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Add to SafariWhen comparing Ardour vs Waveform, the Slant community recommends Waveform for most people. In the question“What are the best DAWs? ” Waveform is ranked 14th while Ardour is ranked 15th. The most important reason people chose Waveform is:
Runs great on Linux(except LV2 Support).
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Compatible with Linux, Windows 7/8.1/10 and macOS
Ardour is cross-platform and works on Windows & macOS.
Pro Open source
Ardour is open source, so it can be downloaded and modified without restriction.
Pro Free version with minimal limitations
Unlike some other DAW's which often limit saving, exporting, or advanced features, Ardour permits you to try all the features for free, with the only limitation being ten minutes of project length maximum.
Demo.
Pro Multi-display support
Pro Linux version has JACK support
On Linux, you can use JACK to freely route audio and MIDI to and from other software as hardware.
Pro Clean linear interface
Pro Inline mixing console
You can view and edit plugins directly from the console's mixing channels.
Pro LADSPA plugins support
Pro LV2 plugins support
Pro VST3 Support in version 6+
Pro Powerful routing
Thanks to JACK support, and the inclusion of built in tools, the routing options of Ardour are limitless.
Pro Excellent support community
Pro Linux support
Runs great on Linux(except LV2 Support).
Pro Free version available
Older releases are available for free when new versions come out.
Pro Clean interface
Pro ARM/ARM64 support
Runs on SBC (single board computer) systems like the Raspberry Pi3, Pine64, and ODroid development boards, as well as systems like the Pinebook and Chromebooks with ARM based SoC CPU's that have been reformatted with a Linux OS.
Pro Easy to understand
Very logically structured.
Pro Creative Tools
Has a Chord Track, MIDI pattern creator and great included tools.
Pro Very stable
Pro Ideal for beginners
Self-explaining interface.
Cons
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 No support for VST plugins for OS X
Plugins can be used on OS X only if they are downloaded in AU format, which is supported.
Con Builds are paid
Pre-built releases are paid and the only way to get the program for free is to build it yourself.
Con Quirky UI and navigation
Con Not user friendly
Ardour can be difficult and unconventional to use.
Con Relies on JACK
The Linux version relies on JACK to function correctly, and JACK is extremely difficult to install and configure. Ardour should have JACK support, but it should also connect directly and play audio on its own by default.
Con No 'scenes'
Ardour doesn't have 'scenes' like Ableton does (would be very handy for live-preformances).
Con Crashes a lot
Con Not open source
Con Not suited for live performance
No session based Workflow (like Live/Bitwig), hiccups upon loading projects.
Con No option to easily cut a file
There is no scissors tool or similar....
