FIRST you would probably be better off reading this manual instead.
SECOND there is a new reference manual being worked on but it needs your help. You can see its current state here volunteer to help improve and expand it. Its a huge effort!
IF you insist on continuing to read this old reference manual ... we want to let you know that it is extremely incomplete, incoherent and often out of date. In spite of that it does contain some useful information, but please don't expect it to be complete. One of the problems with open source software is that it is even harder to find people to write documentation than it is to find good programmers, and Ardour is no exception to this rule.
If you are interested in contributing to the manual, please get it in touch with us via one of the mailing lists or other contact mechanisms mentioned on our support page. Thanks for your interest in Ardour.
And now, on to the old reference manual itself, in all its incomplete glory ...