Kinda seems like capitalism has been that second image for most of my adult life

Not OP but every so often when I click on a Reddit link from a search result, Reddit doesn’t actually let me read the thread unless I login

YouTube revanced gives me ad blocking with sponsor block included

The barrier to entry is lower than you think. Plenty of good free DAWs out there. I use reaper which has an unlimited free trial.

Download some plugins and you’re off to the races. I’d encourage you to jump in and give it a go