Global preferences control general workflow and system
configuration, and should apply to all sessions. They are located in Edit > Preferences and stored in Ardour's user
configuration file in the user's home directory.
The Preferences window
Settings can be searched for using the input box in the lower left corner
of the Preferences window. Typing in a keyword and pressing Enter
will open the Preferences pages where the first occurrence of the keyword is
available, the setting will be highlighted. Pressing Enter again
will highlight the next occurrence (where available).
Try to auto-launch audio/midi engine allows Ardour to try to
automatically launch the audio and MIDI system, driver and device, thus not
showing the Audio/MIDI Setup dialog. This
can save a little time if the system is always used the same way.
Editor Undo defines the behaviour of the Undo operations:
Limit undo history sets how many commands can be
undone using Z or Edit > Undo.
Unchecking will keep an endless memory of operations to undo, at the
expense of memory.
Save undo history sets how many commands are saved so
they are available to be undone after reopening the session. This can
also be unchecked to keep all actions undoable, at the cost of bigger
session files.
Verify removal of last capture when enabled prompts to
verify removal the last recording capture when
Edit > Remove Last Capture is executed.
Session Management:
Make periodic backups of the session file will create
a backup session file after changes to the timeline. The backup file is
the session name followed by .ardour.bak. The backup can be
used to recover from crashes when the session had not been explicitly
saved.
Default folder for new sessions: defaults the folder
where Ardour will create new session folders. This is used in the
Session Setup dialog displayed by
Session > New.
Maximum number of recent sessions: determines how
many of the last opened sessions shows in the Recent Sessions
dialog displayed by Session > Recent.
Import:
Drag and drop import always copies files to session
selects, and then disables changes to, the Copy files to session
option in the Add Existing Media dialog.
Cache Folder for downloaded Freesound clips: when you try
sounds form FreeSound.org before inserting them into the project, they need
to be saved locally on your computer; this is where you define the folder
for those temporary files.
Export
Save loudness analysis as image file after export allows, when the
Analyze Exported Audio is checked in the
Export dialog, to save the analysis graph
as a file named session.png alongside the exported audio
file(s) (in the same folder).
Save Mixer screenshot after export creates and exports
a graphical image of the Mixer window as a file named
session-mixer.png alongside the exported audio file(s)
(in the same folder).
New Version Check
Check for announcements at application start sends an
anonymous request to Ardour's server to check for a new version.
Appearance
GUI Lock
Lock timeout (seconds): locks the GUI after this many idle seconds (zero being 'never lock').
The GUI can also be locked with Session > Lock. When
locked, a dialog will display a "Click to unlock" button.
System Screensaver Mode: can be used to prevent the
screensaver to be launched by the system, either while recording
(e.g. for long and unattended recording session), when Ardour is
simply started, or never (the screensaver is then able to start).
Theme
Color faders with track/bus colors: when enabled, fills faders
for tracks and busses with respective track or bus colors.
Draw "flat" buttons: when enabled, button controls
in the user interface will be drawn with a flat look. When disabled button
controls will have a slight 3D appearance.
Draw "boxy" buttons: when enabled, button controls
in the user interface will have square corners instead of being slightly
rounded.
LED meter style if checked, the bar meters in the editor and
mixer will be styled to look like if they were made of LEDs, with a dotted
bar. Unchecking this option makes the bars flat and continuous.
Graphical User Interface
Highlight widgets on mouseover, when checked, makes Ardour's
widgets (buttons, sliders, …) slightly change color when the mouse
hovers them, visually indicating what a mouse action would interact with.
Show tooltips if mouse hovers over a control when checked,
displays a little help bubble about the control the mouse hovers. The mouse
pointer needs to stay idle for about 1 sec for the tooltip to appear.
Update clocks at TC Frame rate: Ardour updates its clocks every
100 ms. Checking this will make the clock refresh at every TimeCode
frame which is more responsive, at the cost of a bit more system stress.
Blink Rec-Arm buttons: when enabled, the record-armed
buttons on tracks will blink when they are armed but not currently recording.
When disabled, the record-armed buttons on tracks will be outlined in red
instead of blinking. The global record-arm button in the
Transport bar is unaffected.
Blink Alert indicators: when enabled, the Alert indicators (like
the Error Log or the Feedback
button) will blink when they are active (when an error or feedback
has been detected, respectively). When disabled, the indicators will turn red instead of
blinking.
Graphics Acceleration
Use intermediate image-surface to render canvas (requires restart):
Ardour uses hardware accelerated UI rendering by default for speed.
Sometimes though, a buggy driver can cause this to make the system slow or
unstable. Checking this will make Ardour draw its UI without
hardware acceleration, in software, improving stability and responsiveness
on those buggy systems at the expense of speed.
Recorder
Input Meter Layout
Input Meter Layout: in Recorder mode, determines if audio
inputs are displayed horizontally or vertically.
Editor
General
Use name highlight bars in region displays (requires a restart):
when enabled, the region name is displayed, in the editor, in its own opaque bar
at the bottom of the region. When disabled, the region name is overlaid
at the top of the region, possibly over audio waveforms or MIDI notes.
