The ruler scales the session along time, allows navigating, and can be marked for different uses.
One of its main uses is to move the playhead: clicking anywhere on the timeline will bring the playhead at this location in time. Also, using the mouse's scrollwheel while hovering the ruler will zoom in or out (⇑/⇓ ).
The ruler is made of a succession of rows, each having a special role related to time. Adding or removing rows can be done by right clicking anywhere in the ruler's header on the left, and ticking any of:
| Mins:Secs | scaling the session with the Mins:Secs:mSec notation |
|---|---|
| Timecode | scaling the session with the Hours:Mins:Secs:Frames notation |
| Samples | scaling the session with the sample number notation |
| Bars:Beats | slicing the time according to the time signature |
| Time Signature | shows the time signature. It can be changed along the timeline, by Right-click > New Time Signature. The Bars:Beats ruler will reflect the change. |
| Tempo | shows the BPM. It can be changed along the timeline, by Right-click > New Tempo. The Bars:Beats ruler will reflect the change. |
| Range Markers | allow to create and modify ranges directly on the Ruler. |
| Loop/Punch Ranges | are special kind of ranges designed to be played as a loop and to do punch recording, i.e. recording on a precise section of time, respectively. |
| CD Markers | are markers designed to be used while creating a recording that has to be split in time, as an audio CD |
| Location Markers | is meant to receive any kind of marker, user generated or from Ardour itself. |
| Cue Markers | allows triggering entire cues from the grid in the Cuewindow |
| Video Timeline | shows thumbnails of the video in the timeline |
Most rulers allow placing markers to serve a specific purpose: mark a point in time, define a loop range, or something else entirely.
Most of the operations on the markers are described in Working with Markers, additional information on Time Signature, Tempo, Bars:Beats, and Timecode is available in the Tempo and Time Signature chapter.