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diff --git a/manual/xml/mixer_strips.xml b/manual/xml/mixer_strips.xml index 0e96f05908..b381ced49a 100644 --- a/manual/xml/mixer_strips.xml +++ b/manual/xml/mixer_strips.xml @@ -6,494 +6,514 @@ <!-- XXX lots to do on this page --> -<section id="mixer-window-mixer-strips"> - <title> Mixer Strips </title> - <para> - Each track and bus is represented in the mixer window by a <emphasis>mixer - strip</emphasis> that contains various controls related to signal flow. - There are two places in Ardour in which you can see mixer strips. The mixer - window is the obvious one (and the one we deal with here), but you can also - view a single mixer strip in the editor window by clicking the - <guibutton>editor mixer</guibutton> button. - </para> - <mediaobject> - <imageobject> - <imagedata fileref="images/mixerstrip.png"/> - </imageobject> - </mediaobject> - <para> - this image needs replacing with labels and better resolution The mixer strip - for a bus is essentially identical to the one for an audio track, but it is - missing certain controls that make no sense - you cannot record into a bus, - so there is no record enable button, for example. - </para> - - <para> - The mixer strips are designed to visually model signal flow. The input - button selects the input of the track that this mixer strip monitors. The - outputs of the track (the 'tape recorder') are 'hard-wired' to the inputs of - the mixer strip. Think of the input to the strip starting at the polarity - switch, flowing down through the prefader inserts/plugins/sends section, - through the gain fader, past the postfader inserts/plugins/sends section, - the panner, and out through the output selector. In the case of a bus, there - is no 'tape machine' inserted between the input selector and the actual - input of the strip, but the signal flow is identical otherwise. - </para> - - <section id="mixer-strip-narrow-strip-button"> - <title>Narrow Mixer Strip Button</title> - <para> - the button on the top left of the mixer strip is labelled with two arrows - separated by a line. Left clicking this button will reduce the horizontal - size of the mixer strip. Clicking it again will restore the previous size. - The first click also has the effect of shortening the names of controls. - Plugin lists become very small in this mode, however more faders are - accessible without scrolling. Your needs may vary, hence the existence of - this button. - </para> - </section> - - <section id="mixer-strip-hide-button"> - <title>Hide Button</title> - <para> - The button opposite the <emphasis>Narrow Mixer Strip Button</emphasis> - hides the mixer strip from view. this button has no effect on signal flow - or muting. When a mixer strip is hidden, it's entry in the strips list is - darkened. To restore the mixer strip to the visible state, click it's entry - in the strip list with the left mouse button. - </para> - </section> - - <section id="mixer-strip-track-name"> - <title>Track Name</title> - <para> - The track name displays the current name of the track as displayed in the - editor window. right-clicking on the name brings up a drop-down menu that - allows you to rename, activate, deactivate and remove the track. Selecting - <guimenuitem>Rename</guimenuitem> opens a new window displaying the name of - the track. to change it, type your change and press ok. to leave it - unaltered, press cancel. Selecting <guimenuitem>remove</guimenuitem> opens - a new window asking for confirmation of your track removal request. - removing a track removes that track from the project. If the playlist used - by the removed track is not used by any other track, it will also be - removed. - </para> - </section> - - <section id="mixer-strip-group-button"> - <title>Group Button</title> - <para> - The group button displays the name of the currently selected mix group. if - no group is selected, it will read no group. when clicked, a drop-down menu - appears which lists the current mixer groups, along with the option no - group. if a group is selected, any fader movement on one of the group - member faders will be translated to the other members of the group. - </para> - </section> - - <section id="mixer-strip-input-selector"> - <title>Input Selector</title> - <para> - The input selector allows you to assign hardware or software inputs to the - track that this mixer strip monitors. clicking on the input box makes a - drop-down menu appear which lists ready-made combinations of jack ports, - along with the options disconnect and edit. You can either select a preset - hardware input combination from the drop-down list, or select - <guimenuitem>edit</guimenuitem> to open the input selector window which - allows finer control, such as changing the number of inputs to the track or - using software devices as inputs. For more information on this window, see - <xref linkend="sn-other-windows"/>. <guibutton>Disconnect</guibutton> - removes all input assignments while leaving the number of ports untouched. - </para> - </section> - - <section id="mixer-strip-polarity-button"> - <title>Polarity Button</title> - <para> - The polarity button, when pressed, inverts the phase of the signal as it - leaves the track and enters the mixer strip. it has no effect on the signal - being recorded to disk. It has no effect on the timing of the