Region color follows track color: when enabled,
the background color of regions in the editor will be displayed using
the color assigned to the track. When disabled the default region
background color will be used.
Show Region Names: when enabled, overlays the name of
the region over its waveform representation, in the top-left.
Waveforms color gradient depth: determines how much gradient
effect is applied to the inner of audio waveforms displayed in the editor.
Values range from 0.0, no gradient effect, to 1.0, maximum effect.
Timeline item gradient depth: Determines how much
gradient effect is applied to the backgrounds of regions displayed in the
editor. Values range from 0.0, no gradient effect, to 1.0, maximum effect.
Track name ellipsize mode: when the track header is not
wide enough to display the track's name in full, selects how the
name will be shorten between:
Ellipsize start of name will show only the end of the name
Ellipsize middle of name will show only the start and end of the name
Ellipsize end of name will show only the start of the name
Add a visual gap below Audio Regions: selects whether or
not the audio regions fit the height of the track or leave a gap at
the bottom, either small or large.
Editor Meters
Show meters in track headers: when enabled, shows
a small meter in the Editor's track headers.
The meter is shown on the right side area of the header and provides an
instant, if imprecise, view of the levels on this track/bus.
Limit track header meters to stereo: if a track has more than
two outputs (e.g. with a drum plugin), limits the number of meters in the
track header to the first two ones. Only affects audio meters, not MIDI.
MIDI Regions
Display first MIDI bank/program as 0: when patches and bank changes
are displayed in the editor, if this option is checked, the numbering will
be zero-based instead of one-based, i.e. banks/programs will be numbered
O, 1 ,2… instead of 1, 2, 3…
Don't display periodic (MTC, MMC) SysEx messages in MIDI Regions:
if checked, will hide these control messages from the MIDI regions for better
legibility.
Show velocity horizontally inside notes: when on, each note
of a MIDI region (in Sustained mode) displays its velocity
(0-127) with a darker fill proportional to its value.
Use colors to show note velocity: if checked, makes the
saturation of the notes color proportional to its velocity, hence making
a more veloce note more intense in color.
Display note names in track headers: allows selecting in
which scenario Ardour will display note names:
Always — Ardour will always try to display note names
regardless of whether they are available through a MIDNAM file.
When Available — Ardour will only show note names when
they are provided in a MIDNAM file.
Never — Ardour will never display note names.
Waveform
Editor Waveforms
Show waveforms in regions: when enabled, shows a visual
representation of the region's audio waveform.
Show waveforms while recording: when enabled, will draw
the audio waveform in regions being recorded, in near real time.
When disabled, only a region block will be drawn while recording,
reducing CPU requirements.
Show waveform clipping: when enabled, the waveform
displayed will show peaks marked in red if they exceed the clip level.
Waveform Clip Level (dBFS): sets the level at which the
waveform shown in an audio region will be drawn in red to indicate
clipping. Setting lower than 0.0 dBFS can be useful if any tool in
the audio chain has problems near 0.0 dBFS.
Waveform scale: when waveforms are shown in audio regions,
they can be displayed using a linear or a logarithmic
scale. See Waveform display.
Waveform shape: when waveforms are shown in audio regions,
they can be displayed using a traditional or a rectified
shape. See Waveform display.
Mixer
Mixer Strip
This table enables (checked) or disables (unchecked) the display of controls
in the mixer strip. Controls whose
display can be toggled are:
Input, Phase Invert,
Record & Monitor, Solo Iso/Lock,
Output, Comments and VCA Assigns.
Use narrow strips in the mixer for new strips by default When
enabled, new mixer strips are created in narrow format. When disabled,
they are created in wide format. Existing mixer strips width can be toggled
with the width control at the top left of the mixer strip.
Limit inline-mixer-strip controls per plugin : Whether or
not, and how many, controls each plugin can show in the mixer strip.
These mixer-strip controls are added by checking plugin context-menu
> Controls > □ control parameter.
Toolbar
Main Transport Toolbar Items: this section allows to toggle the
visibility of some elements of the main toolbar:
Display Record/Punch Options toggles the visibility of the
punch and record slice of
the main toolbar.
Display Latency Compensation Info toggles the visibility of the
Latency Compensation slice of the main toolbar.
Display Secondary Clock toggles the visibility of the
secondary clocks slice of
the main toolbar.
Display Selection Clock toggles the visibility of the
selection clocks slice of
the main toolbar.
Display Monitor Section Info toggles the visibility of the
Monitor Info slice of the main toolbar.
Display Cue Rec/Play Controls toggles the visibility of the
buttons that enable creating and playing back cue markers.
Display Navigation Timeline toggles the visibility of the
navigation/mini timeline slice of
the main toolbar.
Display Master Level Meter toggles the visibility of the
selection clocks slice of
the main toolbar.
Display Action-Buttons
Column n enables or disables the visibility of the
six possible columns of
Lua script buttons.
Each columns contains two user-assignable buttons.
Size and Scale
User Interface Size and Scale
GUI and Font scaling: allows the display size of most of the
text and buttons in the user interface to be scaled up or down. May
require a restart to take effect.
