I have Sonar 7PE and was wondering if I would benefit from purchasing a third party plug in for mastering, like Izotope etc?
 
With my skill level, maybe sticking with the tools in Sonar are good enough.
 
I have only been using the software for about a year and have tons to learn with mixing, but have charged thru and mixed all the scratch tracks for the band to rehearse and bounce ideas with, but now want to start to dabble in mastering.
 
I learn more everyday about recording and mixing and thought, why not start tinkering with mastering too.
 
Thanks for the advise.

You can do it all with the provided tools, save for one: SONAR 7 does not include a good mastering limiter. Your best bet is investing in Ozone. It will give you the fastest, easiest results if don't quite know what you're doing yet.

Bitflipper, thanks. Do you use it or does Sonar provide you with what you need, and of course I know you are leaps and bounds ahead of me on the curve, as you have helped me in the past...thanks again.

For around $80 you could purchase Wave Lab which comes with the tools and proper layout for mastering. Sonar is a great multi track recorder, Wave Lab is your mastering 2 track deck. 

I use Ozone and Fabfilter Pro-L about equally, favoring the latter for more aggressive material and Ozone for the more dynamic stuff. Ozone has the added advantage of multiband compression and the best saturation module around. The equalizer's good, too, although I prefer Fabfilter Pro-Q.

I use Wavelab 7 for the metering and other coding, Montage, report tools it provides. For plug-ins, I use these frequently:
Flux Alchemist for Multi-Band Compression
Algorithmix Red or DMG Equillibrium for surgical EQ
Waves JJP PuigChild for general "glue" compression
Elysia Alpha for M+S compression needs and some "glue"
DMG Compassion for Transient-saving
Waves Kramer Tape for a bit of smashing to Tape
Waves L3-16 for limiting
 
Ozone is an excellent choice, however. I wouldn't sell them short. Fab Filter Pro-Q is also awesome.
 
Any of these may have a less costly alternative, such as using Ferox for the Tape Sim, but these are the plugs I routinely depend on.
 
My advice is: Try and try again and again with the tools you have. Grab some ultra-cheap or free plugs and try those. But MOST of all, know what to expect from each one. The more you know what you can do and how each one works, the better you can make cheap or free plug-ins work as well, if not sometimes better than using expensive plugs and not knowing how they really work. And not all expensive plug-ins are always the best for your project. Case in point, the Algorithmix Red costs over $1200, but does a great job. The DMG Equillibrium is about $250, and also does a fabulous job. Many times I'll find the DMG Audio EQ gets used vs. the Algo Red. That's because it's the right EQ for the project.

Great points and thanks, brconflict. I am, as everyone knows, just starting out and way behind on the learning curve. I am always trying and trying again, and enjoy the process. I am about 75% complete finishing my mixing and mastering space. I have most of the work surfaces completed and have added acoustical foam to the walls and corners. I am still debating the use of four panels on the ceiling. I have carpeted half of the floor. So, I still have some work to complete the space. I am hoping this will make a huge contribution to my efforts, as this should provide me with a more neutral room and hopefully a more accurate room to mix and master in. Thanks for the information on the plug ins, I look forward to digging into this soon.