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Add to SafariWhen comparing Ardour vs MusE, the Slant community recommends Ardour for most people. In the question“What are the best DAWs for UNIX-like systems?” Ardour is ranked 1st while MusE is ranked 15th. The most important reason people chose Ardour is:
Ardour is cross-platform and works on Windows & macOS.
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 Is JACK-compatible
And so it can not only use JACK for audio-output, JACK, Cadence and Carla can be used to build a DAW with almost unlimited capabilities. Of course, you need more than one project-file, you need a file for MusE and one for CARLA, but with the synths and effects you can wire in CARLA, this is no real Con.
Pro Intuitive
You don't need a manual for this, just play with it.
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 Very many functions, can get confusing
It has not only midi-capabilities, there are digital-audio-caps, too. And mist can be used with Keyboard-shortcuts. Some may work, others don't, cause they may be used by other apps. Can get confusing.
