Add a chapter on performing to a metronome, recording w/ preroll and count-in

content/recording/performing-on-time/index.en.md

@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
++++
+title = "Performing on time"
+description = "How to help yourself recording in time with the rest of the session material"
+chapter = false
+weight = 3
++++
+
+Normally, to record an instrument or a vocal part live, you place the playhead
+to some position, arm a track for recording, toggle the overall record mode
+and then roll the transport whenever you are ready. Recording will start at
+the playhead position, and you will listen the audible part of the session
+material that also starts at that point. There are two important
+considerations here.
+
+## Using a metronome
+
+You might not yet have the beats part of the material to guide you when you
+are recording. So if performing to a metronome to pace yourself is something
+you are comfortable with, you can enable the metronome on the transport
+toolbar (or press the **\`** shortcut).
+
+If the metronome clicks are not audible, go to _Window > Audio Connections_,
+click _Ardour Misc_ on the left and see if the _Click out_ ports are connected
+to the Master bus. This will make the metronome clicks play through the same
+output as the rest of your session.
+
+{{< figure src="en/click-out-ports.png" alt="Click out ports connected to the master bus" >}}
+
+There are also a handful of customization options for the metronome on the
+same-name _Preferences_ dialog page: doing (or not) an emphasis on the first
+beat, adjusting gain for metronome clicks, loading your own regular and
+emphasized clicks, enabling metronome only when recording.
+
+## Pre-listening to the session material
+
+To perform a part better, it helps listening to a part of a composition that
+comes directly before this new soon-to-be-recorded instrument/vocal part
+begins. You have three options here:
+
+1. Record with preroll.
+
+2. Record with count-in.
+
+3. Begin recording far in advance.
+
+The first two options are similar. Here is what they do.
+
+Preroll (_Transport > Record w/Preroll_ or **Shift+<**) means Ardour will
+start playing audible session's material ahead of the point where you want to
+begin recording, then when the playhead reaches the original point where it
+was located, actual recording starts. By default, Ardour goes 2 bars back for
+preroll. You can configure this in the _Preferences_ dialog on the _Transport_
+page.
+
+Count-in (_Transport > Record w/Count-in_ or **Shift+>**) means that Ardour
+will play two bars worth of metronome clicks, _then_ start recording.
+
+In both cases playing exactly on beat is crucial if there should be MIDI notes
+or audio content right at the beginning of the first recorded bar. If you play
+it even slightly ahead of time, any content to the left of the original
+playhead position will be lost because it starts before the actual audio or
+MIDI region is created.
+
+If you have a problem playing on time, moving the playhead to the left to
+start actually recording a new audio/MIDI region earlier will give you both
+the time to sync in and perfectly preserved content to edit.
+
+<!-- ## TODO: latency correction??? -->
+
+## Continuing
+
+At this point, you may want to skip directly ahead to the [Arranging
+Tracks](../../editing-sessions/arranging-tracks/) section to learn how to
+arrange the regions into a composition. If you plan on doing more complicated
+Recording than what we have discussed here, in particular with a multichannel
+soundcard, or from other JACK-enabled audio programs on your computer, you
+should also have a look at the [Understanding
+Routing](../understanding-routing) chapter.
+
+Next: [ARRANGING TRACKS](../../editing-sessions/arranging-tracks/) or
+[UNDERSTANDING ROUTING](../understanding-routing)