manual/include/editing-clocks.html

<h2>Clock Modes</h2>

<p>
  Every clock in Ardour has four different, selectable <dfn>clock
  modes</dfn>. Each mode displays time using different units.
  You can change the clock mode by <kbd class="mouse">Right</kbd>-clicking
  on the clock and selecting the desired mode from the menu. Some clocks are
  entirely independent of any other clock's mode; others are linked so that
  changing one changes all clocks in that group. The different modes are:
</p>

<dl>
  <dt>Timecode</dt><dd>Time is shown as <dfn><abbr title="Society of Motion Picture and Television
  Engineers">SMPTE</abbr> timecode</dfn> in Hours:Minutes:Seconds:Frames,
  measured from the timecode zero point on the timeline (which may not
  correspond to the session start and/or absolute zero on the timeline,
  depending on configurable timecode offsets).
  The frames value is dictated by either the session <abbr title="Frames Per
  Second">FPS</abbr> setting, or, if slaved to an external timecode master,
  the master's setting. In the transport clocks, the FPS value is shown below
  the time display, along with an indication of the current timecode source
  (<samp>INT</samp> means that Ardour is its own timecode source).</dd>
  <dt>BBT</dt><dd>Time is shown as Bars:Beats:Ticks, indicating <dfn>musical time</dfn> measured
  from the start of the session. The transport clocks show the current tempo
  in <abbr title="Beats Per Minute">bpm</abbr> and meter below the time
  display.</dd>
  <dt>Minutes:Seconds</dt><dd>Time is shown as Hours:Minutes:Seconds.Milliseconds, measured from the
  absolute start of the timeline (ignoring the session start and any timecode
  offsets).</dd>
  <dt>Samples</dt><dd>Time is shown as a <dfn>sample count</dfn> from the absolute start of the timeline
  (ignoring the session start and any timecode offsets). The number of
  samples per second is given by the current sample rate, and in the transport
  clocks, this rate is shown below the time display along with any
  pullup/pulldown adjustment.</dd>
</dl>

<h2>Changing clock values with the keyboard</h2>

<p>
  New values for the clock can be typed in after clicking on the relevant clock.
  Clicking on the clock will show a thin vertical cursor bar just to the right
  of the next character to be overwritten. Enter time in the same order as the
  current clock mode&mdash;if the clock is in Timecode mode, you need to enter
  hours, minutes, seconds, frames. So, to change to a time of 12:15:20:15 you
  would type <kbd class="input">1 2 1 5 2 0 1 5</kbd>. Each number you type will
  appear in a different color, from right to left, overwriting the existing value.
  Mid-edit, after typing <kbd class="input">3 2 2 2</kbd> the clock might look like this:
</p>

<img src="/images/clockedit.png" alt="An image of a clock being edited in Ardour">

<p>
  To finish the edit, press <kbd>&crarr;</kbd> or <kbd>Tab</kbd>. To exit an
  edit without changing the clock press <kbd>ESC</kbd>. If you mis-type an entry
  so that the new value would be illegal (for example, resulting in more than 30
  frames when Timecode is set to 30 frames per second), the clock will reset at
  the end of the edit, and move the cursor back to the start so that you can
  start over.
</p>

<h2>Avoiding the mouse entirely</h2>

<p>
  There is a shortcut available for those who wish to be able to edit the transport
  clocks entirely without the mouse. It can be found in
  <kbd class="menu">Window &gt; Key Bindings &gt; Transport &gt; Focus On
  Clock</kbd>. If bound to a key (<kbd>&divide;</kbd> on the numerical
  keypad is the
  default), then pressing that key is equivalent to clicking on the primary (left)
  transport clock, and editing can begin immediately.
</p>

<h2>Entering Partial Times</h2>

<p>
  One detail of the editing design that is not immediately obvious is that it is
  possible to enter part of a full time value. Suppose that the clock is in BBT
  mode, displaying <samp>024|03|0029</samp>, and you want to alter the value to
  the first beat of the current bar. Click on the clock and type
  <kbd class="input">0 1 0 0 0 0</kbd>. Similarly, if it is in Minutes:Seconds
  mode, displaying <samp>02:03:04.456</samp>, and you want to get to exactly 2
  hours, click on the clock and type <kbd class="input">0 0 0 0 0 0 0</kbd> to
  reset the minutes, seconds and milliseconds fields.
</p>

<h2>Entering Delta Times</h2>

<p>
  You can also type values into the clock that are intended as a relative change,
  rather than a new absolute value. Simply end the edit by pressing
  <kbd>+</kbd> or <kbd>-</kbd> (the ones on any keypad will also work). The plus
  key will add the entered value to the current value of the clock, minus will
  subtract it. For example, if the clock is in Samples mode and displays
  <samp>2917839</samp>, you move it back 2000 samples by typing
  <kbd class="input">2 0 0 0</kbd> and <kbd>-</kbd>, rather than ending with
  Enter or Tab.
</p>

<h2>Changing clock values with the mouse</h2>

<h3>Using a scroll wheel</h3>

<p>
  Position the mouse pointer over the clock, and move the scroll wheel. Moving
  the scroll wheel up (<kbd class="mouse">&uArr;</kbd>) increases the value
  shown on the clock, moving it down  (<kbd class="mouse">&uArr;</kbd>)
  decreases it. The step size is equal to the unit of the field
  you are hovering over (seconds, hours, etc.).
</p>

<h3>Dragging the mouse</h3>

<p>
  Position the mouse pointer over the clock, press the left mouse button and drag.
  Dragging upwards increases the value shown on the clock, dragging downwards
  decreases it, again with a step size equal to the unit of the field you
  began the drag on.
</p>