Mixer app? or maybe Ardour help

[Digital Larry]

Right now I'm using Ardour as a mixer and effects host for SooperLooper and Hydrogen.

I like the mixer strip layout and plugin patching approach. Nice that you can CTRL-drag and drop plugins to new places.

However, the transport and monitoring is a bit of a hassle because the output only switches to the input monitor when the transport is stopped. So if you sync the transport you don't hear very much because stopping the transport sends a stop also to Hydrogen.

I wanted to try a mixer app without the DAW attached, so I tried non-mixer. I guess, with a name like that... anyway it has some shortcomings:
a) no "solo" button
b) button contrast when track muted is way too subtle
c) settings save/restore is a mystery ... there's a "Save", no "Save As". "Set as default" and "open" but when you open it's unclear what we are looking for (i.e. in spite of having saved something, there's nothing to load in the default folder).
d) can't CTRL-drag and drop to copy a plugin

Anyone know how to easily get around this input monitoring issue in Ardour, or recommend a decent mixer app which supports plugins?

[merlyn]

Ardour can do this.

On every Ardour mixer strip there are buttons labeled 'In' and 'Disk'. To monitor the input click 'In'.

The default behaviour (if you don't click a button) is to use 'In' when recording, and 'Disk' when playing back -- you see a highlighting rectangle around the button switch between the two. If you click a button it lights up and stays in that state.

[Digital Larry]

Thanks so much. Just what I needed! RIP Ric Ocasek.