# Working with Regions

Regions are the basic elements of editing and composing in Ardour. Each region represents a single, contiguous section of one or more audio files. Regions are defined by a fixed set of attributes:

- the source audio file(s) they represent

- a starting point in the audio file(s)

- a length

When placed into a playlist, they gain additional attributes:

- a position along the timeline

- a layer

There are other attributes as well, but they do not define the region. Things you should know about regions:

##

Regions are Cheap

  By themselves, regions do not consume hardly any of your computer's resources. Each region requires a small amount of memory, and represents a rather small amount of CPU work if placed into an active track. So, don't worry about creating regions whenever you need to.

Regions are not audio files

  Although a region can represent an entire audio file, they are never equivalent to an audio file. Most regions represent just parts of an audio file(s) on disk, and removing a region from a track has nothing to do with removing the audio file(s) from the disk ((the Destroy operation, one of Ardour's few destructive operations, can affect this)). Changing the length of a region has no effect on the audio file(s) on disk. Splitting and copying regions does not alter the audio file in anyway, nor does it create new audio files ((the Export , Bounce and Reverse operations do create new audio files)).

## Region Naming

Regions are initially named using either:

- the name of the playlist for which they were recorded

- the name of the embedded/imported audio file they represent

### Whole File Region Names

These are not audio files, but regions that represent the full extent of an audio file. Every time a new recording is done, or a new file is embedded/imported, a new region is created that represents the entire audio file(s) This region will have the name of the playlist/original file, followed by a "-" and then a number.

For recorded regions, the number will increase each time a new recording is made. So, for example, if there is a playlist called "Didgeridoo", the first recorded whole file region for that playlist will be called "Digderidoo-1". The next one will be "Digeridoo-2" and so on.

For imported/embedded files, the region name will be based on the file name, but with any final suffix (e.g. ".wav" or ".aiff") removed.

Normally, whole file regions are not inserted into tracks/playlists, but regions derived from them are. The whole-file versions live in the editor region list where they act as an organizing mechanism for regions that are derived from them.

### Normal Region Names

When a region is inserted into a track/playlist, its initial name will end in a version number, such as ".1" or ".103". For a recorded region, if the whole file region was "Hang drum-1", then the region in the track will appear with the name "Hang drum-1.1". For an imported/embedded region, if the whole file region was "Bach:Invention3", then the region in the track will appear with the name "Bach:Invention3.1".

### Copied Region Names

If the region is a copy of another region, it will begin life with the same name as the original. When an operation is carried out that modifies one of the copies, that particular copy will be renamed by incrementing the version number.

### Renaming Regions

You can rename a region at any time. Use the region context menu to popup the rename dialog. The new name does not need to have a version number in it (in fact, it probably should not). The region will retain its name until it is modified after being copied.

## Selecting Regions

In general, operations on regions apply to whichever regions are currently selected .

To select a single region, click on it using Button1.

To add an unselected region to the currently selected regions, click on it using Shift Button1.

To remove a selected region from the currently selected regions, click on it using Shift Button1.

## Removing Regions

Select the region(s) to be removed. Then press the "Delete" key or use the standard key binding for "Cut" ( CtrlX by default).

Note that "removing" a region is a non-destructive operation. It has no effect on the audio file(s) stored on disk. If you really want to destructively remove the region, use the context menu for the region which has a "Destroy" item. This is not guaranteed to remove the audio file from your disk storage, but it generally will.

## Moving Regions

To move a region, make sure you are in object mouse mode. Move the mouse pointer into the waveform display part of the region, press Button1 and drag. The region will follow the mouse pointer as you move it around. By default, the region can move freely along the timeline - see for information on how to force the region to align to certain kinds of points along the timeline.

To move a region from one track to another, simply start a move as described above, but move the mouse pointer into the desired track. The region will follow the mouse pointer. Note that if you have other kinds of "tracks" visible, the region will remain where it is as the mouse pointer moves across them, and will then jump to the new track. This serves as a visual reminder that you cannot drag an audio region into an automation track or a bus, for example.

