Ardour
Open-source digital audio workstation for recording, editing and mixing audio and MIDI.
Commenters call it top-tier DAW software they use daily,1234 like its paid open-source model and new Cue Recording for live looping,56 and name it as a replacement for Logic Pro.7 The main caveat is Linux audio setup: low latency for live recording needs raw ALSA, which blocks other apps' sound,8 while PipeWire adds too much latency and JACK is hard to get working.9
Why people recommend it
Overall quality · 3
Commenters call it top-tier software and say they love and use it.
“Ardour is great.”
Show 1 more
“I love and use your software.”
Daily use · 1
One commenter uses it every day and is very happy with it and its community.
“I use it every day, and I am very happy with it and its community.”
Open-source model · 1
A user likes its paying/open-source model and would not switch to a proprietary DAW.
“I use it every day, and I am very happy with it and its community.”
Cue Recording · 1
The Cue Recording feature means a user no longer needs separate software for live looping.
Logic Pro alternative · 1
A long-time Logic user says Ardour and Bitwig would suffice as replacements.
“Ardour and Bitwig will suffice”
Loudness analyzer · 1
Its loudness analyzer and normalizer is cited as an example of a useful tool.
“Something like this would be great too:”
Caveats and dissent
Linux audio latency · 1
Low-latency recording means using ALSA directly, which kills sound for other apps.
“I use Ardour on Linux when I have to”
PipeWire/JACK setup · 1
PipeWire adds too much latency, JACK is hard to configure, and PipeWire often needs a restart after quitting.
“I use Ardour on Linux when I have to”
Often compared with
Who recommends it in their own words
Threads where it came up
- Ardour 9.0 Released 2 mentions
- Apple has added persistent 'ads' to iOS, and it's driving users crazy 1 mention
- Run macOS Software on Linux 1 mention
- 24-bit/192kHz music downloads and why they make no sense 1 mention
- Show HN: FFmpeg WebCLI – Full FFmpeg in Browser, Offline PWA, No Uploads(WASM) 1 mention
- How Brian Eno Created Ambient 1: Music for Airports (2019) 1 mention
Data: ardour.json. Quotes are verbatim; the verdict and theme labels are written by a model from these comments, and every clause links to its sources.
All comments 7
“Ardour and Bitwig will suffice”
“I use Ardour on Linux when I have to”
“I love and use your software.”
“Something like this would be great too:”
“Ardour is top tier software.”
“I use it every day, and I am very happy with it and its community.”
“Ardour is great.”