T-7 waveform & T-9 waveform (64 bit plugins only no bridge) are much more comparable but cost $60.00, personally I buy Reaper for $60.00 as I considered it the best replacement for Sonar, and it was able to use many of Sonars included plugins. On the other hand Sonar has a more polished look and feel of a real studio, a steeper learning curve and is able to do more especially when compared to T-6. Tracktion is much simpler to use, especially if your new to the world of the ‘DAW’ recording studio. I tried T-9 waveform on demo in case Sonar went bye/bye. Hi All, I’m a long time Tracktion (version 3 up to 7 std) and Sonar (Cakewalk 2003 up to Platinum lifetime). What do you think? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this in the comments section below!Ĭakewalk by BandLab is available for free download via BandLab (66.9 MB download size, EXE installer, 64-bit standalone software for Windows 7 or higher). Following the release of Cakewalk by Bandlab, it’s hard to decide which freeware DAW is better – Tracktion or Cakewalk. Until this point, Tracktion 6 was the best free audio digital workstation you could download, followed by Podium Free and Studio One 3 Prime. Interestingly enough, Windows 10 wouldn’t run the BandLab Assistant installer on my laptop because it’s an “unrecognized app” but I chose the “Run Anyway” option and proceeded to install the software without any further issues. This will download the BandLab Assistant app which will guide you through the installation process.

To download your free copy of Cakewalk by BandLab, click the “Get Early Access Now” button on the product page linked below. It’s recommended to use a machine with at least 4 GB of RAM for smooth performance. No big deal really, not by a long shot, especially considering that you’re getting such an amazing audio tool completely free of charge.Ĭakewalk requires Windows 7 or higher (64-bit only) to work. The Assistant won’t nag you to purchase or install anything else, but it will showcase some of the online services offered by BandLab. You will also need to sign up for a free BandLab user account.

Since Cakewalk was acquired by BandLab, you will need to install the BandLab Assistant software first in order to download the free version of Cakewalk. Sounds too good to be true? Well, there’s a catch, kind of, but it’s not a deal breaker. So, what you’re getting for free here is a flagship digital audio workstation which used to cost $499 (with lifetime updates), minus the bundled loops and add-ons. See also: Best FREE Digital Audio Workstations For Windows & macOS!

Sonar 8 studio demo