the old version of HS was a stripped down version of Sonar, but the interface looked nothing like it.
I had Sonar HS7 years ago. with the Exp pack HS 7 XL. it was for my lap top.
Very simple intuitive UI.

Thanks for the links scook. I couldn't find the one for HS. Will update my post.

tonydude
Can Sonar Platinum open Sonar Home Studio projects? Is it the same file format?

To my knowledge, ALL Sonar programs use/open the same formats. You can even open the older .wrk files in them.
However, features and plugins exclusive to other versions won't be included so the project will be hindered to that affect.

chuckebaby
the old version of HS was a stripped down version of Sonar, but the interface looked nothing like it.
I had Sonar HS7 years ago. with the Exp pack HS 7 XL. it was for my lap top.
Very simple intuitive UI.

I have HS7 too. HS6 and prior used the same GUI as Sonar. HS7 introduced a whole new GUI with less features and functions than HS6 for the same price. A bad move IMO.

BobF
I'm curious about how lightweight this is compared to the full SONAR.  I too am looking for a lightweight alternative for occasional use on a laptop, but I would need basic control surface support for my use.
 

HS does support the Mackie Control along with a few others. 

John

BobF
I'm curious about how lightweight this is compared to the full SONAR.  I too am looking for a lightweight alternative for occasional use on a laptop, but I would need basic control surface support for my use.
 

HS does support the Mackie Control along with a few others. 

Thanks John.

Been playing around with it a for a hour or so. Really it's a basic version of the currant Sonar with a few different ways the layout works, The Lenses feature is just a different Screen set system. 
I'm not sure if TTS-1 was included because I have a bare bones version of Professional installed on this other Laptop I'm trying out. I was going to uninstall Professional but for some weird reason it does not show in the list of Programs? So I left it there.
Does "delete this file" in CCC uninstall stuff?  
 
I like it and it's sounding great even without an audio interface. It defaulted to WASAPI  mode which is cool,, much better than MME. 
 
So for the money this is a bargain for folks looking for a more than basic DAW. The SI drum kit is the biggest weakness but of course thats to be expected at this price point. Easy enough to purchase a dedicated drum VST.  
I could transfer my second licence to AD2 if need be for live performance.  

I'd like to have a basic DAW on a mobile laptop, but I don't want to spend much and I don't want the pain of learning another DAW.  I've tried a free version of Cubase LE Elements...clunky and confusing.
 
I considered MC, but this HS could work nicely.

My wife is getting it for her desktop. She's been using Audacity and I'd bought her a LE version of X3(?) but she uninstalled that for some reason.
So, thanks for sharing your feedback!
Michael

I wasn't sure how CCC on this laptop would work, whether there would be a conflict with my studio pc where CCC, SPlat and other CW products are installed.  But, no worries, it worked perfectly.
 
I bought HS at the CW Store; downloaded CCC to this laptop; launched it and signed in with my existing account; downloaded HS to this laptop and ran it.
 
I didn't download the Classic Creative FX Suite or the SI, but HS includes the Sonitus Suite...sweet.  Between those plugins and some additional free Fx available on the web, I'm all set with this mobile rig.