124 lines
5.5 KiB
Markdown
124 lines
5.5 KiB
Markdown
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title = "Starting Ardour"
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description = "Launching Ardour on Ubuntu Linux, first steps"
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chapter = false
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weight = 1
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Ardour supports both Linux, Windows, and macOS. There is very little
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difference about how it works on all these operating systems. So while this
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tutorial assumes using Ubuntu Linux, you should expect it to work the same
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way on other operating systems and Linux flavors.
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## First-launch wizard
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When you first start Ardour, it will ask you a few questions to make a
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basic customization: user interface and font scale (if you have a HiDPI
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display), default folder where new sessions would be created, preferred way
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to monitor signal being recorded etc.
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This dialog will never be shown again, unless you wipe all settings. You
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can change all the preferences you set there at any time later in the
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_Preferences_ dialog.
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## Create new session
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Once you get past the first-launch wizard, Ardour will suggest you create a
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new _session_ from one of a few available templates.
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A session encompasses all the material you have: tracks with audio and MIDI
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data, effects associated with tracks and busses etc. Thus, a session is
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essentially a project file from which you can render a mono or a stereo
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audio file to deliver to a client, use in a video, or upload to a streaming
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service.
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For simplicity's sake let's go with an empty session as shown above.
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Ardour will always automatically suggest storing a new session in the
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default folder that you set at the previous step.
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When giving a new session a name, please avoid using any characters other
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than letters and numbers, like white spaces, accented letters, `!@#$%*()+`,
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periods, commas, etc. Use dashes or underscores if you like. For example,
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instead of "My Great Session!", prefer "My_Great_Session", or
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"MyGreatSession", or "my-great-session". Instead of "Açaí", write "Acai"
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(without accented letters), etc.
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Name your new project and click **Open** .
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Once you have created your Ardour session, do _not_ manually rename any
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folders or files that belong to the session. Otherwise, Ardour will fail to
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locate the files inside those folders and will ask you to point to them.
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{{% notice tip %}}
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Once you saved at least one session, the _Session Setup_ dialog will look
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differently: there will be a list of recently opened sessions and a way to
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open an existing session that is not on that list.
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{{% /notice %}}
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## Choosing an audio system and its settings
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At the next step, you will need to choose and configure the _audio system_.
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On Linux, you have multiple audio systems (or _backends_) available. _ALSA_
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is suggested by default. It is currently the recommended way to use Ardour
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in production. With ALSA, there are no convenience wrappers or
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abstractions. You connect to physical audio and MIDI ports directly. This
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means Ardour will take over the audio interface of your choice and won't
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share it with any other applications. As long as Ardour is running, any
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other desktop applications you are running too won't be able to connect to
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the audio interface and play any sound.
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The _PulseAudio_ backend currently only supports playback. This means you won't
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be able to record any audio as long as you use PulseAudio, but you can edit,
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mix, and export in e.g. Bluetooth headphones on the go. It's also the most
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convenient option when you want to follow a mixing or mastering tutorial on e.g.
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YouTube and be able to listen to the output from Ardour.
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Finally, there's JACK audio backend. It is designed following a client-server
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architecture pattern. JACK captures all physical ports of an audio interface and
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routes signal between its clients (e.g. a digital audio workstation, a software
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synthesizer, a drum sequencer etc.) and various ports. It is available on both
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Linux, Windows, and macOS.
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Today, the use of JACK audio server is discouraged by Ardour developers except
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for particular use cases like sophisticated signal routing. For simple
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multichannel recording your user experience will be vastly better when relying
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on native audio engine available in your operating system, like ALSA on Linux
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and CoreAudio on macOS. If you absolutely need JACK, it's best to start and
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control it from a separate program like
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[Qjackctl](https://qjackctl.sourceforge.io/) or
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[Cadence](https://kx.studio/Applications:Cadence).
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Most supported audio systems have a few common settings:
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- _Device_ — it's either your built-in sound card, or an external sound card if
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you have one (such as a USB interface).
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- _Sample Rate_ — 48K or 44.1K are common choices.
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- _Buffer Size_ — especially for external USB audio, try picking an option that
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results in a latency that is a multiple of 1ms (4ms, 6ms etc.) to produce less glitches.
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- _Periods_ — it's often suggested to use 3 for an external USB audio interface,
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but you should see if you can get a multiple of 1ms with 3 or if you should dial
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back to 2.
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Once you've chosen, configured, and started the audio/MIDI backend, Ardour will
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try to discover any new plugins, and then you will be greeted with Ardour's main
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window:
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## Continuing
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In the next chapter you'll familiarize yourself with Ardour's user
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interface and its main windows: Editor, Mixer, Recorder, and Cue.
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Next: [OVERVIEW OF THE INTERFACE](../overview-of-the-interface)
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