prevent accidental drags</dd>
  <dt>Audio region context menu: <kbd class="menu">Position &gt; Lock to video</kbd></dt>
  <dd>Mark audio region(s) to be moved along with the video.</dd>
</dl>

<h2>Adding Video</h2>

<p>
  Adding video is a two-step process: select a video file, and choose
  import mode and optionally select an audio track to extract.
</p>

<p>
  The first step is rather straight-forward. The panel on the right side
  allows to seek through the video and displays basic file information.
  It is also useful to check if the video format/codec is supported:
</p>

<img src="/images/a3_video_open.png" alt="video-open-dialog" width="300" />

<p>
  The second step analyzes the video file in more detail and offers import options:
</p>

<dl>
  <dt><kbd class="menu">Import/Transcode to Session</kbd></dt>
  <dd>This is the default. The video will be imported in a suitable
  video format/codec for the timeline and video monitor and saved inside the
  session folder.  A location other than the session folder can also be
  chosen (external disk, or network storage of the video server on a different
  machine).</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="menu">Reference from Current Location</kbd></dt>
  <dd>Only useful for opening files that were previously encoded (are already
  in a good format/codec). Use with care.</dd>
  <dt><kbd class="menu">Do not Import Video</kbd></dt>
  <dd>Useful for extracting audio only.</dd>
</dl>

<img src="/images/a3_video_import.png" alt="Video Import Dialog" width="300" />

<p>
  By default the video is imported using the original width/height.
  If it is a large video (e.g. full-HD) it makes sense to scale it down
  to decrease the CPU load and disk I/O required to decode and play the
  file.<br />
  A small, low-quality representation of the image is usually sufficient
  for editing soundtracks. The default bitrate in kbit/sec is set to use
  0.7 bits per pixel. (Compare: the average DVD medium uses 5000&nbsp;kbit/s;
  at PAL resolution this is about 0.5 bits per pixel. But the DVD is
  using the <dfn>mpeg2</dfn>&mdash;a denser compression algorithm than the
  <dfn>mjpeg</dfn> codec used by Ardour.)
</p>

<h2>Working with A/V</h2>

<p>
  Well now...
</p>

<img src="/images/a3_videotimeline.png" alt="Video Timeline" width="600" />

<h2 id="export">Exporting Video</h2>

<p>
  The video export will take audio from the current Ardour session and
  multiplex it with a video file. The soundtrack of the video is taken from
  an audio export of Ardour's master bus.
</p>

<p>
  An arbitrary video file can be chosen. For high quality exports, the
  original file (before it was imported into the timeline) should be used.
  This is the default behaviour if that file can be found. If not, Ardour
  will fall back to the imported proxy-video which is currently in use
  on the timeline.  Any existing audio tracks on this video file are stripped.
</p>

<p>
  The range selection allows to cut or extend the video. If the session is
  longer than the video duration, black frames are prefixed or appended to
  the video. (Note: this process may fail with non-standard pixel aspect
  ratios). If Ardour's session range is shorter, the video will be cut accordingly.
</p>

<p>
  Audio samplerate and normalization are options for Ardour's audio exporter.
  The remaining settings are options that are directly passed on to ffmpeg.
</p>

<p>
  The file format is determined by the extension that you choose for it
  (.avi, .mov, .flv, .ogv, .webm,...)
  Note: not all combinations of format, codec, and settings produce files
  which are according to specifications. For example, flv files require
  sample rates of 22.1&nbsp;kHz or 44.1&nbsp;kHz, mpeg containers can not
  be used with ac3 audio-codec, etc. If in doubt, use one of the built-in
  presets.
</p>

<img src="/images/a3_video_export.png" alt="Video Export Dialog" width="300" />

<p>
  Ardour video export is not recommended for mastering! While ffmpeg (which is used by Ardour) can produce high-quality files, this export lacks the possibility to tweak many settings. We recommend to use winff, devede or dvdauthor to mux &amp; master. Nevertheless this video-export comes in handy to do quick snapshots, intermediates, dailies or online videos.
</p>


---
title: Scripting
part: part
---


---
title: Lua Scripting in Ardour
part: chapter
---


---
title: Lua Scripting
part: subchapter
---

<p>
  Starting with version 4.7.213, Ardour supports Lua scripts.
</p>

<p class="warning">
  Lua Integration is Work in Progress and far from complete.
</p>

---
title: Scripting Documentation
part: subchapter
---

<p class="warning">
 This Documentation is Work in Progress and far from complete. Also the documented API may be subject to change.
</p>

<h2>Preface</h2>

<p>
  There are cases that a Ardour cannot reasonably cater for with core functionality by itself, either because they're session specific or user specific edge cases.
</p>

