Ardour 9.10, the latest release of the open-source digital audio workstation for Linux, macOS, and Windows, is now available with the ability to update audio waveforms in real time when adjusting a region’s gain envelope.
Previously, changes to the envelope were not reflected directly in the waveform display. With this update, users can see how their adjustments affect the waveform as they move envelope control points. The feature is disabled by default but can be enabled under Preferences > Appearance > Waveform > Apply region gain.
Ardour 9.10 also makes working with automation easier. Users can select and move automation points across multiple lanes simultaneously instead of adjusting each lane individually. A separate option lets region automation and gain envelopes move together with selected audio regions. This behavior is disabled by default.
Region editing also gets some refinements, with the Trim Front and Trim Back commands now working on the region under the mouse pointer when nothing is selected. Plus, removing fades with keyboard commands is now easier, as fade lengths can be reduced to their minimum without precise mouse positioning.
MIDI editing has received several usability fixes. Users can make rubber-band selections of velocity markers, drag them in Draw mode, and add to existing note selections using Ctrl+drag. Middle-click dragging is supported for several control points, while Shift+right-click deletes notes and points.
The MIDI editor also gains missing context menu actions, including Quantize, Legatize, Transform, and Remove Overlap. Quantizing an entire MIDI region now correctly applies to the whole region instead of only the selected notes. Interface scaling has been improved for note labels and the piano keyboard.
On macOS, Ardour now renders its graphical interface through an intermediate off-screen image surface, which developers say improves performance. As part of this change, the option to render directly through OpenGL has been removed. Some display redraw issues remain on certain macOS hardware configurations.
For synchronization, Ardour 9.10 features a new WallClock transport master that follows the system clock. This allows generated LTC and MTC timecode to synchronize with the current time of day, making it possible to run or record sessions with real-world timestamps.
Linux users get fixes for VST3 plugin interface resizing under X11. Ardour now sends corrected parameter values and timestamps at the end of processing blocks, addressing compatibility issues affecting some VST3 plugins, including those from FabFilter.
Control surface support has been refined as well. Mackie Control banking now works correctly, a crash when closing the Mackie control surface from the GUI has been fixed, and Steinberg CC121 support has received improvements. OSC control surfaces also gain additional recording commands.
Moreover, track naming is more convenient with a new range-based naming feature. For example, renaming a track to “Stem 1..8” automatically names that track and the following seven tracks Stem 1 through Stem 8. The same approach works when creating multiple tracks or buses.
Other fixes address MIDI nOther fixes address MIDI notes continuing to sound unexpectedly after locating on the timeline, automation playback during looping, multichannel cue recording, and MIDI Clock position reporting. Lua scripting support has been expanded with additional bindings and the ability to modify GUI selections.
For more information, see the release announcement.
