Someone has to mention the FREE Daws! Ok, Maybe not all of them are Free, but very low cost. Worth a look!
For now, for fun, to test waters, collect them all, etc.

- Magix Music Maker
- Tracktion T6
- Reaper
- Ardour
- Studio One Prime
- StageLight
- Pro Tools First
- Ableton Live lite
- Studio One Artist
- Ignite by Air
- Bitwig 8 Track
- Cubase AI or Elements
*Some are even Free with some Hardware (Mics, Interfaces, mixers, midi keyboards, etc)

The free ProTools First is seriously way too limited to be an actual consideration for someone who has had a fuller version of a DAW. The one that killed this one for me to try was the fact that you can only store three projects at a time and they are stored in Avid Cloud and not on your own system.
 
http://www.avid.com/pro-tools-first/compare

But, would a free program give you any more security than a mature but unsupported one?

Nothing is risk free, but I would consider free programs to be the most risky in a "mission critical" situation.

If anyone foes try to the studio one prime route, I know a few tricks to squeeze a little nore out if it

Thanks for feedback, ended up editing post. Not meant to be a comparison, who is better than who.....more a list of names for those not familiar with availability or offers out there.

A lot of these freebies are just cut downs of bigger products, though.
 
Most demos are save-disabled.  This tends to inhibit my ability to get comfortable with them, knowing I will not be able to keep my work.  A free or cheap entry level version is decent way of discovering if the workflow is right for you without committing to much money.

Magic Russ
A lot of these freebies are just cut downs of bigger products, though.
 
Most demos are save-disabled.  This tends to inhibit my ability to get comfortable with them, knowing I will not be able to keep my work.  A free or cheap entry level version is decent way of discovering if the workflow is right for you without committing to much money.

Good point, I look at it the same, and in looking around have figured that I like them all for different reasons. Good to see what’s out there, what your main or cherished daw may be missing or can possibly suggest for future releases, etc.

Never know what you may find or like out there.....

Reaper is not free. $60 

Tracktion 6 is the one I always recommend to friends. It is the full version, and can give anyone interested in Waveform a good idea of what to expect.
 

stickman393
Reaper is not free. $60 

Right, I changed the wording in post to reflect that. I thought demo was endless, but it’s changed over the years apparently.