If you're down to making choice based primarily on appearance then Reaper should be out. Theoretically they (and a number of other apps, Audition for example, have variety of 'skins' so individuals can customize appearance) Unfortunately for intense audio work graphic eye candy comes with a fairly steep price. As a general rule of thumb if you have difficulty with audio A/D, with current drivers, the first culprit to check is the video card. If work is audio intensive, again as a very general rule, you tend to want a video display adapter that makes the least demands on computer resources and still works. The higher the track count the higher the 'clip' count the more important it is to have a functionally efficient video display that does not interfere with audio (generally speaking these choices need to start with MOBO). And with regard to desk top computer evolution audio has always been and remains the step child . . .
While editing and mixing, even with multiple monitors, you still spend a fair amount of time zooming in, zooming out . . . moving (hopefully rapidly) from marked location to marked location, jumping from multitrack view to edit view, shuffling among different ways of displaying data (amplitude against time, frequency against amplitude, for example) . . .
if audio work is purely hobby this is less of a problem then finding, when on a tight deadline that changing visual focus occurs with significant foot tapping lag . . . audio drops out as screen redraws, even a second here and there builds up over a 14 hr. tracking/mixing season . . . and depending on efficiency of software (how are 'undos' managed? because inelegantly crafted software can cause undos to drag performance to virtual stand still) graphics induced 'lag' tends to build up just at the point where hearing crowds fatigue, attempting to complete a complex sequence of cross fades (partially so thought process decision making remains consistent) before you shut down for the night constantly stalls against video lag (nor is it necessarily vid lag but that vid steals resources from audio) One of the reasons I like Reaper for tracking is it's default low impact graphic interface make it a great tracking interface. Have a version that runs fine on a home assembled K6-III (450 mHz) tracking into a SCSI drive train. Would not use that system for any but the most rudimentary editing anymore but it still works fine as a recorder.
Main point of first post was that which of the readily available apps will be the most beneficial is dependent on variables only you know. Appearance can make a great deal of difference, in learning curve, in ability to rapidly move among tasks. Appearance can even facilitate or hamper necessary experimentation. While 30 day demo's are insufficient to actually determine which app will work best they are your first best choice, far better then published reviews (though once you have some experience with apps published reviews can be useful) and advice from strangers whose work process is wildly divergent from anything you'll devise. (case in point is individual who kept stressing Logic (or maybe it was several individuals) even though I had thought you were clear that you were working in Wintel environment) in figuring out which app seems to best facilitate your learning curve And none of this is absolutely simple. You might like Sonar's all in one approach, and find it's included VSTI's to be invaluable. You find it's basic appearance to suit you . . . but it's weakness in using graphic 'envelopes' to manipulate data might cost far more time and sleep, over the long haul, then not having to search for specific VST & VSTI's saves.