signal, - either. - </para> - </section> - - <section id="mixer-strip-solo-button"> - <title>Solo Button</title> - <para> - The solo button puts the mixer strip in solo mode. the solo indicator in - the editor window will flash if any mixer strip is set to solo, and only - those tracks that are set in solo will be routed through the system. - </para> - </section> - - <section id="mixer-strip-mute-button"> - <title>Mute Button</title> - <para> - The mute button mutes the output of the mixer strip. - </para> - </section> - - <section id="mixer-strip-track-speed-control"> - <title>Track Speed Control</title> - <para> - The track speed allows a varispeed setting to be applied to the track. a - setting of <literal>1.0</literal> corresponds to the normal playback speed - of the session. a setting of <literal>0.5</literal> will play at half - normal playback speed. when altered, the track will be redrawn to reflect - the new position of the audio resulting from the speed change. The Track - Speed Control has three decimal places of precision. A left or right click - on the displayed number will raise or lower the track speed by 0.1%. when - the speed is not exactly 1, the display will be coloured red. Hovering over - the displayed number will allow you to use the mouse wheel to set the - desired speed. A middle click on the displayed number will return the speed - to exactly 1. - </para> - - <para></para> - </section> - - <section id="mixer-strip-record-enable-button"> - <title>Record Enable Button</title> - <para> - The record enable button arms the track for recording. pressing this will - change the way you monitor and meter the selected input signal depending on - the state of the monitoring settings in the options editor, as well as the - auto input setting in the editor. - </para> - </section> - - <section id="mixer-strip-automation-mode-buttons"> - <title>Automation Mode Buttons</title> - <para> - The automation mode buttons allow you to select a fader or pan automation - mode from a drop-down list. see <xref linkend="sn-automation"/> for more - information about automation modes. - </para> - </section> - - <section id="mixer-strip-redirect-boxes"> - <title>Redirect Boxes</title> - <para> - These dark areas above and below the fader allow you to place inserts, - sends and plugins into the signal path before and after the fader - respectively. you may also easily reorder them whilst playing. - collectively, the objects that belong in these boxes are called redirects. - If there are redirects present in the channel, they can be reordered by - dragging them vertically. because plugins and inserts can have different - numbers of inputs to outputs, sometimes you may reach a situation where the - inputs and outputs cannot be all connected sensibly. in this case, your - reordering change will be disallowed by the program. - </para> - - <para> - Right clicking within the dark area will bring up a drop-down menu which - allows you to manipulate the redirects in various ways. - </para> - - <variablelist> - <title>Redirect Boxes</title> - <varlistentry> - <term><guimenuitem>new plugin</guimenuitem></term> - <listitem> - <para> - selecting new plugin will open a dialog which lists the plugins - available on your system. selecting a plugin which is compatible with - the number of streams in the channel at that point will result in the - plugin being placed in the redirect box in an inactive state. this is - indicated by the brackets around the plugin name. double-clicking the - plugin name will bring up a window that allows you to control the - parameters of the plugin statically (including bypass) or using - automation. all plugins that report their latency are time-compensated - automatically in ardour. - </para> - </listitem> - </varlistentry> - - <varlistentry> - <term><guimenuitem>new insert</guimenuitem></term> - <listitem> - <para> - places at least two new jack ports at that point in the mixer strip (one - input, one output). these ports will then be available to any jack - client (including Ardour itself), allowing another program (or channels - within another program) to be inserted across the channel. hardware - ports may also, of course, be used, allowing the insertion of outboard - equipment. the insert will then appear in the redirect box in brackets - indicating that it is inactive. to activate or deactivate an insert, - right-click on it and select activate. double-clicking on the insert - will bring up a dialog which allows to to assign its inputs and outputs - to other jack ports. - </para> - </listitem> - </varlistentry> - - <varlistentry> - <term><guimenuitem>new send</guimenuitem></term> - <listitem> - <para> - selecting new send will first bring up a dialog box that enables you to - select the number of outputs the send has, along with the destination of - each output. closing this dialog will reveal the name of the send in - brackets, indicating that it is inactive. to activate the send, right - click on it and select Activate. double-clicking on the send brings up - the previous dialog, which will now include a fader which is provided - for level control. - </para> - </listitem> - </varlistentry> - - <varlistentry> - <term><guimenuitem>clear</guimenuitem></term> - <listitem> - <para> - selecting clear in the menu removes all redirects from the mixer strip - (pre and post fader). you can remove