manual/include/layering-display.html

<figure class="right">
  <img src="/images/track-layer-dialog.png" alt="The Track layering menu">
  <figcaption>
    The Track layering menu
  </figcaption>
</figure>

<p>
  Ardour allows arbitrary <dfn>layering</dfn> of regions&mdash;there can any number
  of regions at a given position. By default, the regions are
  <dfn>overlaid</dfn> in the editor window, to save vertical space.
</p>
<p>
  However, this display mode can be confusing for tracks with many overdubs,
  because its not obvious in which order the overdubs are layered. Although
  there are other methods of moving particular regions to the top of an
  overlapping set, and although Ardour also has playlists to manage
  <a href="@@playlist-usecases">takes</a> a bit more efficiently than just continually
  layering, there are times when being able to clearly see all regions in a track
  without any overlaps is reassuring and useful.
</p>
<p>
  The example below shows a track with a rather drastic overdub situation,
  viewed in normal <dfn>overlaid mode</dfn>:
</p>
<figure>
  <img src="/images/overlaps_layered.png" alt="Overlapping regions in overlaid mode">
  <figcaption>
    Overlapping regions in <em>overlaid</em> mode
  </figcaption>
</figure>

<p>
  This display can be changed by <kbd class="mouse">right</kbd> clicking on the
  track header, showing the menu displayed above. There are two choices for layers, and
  <kbd class="menu">overlaid</kbd> is currently selected. Clicking on <kbd
  class="menu">stacked</kbd>, the track display changes to:

<figure>
    <img src="/images/layers_stacked.png" alt="Overlapping regions in stacked mode">
    <figcaption>
      Overlapping regions in <em>stacked</em> mode
    </figcaption>
</figure>

<p>
  Regions can still be moved around as usual, and can be dragged so that they overlay
  each other again, but when the mouse button is released, things will flip back to them all being
  stacked cleanly. The number of <dfn>lanes</dfn> for the track is determined by
  the maximum number of regions existing in any one spot throughout
  the track, so if a track has 10 overdubs stacked up in one spot,
  it will end up with 10 lanes. Obviously, using a large track height
  works much better for this than a small one.
</p>