183 lines
5.1 KiB
HTML
183 lines
5.1 KiB
HTML
<p>
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The WebSockets Server is an experimental control surface that allows
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controlling a running Ardour session via a web browser on any computer
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in the same local network.
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</p>
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<p>
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The connection between the WebSockets server and a running instance of Ardour
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is two-way: any changes made in the web-based surface are immediately
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available in Ardour, and vice versa.
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</p>
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<p>
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The experimental status means that this control surface is not
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feature-complete and might have bugs.
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</p>
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<p>
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Supported features are currently limited to:
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</p>
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<ul>
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<li>Adjusting positions of channel faders and panners in tracks and the master
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bus, as well as muting and unmuting tracks.</li>
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<li>Changing settings of LV2 plugins that have already been loaded into
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tracks or the master bus.</li>
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<li>Rolling or pausing transport.</li>
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</ul>
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<h2>Enabling and Accessing the WebSockets Server</h2>
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<p>
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To enable the WebSockets Server surface, open the <em>Preferences</em> dialog
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and go to the <em>Control Surfaces</em> page. Click on the <em>Web Sockets
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Server (Experimental)</em> to enable it. This will immediately run the server
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and make it available on port 3818. You can verify that it's running by
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opening a web browser on the same computer and visiting
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<a href="http://localhost:3818/">http://localhost:3818/</a>. You should see
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the home page that looks like this:
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</p>
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<figure>
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<img src="/images/websockets-main.png" alt="WebSockets Server main page"
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width="50%" >
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<figcaption>
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WebSockets Server main page
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</figcaption>
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</figure>
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<p>
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To access the server from any device in the same network you need to know the
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broadcast IP address of the computer running Ardour. Here is how to do that
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on supported operating systems.
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</p>
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<p>
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Windows 10:
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</p>
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<ol>
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<li>Open the <em>Settings</em> application.</li>
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<li>Go to the <em>Network & internet</em> from the menu on the left, then click Properties along the top.</li>
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<li>Select the type of network connection (WiFi or Ethernet)</li>
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<li>Click <em>Network</em> in the center.</li>
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<li>In the newly opened page, the local IPv4 address be displayed.</li>
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</ol>
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<p>…or…</p>
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<ol>
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<li>Open the <em>Start</em> menu and type <tt>cmd</tt>. This will to open the
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command prompt.</li>
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<li>Type <tt>ipconfig</tt> and press <strong>Enter</strong>.</li>
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<li>In the output, look for IPv4 address.</li>
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</ol>
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<p>
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macOS:
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</p>
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<ol>
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<li>Open the <em>System Preferences</em> dialog.</li>
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<li>Select <em>Network</em>, then choose connection type (typically WiFi,
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Ethernet, or USB).</li>
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<li>The IP address will be displayed on the newly opened page under the
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connection status.</li>
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</ol>
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<p>
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Linux:
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</p>
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<ol>
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<li>Open a terminal program.</li>
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<li>Run this command: <tt>$ ip -4 address</tt>.</li>
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<li>The output will list several network devices. You want the one that has
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"BROADCAST" rather than "LOOPBACK" in the description.</li>
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</ol>
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<p>
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Once you know the address, you can open the control surface web app
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in a browser by visiting the IP address with appended port number.
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E.g. if the IP address of the computer running Ardour is <tt>192.168.1.68</tt>,
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the entire URL will be <tt>http://192.168.1.68:3818/</tt>.
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</p>
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<h2>Using the WebSockets Server control surface</h2>
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<p>
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Various features available in the control surface are spread across three
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pages: <em>Mixer</em>, <em>Transport</em>, and <em>Protocol</em>.</p>
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<h3>Mixer</h3>
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<p>
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This is where you can view VU meters for each track and the master bus, as
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well as make a number of adjustments:
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</p>
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<ul>
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<li>Change positions of faders and panners.</li>
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<li>Enable and disable the <em>Mute</em> status.</li>
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<li>Adjust settings of LV2 plugins loaded into mixer channels.</li>
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</ul>
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<figure>
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<img src="/images/websockets-mixer.png" alt="Mixer view in WebSockets Server"
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width="50%" >
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<figcaption>
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Mixer view in WebSockets Server
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</figcaption>
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</figure>
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<p>
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The control surface only supports changing settings for LV2 plugins presently.
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LADSPA, VST2/VST3, and AU plugins will not be listed. When an LV2 plugin has
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been loaded into a mixer channel, a button with "f" caption appears on top of
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the mixer channel. Clicking it opens this kind of an overlay:
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</p>
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<figure>
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<img src="/images/websockets-plugins.png"
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alt="Plugins view in WebSockets Server" width="50%" >
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<figcaption>
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Plugins view in WebSockets Server
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</figcaption>
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</figure>
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<h3>Transport</h3>
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<p>
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The <em>Transport</em> view displays the timecode of the current playhead
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position and allows toggling playback.
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</p>
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<figure>
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<img src="/images/websockets-transport.png"
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alt="Transport view in WebSockets Server" width="50%" >
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<figcaption>
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Transport view in WebSockets Server
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</figcaption>
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</figure>
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<p>
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The <em>Record</em> toggle is currently non-functional.
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</p>
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<h3>Protocol</h3>
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<p>
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This page is targeted at developers willing to enhance the WebSockets Server
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control surface. It displays the data passed between Ardour and the web
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browser.
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</p>
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<figure>
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<img src="/images/websockets-protocol.png"
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alt="Protocol view in WebSockets Server" width="50%" >
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<figcaption>
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Protocol view in WebSockets Server
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</figcaption>
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</figure>
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