an individual redirect by holding - the shift key and right clicking it. - </para> - </listitem> - </varlistentry> - - <varlistentry> - <term><guimenuitem>cut</guimenuitem>, <guimenuitem>copy</guimenuitem>, <guimenuitem>paste</guimenuitem></term> - <listitem> - <para> - these items allow you to cut, copy and paste plugins, including their - current settings, between Redirect Boxes. - </para> - </listitem> - </varlistentry> - - <varlistentry> - <term><guimenuitem>rename</guimenuitem></term> - <listitem> - <para> - selecting rename will bring up a dialog displaying the name of the - selected redirect. change the name by typing into the text area and - pressing ok. - </para> - </listitem> - </varlistentry> - - <varlistentry> - <term><guimenuitem>select all/deselect all</guimenuitem></term> - <listitem> - <para> - these two options select or deselect all plugins in the channel. this - could be used, for instance, in preparation to copy all plugins from a - channel to another one, along with the current settings. - </para> - </listitem> - </varlistentry> - - <varlistentry> - <term><guimenuitem>activate/deactivate</guimenuitem></term> - <listitem> - <para> - selecting either of these will activate or deactivate the currently - selected redirect(s) respectively. deactivate is the equivalent of - <guimenuitem>bypass</guimenuitem>. - </para> - <note> - <para> - note that you can bypass a plugin from it's parameter window as well as - from here. - </para> - </note> - </listitem> - </varlistentry> - - <varlistentry> - <term><guimenuitem>activate all/deactivate all</guimenuitem></term> - <listitem> - <para> - selecting either of these will activate or deactivate all redirect(s) in - the mixer strip respectively. deactivate is the equivalent of - <guimenuitem>bypass</guimenuitem> if you're a plugin. - </para> - </listitem> - </varlistentry> - - <varlistentry> - <term><guimenuitem>edit</guimenuitem></term> - <listitem> - <para> - selecting edit brings up the controls relevent to the selected redirect. - this is the equivalent to holding control and right-clicking on a - redirect. note that the right click method will not bring up the - controls of the selected redirect, only the one beneath the mouse - pointer. - </para> - </listitem> - </varlistentry> - </variablelist> - </section> - - <section id="mixer-strip-pre-post-input-button"> - <title>Pre/Post/Input Button</title> - <para> - This button cycles between three metering modes, which determine which - signal is fed to the meters. the modes are pre-fader (the signal at the - input to the fader), post-fader and input (the level at the track input). - left clicking cycles through the three modes one step at a time, while - middle-clicking alternates between the current setting and the setting two - steps ahead. this allows one-click direct a/b comparison between all - available monitoring points. - </para> - </section> - - <section id="mixer-strip-gain-display"> - <title>Gain Display</title> - <para> - this control displays the current gain of the fader to the nearest 0.1dB. - left clicking on the value will lower the gain by an amount dependent upon - the fader position the graduations become smaller as the fader nears 0dB - gain. right clicking increases the gain by the same amount. middle clicking - resets the gain to 0dB. - </para> - </section> - - <section id="mixer-strip-unit-selector"> - <title>Unit Selector</title> - <para> - Right clicking on the meter bars allows you to select the range of signal - levels displayed by the meters. the selected range will be displayed as a - column of numbers next to the meter. /*XXX this feature is currently not - working*/ Gain Level Display - </para> - </section> - - <section id="mixer-strip-peak-meter"> - <title>Peak Meter</title> - <para> - This control displays the highest peak since the last peak meter reset. - Resetting the peak meter is achieved by left-clicking the displayed number. - The peak meter monitors the signal selected by the <emphasis>Pre/Post/Input - Button</emphasis> .. the same signal as the meters. It should be noted here - that 0dBfs corresponds a value equal to the maximum input or output level - of your audio hardware, independent of it's bit depth. - </para> - </section> - - <section id="mixer-strip-gain-fader"> - <title>Gain Fader</title> - <para> - The fader changes the signal level within the mixer strip before the - post-fader plugins, which are before the output ports. 6dB of gain is - allowed. there are several shortcuts available for the fader. Using the - scroll wheel of your mouse while hovering above the fader will coarsely - change its position. Holding the control key whilst mouse wheeling will - give you finer control. Holding the shift key and clicking the fader will - reset it to unity gain. Holding control and pressing the middle mouse - button whilst over the fader will allow you to bind a midi control to it, - provided you have an available midi device set in the options menu. - </para> - </section> - - <section id="mixer-strip-meters"> - <title>Meters</title> - <para> - The number of meters displayed next to the fader is dependent on the number - of inputs or outputs the channel has, whichever is greater. The meters - provide a colour-graduated scale from -50 dBfs to +6dBfs. They display the - instantaneous value of the signal at the monitoring point selected by the - Pre/Post/Input button. 