RD9
however skipping updates is not quite the same thing as less frequent updates.  For one thing, the Forum (and I suspect Cakewalk) cease addressing any issues with a version after one month, after that your software is "out of date". 

 
Very good point.

RD9
...For one thing, the Forum (and I suspect Cakewalk) cease addressing any issues with a version after one month, after that your software is "out of date". 

I guess bugs in recent features enjoy priority because the code is still fresh in the dev's minds. Older bugs do occasionally get fixed, but I sure cannot figure out how the Bakers make their decisions. The Problem Reporter is full of fairly serious bugs supplied with clearly reproducible steps and yet recently they fixed an obscure bug in the "Clean Audio Folder" tool.

RD9
Item2:  ... probably some reviews on Youtube which do a better job of comparing MIDI editing amongst the DAWs.

I have not really found anything informative, but you are right, this is not the place.

The more time you can dedicate to SONAR, the more you'll get out of it.  Simple statement, but unless you can dedicate a large amount of time to it, it can be overwhelming.  With the old annual release format, I always looked forward to the Karl Rose instructional tutorials.  But with a monthly update from Cakewalk, it's a bit too much to take in.  I rarely touch the application, but when I do, I feel like I have to start all over again and then figure out what has been added.  So, I paid for the first year of updates but that was all.  Has anyone ever complained of getting too much?  Maybe that's what I'm doing here.  Nothing wrong with this new monthly model, but it's just a bit too much for me to keep up with.

Works for me, just wish I had more time to investigate some of the new features. I subscribe to a few software packages now, probably like most others here, but honestly, nothing else gives me the same value. If I stopped paying, I would just keep making music. If I stop paying 365, or Adobe - nothing......