Ardour vs Non DAW

Ardour is cross-platform and works on Windows & macOS.

Ardour is open source, so it can be downloaded and modified without restriction.

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.

On Linux, you can use JACK to freely route audio and MIDI to and from other software as hardware.

You can view and edit plugins directly from the console's mixing channels.

Thanks to JACK support, and the inclusion of built in tools, the routing options of Ardour are limitless.

Non comes in 4 different modules that can be connected with JACK

Each module is very streamlined and light on system resources, even when they are used altogether. So it is much better than Ardour for systems that are limited in memory or processing power.

You use what you need, when you need it. Need to record? Pull up the timeline. Need to edit, mix or master? Add the mixer. Doing anything with midi? Add the sequencer in. Or just use the sequencer alone if you are primarily an eMusician using VI's.

Want to instantly save and recall full sessions, including outboard apps? Use the session manager.

Ignore what you don't need rather than having to clear the clutter.