0dBfs corresponds a value equal to the maximum input - or output level of your audio hardware, independent of it's bit depth. - Exceeding 0dBfs does not correspond to running out of headroom within the - mixer, or in any signal path subsequent to that point within the Jack - server. It merely means that if that signal is connected directly to a - hardware port whose resolution is less than the 32-bit floating point - resolution that Ardour uses (i.e. a soundcard), then that port will exceed - it's maximum output level, resulting in distortion. hitting 0dB within the - mixer (or any point in the Jack server) means that you have approximately - 100dB of headroom remaining. as it is unlikely that you will reach this - point, it is not represented in any special way by the meter. Naturally, if - the input is selected as the monitoring point for the meter, exceeding - 0dBfs means that the input of your a/d converter has clipped. - </para> - </section> - - <section id="mixer-strip-panner"> - <title>Panner</title> - <para> - The panner in Ardour is actually two panners. Because any mixer strip in - Ardour can route any number of streams of audio anywhere, the idea of - panning can be a complex one. To allow for the current stereo-centric - mainstream world as well as the multi-speaker experimental one, one of two - styles of panner will appear here depending on the number of outputs the - channel strip has. In the simple case of mono channel input / stereo - output, a single panner will be present. The current pan position is - represented by a dot (the dot is the audio stream) which lies between the - letters 'L' and 'R', which represent the left and right outputs - respectively. To change the panning position of the stream, move the mouse - while holding down the left mouse button. the dot will follow your mouse - pointer. To introduce sudden changes to the pan setting, place the mouse - pointer over the desired position and click the middle mouse button. The - pan control will immediately snap to the mouse pointer position. The panner - may be bypassed by right-clicking the control and selecting - <guimenuitem>bypass</guimenuitem> from the drop-down menu. The panner will - immediately be bypassed. The increased level you notice when the panner is - bypassed is due to the way panning works. It is not a bug. <emphasis>XXX - what gain law is used in the panner?</emphasis> - </para> - - <para> - In the case of a stereo input / stereo output combination, two panning - controls will appear, one corresponding to each audio stream. You can - <emphasis>link</emphasis> the controls together in two different ways in - this situation, using the direction arrows next to the - <guibutton>link</guibutton> button. Panners can be linked to travel either - in opposite directions or to maintain a consistent stereo width across the - travel of the control. These two modes are represented by the orientation - of the two arrows next to the <guibutton>link</guibutton> button, which - point in either the same or opposite directions. The - <guibutton>link</guibutton> button must be engaged before you can change - the <emphasis>link</emphasis> mode. To link all the panners in a mixer - strip, left-click the <guibutton>link</guibutton> button, then select the - desired link mode by pressing the button marked with arrows. - </para> - - <para> - Let's get a little more complicated by adding another output to the mixer - strip. From this point onwards, the panning positions are represented with - numbered dots on a square field. Orange dots represent the outputs, and the - numbered dots represent the streams. the position of the outputs change - according to the number of outputs in the strip. This happens in order to - allow the most useful arrangement of the available space. At some point, - adding an output will cause the outputs to line up from the top left of the - panning square towards the centre. this is to allow for the 'multi-speaker - big sweep' to occur - where the sound is panned from speaker to speaker - around the room in sequence. - </para> - - <para> - Don't forget that you can bypass the panner by right clicking and selecting - <guimenuitem>bypass</guimenuitem> from the drop-down menu. this may - simplify your multi-speaker setup, as often in this type of project panning - between all speakers or outputs is not required on all tracks. - </para> - </section> - - <section id="mixer-strip-output-selector"> - <title>Output Selector</title> - <para> - The output selector allows you to assign the outputs of each mixer strip. - left-clicking the output selector causes a ready-made list of output ports - to appear in a drop-down menu, along with edit and disconnect options. - Selecting <guimenuitem>Edit</guimenuitem> will allow you to change the - number of outputs the channel has, as well as select software and hardware - ports to route signals to. For more information on the window that appears - when you select this option, see the <xref linkend="sn-other-windows"/>. - <guimenuitem>Disconnect</guimenuitem> will leave the number of output ports - unchanged, but remove all assignments to output ports. - </para> - </section> - - <section id="mixer-strip-scratch-pad"> - <title>Scratch Pad</title> - <para> - This is the text area below the <guibutton>output</guibutton> button. it - allows you