Frustrated With Moving DAWS

A. only option left on the table... 

I feel your pain.

I can feel for those that want a "secured" place where they can work without bumping into a new learning challenge. Been pressed to learn new things can disrupt the working flow, and slow down your production.
 
For myself, however, things are always "on the move". Music is not the only "discipline" I am working in. I also work with graphical art, especially with holographic 3D constructs (yes, I own an holographic vibrant-isolated workbench and a couple of lasers) and 3D printing. I own several DAW's (Ableton Live, FL-Studio, Cubase and Sonar) and use them not only for myself, but also for those that need some recording and (a bit of) mastering.
 
Needless to say my learning process is never "finished". I am always on the move, learning new techniques and looking out for new developments. It can be a bit overwhelming at times, and I am not getting any younger (I am 62 now), but I love to delve into new things and keep learning whatever I can.
 
As said, I can feel for those that feel forced to "jump ship" and feel pressed to learn a new DAW, but I do not think it is very handy to "lay all your eggs in one basket". For AdamGrossmanLG I would advise to alway have some knowledge for at least two DAW's. If something like Sonar happens to your new DAW, you always have a "backup plan". It is always a good idea to figure out how you can move projects from one DAW to another. I should advise to do that at least one time with a medium large project as "learning experience". Knowing how that must be done will make you feel more secure in case of calamities.

Yes, it's all about familiarity. Don't forget though, there are plenty of people who just couldn't get on with Sonar and others who jumped ship way before the Cakewalk closure. Sonar is what we got used to and now it's time to get used to something else.
 
I was going to get another DAW and learn it while I continued to work in Sonar. However, that plan changed because, in reality, the only way to learn another DAW is to use it full time and commit to it. That's what I have been doing with Samplitude. Since getting it I haven't touched Sonar. Launching Sonar now depresses me and I just don't see the point when I have something new that is still supported going forward.
 
I have now completed my first substantial project in Samplitude. The learning curve hasn't got in my way too much. I have almost certainly done some things wrong and missed out on using features that could have really helped or saved me time, just because I don't know about them yet and I have wanted to keep things flowing rather than spending too much time learning. I am now really enjoying Samplitude and I think in many ways it's better than Sonar. There are still some things I miss about Sonar.
 
I think the best advice is just to move on as soon as you can. You will never get on with a new DAW while you are still demoing it because you are not committed to it. Once you buy it the investment gives you the incentive to use it and learn it.
 
It is important to try the demos out though. Before the Samplitude crazy deal came along I bought Studio One. It wasn't really what I wanted but Cubase had a graphics issue running on my system and S1 seemed like the only option after trying out various demos. It was a waste of money. I hardly use it because Samplitude is just so much better for me. So test them out, then commit to the one that works best for you and which you enjoy the most, buy it and start using it and you will soon forget about Sonar.

I did a session this week (about 20 hours) and every once in a while I would stop and say...
"How could this product not be making money" ? Its just amazing the things it can do.
I know other DAWS can do similar things but Sonar is a great DAW. I enjoy using it.
Sad state of affairs. Oh well im sure when I plant a new DAW seed I will be finding the same joy some day.

Sonar is still working fine. If we get a stable set of installation media I hope to use it for many years.

AdamGrossmanLG
so i downloaded demos of every product and I know there is a learning curve, but:

A:  I don't feel like learning
B:  these products don't work like Sonar really.  The mouse movements, architecture, GUI, user interface.  Hell, even just splitting clips feels like a chore.   
 
Sonar shined when it came to usability, that's the one thing I will give it.   FRUSTRATED OVER HERE!!!

I can understand your frustration, but hang in there. I know some programs allow you to customize shortcuts, so you can easily create some familiarity. Some features will actually be an improvement. Hitting D to duplicate is lightning fast and intuitive once you adjust. You got this!

I can relate to this. I bought Studio One and spent a week or two just using it, reading documentation, watching videos, and just plain experimenting. Just started to feel like I was "getting" it, and it would do what I needed it to do without much fuss. Then a few days without doing anything, and I started to record a new project, using SO3, and got frustrated within a few minutes!  For whatever reason, I have been using Sonar exclusively since the 90's, and I just know for the most part how it works the way I need it to. So I went back to Sonar to do this particular song and it was like night and day to me. I know it's just a question of familiarity, but really, should it be this hard to learn something new?  I'm old, but I ain't senile (hmm, ok, maybe I'm forgetting something...). Anyway, I know I have to stick to it, but I'm basically too lazy and when I'm in a hurry, it's Sonar or nothing. 

bitflipper
I try to separate learning-curve annoyances from assessing underlying functionality. If I don't know how to do something, I don't sweat it as long as I know the DAW is capable of doing that thing. Even if it's a clumsy procedure, you can get used to any idiosyncrasies over time.