<p>
  Examples for these include voice-activate (record-arm specific tracks and roll transport depending on signal levels), rename all regions after a specific timecode, launch an external application when a certain track is soloed, generate automation curves or simply provide a quick shortcut for a custom batch operation.
</p>

<p>
  Cases like this call for means to extend the DAW without actually changing the DAW itself. This is where scripting comes in.
</p>

<p>
  "Scripting" refers to tasks that could alternatively be executed step-by-step by a human operator.
</p>

<p>
  Lua is a tiny and simple language which is easy to learn, yet allows for comprehensive solutions. Lua is also a glue language it allows to tie existing component in Ardour together in unprecedented ways, and most importantly Lua is one of the few scripting-languages which can be safely used in a real-time environment.
</p>

<p>
  A good introduction to Lua is the book <a href="http://www.lua.org/pil/">Programming in Lua</a>. The first edition is available online, but if you have the means buy a copy of the book, it not only helps to support the Lua project, but provides for a much nicer reading and learning experience.
</p>

<h2>Overview</h2>

<p>
  The core of ardour is a real-time audio engine that runs and processes audio. One interfaces with than engine by sending it commands. Scripting can be used to interact with or modify active Ardour session. Just like a user uses the Editor/Mixer GUI to modify the state or parameters of the session.
</p>

<p>
  Doing this programmatically requires some knowledge about the objects used internally. Most Ardour C++ objects and their methods are directly exposed to Lua and one can call functions or modify variables:
</p>

<div style="width:80%; margin:.5em auto;">
        <div style="width:45%; float:left;">
                C++<br/>
                <code class="cxx">
                        session-&gt;set_transport_speed (1.0);
                </code>
        </div>
        <div style="width:45%; float:right;">
                Lua<br/>
                <code class="lua">
                        Session:set_transport_speed (1.0)
                </code>
        </div>
</div>

<div style="clear:both;"></div>

<p>
  You may notice that there is only a small syntactic difference, in this case. While C++ requires recompiling the application for every change, Lua script can be loaded, written or modified while the application is running. Lua also abstracts away many of the C++ complexities such as object lifetime, type conversion and null-pointer checks.
</p>

<p>
  Close ties with the underlying C++ components is where the power of scripting comes from. A script can orchestrate interaction of lower-level components which take the bulk of the CPU time of the final program.
</p>

<p>
  At the time of writing Ardour integrates Lua 5.3.2: <a href="http://www.lua.org/manual/5.3/manual.html">Lua 5.3 reference manual</a>.
</p>

<h2>Integration</h2>

<p>
  Like Control surfaces and the GUI, Lua Scripts are confined to certain aspects of the program. Ardour provides the framework and runs Lua (not the other way around).
</p>


<p>
  In Ardour's case Lua is available:
</p>

<dl>
        <dt>Editor Action Scripts</dt><dd>User initiated actions (menu, shortcuts) for batch processing</dd>
        <dt>Editor Hooks/Callbacks</dt><dd>Event triggered actions for the Editor/Mixer GUI</dd>
        <dt>Session Scripts</dt><dd>Scripts called at the start of every audio cycle (session, real-time)</dd>
        <dt>DSP Scripts</dt><dd>Audio/Midi processor&mdash;plugins with access to the Ardour session (per track/bus, real-time)</dd>
        <dt>Script Console</dt><dd>Action Script commandline</dd>
</dl>

<p>
  There are is also a special mode:
</p>

<dl>
        <dt>Commandline Tool</dt><dd>Replaces the complete Editor GUI, direct access to libardour (no GUI) from the commandline.<br/>
        <em>Be aware that the vast majority of complex functionality is provided by the Editor UI.</em></dd>
</dl>

<h2>Managing Scripts</h2>

<p>
  Ardour searches for Lua scripts in the <code>scripts</code> folder in <code>$ARDOUR_DATA_PATH</code>, Apart from scripts included directly with Ardour, this includes
</p>

<table>
        <tr><th>GNU/Linux</th><td><code>$HOME/.config/ardour5/scripts</code></td></tr>
        <tr><th>Mac OS X</th><td><code>$HOME/Library/Preferences/Ardour5/scripts</code></td></tr>
        <tr><th>Windows</th><td><code>%localappdata%\ardour5\scripts</code></td></tr>
</table>

