Global Edit mode
Ardour has a global edit mode selector at the left of the
Editing toolbar, which affect how regions are moved or copied:
- Regions move freely. Ardour creates overlaps when necessary.
- Editing affects the regions to the "right" of the edit (see below).
- No region motion is permitted (except for "nudge").
Ripple Edit mode provides the following conveniences:
- Deleting a range will move later regions to compensate for the deleted time
- Deleting a region will move later regions to compensate for the deleted region's length
- Moving a region will move later regions to compensate for the length of the move
- Inserting a new region (via dragging or via Paste) will move later regions to the right to compensate
If is enabled, then regions can
only move so that they align with locations determined by the current
snap settings (beats, or seconds, or other region boundaries, etc).
See Snap To the Grid
for details.
The Smart switch
The Smart Mode button to the left of the mouse mode buttons
modifies the Grab Mode. When enabled, the mouse behaves as if it
is in "Range Mode" in the upper half of a region, and in "Grab Mode" in the
lower half. This allows avoiding constant switching between these two modes.
Mouse Modes
- Grab Mode
- The Grab Mode is used for selecting, moving, deleting and
copying objects. When in object mode, the mouse pointer appears as a hand
whenever it is over the track canvas or the rulers. The mouse can now be
used to select and perform operations on objects such as regions, markers etc.
This is the most common mode to work in, as it allows you to select and move regions,
as well as modify automation points on the automation tracks.
- Range Mode
- When in Range Mode, the mouse pointer appears as a vertical line
whenever it is over the track canvas or the rulers. The mouse will now be
able to select a point or range of time. Time ranges can be selected over
one or several tracks, depending on the selection of your tracks.
If none of your tracks are selected, the Range Tool will operate on all the
session track visualized in the Editor.
If you want to edit only particular tracks, select them before you apply
the range tool.
- Cut Tool Mode
- When in Cut Tool Mode, the mouse pointer appears as a pair of scissors
whenever it is over the track canvas or the rulers. This tools allows to cut
any region into 2 regions at the mouse cursor, regardless of the Edit Point.
If one or more track(s) is selected, then all the regions on these tracks will
be split at the mouse cursor position.
If no track is selected, then only the region hovered by the mouse cursor will
be split.
- Stretch Mode
- When in time fx mode, the mouse pointer appears as a
distinctive expanding square symbol whenever it is over the track canvas or
the rulers. This mode is used to resize regions using a timestretch
algorithm. Click on an edge of a region of audio and drag it one way or the other to
stretch or shrink the region.
- Audition Tool
- Clicking a region using the audition tool will play this
region to the control room outputs.
You can also scrub with this tool by clicking and dragging in
the direction you wish to listen. The amount you drag in one direction or
the other will determine the playback speed.
- Draw Tool
- When in Draw Tool mode, the mouse pointer will change to
a pencil. You can then click within an audio region to change the gain
envelope for that region. This curve is separate from fader automation
for individual tracks. It will remain locked to the region's time, so if the
region is moved, the region gain envelope is moved along with it.
The draw tool works on automation too, allowing the creation and modification
of control points on the automation curves.
Last, it is used on a MIDI region to edit the notes.
- Internal/Region Edit Mode
- When in Internal Edit mode, the mouse pointer will change to
cross-hairs. This tool acts on gegion gain and automation as the Draw tool.
On a MIDI region, it allows to lasso-select multiple notes at a time.