Ardour session configuration

by Zaneta Lejwoda

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In this article, we will show how to configure Ardour session to work with ZYLIA Studio PRO.
Briefly, we connect 19-channel track recorded with ZYLIA ZM-1 microphone with "output" tracks for virtual microphones (and leave out the connection to master) and then route "output" tracks to the master bus.

Mixing

​Create a new session. In Audio/MIDI Setup choose your audio system and driver.
Set sample rate to 48 kHz (1) and press Start.

Now we can import 19-channel recording. Click on Session menu and pick Import (or just press Ctrl/Cmd+I). Choose your recording. To import it correctly change Mapping to “one track per file” option.

It’s important to bypass Ardour panner for this track (right-click on panner icon and enable Bypass).

Add ZYLIA Studio PRO plugin – open Plugin manager (right-click on INPUT TRACK → New Plugin → Plugin Manager), double-click ZYLIA Studio PRO and click Insert Plugin.

After creating “input” track for ZYLIA Studio PRO it’s time to make some “output” tracks. To add them just right-click on free space in the mixer or editor view and make as many as you need (remember – one track per each ZYLIA Studio PRO virtual microphone).  ​

Now the most complicated thing – routing. Open Audio Connection Manager (Window → Audio Connections or Alt+P). In this window, you can see a matrix of Sources and Destinations.

​We want to route our “output” tracks to Master Bus, so choose Ardour Tracks as Sources and Ardour Buses as Destinations and connect them (green dots).

Then, choose Ardour Tracks as Destinations and connect the output of Virtual microphone (“input” track out) with Z1 “output” track in.

Add some virtual microphones, enable “output” tracks monitoring and have fun mixing.

Recording

Plug in ZM-1 microphone and create a session. In Audio/MIDI Setup choose ZM-1 as your input device (Windows users should pick ASIO as their driver).
​Remember to set sample frequency to 48 kHz.

Next, add a track for your 19-channel recording (right-click on free space in the mixer). Choose custom track configuration.  ​

Now you can add to this track nineteen channels by clicking on “-” button (picture below) and picking Add audio port (unfortunately, you can add just one channel at once).

To route signal from ZM-1 open Audio Connection Manager (Window → Audio Connections or Alt+P). As Sources pick Hardware tab and as Destinations Ardour Tracks tab and connect 19-channel track with ZM-1 (green dots).
 
Now you can arm your track and record.

Input monitoring is possible for macOS users – create an aggregate device and choose it as your audio device.