<p>Files must end with <code>.lua</code> file extension.</p>

<p>Scripts are managed via the GUI</p>

<dl>
        <dt>Editor Action Scripts</dt><dd>Menu &rarr; Edit &rarr; Scripted Actions &rarr; Manage</dd>
        <dt>Editor Hooks/Callbacks</dt><dd>Menu &rarr; Edit &rarr; Scripted Actions &rarr; Manage</dd>
        <dt>Session Scripts</dt><dd>Menu &rarr; Session &rarr; Scripting &rarr; Add/Remove Script</dd>
        <dt>DSP Scripts</dt><dd>Mixer-strip &rarr; context menu (right click) &rarr; New Lua Proc</dd>
        <dt>Script Console</dt><dd>Menu &rarr; Window &rarr; Scripting</dd>
</dl>

<h2>Script Layout</h2>

<ul>
        <li>Every script must include an <code>ardour</code> descriptor table. Required fields are "Name" and "Type".</li>
        <li>A script must provide a <em>Factory method</em>: A function with optional instantiation parameters which returns the actual script.</li>
        <li>[optional]: list of parameters for the "factory".</li>
        <li>in case of DSP scripts, an optional list of automatable parameters and possible audio/midi port configurations, and a <code>dsp_run</code> function, more on that later.</li>
</ul>

<p>A minimal example script looks like:</p>

<div>
<pre><code class="lua">
        ardour {
          ["type"]    = "EditorAction",
          name        = "Rewind",
        }

        function factory (unused_params)
          return function ()
           Session:goto_start()  -- rewind the transport
          end
        end
</code></pre>
</div>

<p>
  The common part for all scripts is the "Descriptor". It's a Lua function which returns a table (key/values) with the following keys (the keys are case-sensitive):
</p>

<dl>
        <dt>type [required]</dt><dd>one of "<code>DSP</code>", "<code>Session</code>", "<code>EditorHook</code>", "<code>EditorAction</code>" (the type is not case-sensitive)</dd>
        <dt>name [required]</dt><dd>Name/Title of the script</dd>
        <dt>author</dt><dd>Your Name</dd>
        <dt>license</dt><dd>The license of the script (e.g. "GPL" or "MIT")</dd>
        <dt>description</dt><dd>A longer text explaining to the user what the script does</dd>
</dl>

<p class="note">
  Scripts that come with Ardour (currently mostly examples) can be found in the <a href="https://github.com/Ardour/ardour/tree/master/scripts">Source Tree</a>.
</p>

<h3>Action Scripts</h3>

<p>
  Action scripts are the simplest form. An anonymous Lua function is called whenever the action is triggered. A simple action script is shown above.
</p>
<p>
  There are 10 action script slots available, each of which is a standard GUI action available from the menu and hence can be bound to a keyboard shortcut.
</p>

<h3>Session Scripts</h3>

<p>
  Session scripts similar to Actions Scripts, except the anonymous function is called periodically every process cycle. The function receives a single parameter&mdash;the number of audio samples which are processed in the given cycle
</p>

<div>
<pre><code class="lua">
ardour {
  ["type"]    = "session",
  name        = "Example Session Script",
  description = [[
  An Example Ardour Session Script.
  This example stops the transport after rolling for a specific time.]]
}

-- instantiation options, these are passed to the "factory" method below
function sess_params ()
  return
  {
    ["print"]  = { title = "Debug Print (yes/no)", default = "no", optional = true },
    ["time"] = { title = "Timeout (sec)", default = "90", optional = false },
  }
end

function factory (params)
  return function (n_samples)
    local p = params["print"] or "no"
    local timeout = params["time"] or 90
    a = a or 0
    if p ~= "no" then print (a, n_samples, Session:frame_rate (), Session:transport_rolling ()) end -- debug output (not rt safe)
    if (not Session:transport_rolling()) then
      a = 0
      return
    end
    a = a + n_samples
    if (a &gt; timeout * Session:frame_rate()) then
      Session:request_transport_speed(0.0, true)
    end
  end
end
</code></pre>
</div>

<h3>Action Hooks</h3>

<p>
  Action hook scripts must define an additional function which returns a <em>Set</em> of Signal that which trigger the callback (documenting available slots and their parameters remains to be done).
</p>

<div>
<pre><code class="lua">
ardour {
  ["type"]    = "EditorHook",
  name        = "Hook Example",
  description = "Rewind On Solo Change, Write a file when regions are moved.",
}

function signals ()
  s = LuaSignal.Set()
  s:add (
    {
      [LuaSignal.SoloActive] = true,
      [LuaSignal.RegionPropertyChanged] = true
    }
  )
  return s
end

function factory (params)
  return function (signal, ref, ...)
    -- print (signal, ref, ...)

