[arc_of_descent]

The Web Audio API is designed for web developers who would want to integrate sound into their web apps. Notifications, etc.

That pre-browser era where we would have sounds for everything. Minimize window, user logged in, logged out, all that crap.

Also the API has good support for visual. Spectrum analysis. This is pretty good for an education course to offer for beginners on sound processing.

I wouldn't use it for anything serious like a DAW.

[kevingadd]

This explanation doesn't fit, because <audio> already solved all the scenarios you're describing. Web Audio attempts to solve other problems, and does a bad job of it.

[arc_of_descent]

Yes, Audio does work. But the Web Audio API has some things more to offer for the simpler stuff. Simple games, timing, effects, detune, etc.