to enter any notes that you feel may be relevant to that track. - The notes are stored when you save the session. - </para> - </section> +<section id="mixer-strips"> + <title>Mixer Strips</title> + <para> + Each track and bus is represented in the mixer window by a + <emphasis>mixer strip</emphasis> that contains various controls related + to signal flow. There are two places in Ardour in which you can see + mixer strips. The mixer window is the obvious one (and the one we deal + with here), but you can also view a single mixer strip in the editor + window by clicking the <guibutton>editor mixer</guibutton> button. + </para> + <mediaobject> + <imageobject> + <imagedata fileref="images/mixerstrip.png"/> + </imageobject> + </mediaobject> + <para> + this image needs replacing with labels and better resolution The mixer + strip for a bus is essentially identical to the one for an audio track, + but it is missing certain controls that make no sense - you cannot + record into a bus, so there is no record enable button, for example. + </para> + + <para> + The mixer strips are designed to visually model signal flow. The input + button selects the input of the track that this mixer strip monitors. + The outputs of the track (the 'tape recorder') are 'hard-wired' to the + inputs of the mixer strip. Think of the input to the strip starting at + the polarity switch, flowing down through the prefader + inserts/plugins/sends section, through the gain fader, past the + postfader inserts/plugins/sends section, the panner, and out through the + output selector. In the case of a bus, there is no 'tape machine' + inserted between the input selector and the actual input of the strip, + but the signal flow is identical otherwise. + </para> + + <section id="mixer-strip-narrow-strip-button"> + <title>Narrow Mixer Strip Button</title> + <para> + the button on the top left of the mixer strip is labelled with two + arrows separated by a line. Left clicking this button will reduce the + horizontal size of the mixer strip. Clicking it again will restore the + previous size. The first click also has the effect of shortening the + names of controls. Plugin lists become very small in this mode, + however more faders are accessible without scrolling. Your needs may + vary, hence the existence of this button. + </para> + </section> + + <section id="mixer-strip-hide-button"> + <title>Hide Button</title> + <para> + The button opposite the <emphasis>Narrow Mixer Strip Button</emphasis> + hides the mixer strip from view. this button has no effect on signal + flow or muting. When a mixer strip is hidden, it's entry in the strips + list is darkened. To restore the mixer strip to the visible state, + click it's entry in the strip list with the left mouse button. + </para> + </section> + + <section id="mixer-strip-track-name"> + <title>Track Name</title> + <para> + The track name displays the current name of the track as displayed in + the editor window. right-clicking on the name brings up a drop-down + menu that allows you to rename, activate, deactivate and remove the + track. Selecting <guimenuitem>Rename</guimenuitem> opens a new window + displaying the name of the track. to change it, type your change and + press ok. to leave it unaltered, press cancel. Selecting + <guimenuitem>remove</guimenuitem> opens a new window asking for + confirmation of your track removal request. removing a track removes + that track from the project. If the playlist used by the removed track + is not used by any other track, it will also be removed. + </para> + </section> + + <section id="mixer-strip-group-button"> + <title>Group Button</title> + <para> + The group button displays the name of the currently selected mix + group. if no group is selected, it will read no group. when clicked, a + drop-down menu appears which lists the current mixer groups, along + with the option no group. if a group is selected, any fader movement + on one of the group member faders will be translated to the other + members of the group. + </para> + </section> + + <section id="mixer-strip-input-selector"> + <title>Input Selector</title> + <para> + The input selector allows you to assign hardware or software inputs to + the track that this mixer strip monitors. clicking on the input box + makes a drop-down menu appear which lists ready-made combinations of + jack ports, along with the options disconnect and edit. You can either + select a preset hardware input combination from the drop-down list, or + select <guimenuitem>edit</guimenuitem> to open the input selector + window which allows finer control, such as changing the number of + inputs to the track or using software devices as inputs. For more + information on this window, see <xref linkend="sn-other-windows"/>. + <guibutton>Disconnect</guibutton> removes all input assignments while + leaving the number of ports untouched. + </para> + </section> + + <section id="mixer-strip-polarity-button"> + <title>Polarity Button</title> + <para> + The polarity button, when pressed, inverts the phase of the signal as + it leaves the track and enters the mixer strip. it has no effect on + the signal being recorded to disk. It has no effect on the timing of + the signal, either. + </para> + </section> + + <section id="mixer-strip-solo-button"> + <title>Solo Button</title> + <para> + The solo button puts the mixer strip in solo