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7 <section id="sn-working-with-layers">
8 <title>Working with layers</title>
10 It is possible to arrange regions in a playlist (track) so that they
11 overlap - one starts before another finishes, for example. Because of
12 this, its important that there is a clear and understandable rule for
13 what you will hear when playing back these kinds of region arrangements.
17 Every region in a playlist is assigned to a layer. There can only ever
18 be one region on a given layer, although rearranging the playlist
19 (track) may change which region is on which layer. At any given point
20 along the timeline, you will hear the uppermost region at that point.
24 Of course, nothing in digital audio is ever quite that simple, and so of
25 course there are some complications:
28 <section id="layers-crossfades">
29 <title> Crossfades </title>
31 Whenever two regions overlap, there is the potential for a
32 <link linkend="sn-working-with-crossfades">crossfade</link> between
33 them. If the crossfade is not muted, then you will hear the contents
34 of the crossfade during the overlap, not just the uppermost region.
38 <section id="region-opacity">
39 <title> Region Opacity </title>
41 In a perverse nod to image manipulation programs, Ardour allows you to
42 make regions transparent. By default, all regions are created opaque,
43 which means that when they are playing, no region below them are
44 audible. However, if you change the region to be transparent, the
45 region will be audible together with any regions below it. This
46 capability should probably not be abused - if you really want to mix
47 sounds together in this way, they should probably live in their own
48 tracks. Occasionally though, this can be useful trick.
52 To change the opacity of a region, popup the region's editor,
53 accessible by context clicking on the region. Then click on the
54 "opaque" button, turning it on or off as desired.
58 <section id="layering-styles">
59 <title> Layering Styles </title>
61 When you are recording new material for a track, its typical to want
62 to new material recorded "over" existing material in the track to be
63 what you hear on playback. For example, if you overdub part of a
64 guitar solo, you normally want the overdub to be audible, not hidden
65 by the old version that was already there. By contrast, when editing
66 using splitting/trimming/moving of regions to create a particular
67 arrangement along the timeline, many people find that they want
68 regions that start later on the timeline to be the ones that are
73 To facilitate these two contradictory desires, Ardour features three
74 different styles for assigning regions to layers.
80 <term>Most recently added regions are higher</term>
83 Use this style when recording/overdubbing new material. Edits of
84 any kind do not modify the layering.
90 <term>Most recently added/moved/trimmed regions are higher</term>
93 Use this style when recording/overdubbing new material, but you
94 want basic edits to cause regions to rise to the top.
100 <term>Later regions are higher</term>
103 Use this style when rearranging and editing regions.
110 A new session has the layering style set to "Most recently
111 added/moved/trimmed regions are higher". To change the layering style,
112 open the <emphasis>options editor</emphasis> and select the
113 "Layers&Fades" page. There is an option there to select the style
114 you want. Layering style may be changed at any time. The existing
115 layering of all playlists is not changed when changing the layering
120 <section id="modifying-layering-by-hand">
121 <title> Modifying Layering By Hand </title>
123 If you want a particular region to be the uppermost when the current
124 layering style has put it on a lower layer, context click on the
125 region. Select the region from the menu that pops up, and in the
126 submenu that appears, choose one of "Move region to lowest layer" or
127 "Move region to upper layer". The layering for the playlist will be
128 recalculated to ensure that the region is on the layer you chose.
129 Note: these operations only have any effect if using one of the "Most
130 recently .." layer models.
134 You can see the precise layer a region is assigned in the popup region
135 editor, accessible by context clicking on the region.
140 At one time, Ardour offered more explicit control over the layering,
141 allowing you to move regions up or down to specific layers. This was
142 found to be problematic, confusing, and generally rendered
143 unnecessary by both of the layering styles the program now offers.
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