Colors
Colors
Color Theme allows to switch between some presets bundled with
Ardour, changing both the palette and items colors, hence styling Ardour
all at once.
The table allows to change the color settings in Ardour by acting on three
parameters:
Items that allow to choose any color from the palette (see below)
to color a UI element. Clicking on a color sample in the Color
column bring up the Palette, to choose from.
Palette that allows to create a set of colors that will be used
in the UI. Using a palette allows for better consistency, instead of
picking "free" colors for each UI element. Clicking on a color patch brings
up a full color selector, to assign this color to this patch of the palette.
Transparency where possible, allows to select, with a slider,
the transparency of the UI element, with 0 (slider to the left) being
fully opaque.
Restore Defaults turns all the palette, item colors and transparency
back to Ardour's default base setting, in case Ardour's appearance has turned
into a toddler's toy.
Use color-palette to assign color for new tracks
enables color-coding of tracks by picking colors from a fixed palette
and assigning them to regions' backgrounds and, optionally, to
respective faders of tracks and busses (there is a dedicated setting
for that). When disabled, all regions (and faders) have a neutral gray
background.
Use color-palette to assign color for new busses does the
same as the setting above, but with regards to busses.
Use color-palette to assign color for new VCA does the same
as the setting above, but with regards to VCAs.
Quirks
Various Workarounds for Windowing Systems: As Ardour is available
on a number of platforms and windowing systems, some specific workarounds are
sometimes required to provide a smooth experience to the user.
Use visibility information provided by your Window Manager/Desktop
allows the system window manager's rules for the windows visibility to
supersede Ardour's.
Show/Hide splash screen instead of setting z-axis stack order:
Hides the splash instead of re-layering it. This setting requires a restart
of Ardour to take effect.
All floating windows are dialogs: when enabled, Ardour will
use type "Dialog" for all floating windows instead of using type
"Utility" for some of them. This may help usability with some
window managers. This setting requires a restart of Ardour to take effect.
Transient windows follow front window.: when enabled,
transient windows will follow the front window when toggling between the
editor and mixer. This setting requires a restart of Ardour to take effect.
Float detached monitor-section window: as the
monitor section can be detached from
the mixer, this option makes it a floating window, which may be handled
differently by the windowing system and easier to access.
Allow to resize Engine Dialog: allow to resize the engine
dialog window to work around a bug on some XWayland systems that render
this dialog as blank.
Translation
Internationalization
Use translations sets if Ardour should use a translated
version of all the messages. The default (unchecked) is English (US). When
checked, and if a language file exists for the system language, this file
will be used to translate Ardour.
Regions
Region Information
Show xrun markers in regions puts a marker on the region(s)
while recording, when a buffer over/underflow happens.
Show cue markers in regions determines if cue markers,
that are bounded to regions, are displayed or not.
Show gain envelopes in audio regions: sets in which
modes the gain envelope is displayed in audio regions.
The gain envelope is superimposed over the region in the selected modes, and
hidden otherwise for a better legibility.
Editor
Scroll and Zoom Behaviors
Zoom to mouse position when zooming with scroll wheel: by default,
Ardour zooms to the edit point. When this
option is checked, and the zoom is done with + mousewheel,
the zoom will happen at the mouse cursor position regardless of the edit point
chosen.
Zoom with vertical drag in rulers allows, when checked, to click
anywhere in an empty zone of the ruler zone and drag
up to zoom in or down to zoom out.
Double click zooms to selection allows by double clicking, to zoom
on the selection, both on the time and tracks axes. If the selection has been
done with or , then this
key should still be pressed when double clicking for this to work, otherwise
the first click breaks the group selection.
Update editor window during drags of the summary: when
enabled the contents of the editor window will redraw the tracks area
as the selection rectangle in the summary area is
moved or resized.
Auto-scroll editor window when dragging near its edges
when enabled will scroll the editor window automatically when dragging a
region. This can make it easier to see where to position the region.
Auto-scroll speed when dragging playhead: chooses how fast the canvas
scrolls when dragging the playhead outside of the visible canvas.
Limit zoom & summary view beyond session extents to:
prevents the zoom out both in the editor and the summary, to show anything past
the chosen time after the end marker, restraining the vision to only useful
content.
Editor Behaviour
Move relevant automation when audio regions are moved,
when enabled, causes automation data to stay with a region when the
region is moved inside the playlist. When disabled, the automation is
not affected by movement of regions.
Ignore Y-axis click position when adding new automation-points
allows to create new automation points at the x-position of the mouse, without
using the Y-position as the value, hence creating a new automation point at
its present value.
Automation edit cancels auto hide determines whether automation
lanes that have been automatically shown because of the
Edit > Show Automation Lane on Touch
option should be kept visible if the automation has been touched.
Default fade shape: sets which
fade shape is the default.
Regions in edit groups are edited together: sets
the criteria to see if editing actions apply to tracks grouped together
in an group.
Layering model: Ardour allows layering
multiple regions in the same track. This selector defines how these layers are
managed, either manually or by placing the latest on top.
