Recs.
Updated
SpecsUpdate
Pros
Cons
Con Binaries from website are paid. Windows binary NOT signed.
At the time I'm writing this, they have 3 options:
Subscription: $1, $4, $10 or $50 (create account and receive updates as long as subscription is active)
One time payment: below $45 current version updates, above $45 current and next version updates... no lifetime.
Demo: Periodically goes silent after 10 minutes.
Con Clip launching is limited
Ardour has clip-launching abilities (Ableton scenes), however, the clips cannot be recorded live.
Con Too many plugins
It is hard to find good useful plugins. It looks like every developer's plugin has ended up in the list.
Con Bad MIDI support
This software can hardly keep up with competition when it comes to MIDI support and audio latency.
Con Installers from website are paid, but binaries are still freely available via package managers
Pre-built binaries are paid, if you want it for free, you have to build it from source or get it from a package manager. That said, most linux package managers have it, and Ubuntu Studio maintains a latest version PPA.