Often when I suggest Linux as an alternative I hear, yes i like it unfortunate that there is nothing as software for processing digital audio, so I must stay with Windows. A sufficiently powerful computer with good quality sound cards, can become very suitable for a hobbyist recording studio, as well as an excellent solution for a teaching laboratory, although there are already those who use the programs that we are to speak at semiprofessional. With a little patience and expertise in Linux, you can indeed create a workstation for processing digital audio at no charge for licenses. The Open Source products for this type of work most suitable and popular right now are probably Ardour, Jamin and Rosengarden.