<scripttype=text/javascript>varbaseurl="https://prokoudine.github.io/ardour-tutorial/en"</script><scripttype=text/javascriptsrc=/ardour-tutorial/js/search.js?1650309271></script></div><sectionid=homelinks><ul><li><aclass=paddinghref=/ardour-tutorial/en/><iclass="fas fa-home"></i> Home</a></li></ul></section><divclass=highlightable><ulclass=topics><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/introduction/title=Introductionclass=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/introduction/><b>1. </b>Introduction</a><ul><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/introduction/conventions/title=Conventionsclass=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/introduction/conventions/>Conventions</a></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/introduction/what-is-digital-audio/title="What is digital audio?"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/introduction/what-is-digital-audio/>What is digital audio?</a></li></ul></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/getting-started/title="Getting started"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/getting-started/><b>2. </b>Getting started</a><ul><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/getting-started/starting-ardour-on-ubuntu/title="Starting Ardour"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/getting-started/starting-ardour-on-ubuntu/>Starting Ardour</a></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/getting-started/overview-of-the-interface/title="Overview of the Interface"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/getting-started/overview-of-the-interface/>Overview of the Interface</a><ul><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/getting-started/overview-of-the-interface/editor-window/title="Editor window"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/getting-started/overview-of-the-interface/editor-window/>Editor window</a></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/getting-started/overview-of-the-interface/mixer-window/title="Mixer window"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/getting-started/overview-of-the-interface/mixer-window/>Mixer window</a></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/getting-started/overview-of-the-interface/recorder-window/title="Recorder window"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/getting-started/overview-of-the-interface/recorder-window/>Recorder window</a></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/getting-started/overview-of-the-interface/cue-window/title="Cue window"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/getting-started/overview-of-the-interface/cue-window/>Cue window</a></li></ul></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/getting-started/creating-tracks-and-busses/title="Creating tracks and busses"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/getting-started/creating-tracks-and-busses/>Creating tracks and busses</a></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/getting-started/importing-audio/title="Importing audio"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/getting-started/importing-audio/>Importing audio</a></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/getting-started/setting-up-the-timeline/title="Setting up the timeline"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/getting-started/setting-up-the-timeline/>Setting up the timeline</a></li></ul></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/recording-audio/title=Recordingclass=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/recording-audio/><b>3. </b>Recording</a><ul><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/recording-audio/recording-audio/title="Recording audio"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/recording-audio/recording-audio/>Recording audio</a></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/recording-audio/understanding-routing/title="Understanding routing"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/recording-audio/understanding-routing/>Understanding routing</a></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/recording-audio/routing-between-applications/title="Routing between applications"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/recording-audio/routing-between-applications/>Routing between applications</a></li></ul></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/editing-sessions/title="Editing sessions"class="dd-item
parent"><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/editing-sessions/><b>4. </b>Editing sessions</a><ul><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/editing-sessions/non-destructive-editing/title="Non-destructive editing"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/editing-sessions/non-destructive-editing/>Non-destructive editing</a></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/editing-sessions/arranging-tracks/title="Arranging tracks"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/editing-sessions/arranging-tracks/>Arranging tracks</a></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/editing-sessions/setting-up-time-signature/title="Setting up time signature"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/editing-sessions/setting-up-time-signature/>Setting up time signature</a></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/editing-sessions/using-ranges/title="Using ranges"class="dd-item active"><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/editing-sessions/using-ranges/>Using ranges</a></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/editing-sessions/working-with-regions/title="Working with regions"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/editing-sessions/working-with-regions/>Working with regions</a></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/editing-sessions/further-region-operations/title="Further region operations"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/editing-sessions/further-region-operations/>Further region operations</a></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/editing-sessions/changing-edit-modes/title="Changing edit modes"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/editing-sessions/changing-edit-modes/>Changing edit modes</a></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/editing-sessions/creating-looped-sections/title="Creating looped sections"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/editing-sessions/creating-looped-sections/>Creating looped sections</a></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/editing-sessions/stretching-shrinking-regions/title="Stretching & shrinking regions"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/editing-sessions/stretching-shrinking-regions/>Stretching & shrinking regions</a></li></ul></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/mixing-sessions/title="Mixing sessions"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/mixing-sessions/><b>5. </b>Mixing sessions</a><ul><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/mixing-sessions/the-mixer-strip/title="The mixer strip"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/mixing-sessions/the-mixer-strip/>The mixer strip</a></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/mixing-sessions/mixing-levels/title="Mixing levels"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/mixing-sessions/mixing-levels/>Mixing levels</a></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/mixing-sessions/panning/title=Panningclass=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/mixing-sessions/panning/>Panning</a></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/mixing-sessions/using-plugins/title="Using plugins"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/mixing-sessions/using-plugins/>Using plugins</a></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/mixing-sessions/using-sends/title="Using sends"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/mixing-sessions/using-sends/>Using sends</a></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/mixing-sessions/dynamics/title=Dynamicsclass=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/mixing-sessions/dynamics/>Dynamics</a></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/mixing-sessions/equalizing/title=Equalizingclass=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/mixing-sessions/equalizing/>Equalizing</a></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/mixing-sessions/using-automation/title="Using automation"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/mixing-sessions/using-automation/>Using automation</a></li></ul></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/exporting-sessions/title="Exporting sessions"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/exporting-sessions/><b>6. </b>Exporting sessions</a><ul><lidata-nav-id=/ardour-tutorial/en/exporting-sessions/exporting-a-range/title="Exporting a range"class=dd-item><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/exporting-sessions/exporting-a-range/>Exporting a range</a></li><lidata-nav-id=/ardou
<spanclass=links><ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/>Home</a> > <ahref=/ardour-tutorial/en/editing-sessions/>Editing sessions</a> > Using ranges</span></div><divclass=progress><divclass=wrapper><navid=TableOfContents><ul><li><ahref=#creating-ranges>Creating ranges</a></li><li><ahref=#editing-ranges>Editing ranges</a></li><li><ahref=#playing-back-ranges-in-a-loop>Playing back ranges in a loop</a></li><li><ahref=#more-editing-options-for-ranges>More editing options for ranges</a></li><li><ahref=#continuing>Continuing</a></li></ul></nav></div></div></div></div><divid=head-tags></div><divid=body-inner><h1>Using ranges</h1><p>A <em>range</em> is a selection of the timeline that can include one or more tracks. It
has many uses like selecting a portion of audio/MIDI data to cut it.</p><figure><imgsrc=en/ardour7-range-example.pngalt="Range example"></figure><h2id=creating-ranges>Creating ranges</h2><p>There are two common ways to create a range:</p><ol><li><p>You can do it with the <em>Grab</em> tool (<strong>G</strong> shortcut) when the <em>Smart</em> mode is
enabled. In that case you need to position the mouse pointer around the middle
of a track vertically to start selecting data rather than picking and moving a
region. The mouse pointer looking like a vertical line means you are good to
start selecting.</p></li><li><p>You can also use the dedicated <em>Range</em> tool (<strong>R</strong> shortcut). In this case,
just click and drag anywhere on the canvas to start selecting.</p></li></ol><p>You can select data of multiple tracks at once as seen on the screenshot above.
