Hello All,
            I am fairly new to recording in general but there doesn't seem to be a newbie section or at least I couldn't find it. Over the last few days I have been trying to come to grips with Music Creator 7 which I purchased I while back. Its been good so far but I feel I have ALOT to learn. It occurred to me tonight that I also had access to another recording software which I had forgotten about, SONAR LE. This was included with a standalone recorder I purchased sometime ago (Boss BR800 for anyone who wants to know). 
 
So I will cut to the chase. After installing SONAR LE I was somewhat surprised at the lack of soft synths available. At the moment I can only find TTS-1, PSYN II and Dropzone. Is this all that is available or am I missing something?
 
I was led to beleive SONAR was better than Music Creator 7 but thats just what I read somewhere. 
 
Music Creator has TTS-1, Cakewalk sound center, Drum kit, Bass guitar etc!
 
Could anyone offer some guidance on this? I would appriecate it alot. 

SONAR LE is a very limited free version of SONAR bundled with hardware. MC7 is based on a newer version of SONAR. The upgrade path from MC7 would be a paid version of SONAR either Artist, Professional or Platinum.

scook
SONAR LE is a very limited free version of SONAR bundled with hardware. MC7 is based on a newer version of SONAR. The upgrade path from MC7 would be a paid version of SONAR either Artist, Professional or Platinum.

Ohh I see!! That makes sense to me. Ok well I will stick with music creator just now and if that isnt enough for my needs I would maybe look at the full Sonar version? I take it Artist is the cheapest (most limited) and platinum is the best?

Yes, Artist is the least expensive.
 
Here is a comparison of MC7 and the SONAR series here http://www.cakewalk.com/D...p;help=Comparison.html
 
It is a little out of date, to see a more recent comparison of SONAR versions see http://www.cakewalk.com/Products/SONAR/Versions although it does not have last months additions documented.
 

Since you're new to recording, I suggest you stick with Music Creator for the time being.  It's a very capable package that gives you much of the core functionality/workflow of Sonar.  The "bigger" Sonar versions IMO would be overkill for your skills/needs at this time.
 
Later, as you become fluent in MC 7, you'll understand how Sonar works, and can make a more informed decision as to whether you need Artist, Pro, etc. (or even if you need to upgrade at all).

scook
Yes, Artist is the least expensive.
 
Here is a comparison of MC7 and the SONAR series here
 
It is a little out of date, to see a more recent comparison of SONAR versions see although it does not have last months additions documented.
 

OK Thanks very much for that info!

JonD
Since you're new to recording, I suggest you stick with Music Creator for the time being.  It's a very capable package that gives you much of the core functionality/workflow of Sonar.  The "bigger" Sonar versions IMO would be overkill for your skills/needs at this time.
 
Later, as you become fluent in MC 7, you'll understand how Sonar works, and can make a more informed decision as to whether you need Artist, Pro, etc. (or even if you need to upgrade at all).

Ok thanks a lot, sounds like a very good plan to me!!