I’m looking to set up a machine for my stepdad to record and edit music on. Audacity is the first choice that comes to mind, but I’m wondering if there are better/more fitting to usecase options out there.
Yes, it’s just nagware like WinRAR.
For what it’s worth, Cakewalk doesn’t do this, but it does have a licensing gremlin program that runs on startup, constantly checks for updates, always nags you to update, and occasionally requires you to log in to their site again to renew your (free) license. I have an easier time with the user interface on Cakewalk because I started off with SONAR like 20 years ago, so it’s more familiar/intuitive for me.
Reaper has all the same capabilities, though, and doesn’t have the baggage of a weirdly intrusive DRM model. There are also a lot more Reaper tutorials out there.