--- /dev/null
+---
+layout: default
+title: MIDI Learn
+---
+
+<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 > Preferences
+ > Control Surfaces > 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 > Save
+Template</kbd>. Then, when creating new sessions, select that template and
+all the bindings will be automatically set up for you.
+</p>
projects / ardour-manual-diverged / blobdiff