Paul Davis
45d3ec1437
git-svn-id: svn://localhost/ardour2/branches/2.1-staging@1698 d708f5d6-7413-0410-9779-e7cbd77b26cf
443 lines
12 KiB
XML
443 lines
12 KiB
XML
<?xml version="1.0" standalone="no"?>
|
|
|
|
<!DOCTYPE chapter PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.4//EN" "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.4/docbookx.dtd" [
|
|
|
|
]>
|
|
|
|
<chapter id="ch-using-existing-audio">
|
|
<title>Using Existing Audio</title>
|
|
<para>
|
|
There are two primary ways to bring data into Ardour: recording it
|
|
within a session from a live sound source or importing pre-existing
|
|
audio files. This section covers the various ways to import audio into a
|
|
session.
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<section id="importing-and-embedding">
|
|
<title>Importing and Embedding</title>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Importing and embedding are two different methods of using existing
|
|
audio files on your computer (or network file system) within a
|
|
session. They differ in one key respect:
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<variablelist>
|
|
<title></title>
|
|
<varlistentry>
|
|
<term>Importing</term>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
An existing audio file is copied to the session's sounds folder,
|
|
and is converted into the session's native format (WAVE or
|
|
Broadcast WAVE depending on your choice) and sample rate.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</varlistentry>
|
|
|
|
<varlistentry>
|
|
<term>Embedding</term>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
An existing audio file is used as a the source for a region, but
|
|
is not copied or modified in any way.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</varlistentry>
|
|
</variablelist>
|
|
</section>
|
|
|
|
<section id="supported-external-audio-file-formats">
|
|
<title>Supported External Audio File Formats</title>
|
|
<para>
|
|
The list of audio file formats that Ardour can import/embed is quite
|
|
long. It is based on the functionality offered by libsndfile, an
|
|
excellent and widely used software library by Australian programmer
|
|
Erik de Castro Lopo. As libsndfile's capabilities expand, so will
|
|
Ardour's abilities to import (and export) new formats. Ogg/Vorbis (an
|
|
excellent, unpatented and license free audio compression format
|
|
similar to MP3) is planned for the near future. Currently, supported
|
|
formats include:
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Microsoft WAV
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
SGI/Apple AIFF/AIFC
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Sun AU/Snd
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Raw (headerless)
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Paris Audio File (PAF)
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Commodore IFF/SVX
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Sphere/NIST WAV
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
IRCAM SF
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Creative VOC
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
SoundForge W64
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
GNU Octave MAT4.4
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Portable Voice Format
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Fasttracker 2 XI
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
HMM Tool Kit HTK
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist>
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
|
Sample encodings supported include:
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Unsigned and signed 8, 16, 24 and 32 bit PCM
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
IEEE 32 and 64 floating point
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
U-LAW
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
A-LAW
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
IMA ADPCM
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
MS ADPCM
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
GSM 6.10
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
G721/723 ADPCM
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
12/16/24 bit DWVW
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
OK Dialogic ADPCM
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
8/16 DPCM
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist>
|
|
</section>
|
|
|
|
<section id="using-audio-files">
|
|
<title> Using audio files as tracks or regions? </title>
|
|
<para>
|
|
When you want to use existing audio files in an Ardour session, the
|
|
first choice you need to make is whether you want to bring the files
|
|
in as tracks or as new regions. Consider the two following scenarios:
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
you have an 8 track recording of existing material, with 1 audio
|
|
file per track
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
you have a sample library containing 500 small audio files
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist>
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
|
In the first case, your goal is probably to have 8 tracks (at least),
|
|
with each track containing a single audio file. In the second case,
|
|
its a lot more likely that you simply want to be able to use any of
|
|
the samples easily, but do not want any tracks created as a direct
|
|
result of the import/embed. It is very important that you understand
|
|
this distinction: many new users think there should be a "simple" way
|
|
to import existing audio without understanding that the goal of
|
|
importing/embedding is not always the same.
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
|
Ardour provides two different options when importing. You can
|
|
import/embed audio files as new tracks, or you can import/embed them
|
|
into the region list, where they will be available as regions to put
|
|
into new or existing tracks. You can also insert import/embed audio
|
|
files directly into an existing track.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</section>
|
|
|
|
<section id="importing-an-audio-file-as-a-new-track">
|
|
<title> How to import an audio file as a new track </title>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Click on the <guimenuitem>Edit</guimenuitem> item in the editor's menu
|
|
bar. From the popup menu that appears, choose <menuchoice>
|
|
<guimenu>Import</guimenu> <guisubmenu>...as new tracks</guisubmenu>
|
|
</menuchoice>. The Audio Library/File Chooser window will appear.
|
|
After you have made your selection of files to import, click the
|
|
button at the bottom of that window (it will say something like
|
|
"Import selected regions as new tracks").
