What are your computer specs? Will you be recording audio into Cakewalk, or just plan on using VST’s? Cakewalk is pretty straight forward IMO. If you have a computer with an i5 or i7, 8 gigs of RAM (or more), you shouldn’t have a problem setting up Cakewalk. If you’re doing strictly VST work, you don’t need an audio interface, as you can simply use your internal sound card. Cakewalk seems daunting just looking at it, but it’s actually very easy to use.

If you want simplicity, MixCraft is probably the easiest DAW to use on a Windows system. If you find Cakewalk to be a bit overwhelming, then I’d also suggest not using Pro Tools either. Studio One is also good, but again for ease of use, MixCraft is probably the best option. It’s not free, but the standard version is less than $80, and you get quite a lot with it. Plus, you can use the SI Instruments that come with Cakewalk in MixCraft too.

Sqk