Is there any good FREE recording studio grade software out there?

I've been trying to find more professional software for my recording needs than window's measly sound recorder. Any suggestions? I want something similar to a free version of NCH's Recordpad and MixPad combined (those sneaky idiots don't even tell you it's a 30 day trial!), but I also want something a bit more comprehensive than that. I can't find one single doggone thing with any search engine, and it's hard to anyway, since search engines require a general knowledge of what you're looking for. God save us all when the day comes, in fact, when a search engine actually does what you want it to! Anyhoo, I need something that I can do some cool stuff to my sound bytes and stuff. What I'm really looking for is a full fledged suite (and movie grade is way above my budget here)!