    if (signal == LuaSignal.SoloActive) then
      Session:goto_start()
    end

    if (signal == LuaSignal.RegionPropertyChanged) then
      obj,pch = ...
      file = io.open ("/tmp/test" ,"a")
      io.output (file
      io.write (string.format ("Region: '%s' pos-changed: %s, length-changed: %s\n",
        obj:name (),
        tostring (pch:containsFramePos (ARDOUR.Properties.Start)),
        tostring (pch:containsFramePos (ARDOUR.Properties.Length))
        ))
      io.close (file)
    end
  end
end
</code></pre>
</div>

<h3>DSP Scripts</h3>

<p>See the scripts folder for examples for now.</p>

<p>Some notes for further doc:</p>

<ul>
        <li>required function: <code>dsp_ioconfig ()</code>: return a list of possible audio I/O configurations&mdash;follows Audio Unit conventions.</li>
        <li>optional function: <code>dsp_dsp_midi_input ()</code>: return true if the plugin can receive midi input</li>
        <li>optional function: <code>dsp_params ()</code>: return a table of possible parameters (automatable)</li>
        <li>optional function: <code>dsp_init (samplerate)</code>: called when instantiation the plugin with given samplerate.</li>
        <li>optional function: <code>dsp_configure (in, out)</code>: called after instantiation with configured plugin i/o.</li>
        <li>required function: <code>dsp_run (ins, outs, n_samples)</code> OR <code>dsp_runmap (bufs, in_map, out_map, n_samples, offset)</code>: DSP process callback. The former is a convenient abstraction that passes mapped buffers (as table). The latter is a direct pass-through matching Ardour's internal <code>::connect_and_run()</code> API, which requires the caller to map and offset raw buffers.</li>
        <li>plugin parameters are handled via the global variable <code>CtrlPorts</code>.</li>
        <li>midi data is passed via the global variable <code>mididata</code> which is valid during <code>dsp_run</code> only. (dsp_runmap requires the script to pass raw data from the buffers according to in_map)</li>
        <li>The script has access to the current session via the global variable Session, but access to the session methods are limited to realtime safe functions</li>
</ul>

<h2>Accessing Ardour Objects</h2>

<p>
  The top most object in Ardour is the <code>ARDOUR::Session</code>. Fundamentally, a Session is just a collection of other things: Routes (tracks, busses), Sources (Audio/Midi), Regions, Playlists, Locations, Tempo map, Undo/Redo history, Ports, Transport state &amp; controls, etc.
</p>

<p>
  Every Lua interpreter can access it via the global variable <code>Session</code>.
</p>

<p>
  GUI context interpreters also have an additional object in the global environment: The Ardour <code>Editor</code>. The Editor provides access to high level functionality which is otherwise triggered via GUI interaction such as undo/redo, open/close windows, select objects, drag/move regions. It also holds the current UI state: snap-mode, zoom-range, etc. The Editor also provides complex operations such as "import audio" which under the hood, creates a new Track, adds a new Source Objects (for every channel) with optional resampling, creates both playlist and regions and loads the region onto the Track all the while displaying a progress information to the user.
</p>

<p class="note">
  Documenting the bound C++ methods and class hierarchy is somewhere on the ToDo list. Meanwhile <a href="https://github.com/Ardour/ardour/blob/master/libs/ardour/luabindings.cc">luabindings.cc</a> is the best we can offer.
</p>

<h2>Concepts</h2>

<ul>
        <li>There are no bound constructors: Lua asks Ardour to create objects (e.g. add a new track), then receives a reference to the object to modify it.</li>
        <li>Scripts, once loaded, are saved with the Session (no reference to external files). This provides for portable Sessions.</li>
        <li>Lua Scripts are never executed directly. They provide a "factory" method which can have optional instantiation parameters, which returns a lua closure.</li>
        <li>No external lua modules/libraries can be used, scripts need to be self contained (portable across different systems (libs written in Lua can be used, and important c-libs/functions can be included with ardour if needed).</li>
</ul>

<p>
  Ardour is a highly multithreaded application and interaction between the different threads, particularly real-time threads, needs to to be done with care. This part has been abstracted away by providing separate Lua interpreters in different contexts and restricting available interaction:
</p>

<ul>
        <li>Editor Actions run in a single instance interpreter in the GUI thread.</li>
        <li>Editor Hooks connect to libardour signals. Every Callback uses a dedicated lua interpreter which is in the GUI thread context.</li>
        <li>All Session scripts run in a single instance in the main real-time thread (audio callback)</li>
        <li>DSP scripts have a separate instance per script and run in one of the DSP threads.</li>
</ul>

<p>
  The available interfaces differ between contexts. e.g. it is not possible to create new tracks or import audio from real-time context; while it is not possible to modify audio buffers from the GUI thread.
</p>

