---
-title: The Strips list
+title: The Strips List
---
+<p>
+ The <dfn>Strips List</dfn> is a quick way to manage big sessions, with lots of tracks,
+ where the mixer would otherwise be too crowded.
+</p>
+<p>
+ It is a list of all the tracks, busses and VCA in the session, with a tick to allow
+ for hiding or showing them. This visibility status also affects the Editor view, and is exactly the same as
+ toggling the <kbd class="option">V</kbd> checkbox in the
+ <a href="/ardours-interface/the-editor/the-editor_s-lists/tracks-and-busses-list/">Tracks and Busses</a>
+ panel of the Editor List.
+</p>
-<p class="fixme">add content</p>
+<p>
+ Dragging and dropping tracks inside the Strips List allows to reorganise the tracks in the session,
+ both in the Mixer and the Editor.
+</p>
+<p>
+ It is possible, by <kbd class="mouse">right</kbd> clicking, to act on multiple tracks at once:
+</p>
+<ul>
+ <li>Show All</li>
+ <li>Hide All</li>
+ <li>Show All Audio Tracks</li>
+ <li>Hide All Audio Tracks</li>
+ <li>Show All Audio Busses</li>
+ <li>Hide All Audio Busses</li>
+ <li>Show All MIDI Tracks</li>
+ <li>Hide All MIDI Tracks</li>
+</ul>
+<p>
+ The <kbd class="menu">+</kbd> button under the list is a shortcut to create a new track,
+ bus or VCA, as in clicking <kbd class="menu">Track > Add Track, Bus or VCA...</kbd>.
+</p>
title: The Groups list
---
+<p>
+ The <dfn>Goups List</dfn> allows to quickly manage the <a href="/working-with-tracks/track-and-bus-groups/">groups</a>
+ of the session, and make use of them.
+</p>
+<p>
+ Each group has a <kbd class="option">Show</kbd> checkbox to quickly toggle their visibility. Clicking an already
+ selected group allows to rename it.
+</p>
-<p class="fixme">add content</p>
+<p>
+ The context menu, reached by <kbd class="mouse">right</kbd> clicking a group,
+ allows for multiple mixing actions:
+</p>
+<dl>
+ <dt>Create New Group From...</dt><dd>Creates a new group based on some track properties. The choice is :
+ <ul>
+ <li><kbd class="menu">Selection...</kbd> to create a group of all selected tracks</li>
+ <li><kbd class="menu">Record Enabled...</kbd> to create a group of all the tracks that are record enabled</li>
+ <li><kbd class="menu">Soloed...</kbd> to create a group of all the soloed tracks</li>
+ </ul></dd>
+ <dt>Create New Group with Master From...</dt><dd>Acts exactly as the previous choice, but also creates a Control Master tied to these tracks.</dd>
+ <dt>Assign Selection to Control Master...</dt><dd>Allows to link all the selected tracks to a chosen Control Master, whether or not they belong to a group.</dd>
+ <dt>Assign Record Enabled to Control Master...</dt><dd>Allows to link all the record armed tracks to a chosen Control Master.</dd>
+ <dt>Assign Soloed to Control Master...</dt><dd>Allows to link all the soloed tracks to a chosen Control Master.</dd>
+ <dt>Enable All Groups</dt><dd>Enable all the groups, i.e. their selected properties are synchronized.</dd>
+ <dt>Disable All Groups</dt><dd>Disable all the groups, i.e. changing a property in a track won't affect the others.</dd>
+</dl>
+<p>
+ When a group is selected, <kbd class="mouse">right</kbd> clicking it adds the following menu entries :
+</p>
+
+<dl>
+ <dt>Create New Group with Master From...</dt><dd>Acts exactly as the previous choice, but also creates a Control Master tied to these tracks.</dd>
+ <dt>Edit Group...</dt><dd>Shows the <kbd class="menu">Track/bus Group</kbd> <a href="/working-with-tracks/track-and-bus-groups/">window</a>.</dd>
+ <dt>Collect Group</dt><dd>Rearranges the tracks/busses order to visualy group together the tracks belonging to the same group.</dd>
+ <dt>Remove Group</dt><dd>Deletes the group (but not the tracks/busses belongidng to this group).</dd>
+ <dt>Assign Group to Control Master...</dt><dd>Allows to link all the tracks in the group to a chosen VCA.</dd>
+ <dt>Add/Remove Subgroup Bus</dt><dd>Creates/removes a new bus connected to the Master, and send the output of all the tracks in the group to this new bus.</dd>
+ <dt>Add New Aux Bus (pre/post-fader)</dt><dd>Creates a new bus connected to the Master, and create <a href="/signal-routing/aux-sends/">Aux Sends</a> (pre or post-fader) in all the tracks in the group to this new bus.</dd>
+</dl>
+
+<p>
+ The <kbd class="menu">+</kbd> button under the list allows the creation of an (empty) group,
+ while the <kbd class="menu">−</kbd> button deletes the selected group (but not the tracks in
+ this group).
+</p>
---
layout: default
title: Busses and VCAs
----
+---
<p>
In order to ease 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>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 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>
+<p class="fixme">
+ Reword this section to Control MAster, separate from Busses, Detail the fact a track can have multiple VCA attached
+</p>
+
<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>
+<p>
It allows to use either or both of the conventions for combining multiple masters:
</p>
<p>
A VCA strip is made of (from top to bottom in the screenshot) :
-</p>
+</p>
<ul>
<li><dfn>1</dfn>: number of the VCA</li>
<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.
+ 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>
-
-
projects / ardour-manual / commitdiff