Ardour 9.1 Fixes Critical DAW Bugs and Introduces Game-Changing MIDI Features

Ardour, the beloved open-source digital audio workstation, has just dropped version 9.1, and it’s more than just a routine update. This hotfix release addresses several critical bugs introduced in the previous major version while rolling out powerful new features that will make music producers and sound engineers rejoice.

Bottom Pane Restored After Breaking Changes

The most urgent fix in Ardour 9.1 addresses a frustrating issue where the bottom pane in the Editor would break during selection changes involving regions and tracks. This problem stemmed from last-minute changes in version 9.0 that inadvertently disrupted the user interface. With 9.1, Ardour’s development team has restored this essential functionality, ensuring that producers can maintain their workflow without interruption.

MIDI Note Chasing: The Feature Everyone’s Been Waiting For

Perhaps the most exciting addition in Ardour 9.1 is MIDI note chasing. This long-requested feature solves a common frustration in digital audio production: when playback starts in the middle of a sustained MIDI note, the note now sounds immediately instead of cutting off abruptly.

This feature can be enabled per MIDI track through the track header menu or set globally in Preferences under the MIDI section. It’s a subtle but powerful improvement that makes MIDI composition and arrangement feel more natural and responsive. However, it’s worth noting that looping where the loop start is in the middle of a note is not yet supported—though this may come in future updates.

MIDI Note Duplication Gets a Major Upgrade

Ardour 9.1 introduces streamlined MIDI note duplication that will significantly speed up composition workflows. Users can now select MIDI notes and duplicate them after the last note using the familiar Ctrl or Cmd + D shortcut. When Snap is enabled, the duplicated notes align perfectly with the next snap point, maintaining rhythmic precision.

The duplicated notes remain selected after the operation, allowing for immediate transposition using the arrow keys. This workflow enhancement eliminates multiple steps that previously slowed down MIDI editing, making rapid composition and pattern creation much more efficient.

Enhanced Workflow Improvements

The update brings several workflow enhancements that may seem small individually but collectively make a substantial difference:

• Multiple regions can now be dragged simultaneously from the sources list into the Editor
• Zoom-to-session behavior has been improved for new empty sessions during recording
• Pitchbend values now display in the standardized -8192 to 8191 range
• MIDI CC lane and track naming have been clarified to better reflect channel and controller information

These refinements demonstrate Ardour’s commitment to polishing the user experience based on community feedback.

MIDI Learn and UI Refinements

Ardour 9.1 improves MIDI learn functionality for cue triggering, making it easier to map hardware controllers to various DAW functions. The update also adds clearer preference metadata for search functionality, helping users find settings more quickly.

UI consistency has been refined throughout, including updates to the auto-return icon that make the interface more intuitive. A particularly clever addition allows users to merge two mono files into a stereo track via drag-and-drop when their channel counts match—a workflow enhancement that will save countless mouse clicks.

Recording and Automation Fixes

Recording MIDI cues now correctly preserves velocity values for notes held before recording begins, ensuring that expressive performances are captured accurately. This fix addresses a common pain point for producers who rely on nuanced MIDI input.

Automation value inconsistencies after cut or delete operations have been resolved, maintaining the integrity of automation envelopes throughout complex editing sessions.

Stability Improvements That Matter

The stability fixes in Ardour 9.1 address several crash-prone scenarios:

• Prevents crashes when dragging both ends of a range simultaneously
• Addresses startup crashes caused by early shortcut input
• Improves the usability of region handles in pianorolls
• Fixes automation value inconsistencies after cut or delete operations

These fixes target the most frustrating aspects of DAW usage—crashes that can interrupt creative flow and potentially cause data loss.

Playback and VCA Behavior

Playback offset issues when editing during rolling have been corrected, ensuring that what you hear matches what you see during complex editing sessions. VCA behavior affecting dependent tracks no longer results in stuck solo states, resolving a particularly annoying bug that could leave tracks in unexpected solo modes.

Platform-Specific Improvements

Ardour 9.1 includes several platform-specific enhancements:

On Windows, session unloading now properly closes all associated files, preventing file handle leaks and potential data corruption. On macOS, opening sessions directly from Finder is more reliable, streamlining the workflow for Apple users. The monitor section GUI no longer crashes with high channel counts, making Ardour more stable for complex mixing sessions.

