Ardour snapshots save alternate versions of a session within the same folder without overwriting the current state

A snapshot in Ardour is ‘a backup of the current state of a session. It differs from a simple save by allowing multiple versions of the session to exist.’ Crucially, creating a snapshot does NOT overwrite the current session — it saves an alternate version alongside it in the same session folder. After taking a snapshot, you can choose to keep working on the original (subsequent saves update the original) or switch to the snapshot as the active version. This makes snapshots ideal for safe experimentation: take a snapshot before a major arrangement change, then freely restructure. If you dislike the result, reload the snapshot. This is not version control — there is no branching or merging — but it provides meaningful safety nets within a single project.

Examples

Before restructuring an arrangement: Session > Snapshot (keep working on current version). If the new arrangement fails, open the Snapshots list and reload the pre-restructure snapshot.

Assessment

A student wants to try a different arrangement without losing the current one. What Ardour feature should they use and which snapshot option should they choose? Explain the difference between the two snapshot options.