Import files with time-offset

Getting Stuff Done How do I .... ?
#1

Hi there,

I’m quite new to Ardour, and I want to archieve the following result:
I have some pre-recorded files (mono, wav) that all started with a known time-offset to each other. E.g. the first file at 00:00 and the second after 02:23 minutes etc.
I want to import these files into a Ardour session, and move them to the time-offset they were recorded.
If all files are in place, I want to play those files from the start of the session, as a reconstruction of the real-time recording.

Do you think this should be possible with some kind of automation? (lua, osc)

#2

Do the files have internal timestamps? Should the files line up one after the other with no gaps?

#3

Actually, the timestamp is included in the filename. So I will have to do some string manipulation to extract that. But I will figure that out.
They don’t have to line up to each other, only the start-offset is important.
The tracks should all be in there own row, so later on I’m able to mute them if needed

#4

Ardour has no way to do this automatically. It does offer “sequence files” during import, which would, if the files appear in the file selector in the correct order, line them up one after the other.

Otherwise, yes, you’d need to use Lua.

#5

I was already studying the Lua scripting manual, but aren’t sure if it is possible to ‘move’ a selected track in time like with the mouse in the gui.
Do you know if there is some kind of example available doing such things with Tracks?

#6

First: terminology. The things you want to move are called Regions (as in ProTools and some others). They exist inside a Playlist, which is used by a Track to define what gets played back. You generally want to move the regions around using the Playlist API.

Someone else may be able to provide you with some pointers to really get you started.

#7

Thanks for the hints, I will first try to understand the terminology better. But good to know it is within the possibilities of Ardour

#8

Look at Editor:do_embed() here:

#9

You may have thought of this:
though not elegant, one workaround without LUA, is exporting regions in place (export tracks) from your other DAW but always starting at time 0 so you end up with silence up until the region you want so you can import into any DAW. Then just cut silence in Ardour.