- Improved AudioSnap with phase coherent time stretching and tools for multitrack editing.
 
- Mastering Suite with redbook
 
- Better Video integration
 

Great responses everyone.  Let's keep them coming!!
 
Not only is this an interesting and fun topic, but if we all provide honest and well thought answers - this may be very valuable information for the bakers/Gibson as well as a great benefit to us.

I feel I need to explain that I view Sonar as more of an artists creation tool as opposed to a sterile audio production environment. I think that is actually the main benefit of being a Sonar user. Writing, composition, tracking, sound mangling, etc.
 
I worked with a "producer's" DAW previously and yanno... it did not lend it itself to creativity. It was boring and limited. I only used it to track/mix my bands and that was all I felt it was good for. Making it do the other stuff I use Sonar for would have required lots of extra purchases and screwing around... and it still would have been boring/annoying.
 
I don't want to see a departure from that feel of the environment but I also don't like even THINKING about having to learn and screw around with other programs to polish things up or tag things or access the very few tools/features Sonar doesn't currently have.
 
For that sterile/clinical stuff I would maybe learn/use other platforms but I have also realized I don't have to pay $500-$1200 to get it. I seems to me if I just need a tracking and level mixing platform then dropping under $100 for a Cockos license will get me that... AND it'll probably work better on crappier systems anyway. Add to that it seems like it is indeed highly respected in "industry" circles anyway so WTH would I need to drop a ton of extra coin on the others?
 
Nope... Sonar was a good choice (in the long run) as an artist and now I know enough to not get talked into crap I don't need. It would be nice to own it all I guess but perhaps more of a distraction preventing me from actually making music.
 
Ableton for live work over Sonar? Sure based on performance reports (haven't used it yet) but that would fall under "creation" tool/instrument as well.
 
KISS (Keep It Simple Stoopid).

Beepster
I feel I need to explain that I view Sonar as more of an artists creation tool as opposed to a sterile audio production environment. I think that is actually the main benefit of being a Sonar user. Writing, composition, tracking, sound mangling, etc.
 
I worked with a "producer's" DAW previously and yanno... it did not lend it itself to creativity. It was boring and limited. I only used it to track/mix my bands and that was all I felt it was good for. Making it do the other stuff I use Sonar for would have required lots of extra purchases and screwing around... and it still would have been boring/annoying.
 
I don't want to see a departure from that feel of the environment but I also don't like even THINKING about having to learn and screw around with other programs to polish things up or tag things or access the very few tools/features Sonar doesn't currently have.
 
For that sterile/clinical stuff I would maybe learn/use other platforms but I have also realized I don't have to pay $500-$1200 to get it. I seems to me if I just need a tracking and level mixing platform then dropping under $100 for a Cockos license will get me that... AND it'll probably work better on crappier systems anyway. Add to that it seems like it is indeed highly respected in "industry" circles anyway so WTH would I need to drop a ton of extra coin on the others?
 
Nope... Sonar was a good choice (in the long run) as an artist and now I know enough to not get talked into crap I don't need. It would be nice to own it all I guess but perhaps more of a distraction preventing me from actually making music.
 
Ableton for live work over Sonar? Sure based on performance reports (haven't used it yet) but that would fall under "creation" tool/instrument as well.
 
KISS (Keep It Simple Stoopid).

I fully get what you are saying Beep. I recall when Logic was available on the PC I fell in love with it. This was Logic 4 Platinum. When Logic 5 came I was completely hooked on it. I also had Pro Audio 9 which I used. When Sonar came out I upgraded to it. Logic was my main DAW.
 
Often I would do stuff in Sonar because it was easier and transfer it over to Logic. When Apple bought Emagic and stopped all PC support I fell back to Sonar. I did try Cubase SX1 2 and 3 but kept with Sonar. As time passed and CW kept innovating I was glad I stuck with it. I now look at it as the best DAW for me around. At the same time I'm also unafraid to try others. You know I now have Samplitude. It doesn't compare. I also have Reaper I don't use it at all.
 
With the ProChannel Sonar is my goto DAW and I don't see this changing anytime soon.
 
There are so many good things to say about Sonar its kind of ridiculous to try. Ever since X1 Sonar has been an outstanding DAW. It wan't bad before but X1 promised a future that I could totally buy into.   

1. Improved notation
2. Something like Cubase Expression Maps
3. ACT 2

1 PRV Controller pane improvements
2 Get rid of unchangeable number key default screenset shortcuts
3 Complete reliability
4 Mastering tools, even if extra cost
5 Wave editor capability

Hi, John. As you know I only hopped on with X1. I see many users talk about 8 and have seen many vids of it in action. For a while I thought that I would be on board with that functionality because it was more traditional as far as DAW stuff I had been used to... and it is/was. I think that's the allure of that version. It was more like the other workstations and I do miss certain things from that style of doing things but not while I'm writing or mixing creatively. Considering all the other avaliable programs that use that style, and they are heavily used for a reason, the X paradigm, once you get the hang of it, does seem to be much better for the creative stuff.
 
I kind of wish Cake would sell legacy versions just for us n00bs to check out. I think in many ways, since I already know a lot of the Sonar "way" of doing things that 8.5 would be a much easier to learn option for old school digital production when and if I wanted that feel. I certainly can't use my old DAW because it's locked to an archaic system and really... it is VERY old.
 
Meh. Might be nice if we could have per project preference settings where we could select from various tracking/editing/mixing styles. So people who want a layers style set up or what I used to kind of like "right click to select and promote takes" (which didin't have visual lanes) or whatever could start that way depending on wha they were working on. That would be far too much coding work though and probably bug out the whole program for years.

1. Song Arranger Capability (ala S1V3)
2. Improved drum map GUI with optional import/export to XML/.xlsx/.txt
3. <I'll think of something>

I can't think of any "Big Three," I'm afraid... Sonar pretty much ticks all of the boxes for me.
 
How about a "Small Three?" :-
 
1) More options for colouring the GUI. I can only use Reaper as an example here, because it's the only other DAW that I have ever used, and I was only pointed to that a month ago (by another post around these parts). But I do like being able to colour my "strips."
 
2) Ability to make take lanes and automation lanes as high as my monitor will allow.
 
3) I honestly can't think of anything else, so perfect is this tool for my needs...
 
Oh... I should add that I am using X2, so maybe my thoughts are irrelevant now. I'll check out "what's new..."

1. Make the Playlist able to play multiple songs simultaneously (overlap) or not "your choice"
2. Make the Playlist fast
3. Make the Playlist Bulletproof
With these implementations Sonar as a "LIVE" tool would be totally unbeatable.