Split/Separate
After a Separate operation, in Range mode: determines what
should become of the Range selection after a Separate operation:
Clear the Range Selection: nothing is selected anymore
Preserve the Range Selection: the range selection is kept
Force-Select the regions under the range: the regions that
were in the range selection are selected in Grab/Object mode
After a Split operation, in Object mode: determines which,
if any, regions are selected after a split operation. The options are:
Clear the Region Selection: nothing is selected anymore
Select only the newly-created regions BEFORE the split point:
if regions have been affected by the split, then the regions
created by the split before the split point is selected
Select only the newly-created regions BEFORE the split point:
same as above, for the regions created after the split point
Select the newly-created regions: sum of the two above, i.e. all
the regions that are created as a result of the split are selected.
Preserve the existing selection, AND select all newly-created regions:
same as above (all the parts that have been created by the split) plus
the unaffected regions that were selected before the split.
Snap
General Snap options :
Snap Threshold (pixels): is the maximum distance between
a snap anchor and an object for Ardour to force the object to be
placed precisely at that anchor.
Approximate Grid/Ruler granularity (pixels): Ardour tries
to show a reasonable number of grid lines at the current zoom level
and in the available screen estate. This value tells Ardour what the
approximate absolute distance between two closest grid lines should
be, so that it displays the most relevant grid scale to approximately
fit this distance.
Show "snapped cursor" If the Edit point is not the playhead,
shows the currently selected Edit point as a blue line, to indicate
where the next editing operation will occur.
Snap rubberband selection to grid makes the highlighted
zone created by an area selection also snap to grid, i.e. the beginning
and end of the resulting selecting box will both be grid anchors.
Grid switches to alternate selection for Internal Edit Tools.
Two levels of grid mode can coexist in Ardour, one for global regions
manipulations, and one for finer, in-region editing (e.g. for placing
MIDI events in a MIDI region). When this option is checked, entering
Internal Edit mode makes the grid mode switch from one mode to the other.
Rulers automatically change to follow the Grid mode selection
If enabled, changing the Grid mode also makes the relevant
ruler visible, while hiding the other ones.
Snap Target Mode:
When "Snap" is enabled, snap to:
Lists the different possible anchors to which an object should snap to, among:
Markers
Playhead
Region Sync points
Region Starts
Region Ends
Grid
Snap Targets
Markers: whether markers are snap targets
Playhead: whether the playhead is a snap targets
Region Sync Points: whether region sync points are snap targets
Regions Starts: whether regions starts are snap targets
Regions Ends: whether regions ends are snap targets
Modifiers
This page allows to choose how things are done in the editor. This is a very
flexible way for Ardour to match an existing workflow, or speed up the editing
process based on the user's most used actions.
The Reset to recommended defaults button at the bottom
provides a way to revert any user made change to its default value.
MIDI
Session
Allow non quarter-note pulse: by default, Ardour understands the tempo as the number of quarter notes in a minute.
Checking this option allows to set the tempo based on any division of the note,
from whole to 1/128th. This is reflected in the Edit
Tempo window (accessed by double clicking a tempo marker) that shows a
"Pulse" menu when this option is checked.
Initial program change: Ardour will send a MIDI program
change message on the ardour:MMC out MIDI port when a session
is loaded and whenever this field is changed. A value of -1 means don't
send any program change message.
Audition
Sound MIDI notes as they are selected in the editor will play
any selected or added MIDI note when in Draw or Internal Edit modes. The
note is sent as MIDI as if Ardour was playing it with the session, so the
processors and signal routing will be applied.
Virtual Keyboard
Virtual Keyboard Layout: selects which (if any) computer
keyboard layout is used to be mapped on the keys of the musical
keyboard of the Virtual Keyboard (Window > Virtual Keyboard).
Default Visible Note Range
Default lower visible MIDI note: this note will be the lowest
visible one on the timeline unless you tweak that by adjusting the vertical
range. E.g. C4 is C on the fourth octave.
Default upper visible MIDI note: this note will be the highest
visible one on the timeline unless you tweak that by adjusting the vertical
range. E.g. B4 is B on the fourth octave.
Maximum note height sets the height of MIDI notes in pixels
at maximum vertical zoom. Attempting to zoom in closer will result in
scrolling the pianoroll up or down.
MIDI Port Options
MIDI input follows MIDI track selection allows Ardour to automatically
connect the MIDI input to the selected track. Selecting a different MIDI
track results in Ardour disconnecting the MIDI device from the former track
and connecting it to the newly selected one, so that the MIDI device is
always connected to the selected track. Which MIDI device will follow
selection can be chosen below.
MIDI Port Config
This page allows to set options for input and output MIDI devices, such as:
Music Data: whether Ardour should accept/send note events from/to selected MIDI device
Control Data: whether Ardour should accept/send control events (Control Change, or CC) from/to selected MIDI device
Follow Selection: whether Ardour should connect this device only to a selected track (only applicable to input devices)
You can also give a more meaningful name to any input and output MIDI device
here. Double-click the name of the device, enter a new name, then press
Enter to confirm.
Transport
General
Prompt for new marker names when enabled, popup a dialog
when a new marker is created. This allows
markers to be named as they are created.
