So... you're looking for a full featured DAW that is easy to learn. I ran into limitations with RB right at the start. So I never really got into using it but instead stayed with the cakewalk line. I started with MC 4 on a new Dell laptop that I still have, and it still runs MC4. I then transitioned through MC5 ( I won that on in a contest by CW) into MC6, (that one was given to me as a power user by CW) and then they offered me a no-brainer crossgrade to Sonar X1 that I could not refuse. I have been using X1 ever since.

Originally, before I settled on using Cakewalk I'd tried a few of them in the past. I bought an interface that came with the LE versions of several different DAWs. I ended up going with the Cakewalk line of DAWs and have stuck with it ever since.

It handles audio and midi well, supports most all of the VSTs on the market, and comes with a bunch of things that make it easy to work with.

Yep.... Bandlab is giving you the big full flagship version of Sonar for free. As I recall it was over $350 back in the day for this version. As I understand it, this is a deal with no strings attached. Like BiaB it has a lot of stuff in it that you will probably never need or use. So you learn what you need to know to run the DAW and do what you need. It does allow the use of automation of volume on all the channels and busses including the master.
Once you learn it, it's easy to use.

I've been a caker for well past a decade. Probably closing in on two full decades now.... I started with Cakewalk Pro 8 which ran on Win95. I will continue to use Sonar until my DAW computer dies. Then I'll figure out what I need to do in order to upgrade to something more recent and in 64 or 128 bit.

You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.