If they are violin students who want to do their own composition they might do a lot better with Notion, and not a DAW at all. If they want to make beats, FL Studio. If they play electric guitar and want to record/build songs, maybe Sonar Home Studio. We need more info.

From all DAWs I have tried, Tracktion is the most intuitive to start with. And there is a free (older) version (unlike "basic" free versions from other producers, it has no limits).
But as other have mentioned, that depends from the intention. I have started with top Sonar (to have a capable collection of synths and effects out of the box) and still think that was a good idea (well... at the time I have "started", the price was quite different from what it is now...).
 

azslow3
From all DAWs I have tried, Tracktion is the most intuitive to start with. And there is a free (older) version (unlike "basic" free versions from other producers, it has no limits).
But as other have mentioned, that depends from the intention. I have started with top Sonar (to have a capable collection of synths and effects out of the box) and still think that was a good idea (well... at the time I have "started", the price was quite different from what it is now...).
 

i didnt find traktion very intuitive tbh, sonar and cubase made more sense to me.

Also, I know this is a Cakewalk forum but Presonus Studio 1 Prime is free.
https://shop.presonus.com/products/studio-one-prods/Studio-One-3-Digital-Downloads/Studio-One-3-Prime
 
You may also want to inquire to Cakewalk about educational versions of software too, especially if you're a Cakewalk user and are already familiar with their products.
 

almeister
Also, I know this is a Cakewalk forum but Presonus Studio 1 Prime is free.
https://shop.presonus.com/products/studio-one-prods/Studio-One-3-Digital-Downloads/Studio-One-3-Prime
 
You may also want to inquire to Cakewalk about educational versions of software too, especially if you're a Cakewalk user and are already familiar with their products.

+1 on both of these suggestions.

I would say free is probably best to start out with.  If they have access to a Mac, the Garage Band would be a no brainer. 
 
For the PC I would say start with Tracktion T5 or Presonus Studio One Prime.  Both free, and have unlimited audio/MIDI tracks for recording.
 
https://www.tracktion.com/products/t5-daw
 
https://shop.presonus.com/products/Studio-One-3-Digital-Downloads/Studio-One-3-Prime
 
The biggest plus for T5 is that it also supports VST plugins, while Studio One requires the Professional version if you want to use plugins.  But either would be fine just to record compositions with.
 
For those that really take to it with a long term interest, then maybe upgrading at some point to a $49 Sonar Home Studio would be a good move.

My choices for PC would be Home Studio for a paid DAW with lots of online help , support and room to grow .
I got my start here w HS 2 12 years ago . IMHO if someone is serious they will be willing to lay out the bucks ...
 
For free and dipping a toe in the waters w out laying out any cash , +1 for Traction 5 and Studio One Prime ...
 
T5 is actually very good . Once I learned my way around it I liked it so much I went to T 7 and then on to Traction Waveform 8 the full version , the whole enchilada including all their synths and plugs ..Love it ..
 
I have been demoing Studio One Prime on the side . I don't actually care about the limitations. I actually enjoy having them ...sounds crazy I know but not being able to fall back on all my plugs and VST's has been a good thing. On my down time I like to mess around with other DAW's
IMHO what the S O  Prime demo does come with still kicks the pants out of any HD recorder I've ever owned
 
For someone who want's to make beats , one of the coolest free Beat & Midi orientated  DAW's I have ever used is LMMS.
https://lmms.io/
LMMS gets compared favorably to F L Studio all the time ...
I have it on my Mac which believe it or not is no wheres as good as having on a PC...On PC LMMS can access VST's not so on Mac yet ...
I suppose someone may not like the fact that it does not record audio as of yet , but you can import audio files and it also comes with a real nice sampler and a large selection of on-board instruments ...
I do like this one a lot and I do plan on putting it on my PC  ....
 
For Mac Garage Band is the way to go .
 
all the best,
 
Kenny
 

I agree that learning the basics of the recording path, from mic choice to mixer is a good start. Having said that, I think if you gave a 12 year old a copy of Sonar Platinum they would have it figured out in a matter of weeks.

JohanSebatianGremlin

 
Ok maybe that's a little on the extreme side but hear me out. You don't have to teach kids how to use DAW software. Instead, what you really need to teach them is how to record audio. There is no better way to teach/learn the fundamentals of recording audio than by using actual basic recording hardware. Teach them to record on tape. Teach them to mix on a mixer. Teach them the basics of the audio signal path. Teach them to use outboard processing with a mixer and recorder. 

Do that with them first and learning to use a DAW will be a piece of cake for them.

Now this made me laugh, a bit of nostalgia, perhaps a tear in the corner of my eye, because that's where I started to learn recording, I was a lot older than 12 . . . but I'm thinking the audio kids of today will never have to live with the limitations of the archaic cassette world, they will never have to compete with the dreaded signal to noise ratio, the demagnetizer . . . bye the way . . . your old 244 is missing a knob, guess it's seen better days.
 
Another comment here from rebel007: "I think if you gave a 12 year old a copy of Sonar Platinum they would have it figured out in a matter of weeks." . . . not too sure about that, they might be able to record something simple, but I think it takes a lot more than a few weeks to dive into the deepness of Sonar, and fully reveal what it can really do.
 
I agree with Chuckey . . . Sonar Home studio would be best for basic starter . . . just make sure the kids have a proper audio interface and understand the importance of that !

Thanks to all who responded so generously. These students are all players of instruments and read music well. They all have keyboard knowledge along with Basic Scale and Chord theory. They are long past just making beats. I have given them some background in audio recording with some of my older equipment, but they need the DAW experience because that is the world they will be living in. They are mostly PC users. I have made a list of all of your suggestions, and will check them out. While free is good, $49 (but not more) would be probably acceptable. As a long time (30 years) Cakewalk user, I am curious. Does Cakewalk have any kind of trial program for their intro Daws?
I have a lot to examine. Thank you for all of your suggestions.
Jack, the Quiet Bear