[Ardour-Users] What is this button for?

[Dragan Noveski]

John Emmas wrote:
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul Davis"
>>
>> There is a lot of confusion with terminology in ardour at present
>> connected with the use of the word "range".
>>
>> [...]
>>
>> When the mouse is in "range mode" (after pressing "r"),
>> press-drag-release on a track will create a "range" that is indicated
>> by a pale white-yellowish overlay on the selected tracks. This is the
>> range that the "diode" button will play.
>>
> Thanks for the explanation Paul.  As you say, Ardour seems to have two
> different entities, both called a "range".  Let's call them pale 
> ranges and
> green ranges for the sake of distinction.
>
> Firstly, my mouse seems to be permanently in "range mode" (in other words
> I don't need to initiate this by pressing 'r').  I guess there must be 
> a way
> to latch and unlatch it but I couldn't find anything in the options or
> preferences.
>
> Anyway, that aside, creating a pale range works exactly as you described.
> The "diode button" does indeed play the pale range and if I create a new
> pale range, the new range is the one to get played.
>
> It's the green ranges that are confusing....  I can play a green range by
> right-clicking either of its markers and choosing "Play range" from the
> popup menu.  The green range gets played once, without affecting any pale
> range that already exists.  OTOH if I choose "Select range" (from the 
> same
> popup menu) the pale range "overlays" the green range (at least, 
> visually).
> The problem is that the pale range's start and end points don't get 
> updated.
> Therefore, clicking the diode button still plays between the old start 
> and
> end points which are now meaningless.
>
> Also (as i mentioned earlier) it's confusing that keyboard 'r' isn't a
> one-shot operation but seems to latch.  Therefore if you create a pale 
> range
> and then you left-click anywhere else on the canvas, you lose the 
> range that
> you just created.  Is that intentional?  I suppose you get used to it 
> but it
> can be quite frustrating at first.
>
> John
hallo,
once i create a range ('r') i switch to object mode by pressing 'o'. 
than the range stays persistent. but here, when creating a new session, 
the mouse will be in the object mode by default. i think that it is 
strange if in your case the mouse is in the range mode by default...

cheers,
doc