Protools isn't jam packed with features. What it does very well and that's record, edit and mix audio. Especially when you are recording a lot of audio at once. It's funny you should mention Cool Edit Pro because I used to think that was a killer program. Then my track count got high and everything starting turning to sh-t! Most of it was due to the bandwidth of the Windows NT operating system which is what I was using at the time. Everyone I talked to at the time (around 2000) said Protools on a Mac. Sure enough that did the trick and we were rocking.

It's nice to think all these other programs are great bargains, but how much of a bargain is it when the program fails? Also I would submit Protools is a whole lot easier to learn and use. Everyone just poo-poo's it because of it's price. Well, I don't like how much a Mercedes costs but I'd admit it's a great car when I drive it. Also, in the years before DAWs existed a 2" multitrack tape machine might have cost a lot more than Protools does today. Put that in your pipe and smoke it. No, not all DAWs are created equal. Some really suck. Protools rocks. Just ask Lenny Kravitz.