[Ardour-Users] Hm...

[Sampo Savolainen]

Hi David,

On Mon, 2010-08-30 at 16:19 +0200, David Kastrup wrote:
> I wish I had made a desktop recording of the last three hours or so.  I
> am a new user to ardour2.
> 
> Task: take a recorded WAV file, crop a piece away from the beginning,
> pick a point of time where one starts fading out, pick a point of time
> where the fade out is complete (alternatively, just pick the point of
> time where the fadeout starts and specify a fadeout length).
> 
> Save the result from the chosen start position to the end of the
> fadeout.
> 
> Would you believe that I have not managed yet?  I am amassing project
> directories, since not even "quit without saving" is working: invariable
> a _lot_ of the previous failed project is saved and interferes with the
> new attempt.

Have you read the manual?

http://en.flossmanuals.net/ardour/

> So far the only gain adjustment I have found to be possible is from
> start of project to end (meaning that the fadeout starts at the
> beginning of the recording).

There are multiple levels of gain in Ardour. For what you are trying to
accomplish, I suggest looking into region fade in and fade out: When you
hold the mouse over the "region" (that is the recorded piece of audio)
small rectangles light up on the top left and right corners. By dragging
these you can set fade in and out times. By right clicking on the fade
area, you can set how fast or slow the fade is.

For finer control, use the gain tool (one of the tools on top of the
time ranges, right of the edit mode select). Another option is fader
automation.

> Of course, leaving another incomplete project (quitting without leaving
> anything just is not possible).
> 
> This does not make much user interface design sense.  If I want to
> manipulate the operation at a certain graphic element, I don't want to
> have to move the mouse elsewhere in order to switch into some mode where
> this is even possible.

Interface design is a very complicated matter. You can read some ideas
by the main author on interface design and more precisely on
intuitiveness of software on the website: http://ardour.org/node/3322

But regarding changing modes, you can use very simple keyboard shortcuts
for that. And on that point, almost all functions are accessible via the
keyboard.

Like:
 o = select/move (object tool)
 r = range
 z = zoom 
 g = gain
 t = timestretch

> I mean: I am an Emacs user, and not at all confused by it.

If, on your first try, you were not confused by Emacs, I salute you.


 Sampo