manual/include/adding-tracks-busses-and-vcas.html

<figure class="right">
    <img class="mini" src="/images/add-track-or-bus.png" alt="the add-track dialog">
    <figcaption>
      The Add Track/Bus/VCA dialog.
    </figcaption>
</figure>

<p>
  A track, bus or VCA can be added to a session by either:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>Choosing <kbd class="menu">Track &gt; Add Track, Bus or VCA&hellip;</kbd></li>
  <li><kbd class="mouse">Right</kbd>-clicking in an empty part of the track controls area</li>
  <li>Clicking the <kbd class="menu">Plus (&plus;)</kbd> button underneath the list of tracks in the mixer</li>
</ul>
<p>
  Any of these actions will open the Add Track/Bus/VCA dialog.
</p>

<p>
  The list of available track templates (both factory and user-created ones)
  in the left panel allows for choosing the <a href="@@track-types">track's type</a>
  (e.g. Audio, MIDI, bus, VCA, etc.). Some templates can do even more, like the
  factory-provided <kbd class="menu">Live Band</kbd> that automatically creates
  a typical number of tracks for a common band setup. See <a
  href="@@newopen-session-dialog">New Session</a> for more information about
  templates.
</p>

<p>
  Any template can be fine-tuned using the controls in the dialog:
</p>

<table class="dl">
<tr>
  <th>Add</th>
  <td>Selects the number of tracks, busses or VCAs to create.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <th>Name</th>
  <td>Defines the name of the new track. If multiple tracks are to be created,
  or if a track with the same name already exists, a space and number will be
  appended to the end (e.g.: Audio 1, Audio 2&hellip;).</td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <th>Configuration</th>
  <td>This menu allows choosing from a number of routing templates, which
  determines the number of input ports and optionally contains plugins and
  other mixer strip configurations. The most common choices here are
  <em>Mono</em> and <em>Stereo</em>. When the <em>Custom</em> option is
  selected, upon clicking <kbd>Add</kbd>, Ardour will ask for the number of
  channels to initiate a new audio track, bus, or foldback bus with.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <th>Instrument</th>
  <td>This option is only available for MIDI tracks and busses and allows the
  selection of a default instrument from the list of available plugins.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <th>Group</th>
  <td>Tracks and busses can be assigned to groups so that a selected range of
  operations are applied to all members of the group at the same time
  (selecting record enable, or editing, for example). This option assigns the
  new track/bus to an existing group, or creates a new group.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <th>Pin Mode</th>
  <td>Defines how the number of output responds to adding a plugin with a
  different number of outputs than the track itself. In <em>Strict I/O</em>
  mode, plugins cannot alter the track's channel count, while in <em>Flexible
  I/O</em> mode, it will automatically adapt to the I/O of its plugins. See <a
  href="@@trackbus-signal-flow">Signal flow</a> for details.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <th>Position</th>
  <td>Defines where in the track list is the track created. The default is
  <em>Last</em>, i.e. after all the tracks and busses, and can also be
  <em>First</em>, <em>Before Selection</em> (to place it just above the
  selected track) or <em>After selection</em>.</td>
</tr>
</table>

<p>
  Multiple tracks of different types can be created by using the <kbd
  class="menu">Add selected items (and leave dialog open)</kbd> button, which,
  when used in conjunction with the <kbd class="menu">Add</kbd> field, allows
  for a very fast and efficient way to create an initial track setup.
</p>

<p>
  New tracks appear in both the editor and mixer windows. The editor window
  shows the timeline, with any recorded data, and the mixer shows just the
  processor elements of the track (its plugins, fader, etc).
</p>

<h2>Removing Tracks and Busses</h2>

<p>
  <dfn>Removing</dfn> tracks and busses is done by selecting them, <kbd
  class="mouse">right</kbd>-clicking and choosing <kbd class="menu">Remove</kbd>
  from the menu. A warning dialog will ask for confirmation as track removal
  cannot be undone; this option should be used with care!
</p>