5.2 Edit Mode Toolbar

Figure 5-2: The Edit Mode Toolbar is situated just on top-left of the track in the Editor.

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Edit Mode

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Editing Tools

5.2.1 Edit Modes

When moving regions around in a track, it is sometimes desirable to leave spaces between regions and sometimes to force regions to always be placed directly next to their neighbours. Which is more appropriate depends a lot on the nature of the project and the regions themselves.

The Edit Mode Toolbar is situated just on top-left of the track in the Editor.

From there you can select Three different Ardour Behaviour's states:

to scroll through the different modes, use the alphanumeric 1 key button.

5.2.1.1 Slide Mode

By default, Ardour uses slide mode which allows you to freely place regions in a track (subject to the current snap setting, of course). If you cut part of region, an empty space will remain where the part you removed used to be. If you move a region along the timeline, it will move independently of other regions, and will stay wherever you place it.

5.2.1.2 Splice Mode

If you are editing a session and require behaviour where regions are forced to always be directly adjacent, you can switch to splice mode. In this mode, cutting part of region will cause all later regions in the track to move up (earlier) the timeline so that there is no intervening space between them. Moving a region will cause other regions to move around so that the moved region fits "between" them.

As of Ardour 2.8 the splice mode is known to have problems and should be considered not working properly.  Use at your own risk.

5.2.1.3 Lock Edit Mode

Sometimes you may have already gotten all the regions exactly where you want them, and do not wish to move them while you work on editing automation or other aspects of the session.  For this purpose, you can utilize the "Lock Edit" mode. In this mode all regions will remain stationary, however you will still be able to cut out sections of regions using split and delete.

5.2.2 Editing Tools

The Editing Tools are a selection of tools that can be used to manipulate various aspects of your session, ranging from moving objects around, selecting ranges, zooming, drawing automation, stretching or shrinking regions in time, and finally just auditioning audio in a region.  Selecting a tool will change how your mouse interacts with objects on the editor canvas to match the properties of that tool.

You can detach the window for your purposes pressing the arrow button:

and press it again to merge back.

5.2.2.1 Object Tool

 Keyboard Shortcut: "o"

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 commonly utilized mode in Ardour, as it allows you to select and move regions, as well as modify automation points on the automation tracks.

See the Regions chapter for a detailed description of regions.

Selecting Regions

Simply Button1-click the region of interest. Hold Ctrl if you want to select several regions at once. Use Shift-Button1 to select all regions between the previously selected region and the mouse position. This mechanism works both vertically and horizontically.

Resizing Regions

Place the mouse at the lower left corner of the region until the cursor changes to the resize symbol. Now drag the region boundary to the left to crop the beginning of the region.

You may as well drag the boundary to the left, until the original region size is reached. The same applies to the end of the region. Place the cursor over the lower right corner of the region and drag the boundary to the left to crop the end, or to the right to restore the original size.
It is possible to resize several regions at once if you select more than one region before resizing.

Moving Regions 

You can move regions horizontally or vertically. Button1-drag the region to the new position. If you do not want to change its position on the timeline, Button2-drag it to another track and it will not move horizontally. Again, several regions can be moved at once if they have been selected previously.

Editing Fade-In and Fade-Out

Move the mouse over a region. A small square will appear in the upper corners. Button1-drag it to the region in order to create a fade-in or fade-out. Button3-click on the shaded area to change the speed of the fade or deactivate it.

5.2.2.2 Range Tool

Keyboard Shortcut: "r"

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 ond the selection of your tracks.

If none of your track is selected, the Range Tool will operate on all the session track visualized in the Editor.

If you want to operate just some track, select the track you want to edit with the Range Tool.

5.2.2.3 Zoom Tool

Keyboard Shortcut: "z"

When in zoom mode, the mouse pointer appears as a magnifying glass whenever it is over the track canvas or the rulers. This mode is used to zoom the display to any range that is determined by clicking and dragging the Button1 to specify the range.  You can also utilize a single click with Button1 to zoom in by one level focused on the mouse cursor, likewise a single click on Button3 will zoom out by one level focused on the mouse.

5.2.2.4 Region Gain Tool

Keyboard Shortcut: "g"

When in gain edit mode, the mouse pointer will change to cross-hairs. You can then click within a region to change the gain automation for that region. This automation is separate from fader automation for individual tracks, but works in conjunction with the track's fader. This automation will remain locked to the region's time, so if the region is moved, the region gain automation is moved along with it.

5.2.2.5 TimeFX Tool

Keyboard Shortcut: "t"

When in timefx mode, the mouse pointer appears as a distinctive 'expanding' illustration whenever it is over the track canvas or the rulers. This mode is used to resize regions using a timestretch algorithm.  It is utilized by clicking on an edge of a region of audio and dragging it one way or the other to either stretch or shrink the region.

5.2.2.6 Audition Tool

Clicking a region using the "audition" tool will audition the region.

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.