A trick to give the click track a level/mute control in the mixer window

How to control the click level was asked on the help forum and I thought I’d post this here too:
NOTE: This is in Ardour 2. I have not tried it in Ardour 1

A trick that I use to give the click track a level/mute control in the mixer window:

Add A stereo bus (Session Menu: Add track/bus: Check the Busses item and choose Stereo from the drop down list)
Rename the new bus to something meaningful. (do this in the mixer view by clicking on the existing name; probably “Bus 1” or 2 or 3)
Connect the new bus input to the click track.( Do this Qjackctl)
Connect the new bus output the the alsa output.( Do this Qjackctl)
I hide this bus in the editor view and control it from the mixer view but it can be used from the editor window if you like.

(You might even get automation this way but I’ve not tried it: Loud click for loud parts quiet for the sneaky intro’s etc)

Neat trick.

But there is no need to do the connection in qjackctl, you can make the connections in the options editors’ click page. There does seem to be a small buglet on that page as it doesn’t refresh the connections, so you might need to restart the session to get the new inputs visible.

i’m wondering whether you guys find the click too loud or soft generally?
thanks for the feedback.

The default click level was mostly fine. I’m a one man band and need the click louder when I’m recording instruments etc that I struggle most with etc so it was handy to have the click level there in the mixer rather then bringing up the preferences each time I worked on a different track.

To make it fully mutable, you also need to disconnect the click in Click in Options.

That’s a great idea–there have been plenty of times when I would have liked to bring down the level of the metronome during, say, the decay of an acoustic guitar when the mic can pick up the click through the headphones.