### Moving more than one region

To move multiple regions, select them before moving. Then click+drag on one of the selected regions. All the regions will move, keeping their positions relative to each other.

### Fixed-time motion

Sometimes, you want to move a region to another track, but keeping its position along the timeline exactly the same. To do this, use Button2 rather than Button1.

## Copying Regions

To copy a region, make sure you are in object mouse mode. Move the mouse pointer into the waveform press the Ctrl key, keep it down while pressing Button1 and drag. A new region is created and will follow the mouse pointer as it moves. See for more details on moving the copied region around.

### Copying more than one region

To copy multiple regions, select them before copying. Then click+drag on one of the selected regions. All the regions will be copied and as they move, the will keep their positions relative to each other.

### Fixed-time copying

If you want to copy region(s) to other track(s) but keep the copies at the exact position on the timeline as the originals, simply use Ctrl Button2 instead of Ctrl Button1.

## Trimming Regions

## Auditioning Regions

## Region Gain Envelopes

## Region Context Menu

If you context-click on a region, a popup menu will appear. At or near the top of that menu is a list of all regions that exist in the clicked-upon track under the mouse pointer. Each region entry (shown by name) points to a submenu that contains region-specific operations:

###

Popup region editor

  creates and displays the editor for this region, allowing even more specific control over the region than this menu

Raise to top layer

  moves the region to the top layer of this track (works only in "Most recently added/moved/trimmed regions are higher" layer mode

Lower to bottom layer

  moves the region to the bottom layer of this track (works only in "Most recently added/moved/trimmed regions are higher" layer mode

Define sync point

  if the edit cursor is within this region, defines the region sync point at the edit cursor location.

Remove sync point

Audition

  plays this region via the auditioner

Export

  exports this region to a new audio file, via the export dialog (thus allowing resampling, dithering, format specification etc.)

Bounce

  re-records this region (with any plugins/inserts applied) to a new audio file, and replaces the region with one referring to the new file.

Lock

  prevents the region from being moved, trimmed, or modified in almost any way.

Unlock

  removes the lock on region modification

Mute

  makes the region silent during playback

Unmute

Toggle envelope visibility

  shows/hides the region gain envelope

Toggle envelope active

  turns the region gain envelope on/off (the line is gray when the envelope is off, green when it is on)

Original position

  if the region was recorded (and Broadcast WAVE was the native file format) moves the region to its original capture position

Normalize

  alters the gain processing of the region so that the loudest sample is at 0dBFS

DeNormalize

  undoes the effect of a normalize

Reverse

  writes the region to a new audio file with the contents reversed, and replaces the region with one referring to the new file

Nudge

  moves the region in various ways

Nudge fwd

  moves the region forward by the amount shown in the nudge clock

Nudge bwd

  moves the region backward by the amount shown in the nudge clock

Nudge fwd by capture offset

  moves the region forward by the same offset that it might have been (incorrectly) adjusted by when captured

Nudge bwd by capture offset

  moves the region backwards by the same offset that it might have been (incorrectly) adjusted by when captured

Trim

Start to edit cursor

  adjusts the start of the region to the current position of the edit cursor (if possible)

Edit cursor to end

  adjusts the end of the region to the current position of the edit cursor (if possible)

Split

  if the edit cursor is within the region, splits the region at the editor cursor location

Make mono regions

  if the region is a multi-channel one, creates new regions corresponding to each channel. The new regions are added to the editor's region list, not the track.

Duplicate

  pops up a dialog allowing the region to be copied 1 or more times. Each copy is placed directly after the original or previous copy.

Fill Track

  copies the region as many times as necessary to fill the track to the current session end mark. Each copy is placed directly after the original or previous copy.

Remove

  remove the region from the track (non-destructive)

Destroy

  remove the region from the track and the editor region list, and if no other regions are referencing it, remove the audio file that the region is derived from. ( DESTRUCTIVE )