Ardour Reviews & Ratings

4.5/5

“Pro-Level Processing with a Learning Curve”

My tracks have excellent, polished sound thanks to Ardour’s excellent audio processing. However, compared to other DAWs, there aren’t as many guidelines as possible, making it difficult to learn particular functions.

Pros : I love the audio processing since it gives a professional-grade audio engine with high-resolution audio support.

Cons : Ardour has fewer tutorials online and third-party course offerings compared to some of the DAWs. It is hard to learn few things if no one is there to teach or show.

Switched from : Logic Pro X

Reason to switch : I wanted a DAW that offered pro-level functionality, and it did not bind me into an ecosystem. For this specific reason, I moved from Logic Pro X.

4.5/5

“Transparent Audio Solution”

I love that Ardour is open source, allowing me to closely monitor the development process and add or modify features as needed. Although it is accessible in Windows, Linux is more reliable and smoother. Anyone who enjoys flexibility will love Ardour.

Pros : Ardours open-source nature offers me the option to add features that I want. The development is also transparent, I can just watch the work as it happens.

Cons : Even though its available for Windows, it feels far superior in Linux systems and more stable.

Switched from : Adobe Audition

Reason to switch : I moved to Ardour because, in contrast to Adobe Audition, I wanted an open-source DAW with many customization possibilities and no subscription.

4.5/5

“Best Open-Source DAW Out There”

After using Ardour as a free DAW for a few months, I am impressed with how much it offers overall. Excellent quality and I love that I have complete control over every part of my project.

Pros : I like how customizable Arbour is since it has multiple themes, and I can save and share custom color configurations.

Cons : Limited built-in instruments when compared to other commercial DAWs.

Switched from : Audacity

Reason to switch : I need more advanced MIDI and multi-track recording features, therefor I moved from Audacity. Audacity was very basic and I needed a program that could manage more intricate music composition.

4.5/5

“Flexible DAW with Amazing Recording Options”

I can quickly mix and record individual tracks or a master album whenever I want, Ardour has been fantastic for my projects. But when I use various plugins it seems to crash sometimes.

Pros : I have been loving the flexibility of Ardour, it allows me to do any combination of master record and individual tracks at any time.

Cons : Lag and occasionally crashes due to certain plugins.

Switched from : FL Studio

Reason to switch : I left FL studio because I wanted greater multi-track recording options and more advanced recording flexibility without the expensive price tag.

4.3/5

“Excellent Session Management”

I appreciate Ardour’s session management capabilities, particularly the snapshots that enable me to monitor project developments. The drawback are that I have encountered some issues with older or some third-party plugins.

Pros : Ardour personally has impressive session management features, like snapshots which makes it easier to track project changes.

Cons : I have found that there is a compatibility problem with certain third-party plugins or older plugin formats.

Switched from : Ableton Live

Reason to switch : I wanted software that comes with strong and powerful recording capabilities with a more budget-friendly option.

4.3/5

“Great for Serious Audio Work”

For my music-producing endeavours, Ardour has shown to be a dependable tool. When layering tracks, I found the latency adjustment option very handy. Its only drawback is its desktop only functionality.

Pros : In my experience Ardour has great recording capabilities, it can perform latency compensation when recording on top of existing media which I found impressive.

Cons : No mobile version, Ardour is limited to desktop use only for now.

Switched from : GarageBand

Reason to switch : GarageBand offered very few advanced features and control when compared to Ardour.

4.1/5

“Easy Multi-Track and Solid MIDI Recording”

Ardour’s robust MIDI support and multi-track recording and editing features have simplified my music creation process. Although it lacks some of the advanced features, I am looking for it still does a good job for everything.

Pros : Due to Ardours offers strong MIDI support for a wide range of instruments and plugins, as well as multi-track recording, editing, and mixing capabilities, my life has been made easier.

Cons : Lacks advanced features that are available in other commercial software, like unique instruments and bundled sound libraries.

Switched from : LMMS Audio Editor

Reason to switch : I wanted more features for professional recording and mixing, therefore I moved from LMMS. Ardour provide me with that while remaining reasonably priced.

4.1/5

“Good but Needs Better UI”

The most recent update, Ardour 8.10 has greatly improved editing, tempo mapping, etc, and I am loving the new arpeggiators. The user interface isn’t as intuitive as some other DAWs, like Logic Pro, despite modification.

Pros : In the latest version of Ardour 8.10, I can easily edit, automate and they have also improved the tempo mapping and arpeggiators

Cons : Although it is customizable, the UI may feel less intuitive when compared to Logic Pro of Ableton Live.

Switched from : Reaper

Reason to switch : I needed a DAW with greater open-source freedom and new feature updates that would meet my needs without breaking the bank.

4/5

“It Looks Great on Any Screen”

Regardless of whether I am using a high-resolution or low-resolution monitor, Ardours UI always looks clean and professional. However, it is difficult for older computers to run it since it requires certain specifications to work properly.

Pros : One of my favorite things about Ardour is its interface is fully vectorized, so the GUI can be scaled and looks good even on low and high resolution.

Cons : It requires a powerful system for the optimal performance.

Switched from : Avid Pro Tools

Reason to switch : I needed a robust yet reasonably priced DAW that allowed for good customization. Pro Tools was too expensive to sustainably use so I moved to Ardour.