^^^^^^^
This.
 
I did not sweat too much with demos and decided to get Cubase on the cross-grade offer because it looked like the best option for my needs. I know it will be able to do everything I want when I eventually find my way around. I am not in a big rush, I doubt Sonar is going to fail me for some time yet. I am just starting to run through the Groove 3 videos and get a feel for the way it works while continuing to work in Sonar. There are some nice MIDI functions I am looking forward to using.

Plus, I think the fact that Sonar/Cakewalk was designed for non-Mac users only, means that people were already used to the way it worked, because it worked like Windows. Now that I also own a Mac, I can see how other Daw's that are cross-platform have borrowed from the Mac's style (more hotkey combinations, less clicking, etc.) for their functions. 

I think my age / reeling in the years is starting to come into play here ...
Knowing it can be done even if I have to learn how to do it seems like an OK consolation as to a place to be in ...
Yet too me it still feels like a purgatory of sorts ...
I just get glazed over and I loose interest pretty fast when I have to fight tooth and nail just to be able to accomplish small tasks that I took for granted ...
The only way I'm getting through this whole learning new stuff process is to work both sides equally ...
 
With all the new  multiple DAW / App's learning curves  , it seems I'm not even close to being the Hare so I have accepted the painful reality of knowing at best  I'm just plugging along as the Tortoise .
I'm somewhat OK w that on a conceptual level but I do know it does take a whole lot of work to go from talking the talk to walking the walk ...even as a Tortoise ...
To offset that and to create balance in my musical life I had to put the brakes on things and I decided to figure out a way to still enjoy my Music ...
I wound up pulling out my classical guitar , slapping on a head-stock tuner and I started playing and practicing on it again ... 
My reason is using an acoustic nylon string is the total complete opposite of using a computer and a DAW ...
The levels of complexities that arises while using a DAW especially a new one to me while trying to Create what ever my supposed Musical Utopia is in my imagination involves using technology that has been way too much of a strain for my two working brain cells to comprehend fully w ease . 
OTOH , sitting down to play an organic acoustic instrument w out distraction has helped me find a center and a level of peace ...at the very least , my time on the computer and u tube is not eating up all my musical play time
 
This approach for me is sort of like trying to work both The Yin & The Yang of it all equally at the same time ...
 
Kenny

You guys need to pick up the banjo after playing guitar for 40 years and then listen to that teenager who has veen playing bluegrass for a short 5 years
Talk about frustration

kennywtelejazz

mixmkr
You guys need to pick up the banjo after playing guitar for 40 years and then listen to that teenager who has veen playing bluegrass for a short 5 years
Talk about frustration

Well if we are strictly talking playing here , I have a short cure for that one 
I have been playing the guitar for well over 50 + years . In that time ,  I have had all kinds of players coming at me with all kinds of fret board gymnastics and playing styles ...
Dudes tapping out Mozart , shredders setting and breaking the world speed records , Acoustic guitar players that can not only play a song but while they are playing it they can tap out better drum and percussion part than Tito Puente himself .
I 've ran across Dudes that think they are Tommy  Emmaunual the second  or even guys that are convinced they are the long lost son of Joe Pass  ... Bluegrass meh I like it but it ain't No Trad Bebop ...
 
I have found the easiest way to stop all of them dudes dead in their tracks is to say Alright Man that was great ..
Can we now play it again in the key of A b , how's about Bb , E b ? , or can we just try C# Major ....
That will stop 99% of them all dead in their tracks ...works every time ....
For the other 1 %  all you have to do is hand them the written score in one key and ask them to transpose it on the fly as they are sight reading it 
When my guitar chops are up I can do what I just said ....
 
Don't mind me ...I'm just feeling old and stupid having to start all over w a different DAW ...
 
 
Kenny
 
 
 

I understand. Im a '82 graduate of Berklee and saw many different versions of the described...but sitting in the hallways waiting for class. That was 35 years ago and I might suspect the popularity of chops may not be the same nowadays....but with some...I'm sure I'm wrong (with the cut and paste musicians seeming so popular today).
Take a listen to Bela Fleck if you haven't already. He's a couple of stages past "Cripple Creek"!!