I use Cubase 9. It's what I was taught to use at college and stuck with it since. I have tried reason, fl and ableton but I prefer Cubase cos I know it rly well.
well mp3s are better quality than vinyl aren't they so why not? if u want that crackly sound then u can add it in yourself. lots of vinyl noise out there ya can download or sample
i don't agree with growing out of the insecurity of it sounding wrong. maybe it does sound wrong. if you're new it probably does. if a guitar sounds wrong, you're playing it wrong so it's the same with your voice. practice til u get good at it. if it sounds crap, delete it and do something...
get a good mic, use good compressor.
i started out sounding crap and then I started sounding good. it happens after practice. the more stuff you record and the more familiar you get with sounding good the better you'll get.