Ardour's Cue window enables clip-launching and non-linear performance workflow alongside the timeline

Ardour’s Cue window provides a non-linear, clip-based performance workflow separate from the linear editor timeline. Clips are arranged in a two-dimensional grid — tracks on one axis, scenes (cues) on the other — so multiple clips across tracks can be triggered simultaneously as a scene. Clips can loop indefinitely, play a fixed number of times, or use ‘follow actions’ to automatically trigger another clip in the same track after playing. All clips operate in musical time (bars and beats) and are time-stretched automatically to match session BPM. This enables a loop-based, improvised performance style similar to Ableton Live’s Session View, while still allowing material to be exported to the linear timeline for arrangement.

Examples

A drum loop clip set to a follow action cascades through variations with a single trigger. A bass clip loops until manually triggered to change. Triggering one scene row launches all clips for verse 2 simultaneously.

Assessment

Describe a scenario where the Cue window would be more appropriate than the linear editor for a live performer. What follow action setting would you use to create an automatically advancing loop sequence?