<h2>Current State</h2>

<p>Fully functional, yet still in a prototyping stage:</p>

<ul>
        <li>The GUI to add/configure scripts is rather minimalistic.</li>
        <li>The interfaces may change (particularly DSP, and Session script <code>run()</code>.</li>
        <li>Further planned work includes:
                <ul>
                        <li>Built-in Script editor (customize/modify Scripts in-place)</li>
                        <li>convenience methods (wrap more complex Ardour actions into a library). e.g set plugin parameters, write automation lists from a lua table</li>
                        <li>Add some useful scripts and more examples</li>
                        <li>Documentation (Ardour API), also usable for tab-exansion, syntax highlighting</li>
                        <li>bindings for GUI Widgets (plugin UIs, message boxes, etc)</li>
                </ul>
                <li>
</ul>

<h2>Examples</h2>

<p>
  Apart from the <a href="https://github.com/Ardour/ardour/tree/master/scripts">scripts included with the source-code</a> here are a few examples without further comments...
</p>

<h3>Editor Console Examples</h3>

<div>
<pre><code class="lua">
print (Session:route_by_remote_id(1):name())

a = Session:route_by_remote_id(1);
print (a:name());

print(Session:get_tracks():size())

for i, v in ipairs(Session:unknown_processors():table()) do print(v) end
for i, v in ipairs(Session:get_tracks():table()) do print(v:name()) end

for t in Session:get_tracks():iter() do print(t:name()) end
for r in Session:get_routes():iter() do print(r:name()) end


Session:tempo_map():add_tempo(ARDOUR.Tempo(100,4), Timecode.BBT_TIME(4,1,0))


Editor:set_zoom_focus(Editing.ZoomFocusRight)
print(Editing.ZoomFocusRight);
Editor:set_zoom_focus(1)


files = C.StringVector();
files:push_back("/home/rgareus/data/coding/ltc-tools/smpte.wav")
pos = -1
Editor:do_import(files, Editing.ImportDistinctFiles, Editing.ImportAsTrack, ARDOUR.SrcQuality.SrcBest, pos, ARDOUR.PluginInfo())

#or in one line:
Editor:do_import(C.StringVector():add({"/path/to/file.wav"}), Editing.ImportDistinctFiles, Editing.ImportAsTrack, ARDOUR.SrcQuality.SrcBest, -1, ARDOUR.PluginInfo())

# called when a new session is loaded:
function new_session (name) print("NEW SESSION:", name) end


# read/set/describe a plugin parameter
route = Session:route_by_remote_id(1)
processor = route:nth_plugin(0)
plugininsert = processor:to_insert()

plugin = plugininsert:plugin(0)
print (plugin:label())
print (plugin:parameter_count())

x = ARDOUR.ParameterDescriptor ()
_, t = plugin:get_parameter_descriptor(2, x) -- port #2
paramdesc = t[2]
print (paramdesc.lower)

ctrl = Evoral.Parameter(ARDOUR.AutomationType.PluginAutomation, 0, 2)
ac = plugininsert:automation_control(ctrl, false)
print (ac:get_value ())
ac:set_value(1.0, PBD.GroupControlDisposition.NoGroup)

# the same using a convenience wrapper:
route = Session:route_by_remote_id(1)
proc = t:nth_plugin (i)
ARDOUR.LuaAPI.set_processor_param (proc, 2, 1.0)

</code></pre>
</div>

<h3>Commandline Session</h3>

<p>
  The standalone tool <code>luasession</code> allows one to access an Ardour session directly from the commandline. Interaction is limited by the fact that most actions in Ardour are provided by the Editor GUI.
</p>

<p>
  <code>luasession</code> provides only two special functions <code>load_session</code> and <code>close_session</code> and exposes the <code>AudioEngine</code> instance as global variable.
</p>

<div>
<pre><code class="lua">
for i,_ in AudioEngine:available_backends():iter() do print (i.name) end

backend = AudioEngine:set_backend("ALSA", "", "")
print (AudioEngine:current_backend_name())

for i,_ in backend:enumerate_devices():iter() do print (i.name) end

backend:set_input_device_name("HDA Intel PCH")
backend:set_output_device_name("HDA Intel PCH")

print (backend:buffer_size())
print (AudioEngine:get_last_backend_error())

s = load_session ("/home/rgareus/Documents/ArdourSessions/lua2/", "lua2")
s:request_transport_speed (1.0)
print (s:transport_rolling())
s:goto_start()
close_session()

</code></pre>
</div>

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style: luadoc
title: Class Reference
part: subchapter
include: class_reference.html
---