[Blink]

Anything free but better then kinda better-then-basic standard of software I could use to get a hang of things?

Nope. The free software doesn't even reach the basic standards. Reaper (https://www.reaper.fm) doesn't force you to stop using it after the trial ends, but it isn't exactly the easiest and best price of software... You can always get a cracked version of a paid piece of software though