Stop at the end of the session causes the transport to
stop during playback when it reaches the end marker. Behavior during
recording is not changed.
Keep record-enable engaged on stop leaves the global
record-enable engaged after transport is stopped. Does not affect track
level record-enable which is never changed on stop.
Reset default speed on stop when the
Shuttle speed control is in wheel
mode, i.e. the transport speed can be constantly changed, enabling this
option makes these changes temporary, and the transport speed reset
each time the transport is stopped.
Disable per-track record disarm while rolling, when
enabled, will not allow the any track's record-enable to be disarmed
during record, preventing accidentally stopping the recording of a take.
12dB gain reduction during fast-forward and fast-rewind
when enabled will reduce the unpleasant increase in perceived volume
that occurs when fast-forwarding or rewinding through some kinds of audio.
Rewind/Fast-forward buttons change direction immediately
sets whether Rewind and Fast-forward transport operations
(Transport > Forward/Rewind) changes the
playback direction and speed abruptly, or gradually.
Allow auto-return after rewind/ffwd operations
if Auto returnis engaged, sets whether
it applies to rewind and fast-forward operations.
Preroll: sets the duration of the preroll for playing and
recording when using a preroll. Can be a musical duration (in bars) or a
duration in seconds.
Looping
Play loop is a transport mode changes the behavior of the
loop button, turning it into a toggle. When enabled, the loop button does
not start playback but forces playback to always play the loop. Looping
stays engaged when the transport is stopped. Playback continues where the
transport stopped and continues to loop. When disabled, the loop button
starts playing the loop but stop then cancels loop playback.
Loop Fades: when the transport moves from the end of the loop
range back to the beginning, clicks might be audible. This parameter
allows for adding fades (in, out or cross-) to prevent those clicks.
Dropout (xrun) Handling
Stop recording when an xrun occurs will stop the transport
when an xrun occurs during recording, ensuring no audible glitches are
recorded.
Create markers where xruns occur will create a new
marker when an xrun occurs during
recording at the location of the xrun. This marks where possible xruns
might produce audible glitches.
Reset x-runs counter when starting to record, when enabled,
sets the x-run counter in the Status bar
to 0 each time a recording is started, hence showing only the relevant
number of x-run while recording.
Plugins
Silence plugins when the transport is stopped when stopping
playback or recording, if this option is checked, the plugins that still
emit sound (reverbs, etc…) will be stopped. If unchecked, the plugins
will continue playing after the transport stop.
Chase
MIDI Machine Control (MMC)
Respond to MMC commands when enabled Ardour will respond
to MIDI Machine Control commands received on the ardour:MMC in
MIDI port.
Inbound MMC device ID: is the only device ID Ardour will
respond to when an MMC command is received on the ardour:MMC in
MIDI port.
Transport Masters
Show Transport Master Window Opens the Transport masters
window, where all the timecode sources are shown to be selected
and/or synchronized; same as clicking Window >
Transport Masters
Match session video frame rate to external timecode
controls the value of the video frame rate while chasing
an external timecode source. When enabled, the session video frame rate will be
changed to match that of the selected external timecode source. When disabled,
the session video frame rate will not be changed to match that of the selected
external timecode source. Instead, the frame rate indication in the main clock
will flash red and Ardour will convert between the external timecode standard
and the session standard.
Generate
Linear Timecode (LTC) Generator
Enable LTC generator when enabled Ardour will
output an LTC timecode signal on its LTC-out port.
If this option is checked, the two options below are active:
Send LTC while stopped, (only available when the previous
Enable LTC generator is on) when enabled Ardour will
continue to send LTC information even while the transport (playhead)
is not moving.
LTC generator level [dBFS]: specifies the peak volume of
the generated LTC signal in dbFS. A good value is 0dBu=−18dbFS
in an EBU calibrated system.
LTC Output Port: selects to which port (if any) the
LTC generator will be connected by default.
MIDI Time Code (MTC) Generator
Enable MTC Generator when enabled Ardour will generate MIDI
time code on the ardour:MTC out MIDI port.
Max MTC varispeed (%):
MIDI time code generation will be disabled when the transport speed is
greater than normal speed plus this percentage or less than normal minus
this percentage.
MIDI Machine Control (MMC)
Send MMC commands when enabled Ardour will send MIDI Machine
Control commands on the ardour:MMC out
MIDI port.
Outbound MMC device ID: is the MIDI device ID Ardour will
use when it sends MMC commands.
MIDI Beat Clock (Mclk) Generator
Enable Mclk generator when enabled Ardour will generate a
(tempo dependent) beat clock at a rate of 24 pulses per quarter note on
the ardour:MIDI clock out port.
Plugins
The content of this preference page varies heavily between versions or Ardour:
both the platform and the build-time options can make Ardour support some types
of plugins and not others. While this documentation tries to show all possible
options, most systems will only show a subset of the options hereunder, e.g.
AudioUnits are macOS only…
Scan/Discover
Scan for Plugins will initiate an immediate scan of the system
for available plugins. Useful to get a newly installed plugin recognised
by Ardour.
Scan Time Out sets the time that Ardour will try to find
any plugins in known paths until it gives up.
