Glyn Barnes
I plan to keep using Sonar for the time being at least but I am looking at alternatives as a plan B. I am not expecting it to stop working anytime soon, nor am I expecting a phoenix to rise for the ashes, however welcome that would be.
 
Studio One 3 looks pretty good and it would be a relatively easy transition but looking at capabilities I think Cubase may be more suited to my 90% MIDI/Virtual Instrument work. I have both demos installed and I will be watching Groove 3 videos. I think Studio One would be a step back for MIDI work and Cubase may be a step forward.
 
I think the cross-grade offers, while welcome are putting a bit of extra pressure on people to come to a quick decision.

I agree no need to rush into things, and make any hasty decisions.  Better to demo your options for a few weeks, and let things simmer down a bit.
 
But with that said, since I am also 90% MIDI/virtual instruments, I really enjoyed a 30 day trial of Cubase Elements 9 earlier this year.  I passed up the purchase, because there was too much overlap with Sonar, which I was not looking to replace at that time.  But in hindsight, I really believe that is my #1 contender as a replacement at this time! 
 
I will add that there are plenty of videos and resources to learn Cubase on Groove3 and elsewhere.  There are also some great features in Cubase that have been on the Sonar wishlist for like forever, such as an arranger track and a chord track.  They were primarily what inspired me to demo Elements, and they did not disappoint!  It's definitely worth checking them out!  Even a few of the Cubase version 9 UI enhancements appear to have been "borrowed" from the Sonar skylight interface...

I'm mainly a singer/songwriter so I went ahead and bought the S1/Notion BF combo from AudioDelux. Even tho Presonus will be giving us a great crossgrade price soon, I figure Notion will not be part of that. So the BF combo price may be better. Bird in the hand ....

I had just about convinced myself to get Studio One, and I may still do that, but I've seen so much good reporting and comments on Reaper, that I think I owe it to myself to give the trial a workout.

Ken Matson
I had just about convinced myself to get Studio One, and I may still do that, but I've seen so much good reporting and comments on Reaper, that I think I owe it to myself to give the trial a workout.

There's no time limit to try Reaper.  You just have to endure the nag screen for 5 Seconds...
but for $60 there's a WHOLE lot for little.

I've migrated a long time ago but I just purchased a copy of S1 Artist, because even though I'm absolutely happy with Logic, I love S1 and I love to work with it every now and then. And because, well, Black Friday...
 
I used to own Pro, and I'll probably re-upgrade eventually.
 
If I'd not switched to Mac at that point, S1 would have been the obvious choice for me after Sonar 8.5. I feel it has some of the best bits of all the other DAW softwares but it is still eminently coherent. And it is FAST.

Looking at S1 too but not keen on leaving Logic.

I'm going to stick with Sonar Plat until it breaks. But in the meantime, I own Samplitude, and have been mucking around with it on the side for about year. I never really got seriously into the nuts and bolts of it, so I figured now might be a good time to start -- just in case things go south for Sonar as Windows evolves and updates. Samp Pro X3 is pretty powerful, with lots of features, but it's got a different way of doing things, and I gotta admit it's been a frustrating slog getting used to it.  
 
I tried the demo for Studio One 3, yesterday, and the demo for Mixbus this evening. Both have good things about them. SO3 is the most refined of the two, and while I had some minor frustrations with it, I could see myself becoming comfortable using it. Mixbus has a lot of charm, and is fairly intuitive to use and comes with lots of features. But I found it a bit rough around the edges and buggy. There was a bit of weirdness with my Mackie MCU, and the rendering of midi to audio. 
 
None of them are Sonar, however. I hope SPLAT stays viable for a good long time, because right now it does all I need, and as long as Windows doesn't throw a wrench into the gearbox, I'll happily use it until I'm too old to get out do bed. 

I will stick with Sonar until it drops dead,, That might be a long time. This whole evaluation of other software really makes you realize how good we have it with Sonar. NONE of these other DAW's have ALL of the features we've been using. NONE. 
Cubase at this point ,, just reading, seems to be the closest because for me midi is important. I'm downloading it but It's Huge compared to the others at 9 GB,, Last time I tried the download wouldn't install. 9 GB?? it better e good. I have Cubase 5 LE and it's real boring. Came with my Tascam interface. 
 
I just downloaded MixBus and I think for straight audio it might have a unique sound. I imported a midi file , it sounded real good, I'll give them top marks for their version of TTS-1 but heLI if I could figure out how to edit or load a different VST. I also couldn't figure out how to do simple things like re size the work areas. It's certainly a reasonable price for the basic version at $100. But clicking a mouse does nothing so it's kind of like a beginner DAW. 
 
I also downloaded Mix Craft. Closer to Sonar in GUI and at least you could re size windows and find things. Much better interface than mix buss and opening it was logical and scanned my VST folders. So a step up from Mix Bus GUI and interface wise..  But,, I loaded a midi file and it injected a terrible sounding synth and for the life of me I couldn't figure out how to change it. I tried for 10 minutes. I don't care, if simple things like changing a VST are that hidden it's not for me. Price is reasonable but Home Studio would blow it out of the water. 
 
Cubase is hogging my internet so I can't try Studio 1 just yet . I have a free version from 2 years ago, not sure it's fair to compare it being it was free so more like Sonar LE. It was like Cubase LE and boring. 

I tried Studio One Artist 3 which I got with my Audiobox 1818vsl. I like the integration with the AB1818 BUT NO VSTs until you buy an add-on. That was a deal breaker for now. Will wait and see what the crossgrade deal is like. I still use Reaper but not able to switch to it as a main DAW and the same thing occurs with Ableton. Not having a free upgrade for my 9 Intro to 10 Intro was also a deal breaker for me so Ableton will remain as the backup DAW for now alongside Reaper and only when using Push. So! drum roll!!!! I took advantage of the Protools 50% off subscription which is $13.00 and considering I am paying for the Cakewalk subscription (for how long I don't know) I think now is the right time to get stuck into Protools as a main DAW. So in the interim I will continue to use Cakewalk and then transition to Protools -with Cakewalk, Reaper and Ableton being the backup/MIDI options if Protools MIDI is too rubbish. Industry standard swung it for me as well as their cheap price. I will give Mixbus another look. I hated the cluttered look when I demoed it a month ago. 

I was coming from the mere Sonar Artist, so no killer upgrade to Cubase for me. Probably Cubase would have cost me $400 or more. Plus I had Cubase in the late nineties and early aughts, and made a CD with it - only to find out that VST5 or whatever that iteration was had an inferior summing engine. Which they changed. It all kind of sounded like late '90's a$$ . . . so Cubase though it be much improved  would probably just trigger me. Plus as of now there is no demo of Cubase 9.5
 
I tried Reaper years ago, and thought it unbelievably arcane and impossible for my style of workflow, which demands more or less instant gratification. Hopefully it got better, but I haven't gotten any less obtuse.  :)
 
Short story is, I demoed Studio One for two days, found everything I needed almost right away, and bought it today. There's a million well done free vids to help. $167 out of pocket.
 
Will Cubase outlive Studio One, because they have a larger user base and the deep pockets of a ginormous and benevolent corporation, Yamaha? OR will Cubase bite the dust first because the corporate overlords have a rough quarter and need to shed weight, whilst millions of abandoned users wail to an indifferent universe?
 
Let's face it, we're all just jumping on the backs of turtles in the stream. Might as well save some $$$.
 
cheers, good night, and good luck.
-Tom