DAW (Digital audio workstation) is probably one of the most confusing decisions to make. I used to record in Pro Tools a friends studio, paid my dunzai and got out of there as quickly as I could.

Now with Garage band I record and put our really decent tracks (to my ear) at home. Heres the rub, I would borrow my live in cousin's macbook pro to do it but I really don't want to usurp her Mac, which really is the apple of her eye. (get it get it ?)

So I tried UbuntuStudio, worked for a while but then it stopped seeing my firebox and didn't ever see it again. M-Audio's blackbox doesnt have any linux drivers that work worth anything either. So I decided on spending the bucks and getting a dedicated soft sequencer. This however is a significant investment and once you buy, you learn. Pro Tools is the industry standard but really out of my budget. Pro tools however can port most of the other popular sequencer software out there.

Ableton 8: Seems like a sequencer for live work but can be used in the studio or vice versa, it cant seem to make up its mind.

Cubase 5: Good ole German engineering, like a VW beetle ,t will work like a slave but no frills.

I'm leaning toward the Ableton Suite 8, but it seems geared toward electronica as well and I'm an folksy, acoustic kinda guy.

What do you use? Any tips? Suggestions?