@bisaya - while I believe everybody deserves a 2nd chance, I also believe that we MUST do our part to protect the intellectual properties of the people who provide us with the tools of our craft. Are you using the Sonar 7 demo? That expires after a month. I hope you are not using the .torrent version (whose existence I am aware of). I happen to be a registered user of Cubase SL2, and Sonar 4, 5, and 6 and am planning to upgrade to Sonar 7, funds permitting.
@rodster - while I am glad that you are honest enough to admit you use "downloaded" software, your attitude towards piracy is far from commendable. Let's put it this way... Let's say you finally published your songs. Would it be ok for you that five minutes after releasing the CD, mp3s of your songs are already floating around in Limewire or that the entire album could be downloaded via torrent? Or how about people go into Odyssey or even Tower and just pick up your cd and leave without paying? It's like allowing guests to enter your home and have them take whatever they want without your permission. Hmmm... sounds like theft to me, don't you think? Unless, of course, you are well-to-do enough that you are willing to give your music for free. Well... are you?
There are loads of free software out there with which you can make music. Reaper is a very good choice nowadays since it is practically unexpiring donation-ware; I've got it in my pc and I'm evaluating it - still a ways off and it's got a quirky interface, but it's getting there and updates are frequent, plus it's cheap!
You can even get software with certain soundcards. I got Cubase VST 5.5 with my Emu 1820m and I upgraded to SL2 when Cubase/Emu offered a really cheap upgrade. Present Emu cards come with Sonar LE and Cubase LE and both have an upgrade option - very easy to avail of especially if you have relatives in the US.
Ganito lang... if you make money off the software you use, it makes perfect sense to "pay back" what you earned - give credit where credit is due, ika nga. Let's just say it's almost an indescribable feeling of satisfaction when you first install that Cubase dongle or crack open that Sonar manual for the first time; like you've finally joined the big leagues.