Should You Upgrade?

Computer users differ on how frequently to upgrade a program. Heck, I'd probably still be using the same version of Quicken that I bought in 1997, if my bank hadn't forced me to upgrade by making it incompatible with their online banking applications. But audio and video production programs are different: they pretty much use the whole playing field of a computer (if computers had Astroturf, of course), and advance the furthest each year. So if it's been a while since you've upgraded Sonar, there's more than enough to make it worth your while.

Of course, all this technology comes with a pretty steep learning curve for the newcomer to digital audio. A possible shortcut might be Scott Garrigus' Sonar 6 Power, a thick and thorough guide to the program, well worth reading for all the tips and tricks that he's discovered.

As I've written before, if you're new to home recording, I'm not sure if Sonar is the program for you - the GUI would probably seem overwhelming to someone taking his first plunge. (Sony's Acid Music Studio or Cakewalk's Sonar Home Studio XL would be an easier place to start.) But for everyone else, this is a monster of a program, with boatloads of functionality to explore.