Shamusworld >> Repos - ardour-manual/blob - include/session-properties.html

   1
   2 <figure class="right">
   3 <img src="/images/session_properties.png" alt="The Session Properties window">
   4 <figcaption>The Session Properties window</figcaption>
   5 </figure>
   6
   7 <p>
   8   <dfn>Session properties</dfn> control aspects of the workflow or
   9   configuration that pertain to the current session only; these settings are
  10   initially set from the template used to create the session. They can be found
  11   in <kbd class="menu">Session &gt; Properties</kbd>, and are stored in the
  12   session file.
  13 </p>
  14
  15 <p>
  16   Preferences are grouped by category:
  17 </p>
  18
  19 <ul>
  20   <li><a href="#properties-timecode">Timecode</a></li>
  21   <li><a href="#properties-sync">Sync</a></li>
  22   <li><a href="#properties-fade">Fades</a></li>
  23   <li><a href="#properties-media">Media</a></li>
  24   <li><a href="#properties-locations">Locations</a></li>
  25   <li><a href="#properties-filenames">Filenames</a></li>
  26   <li><a href="#properties-monitoring">Monitoring</a></li>
  27   <li><a href="#properties-meterbridge">Meterbridge</a></li>
  28   <li><a href="#properties-misc">Misc</a></li>
  29 </ul>
  30
  31 <h2 id="properties-timecode">Timecode</h2>
  32
  33 <ul>
  34   <li>
  35     <dfn>Timecode Settings</dfn>
  36     <ul>
  37                         <li>
  38                                 <dfn>Timecode frames-per-second</dfn>: defines how many frames of
  39                                 timecode are in one second. This can differ from the actual frame rate
  40                                 depending on the standard used.
  41                         </li>
  42                         <li>
  43                                 <dfn>Pull-up / pull-down</dfn>: sets the speed correction to match one
  44                                 actual second, e.g. a 4.1667 pull-up matches a 24fps cinema movie to a
  45                                 25 fps PAL TV broadcast format.
  46                         </li>
  47     </ul>
  48         </li>
  49         <li>
  50                 <dfn>Ext Timecode Offsets</dfn>
  51                 <ul>
  52                         <li>
  53                                 <dfn>Slave Timecode offset</dfn>: when an external timecode source is used,
  54                                 adds or substracts the specified offset to the received timecode (MTC or LTC).
  55                         </li>
  56                         <li>
  57                                 <dfn>Timecode Generator offset</dfn>: adds the specified offset to
  58                                 the timecode generated by Ardour (so far only LTC) before sending it to
  59                                 the external synchronized system.
  60                         </li>
  61                 </ul>
  62   </li>
  63   <li>
  64                 <dfn>JACK Transport/Time Settings</dfn>
  65                 <ul>
  66                         <li>
  67                                 <dfn>Ardour is JACK Time Master (provides Bar|Beat|Tick and other information
  68                                 to JACK)</dfn>: aside from synchronizing any JACK slave, Ardour can also
  69                                 provide musical time information (Bar/Beat/Tick) for the current absolute
  70                                 position for all the JACK-aware clients (N.B. the first jack client that
  71                                 asks for this wins).
  72                         </li>
  73                 </ul>
  74   </li>
  75 </ul>
  76
  77 <h2 id="properties-sync">Sync</h2>
  78
  79 <ul>
  80         <li>
  81                 <dfn>A/V Synchronization</dfn>
  82                 <ul>
  83                         <li>
  84                                 <dfn>Use Video File's FPS Instead of Timecode Value for Timeline and Video
  85                                 Monitor</dfn>: when checked, uses the timecode FPS value of the standard
  86                                 used by the video file instead of forcing the FPS set in the <a href="#properties-timecode">
  87                                 Timecode tab</a>.
  88                         </li>
  89                         <li>
  90                                 <dfn>Apply Pull-Up/Down to Video Timeline and Video Monitor (Unless using
  91                                 JACK-sync)</dfn>: allows to apply the pull-up/down as set in the <a href="#properties-timecode">
  92                                 Timecode tab</a> to the <a href="@@video-timeline-and-monitoring">video
  93                                 timeline</a> as displayed in the editor and to the Video Monitor, resulting
  94                                 in a shorter/longer video in the editor and a speed-up/down in the Video
  95                                 Monitor.
  96                         </li>
  97                 </ul>
  98         </li>
  99 </ul>
 100
 101 <h2 id="properties-fade">Fades</h2>
 102
 103 <ul>
 104         <li>
 105                 <dfn>Audio Fades</dfn>
 106                 <ul>
 107                         <li>
 108                                 <dfn>Declick when transport starts and stops</dfn>: creates an artificial
 109                                 fade in/out when starting or stopping playback, to avoid the 'click' sound
 110                                 resulting in starting it at a non zero value.
 111                         </li>
 112                         <li>
 113                                 <dfn>Declick when monitor state changes</dfn>: also creates an artificial
 114                                 fade in/out to avoid clicks when a parameter in the monitor changes.
