switching over and starting Options

[edea]

i started messing with sound on a pc and had a grasp on what i was doing.  im using a mac now and have a couple questions.
(im sorry if these have been asked before)

i need to know what i need to start tracking on a mac.  ive heard that reason is good but is it decent at editing.  ive also heard about pro tools,  ive heard that this is mostly post production.  ive also heard it's very expensive and there is no way around that.  is the free version different,  is it for more than post production??

and is there a standalone aif editor that is good or what, i havent found anything that looks like what i need.

what do i need to get started that i will stay with until the end,  that wont eat up my bank accounts to much.  thanks.