MIDI test...

Well - MIDI was one of the reasons I "jumped ship" to Cubase almost one year ago. Don't get me wrong - Sonar is better than most DAW's in the MIDI department, but Cubase just has a workflow (and more possibilities) that fits me better. It just feels more comfortable.
 
The only reason I would come back to Sonar, is when Sonar would do some improvements (like note expression to name only one) in their MIDI department. If Sonar would drop MIDI as a whole (or just stops further development), I am afraid Sonar will end in the dustbin here. The only thing it will do from then on is gathering dust, and the program probably will never been re-installed when I do the next hardware update.
 
So - Better keep improving MIDI, or Sonar is out of the window(s) for me...

Midi needs to stay.

MIDI is essential for me.  I use my acoustic drums, some others little percussions and congas.  All the rest is VST's is control by MIDI. I very rarely use loops.  I use the staff view all the time to correct all my musicals errors on keaboard (there is alot) LOL  Recently I add melodyne studio 4 to polish my audio but it's only a start.  I can do a lot with MIDI maybe because I use it since 1984.  MIDI should stay.  There is no question about that. 

MacFurse
Just like I don't really relate to EDM. VSTi's and lighting aside, why should Sonar pursue midi editing, when there are plenty of DAWS that do not ?

Sonar, Logic, Pro Tools, Cubase, FL Studio, Live, Studio 1, Reaper all support using and editing MIDI.

Off the top of my head the only two DAWs which don’t are Adobe Audition and Audacity plus sample editors like Wavelab.

I suspect the MIDI supporting DAWs combined outsell those that don’t have MIDI by a pretty big margin.

No modern DAW can succeed if it ignores electronic music creation and production, the use of modern electronic instruments or the control protocol, MIDI, most used by control surfaces and things like controller keyboards and pads. That you’re not interested in such things doesn’t alter the commercial reality any more than myself not being very interested in using pre-recorded commercial loops means I think Sonar, or any other DAW, would be wise to drop the features required to use them.

Well, as I'm not likely to acquire, learn and play every instrument in the orchestra, I'll probably continue to work with midi for the foreseeable future.

tlw
That you’re not interested in such things doesn’t alter the commercial reality any more than myself not being very interested in using pre-recorded commercial loops means I think Sonar, or any other DAW, would be wise to drop the features required to use them.

I guess I'm tongue in check suggesting it get dropped.. but the reality is that Cake has not put a lot into the midi side of the software for sometime. Is it an area that the new owners should pursue to put it at the forefront of DAWS is more the question? When I say there are DAWS that don't support midi, I mean fully. There are very few that do.
But if they do, will they take it to Cubase? Or indeed even any of the other DAWS in the 'pro' world? Sonar, sadly, has never made it to the 'pro' daws, irrespective of our opinions here on how good it is.
 
I have a feeling BandLab will want Sonar to do something very different in the future to what it does today. Hence the question. Should it go forward with midi, and try again for the pro market, or change direction? If it's the former, then very strong cases need to be put forward now. IMHO..

MacFurse
When I first started with Cakewalk, years ago.....I mainly used it for midi, creating backing tracks. It was relatively easy and trouble free, but midi editing was still young, and not very good, and sound cards were at the beginning of their days, pretty basic. These days, even though I have Splat, crazy editing, and sounds that are better than the real thing, I only use it for AD2 and some simple synth/piano tracks. I'm not even sure about that anymore, getting into loops and Elastik 2 this last year. All audio for me now mostly. But I don't really have any issues with production or editing of midi, which probably reflects my simplistic use more than anything. So I feel for the mostly midi guys who are really into it. Everything I've read over the last year points to a lousy midi base, which is surprising because of the heritage. I guess it's the old code, but I know nothing of these things.
 
So, my question is - what do most people use instead of Sonar for midi ? What's the benchmark for the new owners to pursue? Cubase? The other question is, when will midi bite the dust? Why hasn't it already. Is this something the new owners would even want to pursue?
 
I come from an old morse code background. Professional marine radio officer, and technician. I knew morse code, 60k watt transmitters, and clunky old valve radio receivers, would die one day. Satellites and digital technology ensured I was correct. But I also thought, at least 20 years ago, that midi would die too, sooner rather than later. But it's still kicking. How much, and for how long, is what I'm curious about.
 
Should the owners make midi better in Sonar, or kill it off, leaving it for the DAWS that excel in that area, paving the way for better sample and loop control ?
 
Love to hear some thoughts.

 
I use SONAR Platinum for MIDI Editing. I love the "Event List" and don't have any trouble fixing MIDI in the track or piano roll views. I've tried CuBase v6 and Tracktion v5 but prefer SONAR MIDI editing. The MIDI Specification has evolved a tiny bit with blue tooth and MIDI WiFi, but the base of MIDI is still useful and will be around for a while yet.

You have to have some way to control those VSTs.
 

Without MIDI what would you use Cal for? 

MacFurse
I guess I'm tongue in check suggesting it get dropped.. but the reality is that Cake has not put a lot into the midi side of the software for sometime.

There were quite a few changes to the MIDI side of SONAR last year. Maybe not the changes you wanted but it was receiving development time. Most of the releases from the first half of 2017 highlighted some MIDI development. Check out this page for the info. I am sure there are also entries in the fixes and enhancement sections too.