General
Scan for [new] Plugins on Application Start When
enabled new plugins are searched, tested and added to the cache
index on application start. When disabled new plugins will only be
available after triggering a 'Scan' manually.
Always Display Plugin Scan Progress When enabled a
popup window showing plugin scan progress is displayed for indexing
(cache load) and discovery (detect new plugins).
Verbose Plugin Scan: adds information about the plugin in the
Log window.
Open Plugin manager window when missing plugins are found:
when enabled, the Plugin Manager is displayed at session load if the
session contains any plugins that are missing, or plugins have been
updated and require a rescan.
Make new plugins active: when enabled, any plugin added to
a track will be in active mode. If unchecked, the plugins will be added
in inactive mode by default, hence have no processing effect on the
track/bus.
Setup Sidechain ports when loading plugin with aux inputs:
when enabled, Ardour will automatically create sidechain ports for
plugins that have sidechain inputs and leave them for the user
to connect in the Pin Configuration dialog (see the
Sidechaining chapter).
LV1/LV2
Conceal LADSPA (LV1) Plugins if matching LV2 exists When
enabled, gives precedence to the LV2 (more up-to-date) version of
a plugin over its LV1 version, if both exists.
Instrument
Ask to replace existing instrument plugin: if a MIDI track already
has an instrument (i.e. MIDI to audio converter of some sort) and this
option is checked, Ardour will detect it and offer to replace the existing
instrument with the newly added one, avoiding a possible conflict.
Interactively configure instrument plugins on insert: when inserting
a multichannel instrument plugin, if this option is checked, prompts the
user for the channel configuration for this plugin.
Statistics
Reset Statistics: clears the statistics used to determine
the most used and most recently used plugins.
Plugin chart (use-count) length: In the Mixer view's
favorite plugins section,
determines how many plugins are displayed when in Top-10 Plugins
mode.
Plugin recent list length: Same as above,
when in Recent Plugins mode.
GUI
Plugin GUI
Automatically open the plugin GUI when adding a new plugin
shows the plugins GUI as soon as it is added to the processing box. If
unchecked, the plugin will be added in the processor box but the GUI will
only be shown when double clicking it.
Show only one plugin window at a time: when enabled, only
one plugin window will be displayed on the screen; when disabled, you
can open as many plugin windows as you like.
Closing a Plugin GUI Window: this allows users deciding how
Ardour should treat plugin windows aftre closing them. Hiding means a
complex plugin window can be re-opened fast because it's saved in
memory, but it uses system resources. Destroying means the window isn't
saved, which frees up system resources, however some plugins will take
longer to showup on the screen.
Mixer Strip Inline Display
Show Plugin Inline Display on Mixer strip by default allows Ardour
to show, in the mixer strips, a
visual rendering of the effect. These Inline Display are a special feature
of Ardour, so not all plugins are able to show this display. Most of Ardour's
own plugins have an Inline Display.
At any time, the plugin's inline display can be toggled on or off by
double-clicking it.
Don't automatically open the plugin GUI when the plugin has an inline
display mode: this option, available only if
Automatically open the plugin GUI when adding a new plugin
is checked, supercedes it and hides the plugin GUI at creation if it has an
Inline Display, like Ardour's own ACE * plugins.
VST
VST
Enable Mac VST2 support (requires restart or re-scan) makes a
MacOs system able to run VST-Mac plugins. As stated, a new scan for plugins
is required, be it manually or by restarting Ardour.
Enable Linux VST2 support (requires restart or re-scan) makes a
Linux system able to run VST2 plugins.
Enable VST3 support (requires restart or re-scan) makes any
system able to run VST3 plugins.
VST 2.x
VST 2 Cache: Clicking the Clear button
removes all VST plugins from the list of plugins available to be
inserted into the processor box. A new VST plugin scan is then required.
VST 2 Ignorelist: Clicking the Clear
button makes ignored VST plugins available to be added to the processor
box.
Linux VST2 Path: Clicking the Edit button
pops up a dialog to manage the directories that will be searched for Linux
VST plugins. When modified, Ardour will offer to scan those paths for plugins.
Path: are the paths chosen above.
Windows VST Path: Clicking the Edit button
pops up a dialog to manage the directories that will be searched for Windows
VST plugins. When modified, Ardour will offer to scan those paths for plugins.
Path: are the paths chosen above.
VST 3
VST 3 Cache: Same as above, for VST 3
VST 3 Ignorelist: Same as above, for VST 3
Additional VST3 Path: The VST 3 specs clearly define where
the host application should look for plugins. Although Ardour provides a
way to search other directories for plugin, it is out of spec and not
recommended.
Automatically show 'Micro Edit' tagged controls on the mixer-strip:
displays the plugin's UI directly inside each mixer strip (inline), if the plugin
has a 'Micro Edit' tag.
VST2/VST3
Conceal VST2 Plugin if matching LV3 exists When
enabled, gives precedence to the VST3 (more up-to-date) version of
a plugin over its VST2 version, if both exists.
