Joe,
Use what works? My first real DAW was MagixAudio, which for me was a little nuts. But, then again, I didn't know anything about recording. So, I went to ProToolsFree for Windows 98....that was a while ago! Eight audio tracks, and like 24 midi tracks, more than I would ever use. But, I got a ProTools Audiomedia III soundcard for $50, ended up upgrading to ProTools LE 5.x and started learning. At the same time, I had PowerTracks Pro Audio. I found Pro Tools to be much more sophisticated, and a lot more features like piano roll editing, controller editing, etc. Most of these things PowerTracks Pro Audio has now, but I still have problems using them.

I got rid of Pro Tools because it was such a resource hog on my computer, which more than adequately met the requirements for Pro Tools. I moved to Sonar SE 7.x, which is where I'm still at. I can pull Real Tracks and such from Band In A Box into Sonar easily enough, and that makes working with it fairly easy. The manual TOTALLY SUCKS! Unless you've been using Sonar for years, you need to be a genius to figure everything out.

As to PowerTracks and Real Band, the nice thing, the super nice thing, is this forum. I've found no other forum anywhere else that is so willing to answer your questions about PG Music product, and have such a willing, knowledgeable user-base.

I still recommend PowerTracks and Real Band for individuals who are just starting out. It's kind of like (and NO disrespect, Peter and Jeff) 'Fisher-Price, My First DAW.' The GUI isn't slick, it isn't modern, but you know where everything is, and it's easy not to get lost in the sub menus, the buttons are big and well defined, and it really is simple to use. Hand someone who has not done recording before a copy of Pro Tools, or even Sonar, and they'll be lost for a very long time.

In answer to your last question, no one should be able to tell the difference if you record with the same hardware, and apply the same type of effects. Heck, in fact, I can actually use PG Music effects in Cakewalk, and vice versa. Two computers, side by side, both using something like a M-Audio 1010lt, inputs being the same from the mixer/mic pres/etc, both DAWs set the same (i.e, sample rate and bit depth) should give you identical sounds.

Depending on the person doing the mixing, the amount of automation involved, and a lot of other things, one may end up sounding more polished than the other, but I'll tell you this, I won't make book on which one it is. It all depends on how well the person knows the package.

Gary

I'm blessed watching God do what He does best. I've had a few rough years, and I'm still not back to where I want to be, but I'm on the way and things are looking far better now than what they were!