This may seem like an easy decision but the reason I ask is because I really would prefer to cut computers out of the mix in my recording process. For the same price as a cassette 4 track I can get SONAR 6, and my question is basically do the features of SONAR make it a better buy than a 4 track, regardless of how much I want computers out of the mix?

It depends what kind of sound you're after.If I was in your shoes,I'd get the
4 track and use Reaper which has an uncrippled demo and has a lot of features and you would have the best of both worlds

Sonar is awesome in terms of sheer power, but it's prolly too much if you just want to lay down a few tracks..

i've learned so much over the past couple of months in regards to recording and getting a nice sound.

a cassette 4-track is way too much trouble because most tapes you will probably buy are shit quality wise. it makes a huge difference.

i use my hi-fi as my "recorder" but i also have reaper on my computer which is more than adequate for my needs. if you're using a home studio you can't really cut the computer out (believe me i've tried) as it's still needed for the final parts of your production

You can still get high-quality tapes, quite easily. Remember, most back-shed rock bands still prefer to record that way. Basslines recored to tape are awesome.

If you wanted to get digital quality recording, without a computer, you could also look at a digital hard-disk recorder. Or even a second-hand ADAT machine. Both these options cost $$$, but then so does a decent computer with a decent soundcard and decent software, so it's six-to-one-half-a-dozen-the-other....