Audio Unit
Audio Unit
Enable Audio Unit support (requires restart or re-scan) When
enabled, new AU plugins are searched, tested and added to the cache
index on application start. When disabled, new plugins will only be
available after triggering a 'Scan' manually.
AU Cache: Clicking the Clear button
removes all AU plugins from the list of plugins available to be
inserted into the processor box. A new AU plugins scan is then required.
AU Ignorelist: Clicking the Clear
button makes ignored AU plugins available to be added to the processor
box.
Monitoring
Monitoring
Record monitoring handled by: determines whether Ardour provides
monitoring of incoming audio or whether monitoring is provided by hardware.
See Monitoring for more information.
Auto Input does 'talkback' when enabled, the
Transport > Auto Input option also sets
the tracks to monitor its audio input when transport is not rolling.
Solo controls are Listen controls: when enabled, the
soloed track is soloed only on the monitor bus, the master fader mix
is not affected by the solo. This option can also be set by enabling
pre-fader listen or after-fader listen in the Mixer
monitor section.
Exclusive solo when enabled will only solo the last
track selected for solo. Previously soloed tracks will be un-soloed.
This setting is also available from the Mixer monitor
section.
Show solo muting when enabled outlines the mute
button on tracks and busses when another track is soloed.
Soloing overrides muting when enabled allows a track
to be heard when it is soloed while muted. This setting is also
available from the Mixer monitor section.
Solo-in-place mute cut (dB): sets the attenuation of
the other tracks when another track is soloed in place. This setting
is also available from the Mixer monitor section. The
default is "−inf" for −∞, meaning the other tracks are
totally muted.
Listen Position: determines what is listened to when
the solo controls are used as listen controls. The options are
after-fader or pre-fader.
PFL signals come from: determines whether the
pre-fader listen position is before or after the pre-fader processors.
AFL signals come from: determines whether the
after-fader listen position is before or after the after-fader
processors.
Signal Flow
Master
Enable master-bus output gain control adds a gain-stage to
the master-bus and a Loudness Analyzer & Normalizer button that
calculates the Loudness (LUFS) of the session (or a range selection),
and normalizes the loudness according to various standards.
I/O Resampler (vari-speed) quality: resampling on the fly
during playback or recording takes time and thus introduces latency.
This setting accommodates for that and introduces latency predictably
and consistently. Each preset matches a particular level of resampling
quality. Restarting audio engine is required after changing this
setting.
Default Track / Bus Muting Options sets the muting options
for a newly created tracks or bus. The mute options for an existing track
or bus are changed by the right-click context menu on a mute button.
Mute affects pre-fader sends when enabled pre-fader
sends will be muted by default.
Mute affects post-fader sends when enabled post-fader
sends will be muted by default.
Mute affects control outputs when enabled control
outputs are muted by default.
Mute affects main outputs when enabled main outputs
are muted by default.
Link panners of Aux and External Sends with main panner by default
when enabled, sends follow the channel panner. When disabled, sends can panned
independently of the channel panner and fader. Double clicking the send in the
processor box toggles the main panner and fader between the aux send and the
channel.
Audio Regions
Replicate missing region channels: if a track is N-channel,
and the region has fewer channels, this option copies the existing
channel's data for this non-existent one. If left unchecked, the missing
channels will stay silent.
Track and Bus Connections
Auto-connect main output (master or monitor) bus to physical ports
auto-connects the outputs to the first N physical ports. In a session without a
monitor section, the master-bus is
connected to the system's playback ports, and if a monitor section exists,
the monitor-bus' output are connected.
Connect track inputs: allows to choose when a new track is
created whether its inputs will be automatically connected to the physical
inputs of the system or not (hence the user has to manually connect it).
Connect track and bus outputs: allows to choose, for any new
track or bus created, whether its output will automatically be connected
to the master bus, directly to the physical outputs or to nothing (the
user has to manually connect it).
Use 'Strict-I/O' for new tracks or busses determines the default
choice for the signal flow of a newly created track or bus.
This can be overridden in the
Add Track/Bus/VCA dialog
Metronome
Metronome handles the way Ardour's metronome is played when
enabled in the Transport Bar.
Emphasis on first beat plays a different sound when the first
beat is played (e.g. 1/4 in 4/4, 1/3 in 3/4,…). When unchecked, all
the beats are indistinguishable.
Use built-in default sounds when checked, uses Ardour's own
sounds for the metronome click. Unchecking this allows to set some custom
sounds below.
Audio file: selects an audio file for the beats, in any
format Ardour supports.
Emphasis audio file: in conjunction with
Emphasis on first beat, selects an audio file
for the first beats of each bar.
Gain level: allows the metronome's click sounds to be boosted
or attenuated.
Options
Enable Metronome only while recording: when enabled, the
metronome will remain silent unless Ardour is recording.
It lists all the Control Surface protocols Ardour knows. To enable a
Control Surface Protocol, the Enable checkbox
next to its name should be ticked. Editing the settings related to this protocol
can be done by double-clicking its name or clicking the Show
protocol settings (only for Generic MIDI and Open Sound Control).
