Version 2.8.3 of Ardour is now available. This is primarily a maintenance release, but does include at least 3 major new pieces of functionality. It also includes a large number of bug fixes for things varying from clean builds with the latest compiler releases to minor GUI tweaks and the occasional crashing bug. Please visit http://ardour.org/download to download the source or Mac OS X builds.

Build News: Ardour 2.8.3 no longer includes (a modified version of) libsndfile, but relies on the system installed version. You need at least version 1.0.18, and you should ensure that it was built with FLAC and Ogg/Vorbis support if you want Ardour to be able to use these formats. The simplest test of this is to run sndfile-info(1) on a FLAC and Ogg/Vorbis sample file and ensure that it can read the contents.

New Features:

• Ardour can now open un-writable sessions without complaining. This includes sessions on read-only media and those for which write access is not granted to the user.
• Support FLAC & Ogg/Vorbis import and export (via system libsndfile).
• Provide jdelay-based hardware/port insert latency measurement (note: this is not automatic, but is initiated by the user in the insert GUI).
• Enable very basic automation for On/Off plugin parameters. Write and Read modes only (no Touch, graphical editing is not allowed). It is a little crude but better than none at all and can only get better.
• OSC API now supports add locate command.

Fixes:

• The OS X builds include a fix for a crashing bug in the Pango font handling library. This would often occur during zoom operations.
• Plugin/send/insert displays in mixer strips should now always list the correct items.
• Change keybindings to more closely match 3.0.
• Make keybindings pay attention only to "relevant" modifiers (i.e. ignore numlock).
• When loading a template, make sure the user template directory exists.
• Add track-record-enable-toggle action to menu, to make it actually bindable.
• Fixup creation of tracks/busses with > 2 channels from track templates.
• Simplify waveform choices menu.
• Compiles cleanly with gcc4.4 patches.
• Limit group button width.
• "In" and "out" as part of a port name should not be translatable by default, since it will break session portability. French & Polish users who need to get old sessions that have these names translated and need to keep them working should set the environment variable ARDOUR_RETAIN_PORT_NAME_SUFFIX_TRANSLATION to force old behaviour.
• Transpose appears in the popup region context menu as well as the Regions menu.
• Auto-* buttons now have a fixed size.
• Keep the transient auto-analyse dialog from showing up more than once per launch of Ardour.
• Fix some actions that need to be sensitive depending on the existence of selected tracks.
• Save and recall rectified waveform view setting(s).
• Make tearoff windows still forward key events (and thus bindings still work).
• Make big clock window into a utility window, not a menu.
• Bad syntax in LV2 RDF files no longer causes crash on startup.
• Apply button made clickable when modifying the meter marker at the start of the session.
• Fix import channel->track Mapping option so it follows the region/track menu selection.
• Add shortcuts to both SYSTEM and USER templates folder.
• Correctly display wastebasket content size.
• Reinstate export-region which was lost.
• Make zoom-to-region more straightforward.
• Fix logic in undo, redo and swapping of visual state changes.
• Add "all" items to track right click context menu instead of relying on the -all- edit/mix group.
• New Session/Startup dialog changes:
  • If no interface has been identified previously, put the audio setup tab as the first tab.
  • If JACK is not running and no interface has ever been chosen, show JUST the audio setup tab. once JACK is successfully.
  • Properly handle situation where use opts not to load a session because of SR mismatch.
• Better (less crash-prone) behaviour when JACK fails to start from "within" ardour.
• Freesound mootcher patch (it might work now).
• LV2 external UIs supported.
• LV2 epp logarithmic parameters handled.
• LADSPA log parameters default values set appropriately.
• Handle localized decimal indicator in BarController widget.
• I/O buttons now show connection state a bit more sensibly.
• Edit group visibility maintained in session file.
• Better behaviour of the splash window with the Ion WM (activated by setting the environment variable ARDOUR_USE_OVERRIDE_REDIRECT_SPLASH).
• "About" window set as transient for editor.
• Prevent sends/inserts from ever being renamed to the same name as a track/bus.
• Make handling of session and history files more robust across ardour versions.
• Don't allow crossfade point dragging to create illegal values.
• Allow DIST_LIBDIR to override LIBDIR during the build.

Translations:

• Updated russian translation from Alexandre Prokoudine.
• Updated french translation from Raphaël Doursenaud.
• Tweaks to german translation.