I like having a mixing desk.  I find reaching up to a touch screen very awkward and tiring.  Even the mighty Rave is at an odd angle.  I have a VS-700 and it is fine, but am not confident it will continue to work with future releases of Sonar.
 
If hardware controllers that work with Sonar (or anything) become rare or non-existent, I could accept this:
 
• Two large touch screens and a custom studio desk.
• One touch screen would be mounted in the position of a hardware console and would be dedicated to some sort of console view.
• The second screen would be mounted in the standard monitor position for track view, staff view, and other DAW functions.
 
I don't think I would love this like I love motorized faders and channel strips, but I could learn to work with it, and obsolescence would not be an issue.
 
Thoughts?
 

I kind of look at it like this: I will try to get the best hardware for controlling my sounds, and midi data input, and when I can afford to do it, I will look at a large midi console controller to control things in Sonar, such as the M24 from Mixed Logic: http://www.mixedlogic.com/
 
I HOPE that this kind of console remains available for purchase long enough for me to save up enough to get one, or even a couple of them.
 
I agree about loving motorized faders much better than a touch screen - and I don't think a touch screen is really all that comfortable to use, but it will all depend on who can stay in business, and what new technologies come along, at the time I have money to make new hardware purchases.
 
Kind of a look, wait, hope, buy, hang onto, approach for all of it.  :)
 
Bob Bone
 

I truly hope that continued support for existing hardware remains, and honestly believe that CW will strive for this. Touch screens never enticed me much due to ergonomic issues (they really need to be inclined and not vertical, and within reach like a true console) and the fact that a fingertip only has "so much" resolution (SONAR has a very complex GUI). I still have the mental hurdle of seeing touch screens as... well... a giant cell phone, which is a major turn-off for me.
 
For your peace of mind, you may want to shoot Noel a PM, but I truly doubt there is any intention to remove support for the VS gear. The bakers do a lot of work to ensure older hardware is carried forward, and really deserve credit for that. The VS gear was specific to SONAR (and expensive), so I find the scenario of "forgotten" extremely unlikely.

I use and will for the foreseeable future continue to use hardware controllers. On my main system I'd struggle to reach my monitors never mind use them for touchscreen purposes.
 
The only way I can see touchscreen technology being useful to me is to have large horizontal screens as virtual consoles but then I'd need to be able to use it as an analog mixer as well. I'm sure at some point someone may well come up with such a device, analog mixer with digital virtual controls. Until then I'm stuck in the "past".
 
I can't see support just being dropped, there's far too much demand at the moment. We might be being led to the water, but so far I ain't drinking. 
 

Karl,  What you need is one of these..
 
But this should be in the Hardware Forum....

See how quickly someone has taken a suggestion up. I've only just posted it. 
 
Price is surprisingly good as well, at least for the mixer anyway.

When I do live FOH I use Presonus SL32Ai which is the full console version of the new rack unit, but even having a desk full of knobs and faders available I do 99% of the work from the virtual console on my iPad.
 
It's hard to see how this could be useful in Sonar though.  It would give you a 32 input rack mount audio interface, but the main functionality (ie, the mixer functions) would be redundant.
 
 
I love talking about mixers,  but it is a hardware topic, not a Sonar one, so I'm moving it..
 

Another point I'd like to make though, is that if you have a hardware controller that uses a virtual console on a touch screen... why not just use the Console View in the first place?
 
Another point about the SL32Ai I have.  I don't use it in my studio at all.
I could use it as a 32 in, 32 out audio interface but it is BIG, as you'd expect a 32 channel desk to be (though smaller than some...) but mainly because it does NOT act as a hardware controller.
It doesn't have flying faders, because for it's intended use it doesn't need them.  Other similar desks, like the X32, require them because of paging. The SL32 doesn't use paging, it has a knob for every function and 32 channel faders, 4 group faders and a Master fader.
 
For my studio I'd want the exact opposite of what my mixer provides,  ie no audio, but lots of DAW control.
24 flying faders as a minimum, assignable controls everywhere, visual feedback from meters and customisable displays.
 
Yep, they already exist.  But I don't have that sort of money   I make do with a Faderport.  Works well, does exactly what it says on the tin.

I have a BCF2000.  I've been looking at the new Behringer X-Touch units that are coming this winter.   I don't like the iPad controllers or having another screen type device.  The motorized faders fascinate clients too (LOL).
 
I tried one of the iPad controllers and it didn't have all the needed functions and it required the PC to be on-line.  I take my recording system PC off line when recording (or mixing). 

I have a BCF2000 as well,  I've not used it for years because the faders are so noisy it's distracting.
It also doesn't support Touch, which is very important when editing/overwriting automation.