Hi,

I've been playing with creating and recording music for years now (even have a degree in it), and finally a question i feel i can give a good answer on!

For recording/editing/mixing/mastering I'd have to recommend ProTools. Its quite daunting when you first start it, but its a industry standard program for a damn good reason. You need Digidesign hardware for it, but for £70-100 you can get some pretty good USB soundcards (normally branded M-Audio) that come with a slightly cut down version of ProTools called ProTools M-Powered. I've been using this at home for years and I can't imagine life without it. If you want entirely free, you should be able to find Cubase 5 somewhere on the internet.

For synthesis, Reason 4 is by far the best software program out there, and is also very well supported by other users so with google you should be able to get started! I have to say, the learning curve is steep and I am still constantly finding new ways to work and make sounds after using the program for years. You should also be able to find this for free hidden in the internet. If you want more realistic drums or piano sounds, there are some fantastic addon packs for reason out there.

Hope this helped, message me if you have other questions!

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