Metering
Metering
Peak hold time: allows the meter to keep displaying the highest
signal level for a period of time before reverting to showing the actual
instantaneous value (unless an even higher peak occurs). The longer this
time is, the easier it is to spot peaks, at the expense of instantaneous
accuracy.
DPM fall-off: describes how fast the Digital Peak Meters can
go from a high value to a lower one. Faster values are more accurate but
less readable.
Meter line-up level; 0 dBu: chooses a standard for the
conversion between dBFS (Full Scale) which represent the numeric signal
level, and dBu which represents the analog signal level. This value is used
to configure meter-marks and color knee-points, or set the reference levels
for various meter-types.
IEC1/DIN Meter line-up level; 0 dBu: sets the reference
level for the IEC1/DIN Meter
VU Meter standard: selects which standard to use for the zero
value of the vu-meters, i.e. the analog dBu value that will show as 0 on the
VU-meter.
Peak indicator threshold [dBFS]: at that value and over, the
signal will make the peak meter to turn red, indicating a level too high.
Default Meter Types sets the default meters when creating a session
or track. These meters can be changed afterwards by
right-clicking a meter.
Default Meter Type for Master Bus: defines which kind of
meter will be used when creating a new
session (does not apply to the current session).
Default Meter Type for busses: defines which kind of
meter will be used when creating a new bus (applies to the bus created
after changing the value).
Default Meter Type for tracks: same as above, for tracks.
Region Analysis
Enable automatic analysis of audio generates the transient
values (used in e.g. the Rhythm Ferret)
automatically. When unchecked, the transient values will be generated
on demand.
Performance
DSP CPU Utilization
Signal processing uses: sets how many cpu processors can be
used to do signal processing. It can be set to use one up to all
processors.
Power Management, CPU DMA latency: modern processors try
to aggressively transition to power saving when idle, even for a few
microseconds, hurting realtime performance by needing to wake to a
more active state. This setting counters this behaviour by setting
a maximum response time while low latency operation is desired.
0 is the fastest response time.
CPU/FPU Denormals are a specific type of very small numbers that
can cause issues with CPU consumption when using some plugins in some
circumstances. Ardour provides two methods of handling the issue.
Trying different combinations of these settings may minimize CPU consumption.
Use DC bias to protect against denormals adds a small
constant value to numbers to move the numbers away from zero.
Processor handling:, if the computer's hardware
supports it, offers two methods that can be used individually or
combined. Flush to zero and denormals are zero.
Disk I/O Buffering settings determine how many seconds of
audio off of disk will be buffered in memory. Longer settings reduce
the risk of buffer under-runs but consume more memory.
Preset: will automatically choose the values for the playback
and recording buffer based on the chosen size of the session. The
Custom option allows to manually select the buffers with
the two sliders below.
Playback (seconds of buffering): sets how many seconds of
audio Ardour will buffer during playback.
Recording (seconds of buffering): sets how many seconds of
audio Ardour will buffer during recording.
Memory Usage
Waveform image cache (megabytes): sets the maximum amount of ram that
can be used to store the images representing the waveforms in the editor. Past
this amount, the images will be regenerated when needed, which can significantly
decrease the system's performance.
Automation
Thinning factor ranges from 0 to 1000 with larger
values sending fewer automation changes. Thinning is like lossy
audio compression, removing data that is less likely to be noticed,
although the more is removed, the more likely the loss will be noticed.
The advantage to thinning is reduced CPU usage.
Automation sampling interval ranges from 1 to
1000 ms. Determines how frequently the automation input is
sampled. The shorter the interval the higher the accuracy but also
the higher the CPU requirements.
Automatables
Limit automatable parameters per plugin: as some plugins
(synthesizers, …) have a lot of parameters, and those parameters
can be automated by Ardour, checking this will limit the number of parameters
that are listed as automatable, hence making the lists shorter and the GUI
more responsive.
Video
Video Server
Show Video Server Startup Dialog: when using video inside Ardour,
this video is accessed via Xjadeo from a source file through a Video Server.
This options shows the server's startup dialog (useful for debugging a
malfunctioning video).
Advanced Setup (remote video server) can be used when the setup
is more complex than opening a local file with Ardour. The tools used behind
the scene by Ardour allow a lot of flexibility, so for a competent user,
the options below are provided to access a distant file (i.e. on another
machine). The default options for the two following fields ("http://localhost:1554"
and "/") are suitable for local files.
Video Server URL: Base URL of the video server delivering the video
through the network (http://IP-or-address:port).
Video folder is the server's local path to the document-root,
i.e. the files that can be delivered by the server.
Video Monitor
Custom Path to Video Monitor (xjadeo) - leave empty for default:
Ardour bundles offer xjadeo bundled, so it should run flawlessly. Though,
for custom builds or if a newer version of xjadeo is available, one can
specify a path to the wanted version of xjadeo.
Triggering
Triggering
Default trigger input: this is where you choose a MIDI device
that will send notes to trigger boxes in the Cue window. This is typically
a grid controller like monome, Novation Launchpad, Ableton Push etc.
Clip Library
User writable Clip Library: this is a folder where your custom
reusable clips will be saved to.
Reset Clip Library Dir: this will reset the location of your
custom reusable clips to a default location.
