Cakewalk have changed their strategy with Sonar's launch, yes you heard right the old Cakewalk Sequencing Package has been thrown out of the window! No more track limits, no more being without Virtual Instruments ,yes that's right and even HomeStudio 2002 does it all. Being cut down from Sonar, Cakewalk Homestudio 2002 seems like a good investment, but is it? Read on. This is what I would have written half a year ago, yes I admit that I am slow at these things, the reality is that Sonar has been out for some time now and Sonar 2 was just released and as I understand Cakewalk Homestudio 2003 will be here in just a matter of months, but even so Cakewalk Homestudio 2002 seems to be still alive n' kicking.

First I would like to congratulate Cakewalk on Sonar (Homestudio 2002); it is truly an intuitive sequencer. For all of you ex-cakewalk sequencing package users and ones that have never used it, will find that it is not just a update, but a rebuild of the whole system with some radical changes to the engine. Sonar will completely change the way you work from now on. I have listed some things that are important in the software:

First of these is the all in one view, you will be able to see what's going on in your masterpiece from just one window. This works to some extent, but some of the info on bigger tracks will have to be hidden, so you got to go around looking for it.

Second is the possibility to use your own softsynths which are of the DXi standard (there are even two in the package of HS2002).

Third is Acid like groove clipping which will slice your loops and then you can construct the loop of your dreams. Groove clips can also be stretched and pitched according to your needs. Acid loops can also be imported. A very handy tool for your loops, I must say.

Fourth are the new editing tools such as Slip editing, Automatic Crossfades ,etc.

Fifth are the other tools that help with recording and arranging, such as keyboard shortcuts,markers,etc. They are essentially what makes Homestudio (Sonar) a all in one. Sixth are the midi and audio effects included in the package, they are truly of quality. Some of them are taken from the old Cakewalk software, but still they are of excellent quality.

I have been using Homestudio 2002 for about two months now and I can only say that it works like a dream. For it's price it's a money very well spend. It does more than any other 'cutdown' version I have seen. It does what usually only the Bigboys (Sonar,Cubase and Logic) do with very little limitations. It does automation, DXi, it does it all. Cakewalk Homestudio 2002 is one of the beginner friendliest software around. To help it be beginner friendly It has a smallish manual aimed towards new users that covers everything from setting up to getting friendly with VSC DXi.

Unfortunately, Homestudio is not for everyone since it excludes some top notch features such as: Multiple soundcard I/Os, advanced StudioWare Panel design, SysEx editing and CAL programming, so if you want those go and get your Sonar. Mp3 export is also limited to 30 days.

Included is the Dreamstation and Virtual Sound Canvas DX instruments, real-time audio effects and real-time MIDI effects. Homestudio 2002 also supports DX8 effects which can be automated, but unfortunately the DX8 effects that are present in Sonar (I would have liked to test them) are not included in the otherwise rich Homestudio 2002. Also being a DXi host means that you can extend the software's capabilities with new Virtual Instruments. Now that the amount of Direct X instruments has grown means Homestudio can be extended beyond your imagination.

Before buying Homestudio you should take these points into consideration:

Reviewed by Aleksi Haapajoki