To do that, just drag the mouse pointer upwards or downwards crossing the
border between tracks.</p><p>When the <em>Editor List</em> dock is available, you can see range properties on top of
it: start/end times of the range as well as its duration. When a range is
created, the <em>Tracks & Busses</em> tab will also select tracks that the range
crosses.</p><figure><imgsrc=en/ardour7-range-properties.pngalt="Range properties"></figure><p>It can be useful to create ranges that align with the edges of regions on your
timeline. To do that, enable the <em>Snap</em> option in the toolbar and select <em>No
Grid</em> in the drop-down list next to it.</p><figure><imgsrc=en/ardour7-snap-to-region-boundaries.pngalt="Snap to region boundaries"></figure><h2id=editing-ranges>Editing ranges</h2><p>Once you created a range, you can easily tweak it’s start and end positions by
hovering range boundaries with the mouse pointer, grabbing them and dragging to
the left or to the right.</p><figure><imgsrc=en/ardour7-editing-ranges.gifalt="Editing ranges"></figure><p>If you forgot to include a track into a range, you don’t need to redo the range
selection. Just hold <strong>Ctrl</strong> button and click on the track’s header on the
canvas. Alternatively, hold <strong>Ctrl</strong> and click on track’s name in the <em>Tracks &
Busses</em> tab of the <em>Editor List</em> dock.</p><figure><imgsrc=en/ardour7-adding-track-to-range.gifalt="Adding track to range"></figure><h2id=playing-back-ranges-in-a-loop>Playing back ranges in a loop</h2><p>Returning to our rhythmic passage example, we will want to hear the passage we
are composing, perhaps as a loop, while we are moving the samples around. To do
that, we must create a range to listen to within our session, so that we can
return to exactly this point in the session again and again.</p><figure><imgsrc=en/ardour7-loop-range-menu-command.pngalt="Loop Range in the right-click menu"></figure><p>Zoom out if needed (<strong>-</strong>) to see full bars in the timeline. Use the <em>Range</em>
tool to select an entire bar, then right-click inside a range and pick one of
the two commands:</p><ol><li><p><em>Loop Range</em> (on the screenshot above) to create a loop and start playing it
immediately.</p></li><li><p><em>Set loop from selection</em> to only create loop markers withut immediate
playback.</p></li></ol><figure><imgsrc=en/ardour7-looped-range-playback.pngalt="Looped range playback"></figure><p>As long as loop markers are there, you can start playing back that portion of
the timeline in a loop whenever you like (on the screenshot above). To do that,
either click the <strong>Play loop range</strong> button in the <em>Transport</em> toolbar or press
the <strong>L</strong> shortcut.</p><figure><imgsrc=en/ardour7-play-loop-range-button.pngalt="Loop range button in Transport"></figure><p>You can also tweak the position of loop markers while playing the range in a
loop. Just grab a marker and drag it to the left or to the right.</p><h2id=more-editing-options-for-ranges>More editing options for ranges</h2><p>There are more operations you can do on ranges, all available in the right-click
menu:</p><ul><li><em>Separate</em> will cut the original regions at range borders.</li><li><em>Duplicate</em> will create one copy of the range and place it starting at the
right border of the range. Any existing data will be overlaid, so you can still
access it.</li><li><em>Crop Region To Range</em> will trim affected regions to the extent of the range.</li></ul><p>You can also inspect loudness and spectral characteristics of data in a range or
with these samples.</p><p>Next: <ahref=../working-with-regions>WORKING WITH REGIONS</a></p><footerclass=footline></footer></div></div><divid=navigation></div></section><divstyle=left:-1000px;overflow:scroll;position:absolute;top:-1000px;border:none;box-sizing:content-box;height:200px;margin:0;padding:0;width:200px><divstyle=border:none;box-sizing:content-box;height:200px;margin:0;padding:0;width:200px></div></div><scriptsrc=/ardour-tutorial/js/clipboard.min.js?1650309271></script>
