Basic Comparison Chart

  SONAr Home Studio 7 SONAR Home Studio 7 XL SONAR 8 Studio SONAR 8 Producer
SONAR Home Studio 7
SONAR Home Studio 7 XL
SONAR 8 Studio
SONAR 8 Producer
User Interface

Simple
 

Simple

Professional

Professional
Number of Tracks

64
 

64

Unlimited

Unlimited
Included Virtual Instruments
 

4

7

11

14
Included Audio Effects

10
 

12

31

42
Maximum Audio Quality

24-bit/96kHz
 

24-bit/96kHz

24-bit/384kHz

24-bit/384kHz
Internal Audio Engine

32-bit
 

32-bit

64-bit

64-bit
Creative Tools

Good
 

Good + More Plug-ins

Better

Best
Editing Capabilities

Intermediate
 

Intermediate

Advanced

Advanced
Mixing Environment

Basic

Basic

Advanced

Advanced including Surround
Mastering capabilities

None
 

Basic

Intermediate

Advanced
Upgrades start at
$59
 
$79
$99
$179
Estimated Street price

$99
 

$159

$299

$499
 

Buy Now

Buy Now

Buy Now

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Need more details? High Level Feature Comparison

The chart below details some specific feature differences between the versions of SONAR Home Studio 7, SONAR 8 Studio, and SONAR 8 Producer. Please note, this chart only provides highlights and is not a complete comparison. For a more detailed feature specification, we suggest you read through the specific product pages for these products.

 

  SONAr Home Studio 7 SONAR Home Studio 7 XL SONAR 8 Studio SONAR 8 Producer
 
SONAR Home Studio 7
SONAR Home Studio 7 XL
SONAR 8 Studio
SONAR 8 Producer
Active Controller Technology
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Video Thumbnail Track
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Simple Instrument Tracks
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
New Loop Explorer View
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Step Sequencer
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
AudioSnap audio quantize tools
No
No
Yes
Yes
V-Vocal Vocal processor
No
No
No
Yes
Mastering Features
None
Boost 11
Boost 11, Windowed Sinc Sample Rate Conversion
Boost 11, LP-64 mastering FX, TL-64 Tube Leveler, POW-r Dithering, Windowed Sinc Sample Rate Conversion
Track Comping Tools
No
No
Yes
Yes
External Hardware Inserts
No
No
Yes
Yes
Dimension Synthesizer
None
LE
LE
Pro
Beatscape Loop Instrument
No
No
No
Yes
Z3TA+ Waveshaping Synthesizer
No
No
No
Yes
TruePianos Amber VSTi
No
No
No
Yes
64-bit version for Vista 64, more RAM access, 64-bit processing
No
No
Yes
Yes
Smart MIDI Tools
No
No
Yes
Yes
Per-clip effects
No
No
Yes
Yes
User-customizable interface
No
No
Yes
Yes
Internal Sidechaining
No
No
Yes
Yes
Cakewalk Publisher
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Integrated CD Ripping & Burning
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes