Download 'Reaper' for free - it's THE best package for recording/sequencing/mixing/mastering for under $700 and you can get it for FREE. The most important thing to getting good quality recordings is a good soundcard though... I ue Cubase SX3 becuase I bought it before Reaper became available and I am pretty comfortable with it, I also use a Mackie HUI as my DAW to control the faders and dials in CUbase and run everything through an M-Audio Delta 1010 soundcard. After that the list goes on and on but the core of my system is SX3 and the Delta 1010 (the HUI just helps keep the frustration at bay from having to use a mouse all the time).