mode. the solo indicator + in the editor window will flash if any mixer strip is set to solo, and + only those tracks that are set in solo will be routed through the + system. + </para> + </section> + + <section id="mixer-strip-mute-button"> + <title>Mute Button</title> + <para> + The mute button mutes the output of the mixer strip. + </para> + </section> + + <section id="mixer-strip-track-speed-control"> + <title>Track Speed Control</title> + <para> + The track speed allows a varispeed setting to be applied to the track. + a setting of <literal>1.0</literal> corresponds to the normal playback + speed of the session. a setting of <literal>0.5</literal> will play at + half normal playback speed. when altered, the track will be redrawn to + reflect the new position of the audio resulting from the speed change. + The Track Speed Control has three decimal places of precision. A left + or right click on the displayed number will raise or lower the track + speed by 0.1%. when the speed is not exactly 1, the display will be + coloured red. Hovering over the displayed number will allow you to use + the mouse wheel to set the desired speed. A middle click on the + displayed number will return the speed to exactly 1. + </para> + + <para></para> + </section> + + <section id="mixer-strip-record-enable-button"> + <title>Record Enable Button</title> + <para> + The record enable button arms the track for recording. pressing this + will change the way you monitor and meter the selected input signal + depending on the state of the monitoring settings in the options + editor, as well as the auto input setting in the editor. + </para> + </section> + + <section id="mixer-strip-automation-mode-buttons"> + <title>Automation Mode Buttons</title> + <para> + The automation mode buttons allow you to select a fader or pan + automation mode from a drop-down list. see + <xref linkend="sn-automation"/> for more information about automation + modes. + </para> + </section> + + <section id="mixer-strip-redirect-boxes"> + <title>Redirect Boxes</title> + <para> + These dark areas above and below the fader allow you to place inserts, + sends and plugins into the signal path before and after the fader + respectively. you may also easily reorder them whilst playing. + collectively, the objects that belong in these boxes are called + redirects. If there are redirects present in the channel, they can be + reordered by dragging them vertically. because plugins and inserts can + have different numbers of inputs to outputs, sometimes you may reach a + situation where the inputs and outputs cannot be all connected + sensibly. in this case, your reordering change will be disallowed by + the program. + </para> + + <para> + Right clicking within the dark area will bring up a drop-down menu + which allows you to manipulate the redirects in various ways. + </para> + + <variablelist> + <title>Redirect Boxes</title> + <varlistentry> + <term><guimenuitem>new plugin</guimenuitem></term> + <listitem> + <para> + selecting new plugin will open a dialog which lists the plugins + available on your system. selecting a plugin which is compatible + with the number of streams in the channel at that point will + result in the plugin being placed in the redirect box in an + inactive state. this is indicated by the brackets around the + plugin name. double-clicking the plugin name will bring up a + window that allows you to control the parameters of the plugin + statically (including bypass) or using automation. all plugins + that report their latency are time-compensated automatically in + ardour. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry> + <term><guimenuitem>new insert</guimenuitem></term> + <listitem> + <para> + places at least two new jack ports at that point in the mixer + strip (one input, one output). these ports will then be + available to any jack client (including Ardour itself), allowing + another program (or channels within another program) to be + inserted across the channel. hardware ports may also, of course, + be used, allowing the insertion of outboard equipment. the + insert will then appear in the redirect box in brackets + indicating that it is inactive. to activate or deactivate an + insert, right-click on it and select activate. double-clicking + on the insert will bring up a dialog which allows to to assign + its inputs and outputs to other jack ports. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry> + <term><guimenuitem>new send</guimenuitem></term> + <listitem> + <para> + selecting new send will first bring up a dialog box that enables + you to select the number of outputs the send has, along with the + destination of each output. closing this dialog will reveal the + name of the send in brackets, indicating that it is inactive. to + activate the send, right click on it and select Activate. + double-clicking on the send brings up the previous dialog, which + will now include a fader which is provided for level control. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry> + <term><guimenuitem>clear</guimenuitem></term> + <listitem> + <para> + selecting clear in the menu removes all redirects from the mixer + strip (pre and post fader). you can remove an individual + redirect by holding the shift key and right clicking it. