136 lines
5.3 KiB
Markdown
136 lines
5.3 KiB
Markdown
+++
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title = "Using plugins"
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chapter = false
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weight = 4
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#pre = "<b>1. </b>"
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+++
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**Plugins** can be used to enhance or transform the sound of individual
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Tracks.
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They can be applied directly to a single track, or to a group of Tracks using a **Send**. Later in
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this tutorial, we will discuss some Plugins specific to the Mixing
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process, such as **Compressors**, **Limiters**, **Parametric
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Equalizers**, **Reverbs** and others.
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## Processor Box
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In Ardour terminology, a **Processor** is anything which gets plugged
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into a Mixer Strip, and treats the signal in some way. Ardour provides
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several built-in processors such as the Fader or Panners. Processors can
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also be plugins used for effects or as instruments, as well as sends or
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inserts which affect signal routing. The arrangement of processors is
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arbitrary, and there is no limit to how many there can be.
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The main space shown in the screenshot above is the **Processor Box**.
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The blue box Fader is in fact a **Processor** that comes by default
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inside the Processor Box. It represents the Fader that you use to
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control the Track's volume. All Processors are shown as colored
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rectangles, with a small "LED" beside them that lights up when the
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processor is enabled. The colour of the processor depends on its
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location in the sequence; processors that are pre-fader are colored in
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red, and post-fader processors are colored green.
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## Adding a Plugin to a Track or a Bus
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Plugins can be added by right-clicking in the Processor Box of the Track
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or Bus. A menu of options is presented. From the menu, new processors
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can be inserted.
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The Plugin Manager is a convenient way to browse and choose plugins:
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From the Plugin Manager, you can search them by Name, Type, or other
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search parameters available from the drop-down menu. For example, we
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will add the reverb plugin called "Freeverb":
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Once selected, click "*Add*" and the plugin will show up in the bottom
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list of "Plugins to be connected". Then click "*Insert Plugin(s)*" and
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they will show up in the Processor Box.
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## Editing Plugin Parameters
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Double-click a Plugin to edit its parameters. In this example, we double
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click the "Freeverb" green box and get this window:
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Here you can control reverb parameters such as Room Size, Damping,
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amount of Wet and Dry signal, and Width. The effect will apply to all
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sounds contained in the Track.
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## Bypassing Plugins
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To bypass the Plugin, press the *Bypass* button in the Plugin settings
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window, or simply click the "LED" of the plugin in the Processor Box.
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This turns the plugin off and allows the signal to pass by it
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unaffected. This is useful when you want to compare how a track sounds
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with and without the plugin.
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Bypassed plugins are shown greyed out and with the "LED" turned off.
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Right-Clicking the Plugins will give a menu with several options,
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including *Delete*.
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## Pre-Fader vs Post-Fader
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You have a choice whether you would like to add your Plugin before or
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after the Fader rectangle in the **Processor Box**. Pre-fader plugins
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are inserted in the signal path *before* the Fader, so that the Fader
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controls the level of the signal coming out of the Plugin. Post-Fader
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Plugins are inserted *after* the Fader: the Fader controls the level of
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the signal going into the Plugin. For some Plugins, Pre- or Post-fader
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placement does not matter. For others, the difference is subtle. For
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others still, inserting them in the right place is absolutely essential
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(for more details, see for example
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[this thread](https://discourse.ardour.org/t/fader-before-or-after-plugins/100666)
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at the Ardour discussion forum).
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## Plugin Formats
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For those interested in learning more about plugin formats, here's a quick overview:
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**LADSPA Plugins** are the "native" Plugin format for Ardour. They were
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initially developed for Linux, but since have been ported to OS X as
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well.
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**LV2** is a simple but extensible successor of LADSPA, which can be
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used to display sound characteristics in a graphical manner. LV2 Plugins
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can be used on OS X and Linux.
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**AU Plugins** are the "native" Plugin format for OS X. They will only
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work in Ardour if you have made a donation when you downloaded the
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program. See the **Installing OS X** chapter for details. AU Plugins
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will not work on Linux at all.
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**VST Plugins** is a Plugin format common to Microsoft Windows. Some
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VST Plugins can be used on Linux, however they may not function
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correctly, or even cause Ardour to crash. Using these Plugins requires
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manually **Compiling** the Ardour application, a task which is outside
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the scope of this manual.
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More information about using plugins with Ardour can be found here:
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[http://manual.ardour.org/working-with-plugins/](http://manual.ardour.org/working-with-plugins/)
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## Continuing
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In this chapter, we learned how to add a Plugin to a single Track. This
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is useful if that Track needs a specific Plugin, but if you have a
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Plugin which is used for many Tracks at the same time, you should
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continue to the next chapter about **Using Sends**. You can also
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continue to the various, Plugin-specific chapters such as **Dynamics**
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and **Equalizing**.
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Next: [USING SENDS](../using-sends)
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