So I'm living in Norway for the year to study music, and I only have my MacBook to keep me company. I'm searching for a software to suit my style.
I've downloaded Reaper and Ardour, and so far Ardour seems okay but I don't think I'll be doing a lot of serious studio-quality stuff in either of these programs, and not on my Mac (it's too small)
 
Any recommendations? I've been arranging a bit lately and doing some demos, but I want something a little more full featured, but that maybe I'd still be happy using on a 15in MacBook.

Is the Macbook not powerful enough to run Sonar? If not Reaper is decent, easy on resources and full featured. It just doesn't have as many effects and instruments as Sonar. A lot of the stuff that comes with Sonar will actually work in Reaper. I installed it and X1 Prod Suite on my WAY underpowered laptop just so I could get some of the Sonar stuff into Reaper. I never open X1 on it (it crushes the system if I do anything) but all the goodies are there. I could have just done a Custom/Advanced Install of Sonar just to get at the tools but whatever.
 
Not everything will work (many things are locked to Sonar) but things like SD3, some of the synths and the Sonitus plugs work (IIRC). Didn't really test everything that comes with it but there is likely more. Certainly enough to get some music made.
 
Never looked at Ardour.

D'oh... of course. Sonar doesn't run on Mac. You could try Bootcamp. Some people say it works alright.

If you're using your computer in your studies in music, please let me make a suggestion: get in touch with your professors and find out what they recommend.  This helped me quite a bit when I went for my M.M.  You really don't want to spend a bundle just to find that your classes require something else.
 
Of course, OTOH, if you went with Reaper, it wouldn't cost you a bundle at all.  It's about $40 for students I think.  It's a different workflow from Sonar, but similar enough so that you won't be dead in the water.   You may still have to get other software, but at least what you've already picked up isn't going to set you back any major bucks.

Logic. It just makes sense if you're on Mac and it's one of the most complete music production software out there.
 
 
I ran it on a 13" MBP for two years while we were on the road. A1.

Thanks for the replies so far, guys!
Reaper looks like a really good option for me right now, although I'll have to learn it. It seems sort of comp[licated at the moment.
 

Rain
Logic. It just makes sense if you're on Mac and it's one of the most complete music production software out there.

I actually am pretty proficient at Logic, as I used it for a while for my church, but it's WAY expensive for someone like me and for what I want to do. I think I just want to do a bit of noodling around with ideas, more than really digging in and doing fully recorded/mixed productions
 
 
 

How about: http://harrisonconsoles.com/site/mixbus.html

I know it's not exactly massively featured, but if you own a Mac and just want a cheap tool for sketching out ideas on then Garageband is the cheapest thing going.