The second I went through your christmas list I saw your mention of audio editing software and made it a point of mine to show you some great options that could be used by your current hardware and also don't put a dent in your wallet. There are several benefits to these, and most happen to be free and open-source software, developed and improved over years by developers, creators, musicians, and more. These are powerful tools and are available to you now.
The following is a list of audio programs that are all available on the non-proprietary GNU/Linux platform, so they're available for your current netbook, and most typically work on macOS and Windows as well. I'll mention the compatibility for each and the main purpose of each software, since they happen to span over many different areas of audio mixing, editing, and production. Whether the software is for a digital audio workstation, a digital signal processor, or more, there's a ton of options. And if you don't like any of these, I'll point you on to some stuff I heard good things about, albeit they're absolutely proprietary and costly. If it's more than semi-professional work, it makes sense to me, but these are popular and well-aclaimed, and I think it's worth your time to figure some of them out if you're interested.
- Usage: Audio Signal Processor
- Target Users: Sound designers
- License: GNU GPL v3
- Platforms: Linux, macOS, Windows
- Website: http://ajaxsoundstudio.com/software/cecilia/
- Usage: Virtual Guitar Amplifier
- Target Users: Rock stars, obviously
- License: GNU GPL v2
- Platforms: Linux
- Website: http://guitarix.org/
- Usage: Music Mixing Software
- Target Users: DJs, Non-alcohol-related Mixologists
- License: GNU GPL v2
- Platforms: Linux, macOS, Windows
- Website: https://www.mixxx.org/
- Usage: Music Recording, Editing, Mixing Software
- Target Users: Audio engineers, Musicians, Composers, Soundtrack Editors
- License: GNU GPL v2
- Platforms: Linux, macOS, Windows
- Website: https://ardour.org/
- Usage: Digital Audio Workstation
- Target Users: Audio engineers, Musicians, Producers
- License: GNU GPL v2
- Platforms: Linux, macOS, Windows
- Website: https://lmms.io/
- Usage: Multi-track audio editor and recorder
- Target Users: Musicians, Non-alcohol-related Mixologists
- License: GNU GPL v2+
- Platforms: Linux, macOS, Windows
- Website: http://www.audacityteam.org/