|
|
</para>
|
|
</section>
|
|
|
|
<section id="embedding-an-audio-file-as-a-new-track">
|
|
<title> How to embed an audio file as a new track </title>
|
|
<section id="embedding-an-audio-file-drag-and-drop">
|
|
<title> Drag-n-Drop </title>
|
|
<para>
|
|
If you use a file manager such as Nautilus or Konqueror ((basically,
|
|
any tool that uses standard "list-of-URL's" encoding for
|
|
drag-n-drop)), the simplest method to import files as tracks is to
|
|
drag-n-drop. Select the files you want to embed in the file manager,
|
|
drag the selection into Ardour and drop it over an area of the
|
|
editor's track/arrange display where there are no tracks. The files
|
|
will be embedded as 1 new track per file.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</section>
|
|
|
|
<section id="embedding-audio-file-using-edit-menu">
|
|
<title> Edit menu </title>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Click on the <guimenuitem>Edit</guimenuitem> item in the editor's
|
|
menu bar. From the popup menu that appears, choose <menuchoice>
|
|
<guimenu>Embed</guimenu> <guisubmenu>...as new tracks</guisubmenu>
|
|
</menuchoice>. The Audio Library/File Chooser window will appear.
|
|
After you have made your selection of files to embed, click the
|
|
button at the bottom of that window (it will say something like
|
|
"Embed selected regions as new tracks"). 1 new track will be created
|
|
for each file.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</section>
|
|
</section>
|
|
|
|
<section id="importing-audio-as-a-new-region">
|
|
<title> Importing as a new region </title>
|
|
<para></para>
|
|
</section>
|
|
|
|
<section id="embedding-audio-as-a-new-region">
|
|
<title> Embedding as a new region </title>
|
|
<para></para>
|
|
|
|
<section id="embedding-audio-drag-and-drop">
|
|
<title> Drag-n-Drop </title>
|
|
<para></para>
|
|
</section>
|
|
|
|
<section id="embedding-audio-region-list-menu">
|
|
<title> Region List Menu </title>
|
|
<para></para>
|
|
</section>
|
|
</section>
|
|
|
|
<section id="how-to-import-embed">
|
|
<title>How to import/embed</title>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Begin by clicking on the titlebar of the region list in the editor
|
|
window. Select <guimenuitem>Import</guimenuitem> from the menu that
|
|
appears, and the Sound File Database will be displayed. See sfdb for
|
|
more details on using this dialog.
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
|
Once you have found and selected the files you want to import, click
|
|
the "Import Selected" button on the SFDB dialog. Each selected audio
|
|
file will be copied into the session's sounds folder, converted into
|
|
the session's native format and sample rate. One or more new regions
|
|
will be placed in the "External" section of the region list, either
|
|
one per channel of each file or, if "create multichannel regions" was
|
|
selected in the SFBD dialog, one per file.
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
|
If you use Nautilus as your file manager, you can easily import files
|
|
into your project by dragging them onto the desired track, then
|
|
releasing the mouse button. The file will then be
|
|
<link linkend="gt-embed">embedded</link> into your session.
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
|
At this time, no control over the conversion process is offered. If
|
|
sample rate conversion is required, it will be carried out at the
|
|
highest quality that Ardour can provide. This means that it can be
|
|
rather slow (many minutes to import an audio file lasting a few
|
|
minutes).
|
|
</para>
|
|
</section>
|
|
|
|
<section id="how-to-embed-a-file">
|
|
<title> How to embed a file </title>
|
|
<para>
|
|
There are two pathways for embedding an audio file into a session. One
|
|
is initiated from the region list, and simply creates one or more new
|
|
regions. The other is initiated from a specific track, and not only
|
|
adds regions to the region list, but also inserts them into the
|
|
track's playlist.
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<section id="embedding-via-the-region-list">
|
|
<title>Embedding via the region list</title>
|
|
<orderedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
click with 1 on the region list title bar.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Select Import audio file from the menu that appears.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
The SFDB dialog appears.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Select the files you want to import
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
then click on the <guibutton>Embed Selected</guibutton> button.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</orderedlist>
|
|
<para>
|
|
New regions are added to the External section of the region list.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</section>
|
|
|
|
<section id="embedding-from-a-track">
|
|
<title>Embedding from a track</title>
|
|
<orderedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
in the track you want to add the audiofile to.The track context
|
|
menu will appear.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Select EditInsert external sndfile from this menu. The SFDB
|
|
dialog appears.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Select the files you want to import
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
then click on the <guibutton>Embed Selected</guibutton> button.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</orderedlist>
|
|
<para>
|
|
New regions are added to the "External" section of the region list,
|
|
and one is inserted into the track from which the embed was started.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</section>
|
|
</section>
|
|
<!--
|
|
<xi:include xmlns:xi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude"
|
|
href="Some_Subsection.xml" />
|
|
-->
|
|
</chapter>
|