I've been using Cakewalk programs for years and currently use Sonar V5. I've spent more time with Sonar 2.2 which I used to record Sing For Your Stew and lots of other projects but I'm generally pretty happy with Sonar. The integration of MIDI and audio is excellent and provided plug-ins cover a lot of territory. The addition of the Lexicon reverb plug-in was a big help. Having worked at Lexicon for years, I was used to an authentic ambient sounds and the previous offerings weren't cutting it.
I had been using Wavelab Lite from Steinberg but the version I have doesn't seem to work on Windows Vista.
I've worked with early Steinberg recording software based on Cubase but having worked with Cakewalk for so long, didn't care for it.
I've played with Audacity a bit it looks very good for a free app but even the cheapest apps from Cakewalk are very good.
Anyone have any software they really like?