https://thesoftware.shop/cakewalk-sonar-home-studio-giveaway/#buy-now

Edit Feb 13th- Deal seems to be still running as per some resent posts.   

 I put this in deals where it belongs but thought I'd share. I know there's been complaints from people who were way behind in Sonar versions so here's a chance to own the latest basic version. Mostly it's the same as Splat but missing a lot of details like Pro Channel. I beefed up my version with other plug ins. It certainly has been rock solid and never crashes.  So here is something free that will put a lot of those other DAW's you've been tempted with in the dust. 
 

It works. I just did it and Home Studio is up and running using offline activation or Command center.  
 
 you copy paste this: 
 
3327-46FD-8F9A-BBC7
 
Here     http://www.cakewalk.com/Redeem?kl=16&promo=CM250
 
Pretty easy. I already have Home Studio so I had to log on with a different account otherwise it didn't work the first time. My other account has nothing in it. Now it has Home Studio , Rapture Session and Big Fish collection.  FREE. 
I have a friend I'm going to set up with this. 

No different codes. That is the same redeem code I received. A small studio software to put on a laptop.

Ya that what I have been using my copy for over a year on a W7 laptop I have at work. I run it with asio4all and on board and mess about with midi only. Never has crashed . worked smoothly for me. I added the Air Xpand pak so I'm fully loaded. If it had pro channle you wouldn't even notice it's not splat. 

Thanks Cactus Music
Much obliged.
I am a  SPLAT Lifetime Member ( I think ; LOL) 
But I downloaded this program ...at your suggestion..... out of curiosity and instinct .
I Had Home Studio back in the 90s.
Must say I was pleasantly surprised at its quality.
I am contemplating retaining this as my 'Performance Midis' editor.
It is simple and effective.
Stupid question perhaps: Does its operation rely on Online authorization as SPLAT does?
I suspect not.
Cheers......Frank
 

What are the major differences between this Sonar Home Studio and Cakewalk's Music Creator 7 ?
 
I was just about to get around to installing MC7 on my daughter's computer (bought it real cheap last year) but now I'm wondering if SHS might be a better program to install ?
 
(The link to this offer seems to have disappeared but the link above with redemption code still works).
(Surprisingly, SHS went straight into my Cakewalk products page).
 

Check out these two tables:
Sonar Products - w/Home Studio
Sonar Products - w/Music Creator 7
 
 

Hey Cactus, do you have to use ASIO4all? I don't have a problem with it, I've fooled around with it in the past and it seems to be fine. but is there a reason you can't use the ASIO in Sonar?

Michael,
 
Drinking my last beer of the day, so may or may not pass on cardinal information.
There should be no limitation in Sonar by design to use the ASIO4all driver. Saddest, worse case scenerio would be trying to wrap a generic motherboard Realtek soundcard driver with ASIO to get a few less millisec of latency. Lipstick on a pig thing.
Otherwise, your specific soundcard may not recognize ASIO4all, but require a hardware specific driver package. Sonar is open minded and up to speed, wanting to harness anything you got on your motherboard or in a Pci slot if the hardware supports it. Problem is likely downstream and nothing to do with any limitation imposed by Sonar.
 
John
 
edit.  Uh, fly off the handle too often before reading the post in depth. Michael, was not your problem.

Frank- Sadly it uses the same system all versions use now. But there no reason not to use it and what ever happens later happens. Everything I have read from Noel points to we will get our unlock code. Or Sonar will carry on.
 
 
I used my copy of HS for the last year for editing midi tracks I use for backing tracks. So I don't use an audio interface. Of course you use ASIO and a proper interface with Sonar ( or any DAW)  if your recording audio. And even if you are just recording midi you'll always get better performance with ASIO. Asio4all has come a long way and on this little laptop I've noticed nothing out of the ordinary. It's better than WASAPI far as latency performance goes, but latency doesn't matter whan all your doing is editing midi files and playing them. It matters big time when you overdub audio. 

I'm using the  ASIO drivers that came with it, with my Steinberg UR-22. Doing midi, works great. I may be able to switch from 8.5 Studio. I'll use it awhile and see which has a better workflow for me. At first blush, it seems that SHS sounds better. Audio Engine, or just that things are not configured exactly the same? That's another thing to determine.
 
Edit: They sound exactly the same, it was the configuring thing.