# Ardour Ardour is a free and open source (GPLv2) digital audio workstation (DAW) for Linux, macOS, and Windows. Record, edit, and mix multi-track audio and MIDI with capabilities that rival proprietary DAWs, without the subscription. ## What it does - **Recording**: multi-track audio and MIDI, any bit depth and sample rate, dozens of file formats, unlimited undo/redo - **Editing**: non-linear and non-destructive; cut, move, stretch, quantize, transpose - **Mixing**: automation, EQ, dynamics, sends, inserts, and what the project calls the most flexible mixer architecture in the industry, with anywhere-to-anywhere signal routing - **Plugins**: AudioUnit, LV2, VST2/VST3, and LADSPA, with sample-accurate automation - **Control and sync**: MIDI Learn, external control surfaces, MIDI timecode, LTC - **Video timeline**: frame-by-frame sync for soundtrack and film work ## Why it matters The serious open source answer to Pro Tools and Logic, and one of the strongest arguments that professional creative tooling exists on Linux. For my use cases (voice-over cleanup, course audio, podcast-style editing), it covers everything I'd need: per-track compression and EQ, precise edits, and no vendor lock-in. Pairs naturally with [[OBS Studio]] for recording and [[FFmpeg]] for final encoding. Worth knowing the routing flexibility cuts both ways: more power than simple editors, and a steeper learning curve than something like Audacity for one-track jobs. ## References - Official website: https://ardour.org ## Related - [[OBS Studio]] - [[FFmpeg]] - [[PulseAudio]] - [[Audio Encoding]] - [[Audio Compressor]] - [[Audio Dynamic Range]]