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry> + <term><guimenuitem>cut</guimenuitem>, <guimenuitem>copy</guimenuitem>, <guimenuitem>paste</guimenuitem></term> + <listitem> + <para> + these items allow you to cut, copy and paste plugins, including + their current settings, between Redirect Boxes. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry> + <term><guimenuitem>rename</guimenuitem></term> + <listitem> + <para> + selecting rename will bring up a dialog displaying the name of + the selected redirect. change the name by typing into the text + area and pressing ok. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry> + <term><guimenuitem>select all/deselect all</guimenuitem></term> + <listitem> + <para> + these two options select or deselect all plugins in the channel. + this could be used, for instance, in preparation to copy all + plugins from a channel to another one, along with the current + settings. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry> + <term><guimenuitem>activate/deactivate</guimenuitem></term> + <listitem> + <para> + selecting either of these will activate or deactivate the + currently selected redirect(s) respectively. deactivate is the + equivalent of <guimenuitem>bypass</guimenuitem>. + </para> + + <note> + <para> + note that you can bypass a plugin from it's parameter window + as well as from here. + </para> + </note> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry> + <term><guimenuitem>activate all/deactivate all</guimenuitem></term> + <listitem> + <para> + selecting either of these will activate or deactivate all + redirect(s) in the mixer strip respectively. deactivate is the + equivalent of <guimenuitem>bypass</guimenuitem> if you're a + plugin. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry> + <term><guimenuitem>edit</guimenuitem></term> + <listitem> + <para> + selecting edit brings up the controls relevent to the selected + redirect. this is the equivalent to holding control and + right-clicking on a redirect. note that the right click method + will not bring up the controls of the selected redirect, only + the one beneath the mouse pointer. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + </variablelist> + </section> + + <section id="mixer-strip-pre-post-input-button"> + <title>Pre/Post/Input Button</title> + <para> + This button cycles between three metering modes, which determine which + signal is fed to the meters. the modes are pre-fader (the signal at + the input to the fader), post-fader and input (the level at the track + input). left clicking cycles through the three modes one step at a + time, while middle-clicking alternates between the current setting and + the setting two steps ahead. this allows one-click direct a/b + comparison between all available monitoring points. + </para> + </section> + + <section id="mixer-strip-gain-display"> + <title>Gain Display</title> + <para> + this control displays the current gain of the fader to the nearest + 0.1dB. left clicking on the value will lower the gain by an amount + dependent upon the fader position the graduations become smaller as + the fader nears 0dB gain. right clicking increases the gain by the + same amount. middle clicking resets the gain to 0dB. + </para> + </section> + + <section id="mixer-strip-unit-selector"> + <title>Unit Selector</title> + <para> + Right clicking on the meter bars allows you to select the range of + signal levels displayed by the meters. the selected range will be + displayed as a column of numbers next to the meter. /*XXX this feature + is currently not working*/ Gain Level Display + </para> + </section> + + <section id="mixer-strip-peak-meter"> + <title>Peak Meter</title> + <para> + This control displays the highest peak since the last peak meter + reset. Resetting the peak meter is achieved by left-clicking the + displayed number. The peak meter monitors the signal selected by the + <emphasis>Pre/Post/Input Button</emphasis> .. the same signal as the + meters. It should be noted here that 0dBfs corresponds a value equal + to the maximum input or output level of your audio hardware, + independent of it's bit depth. + </para> + </section> + + <section id="mixer-strip-gain-fader"> + <title>Gain Fader</title> + <para> + The fader changes the signal level within the mixer strip before the + post-fader plugins, which are before the output ports. 6dB of gain is + allowed. there are several shortcuts available for the fader. Using + the scroll wheel of your mouse while hovering above the fader will + coarsely change its position. Holding the control key whilst mouse + wheeling will give you finer control. Holding the shift key and + clicking the fader will reset it to unity gain. Holding control and + pressing the middle mouse button whilst over the fader will allow you + to bind a midi control to it, provided you have an available midi + device set in the options menu. + </para> + </section> + + <section id="mixer-strip-meters"> + <title>Meters</title> + <para> + The number of meters displayed next to the fader is dependent on the + number of inputs or outputs the channel has, whichever is greater. The + meters provide a colour-graduated scale from -50 dBfs to +6dBfs. They + display the instantaneous value of the signal at the monitoring point + selected by the Pre/Post/Input button. 