 115                         </li>
 116                         <li>
 117                                 <dfn>Region fades active</dfn>: when checked, Ardour applies the region
 118                                 <a href="@@create-region-fades-and-crossfades">crossfades</a> to each
 119                                 region's start and end. When unchecked, no fades are applied, and clicks
 120                                 may be heard at regions boundaries.
 121                         </li>
 122                         <li>
 123                                 <dfn>Region fades visible</dfn>: when checked, the region fades are visible
 124                                 in the the Editor. Unchecking may increase readability for sessions made
 125                                 of a lot of tiny regions.
 126                         </li>
 127                 </ul>
 128         </li>
 129 </ul>
 130
 131 <h2 id="properties-media">Media</h2>
 132
 133 <p>
 134         Change how sound is stored on disk. These options do not change how sound is handled
 135   internally.
 136 </p>
 137
 138 <ul>
 139         <li>
 140                 <dfn>Audio File Format</dfn>
 141                 <ul>
 142                         <li>
 143                                 <dfn>Sample format</dfn>: defaults to 32-bit floating point, the same as
 144                                 the internal representation. 24 and 16-bit integer representation are
 145                                 also available, for more lightweight sessions at the cost of a reduced
 146                                 audio definition.
 147                         </li>
 148                         <li>
 149                                 <dfn>File type</dfn>: defines what format is used to store the audio
 150                                 files. The default is WAVE, and can be changed to Broadcast Wave to
 151                                 store metadata and timecodes, <abbr title="Core Audio
 152                                 Format">CAF</abbr> to overcome WAVE's limitation to 4Gb in size, RF64
 153                                 to add more channels, etc. The chosen format is usually very
 154                                 workflow-specific.
 155                         </li>
 156                 </ul>
 157         </li>
 158 </ul>
 159
 160 <h2 id="properties-locations">Locations</h2>
 161
 162 <p>
 163         These options add file locations that will be searched to find the audio and
 164   midi files used by the session. This is useful when the files have been
 165   imported into the session but not copied into the session.
 166 </p>
 167
 168 <ul>
 169         <li>
 170                 <dfn>File Locations</dfn>
 171                 <ul>
 172                         <li>
 173                                 <dfn>Search for audio files in</dfn>: allows to add a location to look
 174                                 for audio files. Adding a location is done by navigating to the
 175                                 directory where the files are stored, selecting it and clicking <kbd
 176                                 class="menu">Open</kbd>. The directory will show up in the dialog. The
 177                                 <kbd class="menu">Remove</kbd> button next to the added directory can
 178                                 be used to remove it from the search path. Multiple paths can be added
 179                                 this way.
 180                         </li>
 181                         <li>
 182                                 <dfn>Search for MIDI files in</dfn>: is exactly the same, but for MIDI files.
 183                         </li>
 184                 </ul>
 185         </li>
 186 </ul>
 187
 188 <h2 id="properties-filenames">Filenames</h2>
 189
 190 <p>
 191          This tab is used to change how Ardour names recorded regions.
 192 </p>
 193
 194 <ul>
 195         <li>
 196                 <dfn>File Naming</dfn>
 197                 <ul>
 198                         <li>
 199                                 <dfn>Prefix Track number</dfn>: when checked, a unique number will
 200                                 appear on each track in the Editor window and will prefix the region
 201                                 name. If the track number is <samp>2</samp> and the region would have
 202                                 been named <samp>Gtr-1.1</samp>, with track number prefix turned on the
 203                                 region will be named <samp>2_Gtr-1.1</samp> instead. See <a
 204                                 href="@@region-naming">Region Naming</a>.
 205                         </li>
 206                         <li>
 207                                 <dfn>Prefix Take Name</dfn>: when enabled, the first time a track is
 208                                 recorded it will have the specified take name. When recording is
 209                                 stopped, any trailing number on the end of the take name will be
 210                                 incremented by 1. If the specified track name doesn't have a number on
 211                                 the end, the number <samp>1</samp> will be suffixed.
 212                         </li>
 213                         <li>
 214                                 <dfn>Take name</dfn> specifies what name is prefixed if <kbd
 215                                 class="option">Prefix Take Name</kbd> is checked.
 216                         </li>
 217                 </ul>
 218         </li>
 219 </ul>
 220
 221
 222 <h2 id="properties-monitoring">Monitoring</h2>
 223
 224 <p>
 225          Provides options affecting monitoring.
 226 </p>
 227
 228 <ul>
 229         <li>
 230                 <dfn>Monitoring</dfn>
 231                 <ul>
 232                         <li>
 233                                 <dfn>Track Input Monitoring automatically follows transport state
 234                                 ("auto-input")</dfn>: affects how input monitoring is handling. See <a
 235                                 href="@@monitor-setup-in-ardour">Monitor Setup in Ardour</a>
 236                         </li>
 237                         <li>
 238                                 <dfn>Cue containing clips disables implicit (auto) disk monitoring
 239                                 for the track</dfn>: affects monitor playback.
 240                         </li>
 241                         <li>
 242                                 <dfn>Use monitor section in this session</dfn>: when enabled, displays
 243                                 an extra section in the Mixer window that is modelled on the similarly
 244                                 named section on large analog consoles. More information can be found
 245                                 on the <a href="@@monitor-section">Monitor Section</a> page.
