First DAW suggestions + What to get for a home recording studio?

[gilouch0]

Audio Interface (any suggestions?) focusrite scarlett 2i2 2nd gen
DAW (suggestions?) reaper if on a budget, cubase otherwise
Headphones (suggestions?) krk
Studio Monitors (suggestions?) genelec, focal, krk

[nwhy]

Audio Interface (any suggestions?) focusrite scarlett 2i2 2nd gen
DAW (suggestions?) reaper if on a budget, cubase otherwise

I have the Focusrite and I am very happy with it. I can't compare it to anything else, since it is the only one I have used.
It is powered via USB, but it will not turn on unless it is connected to a computer (which could be an iPad).
Sometimes when the computer sleeps and wakes up the Focusrite does not reconnect without unplugging the USB and plugging it back in again. No big deal.

The Focusrite comes with licenses for free DAW software (that you can download).

The first one I used was Avid Pro Tools First. It does what I need, but there are two things I do not like about it so I will quit using it.
First, it only allows you to store three projects and they are "in the cloud", meaning that they are stored at the Avid site not on your own hard disk. Three is not enough. And you always have to sign on. The Second thing is that it makes itself too much at home on my Mac. It tends to always have something running and it installed an Apache server. That's too much without asking me first.

The second free DAW you get with Focusrite is Abelton Live 10 Lite. I like that one.

I have downloaded Reaper on a recommendation and I tried it, but with Abelton Live available for free I don't see myself using it.

Chris Liepe has a live series (now archived) on Starting to Record. He recommends Focusrite and he teaches Pro Tools First and Studio One Prime in that course.
http://members.jamplay.com/workshops/workshop/48

[slighter]

For Windows (64 bit) users - Cakewalk by Bandlab - is worth more than a look. https://www.bandlab.com/products/cakewalk
This is a now Free version of SONAR Platinum - which used to cost 500 bucks a year on subscription. There are some plugins not included that used to be in the paid version most notably Melodyne - an auto tune like plugin and some others I forget. Being a user of SONAR X3 this was xmas back in April when Bandlab revived the product after Gibson bought Cakewalk and shelved SONAR a year ago.