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diff --git a/manual/xml/working_with_crossfades.xml b/manual/xml/working_with_crossfades.xml new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..412da4b844 --- /dev/null +++ b/manual/xml/working_with_crossfades.xml @@ -0,0 +1,224 @@ +<?xml version="1.0" standalone="no"?> + +<!DOCTYPE section PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.4//EN" "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.4/docbookx.dtd" [ + +]> + +<section id="sn-working-with-crossfades"> + <title>Working with Crossfades</title> + <para> + Whenever you arrange any two audio regions so that they overlap in any + way, you create the potential for a + <link linkend="gt-crossfade">crossfade</link> between them: a smooth + transition from one region to the other. Crossfades in Ardour are + generated in realtime, and are not stored on disk. They are objects + within a playlist just like regions, except that the only way to create + a crossfade is by overlapping two regions, and the only way to remove a + crossfade is to move one or both of the regions so that they no longer + overlap. Note that crossfades are not always audible (they can be muted + and unmuted at will), and can be edited in a variety of ways. We think + of a crossfade as consisting of an overlap between two regions, plus two + gain control curves that control the volume of the incoming and outgoing + regions during the crossfade. + </para> + + <section id="crossfade-types"> + <title>Types of crossfades</title> + <para> + Ardour comes with two basic kinds of crossfades, termed + <emphasis>short crossfades</emphasis> and <emphasis>full + crossfades</emphasis> . A full crossfade is a transition between two + regions that spans the entire overlap between them. If the overlap is + 2 seconds long, then the crossfade is 2 seconds long. A short + crossfade is a transition between two regions that lasts a fixed + amount of time and serves simply to avoid audio glitches at the + boundary of the two regions. The length of a short crossfade is a + session-wide parameter than can be set via the <emphasis>option + editor</emphasis> . The default is 15ms, and the length can vary from + 1 milliseconds to 0.5 seconds. In the current version of Ardour, it is + not possible to change the length of a short becrossfade after it has + been created, but it is possible to change most short crossfades to a + full crossfade and vice versa. Full crossfades can have their length + altered by changing the extent of the overlap between the two regions. + </para> + + <para> + Note that even though the absolute length of the crossfade is fixed, + crossfades can be <emphasis>edited</emphasis> with complete freedom, + allowing you change the effective length of a crossfade by altering + the shapes of the fade in and fade out curves. + </para> + </section> + + <section id="crossfade-overlaps"> + <title>Overlaps</title> + <para> + There are several different ways to overlap two regions, and they + result in different kinds of crossfades being placed at the boundaries + of the two regions: + </para> + + <section id="external-overlaps"> + <title>External overlaps</title> + <para> + An "external" overlap occurs when a region starts within another + region, but extends beyond the other's end. + </para> + <mediaobject> + <imageobject> + <imagedata fileref="images/overlaplaterhigher.png"/> + </imageobject> + </mediaobject> + <para> + Overlaps like this will cause an xfade to be placed at the start of + the later region. Whether it is a full or short crossfade is + controlled by the current crossfade type preference. If short + crossfades have been chosen, the crossfade will last for the current + short crossfade duration; otherwise the full crossfade will last for + the entire overlap. The mute status of the crossfade will depend on + the current state of the "New crossfades are muted" setting. + </para> + + <para> + In the example above, the later region is above the earlier one. It + is also possible to create an overlap where the earlier region is in + a higher layer: + </para> + <mediaobject> + <imageobject> + <imagedata fileref="images/overlapearlyhigher.png"/> + </imageobject> + </mediaobject> + <para> + For an overlap of this type, the current crossfade type preference + affects the placement of the crossfade. If full crossfades have been + chosen, the crossfade will be placed at the start of the later + region and will last for the entire overlap. If short crossfades + have been chosen, the crossfade will start just before the end of + the earlier region and will last for the chosen short crossfade + duration. The mute status of the crossfade will depend on the + current state of the "New crossfades are muted" setting. + </para> + </section> + + <section id="internal-overlaps"> + <title>Internal overlaps</title> + <para> + An "internal" overlap occurs when the start and end of one region + both occur within the duration of another. + </para> + <mediaobject> + <imageobject> + <imagedata fileref="images/internalhigheroverlap.png"/> + </imageobject> + </mediaobject> + <para> + Overlaps of this type will cause two short crossfades to be place at + the start of the later region and close to its end. Both crossfades + will last for the current short crossfade duration, and are created + in an un-muted state. These crossfades <emphasis>cannot</emphasis> + be converted to full crossfades. It is important to realize that the + purpose of these two crossfades is a little different than those + created for the single-ended overlap cases above. They are created + solely to avoid audio glitches at the transitions between the two + regions, and are not intended to facilitate interesting crossfades + between the upper and lower region. + </para> + + <para> + Notice that in the example above, the shorter region is above the + longer one. It is also possible to create the following type of + overlap, where the shorter region is below the longer one: + </para> + <mediaobject> + <imageobject> + <imagedata fileref="images/internalloweroverlap.png"/> + </imageobject> + </mediaobject> + <para> + Overlaps of this type will not cause any crossfades to be created. + The uppermost region will be audible throughout its duration; the + lowermost region will not be audible at all. + </para> + </section> + </section> + + <section id="creating-crossfades"> + <title>Creating Crossfades</title> + <para> + To create a crossfade between two regions, move them so that they + overlap. A crossfade is automatically created within the overlap + (possibly two, dependening on the type of overlap, as explained + above). Whether the crossfade is muted or not depends on two things: + </para> + + <itemizedlist> + <listitem> + <para> + if the current crossfade type is set to "Short", the new crossfade + will be created in an un-muted state + </para> + </listitem> + + <listitem> + <para> + if the current crossfade type is set to "Full", the mute status of + the new crossfade is controlled from the <emphasis>option + editor</emphasis> on the "Layers&Fades" control panel. If "New + crossfades are unmuted", the new crossfade will be unmuted. + </para> + </listitem> + </itemizedlist> + + <para> + A muted crossfade is not directly visible in the editor window, but + can be accessed by context clicking within the overlap that it relates + to. An unmuted crossfade has a yellow background that covers the + entire overlap (to make its presence obvious at all times), and a pair + of visible curves that show the gain control curves for the fade. + These curves may not be visible at a particular zoom level, especially + for short crossfades. + </para> + </section> + + <section id="editing-crossfades"> + <title>Editing Crossfades</title> + <para> + To carry out operations on a crossfade, context click anywhere in the + overlap. For the short crossfades in the "internal" overlap case, you + will need to zoom in until the crossfade becomes visible, and then + context click on it. Each crossfade under the mouse pointer (there is + normally only one) will appear in the context menu, and will lead to a + submenu offering the following options: + </para> + + <itemizedlist> + <listitem> + <para> + Mute/Unmute the crossfade + </para> + </listitem> + + <listitem> + <para> + Edit the crossfade + </para> + </listitem> + + <listitem> + <para> + change the crossfade from short to full or vice versa + </para> + </listitem> + </itemizedlist> + + <para> + The last option is not available for the short crossfades in the + "internal" overlap case. + </para> + </section> +<!-- + <xi:include xmlns:xi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude" + href="Some_Subsection.xml" /> + --> +</section> |