This is a rather good DAW. It isn't modern, but has most (if not all) of the essentials, you'd expect from a modern DAW.
At first glance, this looked like a quick tool with just the bare essentials. When you consider the applications small file size, it is easy to believe it is only a basic tool. However, it unpacks to be a pretty expressive environment. The abilities are just hidden, behind a simple looking interface.
For example, it has multiple take audio recording, when in looped mode. One inside the take editor, you have even more editing options.
You can link VST automation to external hardware, or manually draw them. Live automation recording is available, but you can't use the VST controls directly. In this case, you need an VST midi onscreen controller, linked to the VST attribute you want to automate.
It can song build with a linear and or pattern method.
Also, the VST instrument and effect versions work well, inside other DAWs.
For Linux users, you could probably load the VST version of the DAW, with DSSI-VST or FST, subverting the need for WineAsio. This would likely provide you with lower latency and allow better integration of you VST collection (as the VST version of EnergyXT is also a VST host). EDIT -> I have tested this using DSSI-VST, and it shaved 11.4ms off of my latency. That isn't a round trip measurement, but I am accounting for jackd's minimum of 2 periods. Jackd only reports the latency of the frames (samples), not counting how many times each period increases it. A frame of 64 reports 1.5ms of latency; but with the required minimum of 2 periods, it is 3ms reported as 1.5ms. I'm using a rather old laptop, for this test. With Wineasio latency has been about 23.2ms. With DSSI-VST it is down to 11.6. That isn't a huge difference, but round trip it would amount to a more significance change.
The built in sampler is pretty impressive. I haven't used it much; so I am unsure if it loads samples in to ram or not. For me, ram sample loading is a pretty hard must. I use MUX, from Mu-Tools, as it's sampler is pretty clean. But EnergyXT's built in sampler look very complete. It has SF2 compatibility (import I think?).
It has track folders and multiple track freeze options.
All of the abilities aren't too hidden. You could probably figure them out pretty easily. But if you didn't know they were there, you wouldn't expect them to be.
Here is a user manual, for the 1.35 release. ->
https://web.archive.org/web/20070209005938/http://www.calebblake.com/energyxt/manual/manual.htm Inside tt lists a page to a VST MIDI Controler (for live VST automation recording). You'll have to archive dot org it, and the link is live there. But I imagine others are out there.