Looking Forward

While Ardour 9.1 is primarily a stability and bug-fix release, the new MIDI features signal the development team’s focus on enhancing core music production workflows. The combination of critical bug fixes and thoughtful new features makes this update essential for anyone using Ardour in a professional capacity.

For those who have been hesitant to upgrade due to the issues in 9.0, version 9.1 represents a stable and improved foundation for audio production work.

Ardour 9.1
MIDI note chasing
MIDI note duplication
digital audio workstation
open-source DAW
music production software
audio editing
MIDI workflow
DAW update
bug fixes
stability improvements
music composition
audio engineering
MIDI learn
automation fixes
VCA behavior
platform-specific improvements
professional audio production
sound design
recording software
music software
audio mixing
MIDI editing
workflow enhancements
crash fixes
user interface improvements
music technology
audio software development
digital music production
MIDI controller mapping
session management
audio recording
music creation tools
open-source software
audio production workflow
MIDI composition
DAW stability
music production tools
audio editing software
MIDI performance capture
recording workflow
audio engineering software
music production workflow
digital audio editing
MIDI sequencing
audio production software
music technology news
DAW features
audio software updates
MIDI features
music production news
open-source audio software
professional music software
audio production tools
MIDI workflow improvements
DAW bug fixes
music production technology
audio software development news
MIDI composition tools
digital audio workstation news
music production software updates
audio engineering tools
MIDI editing software
professional audio tools
music creation software
audio production news
MIDI performance tools
DAW improvements
music technology updates
audio software features
MIDI production tools
digital music software
audio recording software
music production workflow
MIDI software features
audio production technology
music software development
MIDI workflow tools
digital audio production
audio engineering news
music production technology news
MIDI composition software
audio software improvements
music creation tools news
digital audio tools
MIDI performance software
audio production features
music technology developments
MIDI editing tools
audio software news
music production updates
digital audio software
MIDI composition features
audio engineering software updates
music software features
MIDI production software
audio production improvements
digital music tools
MIDI performance features
audio software technology
music production developments
MIDI workflow software
digital audio workstation updates
audio production news updates
music technology software
MIDI composition updates
audio engineering developments
music production software news
digital audio production news
MIDI editing updates
audio software developments
music creation software updates
MIDI performance updates
audio production software news
digital music production news
MIDI workflow updates
audio engineering software news
music technology news updates
MIDI composition news
audio software update news
music production tool updates
digital audio software updates
MIDI editing news
audio production tool updates
music creation tool updates
MIDI performance news
audio software feature updates
music technology update news
MIDI workflow news
digital audio workstation news updates
audio engineering update news
music production update news
MIDI composition update news
audio software development news updates
music creation update news
MIDI editing development news
audio production development news
digital music development news
MIDI performance development news
audio engineering development news
music production development news
digital audio development news
MIDI workflow development news
audio software feature development news
music technology development news updates
MIDI composition development news
audio production feature development news
music creation development news
digital audio feature development news
MIDI editing feature development news
audio engineering feature development news
music production feature development news
digital music feature development news
MIDI performance feature development news
audio software technology development news
music technology feature development news updates
MIDI workflow feature development news
digital audio workstation feature development news
audio production technology development news
music creation feature development news
MIDI composition feature development news
audio software update development news
music production tool development news
digital audio tool development news
MIDI editing tool development news
audio engineering tool development news
music creation tool development development news
digital music tool development news
MIDI performance tool development news
audio production tool development news updates
music technology tool development news
MIDI workflow tool development news
digital audio workstation tool development news
audio software technology updates
music technology updates news
MIDI composition updates news
audio production updates news
music production updates news
digital audio updates news
MIDI editing updates news
audio engineering updates news
music creation updates news
digital music updates news
MIDI performance updates news
audio software feature updates news
music technology feature updates news
MIDI workflow feature updates news
digital audio workstation feature updates news
audio production technology updates news
music creation feature updates news
MIDI composition feature updates news
audio software development updates news
music production tool updates news
digital audio tool updates news
MIDI editing tool updates news
audio engineering tool development updates news
music creation tool development updates news
digital music tool development updates news
MIDI performance tool development updates news
audio production tool development updates news
music technology tool development updates news
MIDI workflow tool development updates news
digital audio workstation tool development updates news

,