manual/include/newopen-session-dialog.html

<p>
  The initial <dfn>Session</dfn> dialog, displayed at each start of Ardour, consists
  of several consecutive pages:
</p>

<h2>Open Session Page</h2>

<figure class="left">
  <img class="mini" src="/images/session_setup.png" alt="The Session Setup Dialog">
  <figcaption>
    The Session Setup Dialog
  </figcaption>
</figure>

<p>
  On this page, an <dfn>existing session</dfn> can be opened. Any <a href="@@snapshots">snapshot</a>
  of a particular session can also be accessed by clicking on the arrow next to
  the session name to display all snapshots, and then selecting one.

</p>
<p>
  If the session is not displayed in the Recent Sessions list, the <kbd
  class="menu">Other Sessions</kbd> button will bring up a file selection dialog
  to navigate the file system.
</p>
<p>
  Alternatively, a <kbd class="menu">New Session</kbd> can be created.
</p>

<h2 class="clear">New Session page</h2>

<figure class="left">
  <img class="mini" src="/images/session_new.png" alt="The New Session Dialog">
  <figcaption>
    The New Session Dialog
  </figcaption>
</figure>

<figure class="right">
  <img class="mini" src="/images/template_setup.png" alt="One of the Template Setup Dialogs">
  <figcaption>
    One of the Template Setup Dialogs
  </figcaption>
</figure>

<p>
  This page allows to type in the name of a session, select a folder to save it in, and
  optionally use an existing <a href="@@session-templates">template</a>.
</p>
<p>
  The different templates, both the "factory" ones and the ones created by the user,
  are easily available on the left-side panel. Depending on the chosen template,
  a specific Template Settings window may be shown, allowing the user to fine-tune
  the details of the template and/or choose between the different options of the
  template.
</p>

<p>
  Templates can be huge time savers when working on similar projects, or on
  usual projects, as they allow to preset and tweak a lot of the <a
  href="@@session-properties">session properties</a>, (like the
  availability of a <a href="@@monitor-section">monitoring section</a>,
  connection to a Master Bus, etc.), and handle the creation of <a
  href="@@adding-tracks-busses-and-vcas">tracks</a> of any kind.
</p>
<p>
  The <kbd class="menu">Empty Template</kbd> preset allows to create a session
  "from scratch". Everything a session template does can be done manually
  &mdash;albeit more tediously&mdash; and the resulting sessions will not differ
  whatsoever.
</p>
<p>
  As of Ardour 5.12, which introduced the new template dialog, the factory templates are:
</p>

<table class="dl">
  <tr><th><kbd class="menu">Empty Template</kbd></th>
      <td>Creates an empty session with no tracks and no monitoring. A stereo Master Bus is created, and any track created defaults to output on this bus.</td></tr>
  <tr><th><kbd class="menu">Advanced Session</kbd></th>
      <td>Like the Empty Template, but adds the ability to easily manage the Master bus (channels, hardware connection, and track autoconnection), and the creation of a monitoring section.</td></tr>
  <tr><th><kbd class="menu">Recording Session</kbd></th>
      <td>Like the Empty Template, but allows the fast creation of a number of tracks, optionally ready to record.</td></tr>
  <tr><th><kbd class="menu">Live Band</kbd></th>
      <td>Fast tracks the creation of usual tracks for a band setup (vocals, guitars, piano, ...), and optionally adds usual effects on these tracks.</td></tr>
</table>

<p>
  Selecting a template will display its description in the right-side panel, while
  hovering over a template name will show a tooltip indicating if it is a factory
  template, or, if it is a user-created one, which version of Ardour was used to
  create it.
</p>
<p>
  Whether or not a template is used, and before the "Template Setup" dialog, the
  Audio/MIDI Setup will be shown.
</p>

<h2 class="clear">Audio/MIDI Setup</h2>

<figure class="left">
  <img class="mini" src="/images/Audio-MIDI_Setup.png" alt="The Audio/MIDI Setup Dialog"/>
  <figcaption>
    The Audio/MIDI Setup Dialog
  </figcaption>
</figure>

<p>
  This window exposes the different audio options to be used by Ardour for the
  current work session, for hardware and software and is made of:
</p>

<table class="dl">
  <tr><th>Audio System</th>
  <td>Depending on the operating system, Ardour can possibly use different audio
    systems, e.g. on Linux, both <abbr title="Advanced Linux Sound Architecture">
    ALSA</abbr> and <abbr title="JACK Audio Connection Kit">JACK</abbr> are
    available.
 </td></tr>
  <tr><th>Driver</th>
  <td>
    On Mac OS X this will typically be <kbd class="menu">CoreAudio</kbd>. On Linux usually
    this will be either <kbd class="menu"><abbr title="Free Firewire Audio Driver fOr
    linux">FFADO</abbr></kbd>
    or <kbd class="menu"><abbr title="Advanced Linux Sound
    Architecture">ALSA</abbr></kbd>, depending on whether or not a firewire device
    is used. Advanced users on all platforms may also
    use <kbd class="menu">NetJack</kbd> which provides network audio I/O.
  </td></tr>
  <tr><th>Device</th>
  <td>The selector should show all available interfaces provided by the
  driver above and which are capable of duplex operation.
  <p class="warning">
    When using an Intel Mac running OS X and the builtin audio
    interface, its separate input and output devices must be <a href="@@using-more-than-one-audio-device">
    merged</a> first into a single "aggregate device" before Ardour will be able
    to use it.
   </p>
  </td></tr>
  <tr><th>Sample Rate</th>
  <td>
    The selector will allow to select from any sample rate supported by the device
    selected above it.
  </td></tr>
  <tr><th>Buffer Size</th>
  <td>
    The size of the buffer used by the audio interface can be adjusted
    to allow for either lower latency, or lower CPU usage and higher
    latency.
  </td></tr>
  <tr><th>Input/Output Channels</th>
  <td>
    Specifies the number of hardware channels to use. The
    default is <kbd class="menu">all available channels</kbd>.</td></tr>
  <tr><th>Hardware Input/Output Latency</th>
  <td>Specify the hardware delay in samples for precise latency compensation.</td></tr>
  <tr><th>Calibrate</th>
  <td>
    This button runs a semi-automated guided process to obtain
    precise hardware latency measurements for the above option.</td></tr>
  <tr><th>MIDI System</th>
  <td>
    Selects the MIDI driver to use. On Mac OS X, this will be <kbd
    class="menu">CoreMIDI</kbd>. On Linux, this will follow the audio backend.
    If the Audio backend is ALSA, midi will be alsa also. If the backend is
    JACK, it can be changed between two legacy
    ALSA drivers or the (preferred) new JACK+ALSA implementation.</td></tr>
</table>