of course,
or i wouldn't have had an opinion!
 

HeatherHaze
The VS-700C was tailor-made for Sonar, and still works great with Cakewalk by Bandlab.  I don't think any other hardware control surface comes close.  There's a driver hack necessary to make it work with Windows 10, but it's not a big deal (much easier than I expected).  I disconnected mine for a while and really missed it.  I'm happy to have it back on my desk.

BUT...

Another great option is to get a good touchscreen.  Cakewalk natively supports mutli-touch control in Windows 8.1 and 10.  I have my workspace set up so that all the transport controls are at the bottom of the touch screen (easy access) and the Console strip is right there at my fingertips.  If you have multiple displays, you can put the project window on another monitor and have the console rule the touchscreen.  It's a great setup.  I now use that in conjunction with the VS-700 and it's a dream to work with.  One of the neatest things about using a touch screen is that you can control almost any plug-in just by tweaking the knobs right on the screen.  No need to fumble around with a controller trying to figure out what knob does what.  Just reach up and turn it.  Pretty cool.

My touchscreen is the Slate Raven MTi2, but I suspect any good quality multi-touch capable monitor would work.  It's an option worth considering.  No other DAW I've tried works so well with a touch screen.  A big part of the Slate Raven MTi2 is its software control for various DAWs, but I've found I don't need it for Sonar.  Not at all.  It works really well right out of the box.  

If you really want the touchy-feely aspect of a real hardware controller, though, nothing beats the VS-700 for Sonar/Cakewalk.  

Interesting you feel the touch version works so well. I read about them but always assumed it would feel weird working with touch for some reason. Might do a simple test with a small existing tablet as a test for some feature. 
 
For my personal workflow I tend to spend 90% or more of the time playing and recording and not so much editing etc so I want to sit infornt of the screens and have the piano infront of me managing controls without having to turn around or stretch across the keyboard etc. The VS-700 and the Raven you use looks really nice, but just don't fit my space. 

HeatherHaze
The VS-700C was tailor-made for Sonar, and still works great with Cakewalk by Bandlab.  I don't think any other hardware control surface comes close.  There's a driver hack necessary to make it work with Windows 10, but it's not a big deal (much easier than I expected).  I disconnected mine for a while and really missed it.  I'm happy to have it back on my desk.

BUT...

Another great option is to get a good touchscreen.  Cakewalk natively supports mutli-touch control in Windows 8.1 and 10.  I have my workspace set up so that all the transport controls are at the bottom of the touch screen (easy access) and the Console strip is right there at my fingertips.  If you have multiple displays, you can put the project window on another monitor and have the console rule the touchscreen.  It's a great setup.  I now use that in conjunction with the VS-700 and it's a dream to work with.  One of the neatest things about using a touch screen is that you can control almost any plug-in just by tweaking the knobs right on the screen.  No need to fumble around with a controller trying to figure out what knob does what.  Just reach up and turn it.  Pretty cool.

My touchscreen is the Slate Raven MTi2, but I suspect any good quality multi-touch capable monitor would work.  It's an option worth considering.  No other DAW I've tried works so well with a touch screen.  A big part of the Slate Raven MTi2 is its software control for various DAWs, but I've found I don't need it for Sonar.  Not at all.  It works really well right out of the box.  

If you really want the touchy-feely aspect of a real hardware controller, though, nothing beats the VS-700 for Sonar/Cakewalk.  

Hi Heather, thanks for your info on the Slate Raven.  It's on my wishlist for some time... I also have the VS700 system.  I looked into the MTi but Slate doesn't explicitly mention support for Sonar....does it all integrate like they advertise for other DAWs?  Any drawbacks?  Since this whole Sonar fiasco started, I've been looking for another DAW, but when you factor the console plus rack system needs, the VS700 system is such a great value its hard to switch, and therefore hard to switch DAWs.  Long live CW!
 
Also, curious if you would be able to share your setup with both the MTi and the VS700C?  That sounds like a great setup, seems like the best of both all 3 worlds:  touchscreen, rack system, daw.
 
Dave

poetnprophet
Hi Heather, thanks for your info on the Slate Raven.  It's on my wishlist for some time... I also have the VS700 system.  I looked into the MTi but Slate doesn't explicitly mention support for Sonar....does it all integrate like they advertise for other DAWs?  Any drawbacks?  Since this whole Sonar fiasco started, I've been looking for another DAW, but when you factor the console plus rack system needs, the VS700 system is such a great value its hard to switch, and therefore hard to switch DAWs.  Long live CW!
 
Also, curious if you would be able to share your setup with both the MTi and the VS700C?  That sounds like a great setup, seems like the best of both all 3 worlds:  touchscreen, rack system, daw.

 
Hey Dave,
 
The Slate Raven has absolutely no integrated support for Sonar.  But the beautiful thing is, it doesn’t need it.  Honestly, Sonar (now CbB) works great with touchscreen.  The Slate Raven is basically a very high quality touchscreen with some very clever software.  That software is necessary for most daws I’ve tried, including Cubase and Studio One, because they don’t natively support multi-touch.  Sonar does!  You just need to set up your workspace to take advantage of the touchscreen, like dragging the control bar and transport to the bottom of the screen and setting up the console view.  I was blown away by how well Sonar works with touch compared to other DAWs.  That’s why I think probably any quality touch screen would work.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the Raven, and it’s definitely a cut above.  But if you’re on a budget, you might consider trying something a bit cheaper.  You can always take it back if it doesn’t work for you.  :)

My studio setup is pretty sweet now.  It took forever to get it that way, as I had a streak of technical problems that led me down the rabbit hole.  But now that I’m all upgraded, I’m in music heaven.  On my (big) desk I’ve got a couple stacks of Roland D-90a digital monitors, framing an array of three video monitors.  The Raven sits in front of and below those.  It has a really ingenious stand that lets you raise or lower it super easily, so it’s always in the perfect spot.  To the left of my Raven is my VS-700C console.  To my right I’ve got an old Roland VM-3100 Pro for submixing all my audio sources.  To the left of my desk sits my rack with the Focusrite Scarlett 18i20, VS-700R (not being used), MIDISport 8x8/s MIDI bay, headphone amp, etc.  Across the room (behind me) I’ve got a couple racks of keyboards and a submixer.  Then there’s the wall of guitars, all my woodwinds and brass, drums and percussion, and a bunch of other toys.  It’s definitely my Happy Place.  :)

I have an opinion. For Sonar, or Cakewalk now - I like using a touch screen.  The bakers did a pretty good job at making touch work. I use a PLANAR - marvelous unit.  I would buy it all over again.  Haven't had to ever worry about drivers - ever.  I'm kind of a clean freak, so I keep a bottle of windex handy..   :o)
 
I also have a presonus solution - RM32ai units, CS18ai unit, and Studio One 3.   Once I assembled that together - I became a firm believer in touch screen, tactile hardware like the CS, iPADs to control setup, personal monitoring, remote record\playback and configuration...  
 
No - the CS18 does not work with Sonar, and I didn't buy it to. BUT - A solid controller is a good investment, I won't give up mine... you might want to think through touch though...
 
Take care,
 
LL