0dBfs corresponds a value equal + to the maximum input or output level of your audio hardware, + independent of it's bit depth. Exceeding 0dBfs does not correspond to + running out of headroom within the mixer, or in any signal path + subsequent to that point within the Jack server. It merely means that + if that signal is connected directly to a hardware port whose + resolution is less than the 32-bit floating point resolution that + Ardour uses (i.e. a soundcard), then that port will exceed it's + maximum output level, resulting in distortion. hitting 0dB within the + mixer (or any point in the Jack server) means that you have + approximately 100dB of headroom remaining. as it is unlikely that you + will reach this point, it is not represented in any special way by the + meter. Naturally, if the input is selected as the monitoring point for + the meter, exceeding 0dBfs means that the input of your a/d converter + has clipped. + </para> + </section> + + <section id="mixer-strip-panner"> + <title>Panner</title> + <para> + The panner in Ardour is actually two panners. Because any mixer strip + in Ardour can route any number of streams of audio anywhere, the idea + of panning can be a complex one. To allow for the current + stereo-centric mainstream world as well as the multi-speaker + experimental one, one of two styles of panner will appear here + depending on the number of outputs the channel strip has. In the + simple case of mono channel input / stereo output, a single panner + will be present. The current pan position is represented by a dot (the + dot is the audio stream) which lies between the letters 'L' and 'R', + which represent the left and right outputs respectively. To change the + panning position of the stream, move the mouse while holding down the + left mouse button. the dot will follow your mouse pointer. To + introduce sudden changes to the pan setting, place the mouse pointer + over the desired position and click the middle mouse button. The pan + control will immediately snap to the mouse pointer position. The + panner may be bypassed by right-clicking the control and selecting + <guimenuitem>bypass</guimenuitem> from the drop-down menu. The panner + will immediately be bypassed. The increased level you notice when the + panner is bypassed is due to the way panning works. It is not a bug. + <emphasis>XXX what gain law is used in the panner?</emphasis> + </para> + + <para> + In the case of a stereo input / stereo output combination, two panning + controls will appear, one corresponding to each audio stream. You can + <emphasis>link</emphasis> the controls together in two different ways + in this situation, using the direction arrows next to the + <guibutton>link</guibutton> button. Panners can be linked to travel + either in opposite directions or to maintain a consistent stereo width + across the travel of the control. These two modes are represented by + the orientation of the two arrows next to the + <guibutton>link</guibutton> button, which point in either the same or + opposite directions. The <guibutton>link</guibutton> button must be + engaged before you can change the <emphasis>link</emphasis> mode. To + link all the panners in a mixer strip, left-click the + <guibutton>link</guibutton> button, then select the desired link mode + by pressing the button marked with arrows. + </para> + + <para> + Let's get a little more complicated by adding another output to the + mixer strip. From this point onwards, the panning positions are + represented with numbered dots on a square field. Orange dots + represent the outputs, and the numbered dots represent the streams. + the position of the outputs change according to the number of outputs + in the strip. This happens in order to allow the most useful + arrangement of the available space. At some point, adding an output + will cause the outputs to line up from the top left of the panning + square towards the centre. this is to allow for the 'multi-speaker big + sweep' to occur - where the sound is panned from speaker to speaker + around the room in sequence. + </para> + + <para> + Don't forget that you can bypass the panner by right clicking and + selecting <guimenuitem>bypass</guimenuitem> from the drop-down menu. + this may simplify your multi-speaker setup, as often in this type of + project panning between all speakers or outputs is not required on all + tracks. + </para> + </section> + + <section id="mixer-strip-output-selector"> + <title>Output Selector</title> + <para> + The output selector allows you to assign the outputs of each mixer + strip. left-clicking the output selector causes a ready-made list of + output ports to appear in a drop-down menu, along with edit and + disconnect options. Selecting <guimenuitem>Edit</guimenuitem> will + allow you to change the number of outputs the channel has, as well as + select software and hardware ports to route signals to. For more + information on the window that appears when you select this option, + see the <xref linkend="sn-other-windows"/>. + <guimenuitem>Disconnect</guimenuitem> will leave the number of output + ports unchanged, but remove all assignments to output ports. + </para> + </section> + + <section id="mixer-strip-scratch-pad"> + <title>Scratch Pad</title> + <para> + This is the text area below the <guibutton>output</guibutton> button. + it allows you to enter any notes that you feel may be relevant to that + track. The notes are stored when you save the session. + </para> + </section> </section> |