Ardour 8.10 released

Ardour 8.10 is now available for Linux, Windows and macOS. As with the last several releases, 8.9 turned out to have at least a couple of new major issues that required a hot-fix. We believe that we have corrected issues with performance caused by scheduling of disk input/output threads (these problems tended to be system dependent, but were very real on systems where they occured). Importing SMF (MIDI) via drag-n-drop now uses the file name once again. Content-slipping a region correctly causes an update of the playback buffers so you can hear the result as expected.

In addition to those hot-fixes, 8.10 sees small updates to all our non-default color themes, a new MIDI binding map for the M-Audio Axiom 49 MkII and a new Lua script to duplicate regions on the grid.

This is intended to be the last release of the 8.x series. Our git repository is now at 9.0-pre0, and should no longer be considered stable or usable for production work now that it contains what was the “pianorule” branch. Over the next few months, we will be working hard to get this into shape for a 9.0 release with several notable new features.

Download as usual with the full release notes (for 8.7 - 8.10) at the normal place.

35 Likes

Very much appreciated to have a rubber-stamped plateau release to work with, best of luck for the future 9.X version!

7 Likes

thank you for solving the disk i/o thread scheduling problem. much appreciated!

I would like to download the paid version of ardour 8.10, not the demo. I have forgotten how to do this. Can someone help me with this. Thank you very much.

Start at http://ardour.org/download.html.

Then pay at least $1, of if you are a subscriber: first log in.

But I am not asked to pay $45 there. Where does that happen?

Click the green button labeled “Ready-to-Run Program”.
On the next screen, choose your OS and click the green button labeled “Download Ardour…”. On the next screen, click the blue button labeled “Pay One Time” that is underneath this wording:

"Single Payment

If you choose to pay less than US$45, you will get the current version and updates (e.g. buy version 7.0, get access to 7.1, 7.2, etc. but not 8.0).

If you choose to pay US$45 or more: get the current version, updates and the next major version, plus access to nightly (development) builds."

When you get to the next screen, enter whatever amount you want into the box beside:

“I choose to pay US$”

1 Like

Thank you for your feedback.

But exactly this window does not appear after downloading :thinking:

That suggests to me that you are already logged in when you click the green “Download Ardour…” button. Are you a subscriber? I am, and if I am already logged in on that page, the “Download Ardour…” button starts the download immediately, and I receive the full (non-demo) version in my Downloads folder. What happens when you click the “Download Ardour…” button? Have you paid for any versions of Ardour in the past? If you purchased an earlier version of 8.0+, you will not be asked to pay again for minor version updates.

Ardour is downloaded and nothing else. I don’t think I have a subscription. I paid $45 for the 7.2 and eventually got the 8.2. Now I wanted the 8.10 and paid $45 for it.
It could be that I didn’t understand something and that 8.10 is not a demo :slight_smile:

The canonical way to find out:

Start Ardour,… Menu > Help > About > Config

See if there is

Free/Demo copy: False

Ardour claims not to be a demo, I believe her :wink:

have a nice night and day!

1 Like

Also, if it was a demo, there would be a popup after 10 mins to ask you to get a full version.

I’ve been engaged in MIDI editing with this version recently, and it’s functioning exceptionally well! I’m thrilled with it and would like to extend my gratitude to all the developers and everyone on the Ardour team. Ardour has truly become an impressive DAW! :v:

6 Likes

I am an audio professional, utilizing exceptional tools: Ardour and Mixbus 10 Pro DAW. While the market features several competitors such as Pro Tools, Reaper, Cubase, and Studio One, Ardour and Mixbus present unique advantages that position them as superior choices for audio production.

Ardour serves as an affordable and user-friendly solution, ideal for audio tasks and editing. Its lightweight architecture ensures stability, which is critical for managing larger projects. Additionally, Ardour’s open-source framework fosters continuous development and strong community support.

Mixbus elevates the analog sound experience, infusing mixes with enhanced sensitivity and warmth. This makes it an appealing alternative, especially when compared to heavier and more costly options like Pro Tools and Cubase. Mixbus’s flexible design facilitates the seamless execution of creative visions.

Operating within a Linux environment further enhances my workflow, providing added efficiency and flexibility. The combination of Ardour’s lightweight functionality and Mixbus’s analog warmth enables me to achieve results that often surpass those of more established DAWs. It raises an interesting question as to why these outstanding tools are not more widely adopted in the audio industry, given the myriad benefits they offer to professionals.

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I also make a living in music and sound engineering, but in my case, Ardour/Mixbus is not a one-stop shop, the reason is MIDI. I’m not a good keyboard player but I don’t like the mouse for programming drums and keyboards, to me, it often sounds too static. My take is to play and record part of an instrument, for example, kick and snare first and then HH on the top of that, or the right hand of a piano first and adding other parts after that. In this case, the layers are in the way of an effective workflow - at least for me. So I do the initial MIDI work on another DAW and then import it into Mixbus.

Earlier, I used to use Ardour for tracking live, but for the last five years or so, I have used Mixbus32C (and now Mixbus PRO). For me, this platform works perfectly for tracking, editing, and mixing.

I believe that many people prefer to use the DAW they are used to and that new users tend to follow recommendations. I also think Ardour/Mixbus - if not already - will gain a lot thanks to the connection with SSL and the Audiotonix umbrella.

Hm, you can view the layers in stacked mode, then do loop recording, eventually select and merge them into a single layer.

Just tried it with the built-in virtual keyboard and a drum kit in Ardour 8.10

Might not be exactly what other DAWs offer (actually I do not know) but maybe very close?

(I assume they record everything into one single layer by default, do they?)

I know, but to me, that’s a workaround, and as such: a flow killer.

Yes, several DAWs and sequencers allow (loop) recording in one layer and it’s in my belief probably a common way to do it. I hope it will come to this platform as well because I love this environment and the convenience of working in one program.

2 Likes

Absolutely, I agree.

But the basic functionality exists, combining that should not be too difficult, hopefully.
Unfortunately my coding skills are rather limited.

And I also agree - while I prefer mouse entry, 'cause I cannot play kbd at all - I think this
process would be very essential for many users that use virtual instruments.