Recommend a DAW for a noob

[xzyryabx]

Another vote for reaper.
Small, cheap, powerful, easy to use.
And as others have said there's tons of tutorials for it already.
I run duet=>MacBook pro=>Reaper BTW.

 

[racerevlon]

Cut your teeth on Reaper for low $$$ then when you're comfortable spend the $$$ for Logic.

 

[stratjacket]

i like Pro Tools and would recommend that, but they’re all pretty good to be honest and will take some trial/error to learn. And like guitar, they’re a lifelong learning tool, meaning you’ll almost always learn a new trick.

One thing that I would definitely recommend to help the experience no matter what platform you choose is to search around for some tuning and optimization’s to make your pc or Mac run better. It’ll just help prevent pauses and overloading that can really ruin the recording mood. Like the link below which is useful.
http://avid.force.com/pkb/articles/troubleshooting/Optimize-10-12

 

[dfrattaroli]

I started with Sonar and then went to Logic Express. I started using Reaper over the summer and prefer it to the other 2 so far. The full license is $60. I paid it because that's how I roll. The bottom line is you need to find something that you feel comfortable with from the start. That let's you be more productive early on and helps avoid frustration. The Reaper community is very helpful and you can use it on Mac or PC.

But research as much as you can stand and the pick something. They all work great.

Dave