Very astute post...in many ways...

(I told you I loved you, ....NOW GET OUT!!)

Ooops, just listening to that rendition of that great scat tune
on the fab Anita O'Day/Jack Sheldon-arranged CD...'RULES OF THE ROAD"!
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Back to your comment: Glad you dig..or..mentioned... the vocalist, up front ...and that happens in clubs when there's also a competent band singer!!

No matter how punked-out (out of step) the backing band may be...the chick or male voice may just pull the whole package together as a groovy listenable experience.
As far as "competing software"...
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I must say I attained good results completing six albums with minimal effort,in my home studio..... using

Sony's "Sound Forge" software, for it's many tweaking possibilies as well as nifty batch uploading...

I've also used Sonar, Acid, etc., for years. If I had the money, which i DON'T, darn it, I'd jump on the upgrade price for SoundForge 10+. If I did have the bread, I guarantee that It'll chase my "weary-blues away"....!!

(Shake it, baby....Shake those blues away. And,....Anita...do another chorus of "I TOLD YOU I LOVED YOU......NOW, GET OUT!!)

As another song goes, in tribute to "PG Music's Real Attack Software": "NOBODY DOES IT BETTER!!

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