KIns research: Existing digital audio programs

// everyone please add to this list! We want to compile a comprehensive list of existing digital audio programs so that we can decide exactly what features we want KIns to have.


Audacity:
Main features:
-record audio
-manipulate recorded audio through filters
-arrange multiple clips of audio together into one track
-free

Garageband:
Main features:
-record audio
-arrange multiple clips of audio together into one track
-manipulate recorded audio through filters
-basic midi recording, composing, and editing, but not available unless you have a midi controller
-remastering of audio tracks
-comes with Mac computers, so not free but still pretty widely available

Circle:
Main features:
-create complex sounds through a visual interface
-has piles of premade sounds
-intended to extend the capabilities of a midi controller
-$69.00

Ableton Live:
Main features:
-Extremely sophisticated program for composing, recording, and live performances
-intended to extend the capabilities of a midi controller, as well as many other types of audio equipment
-one of the industry standards
-$99-$850

Garage Band for iPad:
Main features:
-port of Garageband to make the most of the touchscreen interface
-automates a lot of the music making process, at the expense of control (for example, set the virtual piano to autoplay and you can just press a chord and it will play that chord in a predetermined pattern)
-has a lot of virtual instruments (piano, drum, bass, guitar) that you can play using the touch screen
-not very sophisticated arranging tools
-no ability to directly edit the midi notes once they're created, like you can do in the normal Garageband
-$4.99 + the cost of an iPad if you don't already have one

Conclusion:
This is not a final conclusion, so if you reach a different one, please add it/edit this one.

It seems that there is a place for a simple, free, open source digital music creation program. The possible networking capabilities of the KIns would make it extremely powerful and possibly fairly unique among digital music creation software. There is also very little software geared towards beginners (people with little to no musical background), or at least very little that doesn't try to automate the process for the user (such as Garageband on the iPad).