I'm as frustrated and confused, and even disappointed as probably most folks here. The end of Cakewalk Sonar was a bitter pill to swallow. The BandLab rescue is appealing. But it is also a disruption - or an attempt at a disruption. Not unlike the subscription (hate that word) model that Cakewalk tried.
 
We aren't going to know how this will turn out until it does. And that is maddening. Do I stick with a tool I've been using for almost 20 years (how is that possible)? Do I assume the worst and move on? And where would I go?
 
This may sound odd, but if Gibson had not been in such dire financial straits I still believe that Cakewalk's subscription/monthly update model would have done really well in the marketplace. It was already gaining interest.
 
We know how that story ended.
 
We don't know if Bandlab will be able to build a successful model around a free, high end DAW. I wouldn't count them out. They have at least some of the original development team, and those folks are good. I hope they were able to hang onto some of the product team as well.
And I wish they'd give us a peek at what they are planning. This is a pretty loyal group, and I think we could "handle the truth".

For now I continue to work, almost exclusively, with the final version of Sonar Platinum. I will, at the first convenient time, install Cakewalk by Bandlab. But I am also using  Studio One - which I was playing around with anyway, and I'm considering adding DP to the system. I've always liked DP on the Mac, and in spite of some spectacular stumbles when released for Windows I have high hopes.
 
Maybe all of this will even turn out to be a good thing for me?
 
I think I'd have been just as happy to continue on my path with Sonar<G>!

DP has toooo small type and no way to change it... what good is killer feature set if I can't read it?

The great thing is that you have plenty of options on the table, and now, a new lease on life for Cakewalk. That's pretty good in my book. I agree it can be difficult to predict how things will work out with BandLab's new business model in the DAW market, but after reading more about Meng and his approach, I think Cakewalk is in as good a position as it could be right now, with some real potential. Gibson, while I now believe was at least trying to save Cakewalk with a strategy that might have eventually worked, I think Meng/Bandlab is really taking that a step further in its natural evolution to this new model. If the model has validity (which I think it does if one extrapolates from trends in other markets), then this is the place where Cakewalk will thrive. But, like anything else in life, there really is no way to predict what will happen or how it will turn out. Worst case scenario? You have a few more years with Cakewalk to decide to transition fully to another DAW.

wst3
We aren't going to know how this will turn out until it does. And that is maddening.

Just a reality check, but how many things in life do you know how they are going to turn out before they do? Houses burn down, stocks crash, cars get rear-ended, marriages fail, loved ones die, etc. Some pretty serious stuff "just happens." Life is ultimately about time and decisions, so it becomes pretty moot to "bank on trouble" (i.e., worry about things just to do so).
 
As you already have time vested in a host that functions, the prudent choice is to leverage that and appreciate "what is for what it is." Adapt as things occur.... life forces this on everyone anyway, so there is no escaping it.

∞

wst3
 
...For now I continue to work, almost exclusively, with the final version of Sonar Platinum. I will, at the first convenient time, install Cakewalk by Bandlab. 

IMO that's a perfectly good plan, Bill. It's very likely that the last build of SONAR will continue to work for as long as you need it to. If it does everything you need it to do, carrying on as usual is a viable option. It's not going to suddenly stop working.
 
That was my plan last November. I did pick up Samplitude in December as a Plan B backup, mainly because it was cheap and most-closely resembled SONAR. But Plan A was to carry on with SONAR forever. 
 
Cakewalk by BandLab piqued my curiosity, though, so I installed it alongside all the other DAWs sitting there on disk like puppies vying for adoption. CbB by itself feels like the "lite" version, only because it lacks the third-party plugins that had been bundled with SPlat. But all those goodies are still installed and working fine, so I'm not missing anything.
 
CbB is my DAW now.
 
Worst-case scenario: BandLab falls on its face trying to make a business out of giving away software, and abandons CbB. In that case, just return to Plan A. In the meantime we'll have picked up a few enhancements and bug fixes, further improving the odds of longevity.
 

There are some software programs that were done many years ago that are still very relevant. Cakewalk is one of them. Yes, it has bugs and not perfect. On the other hand, this is all small stuff. It is a tool for the purpose. We use it because we like certain aspects of it/ workflow. As someone mentioned here "Adapt as things occur" Good point, but most users here are 40+. Can you teach old dog new tricks..? Maybe... But the question is why? I do not want to sit and re-learn new things that I have no use for.  Usually bad things happen when somebody with excessive testosterone levels arrives and proclaim "I can make it better!".  I believe that if Meng maintains the flow of the program unchanged and future program architecture that allows to go back to previous "feel". He should not have a problem with asking  a reasonable yearly fee for bug fixes and updates + sell VST / FX components + dedicated hardware... you name it :) 
I believe the main philosophy of Meng is to unite people of analog (us, old farts) and digital world kids. Main beef that bleeds through the lines of this forum is that older gen folks are worried about the privacy and so that Cakewalk does not become another Frootloop program. I think Meng gets this part very well. It would be great if he would express it more clear....
That he is not going to steal a bone from loyal dogs :)
woof.
 

Not sure why everyone thinks "moving on" would be so much safer than staying. Might be that whatever you move on to, tanks as well. We have seen with Cakewalk the quality of the software is no guarantee and I am sure that can happen to others. But hey, why worry about something that at the moment is not an issue? It was, its not now. 
 
I will continue to use the software I like and know very well, until one day when maybe I can't. If that happens I will change to something else. It really is that simple, to me anyway. The latest developments seem to suggest that date is if not removed all together,  at least delayed for the foreseable future. 
 
Make music and worry less. 

∞

Don't know about you guys, but I expect that CbB v2.0 will be a paid upgrade, with additional features and plugs. Then they'd have a free version that might be of interest to their existing folks and a higher-end paid version for us.