manual/include/isnt-this-a-really-complicated-program.html

<p>
  There is no point in pretending that Ardour is a simple, easy to use program.
  The development group has worked hard to try to make simple things reasonably
  easy, common tasks quick, and hard and/or uncommon things possible. There is
  no doubt that there is more to do in this area, as well as polishing the user
  interface to improve its intuitiveness and work flow characteristics.
</p>

<p>
  At the same time, multi-track, multi-channel, non-linear, non-destructive
  audio editing is a far from simple process. Doing it right requires not only
  a good ear, but a solid appreciation of basic audio concepts and a robust
  mental model/metaphor of what one is doing. Ardour is not a simple "audio
  recorder"&mdash;it can certainly be used to record stereo (or even mono)
  material in a single track, but the program has been designed around much
  richer capabilities than this.
</p>

<p>
  Some people complain that Ardour is not "intuitive" to use&mdash;its
  lead developer has
  <a href="https://community.ardour.org/node/3322">some thoughts on that</a>.
</p>