 246                         </li>
 247                 </ul>
 248         </li>
 249 </ul>
 250
 251
 252 <h2 id="properties-meterbridge">Meterbridge</h2>
 253
 254 <p>
 255         This tab changes what controls are displayed in the Meterbridge that is
 256         available in the <kbd class="menu">Window &gt; Meterbridge</kbd> menu.
 257 </p>
 258
 259 <ul>
 260         <li>
 261                 <dfn>Display Options</dfn>
 262                 <ul>
 263                         <li>
 264                                 <dfn>Show Midi Tracks</dfn>: displays/hides MIDI tracks
 265                                 (even when no synth, hence no audio output exists)
 266                         </li>
 267                         <li>
 268                                 <dfn>Show Busses</dfn>: displays/hides
 269                                 <a href="@@track-types">Busses</a> tracks
 270                         </li>
 271                         <li>
 272                                 <dfn>Include Master Bus</dfn>: displays/hides the
 273                                 <a href="@@master-bus-strip">Master Bus</a>
 274                         </li>
 275                 </ul>
 276         </li>
 277         <li>
 278                 <dfn>Button Area</dfn>
 279                 <ul>
 280                         <li>
 281                                 <dfn>Rec-enable Button</dfn>: displays/hides the record arm button (for audio
 282                                 and MIDI tracks only)
 283                         </li>
 284                         <li>
 285                                 <dfn>Mute Button</dfn>: displays/hides the mute button (for all
 286                                 tracks/busses types)
 287                         </li>
 288                         <li>
 289                                 <dfn>Solo Button</dfn>: same for solo
 290                         </li>
 291                         <li>
 292                                 <dfn>Monitor Buttons</dfn>: displays/hides the two (input and playback)<a
 293                                 href="@@monitoring">monitoring</a> buttons, selecting what is played at
 294                                 record and playback time.
 295                         </li>
 296                         <li>
 297                                 <dfn>Fader as Gain Knob</dfn>: displays/hides a rotary button
 298                                 to control the gain of the channel.
 299                         </li>
 300                 </ul>
 301         </li>
 302         <li>
 303                 <dfn>Name Labels</dfn>
 304                 <ul>
 305                         <li>
 306                                 <dfn>Track Name</dfn>: adds the tracks' names below the buttons.
 307                         </li>
 308                 </ul>
 309         </li>
 310 </ul>
 311
 312 <h2 id="properties-misc">Misc</h2>
 313
 314 <p>
 315         This tab has several things that don't fit on the other tabs.
 316 </p>
 317
 318 <ul>
 319         <li>
 320                 <dfn>MIDI Options</dfn>
 321                 <ul>
 322                         <li>
 323                                 <dfn>MIDI region copies are independent</dfn>: if selected, when a MIDI
 324                                 region is copied or duplicated, the new region is not linked to the
 325                                 region it was copied from. If it is not selected, the copied regions
 326                                 are linked and any editing done on one of the linked regions changes
 327                                 all of the linked regions.
 328                         </li>
 329                         <li>
 330                                 <dfn>Policy for handling overlapping notes on the same MIDI channel:</dfn>
 331                                 Selects how Ardour reacts to possibly conflicting MIDI notes:
 332                                         <ul>
 333                                                 <li>never allow them</li>
 334                                                 <li>don't do anything in particular</li>
 335                                                 <li>replace any overlapped existing     notes</li>
 336                                                 <li>shorten the overlapped existing note</li>
 337                                                 <li>shorten     the overlapping new note</li>
 338                                                 <li>replace both overlapping notes with a       single note</li>
 339                                         </ul>
 340                         </li>
 341                 </ul>
 342         </li>
 343         <li>
 344                 <dfn>Glue to Bars and Beats</dfn>
 345                 <ul>
 346                         <li>
 347                                 <dfn>Glue new markers to bars and beats</dfn>: if checked, a newly
 348                                 created marker will always be placed at the nearest musical time
 349                                 instead of right where the mouse pointer is.
 350                         </li>
 351                         <li>
 352                                 <dfn>Glue new regions to bars and beats</dfn>: same as above, for regions.
 353                         </li>
 354                 </ul>
 355         </li>
 356         <li>
 357                 <dfn>Metronome</dfn>
 358                 <ul>
 359                         <li>
 360                                 <dfn>Always count-in when recording</dfn>: when checked, waits for two
 361                                 bars before the actual recording begins. The Metronome will tick (even if
 362                                 disabled) during the count-in. Same as recording with <kbd
 363                                 class="menu">Transport &gt; Record w/Count-In</kbd>.
 364                         </li>
 365                 </ul>
 366         </li>
 367         <li>
 368                 <dfn>Defaults</dfn>
 369                 <ul>
 370                         <li>
 371                                 <dfn>Use these settings as defaults</dfn>: clicking this button makes all
 372                                 the present Session Properties default, by recording them in the
 373                                 default session template.
 374                         </li>
 375                 </ul>
 376         </li>
 377
 378 </ul>
 379