dcumpian
I would rank DAW midi support in this order:
 
1) Cubase
2) Sonar
3) Logic
4) everyone else
 
Cubase has some really advanced midi workflows, but with it comes the burden of a lot of legacy code and workflows. Sonar's midi is actually pretty darn good, but is lacking in a few areas, primarily in regards to how it handles midi routing and keyswitch articulations.
 
All of the other DAWs have decent midi capabilities. Reaper has come a long way in the last few years, as has Studio One. Both are missing some advanced midi editing capabilities, but make up for it in other areas.
 
Killing off midi support in a "workstation" DAW would seriously hinder it, IMO.
 
Regards,
Dan

I suppose I should re-evaluate Cubase for MIDI. I haven't messed with in ages. It's also possible I never dug into the right menus on Cubase AI v6. I find, at least on Cubase AI v6, that the system is a rather confusing mess when I import a MIDI file.

Life's too short for this

Transform too is my favourite recent midi development. So nice to work with and so flexible, yet s simple. 
 
MIDI is her fr the foreseeable future, in a market flooded and still inundating with new midi synths, the potential for which keep growing, as modelling improves and breaks new ground, memory size becomes insignificant.
 
 
 
 

Man what a question!!  Asking if SONAR should keep midi is liking asking if the Louvre should keep the Mona Lisa. 

I use a LOT of MIDI in my projects and to be honest I haven't yet tried a DAW whose basic MIDI editing capabilities were so bad that I couldn't work with them. Even Pro Tools.

MIDI is alive and well.  It also appears to be actively developed and supported with new features.
 
https://www.midi.org/
 
https://www.midi.org/articles/midi-manufacturers-association-mma-adopts-midi-capability-inquiry-midi-ci-specification
 
https://www.midi.org/articles/midi-polyphonic-expression-mpe&highlight=WyJtcGUiXQ==

MIDI MPE demo with Roli Seaboard Grand.  Some DAWs and VST instruments are beginning to adopt the MPE standard.
 

 

The following products support one or more of the features of MPE:

Digital audio workstations (DAWs)

    Bitwig 8-Track & Studio
    GarageBand macOS
    Logic Pro X
    Reaper
    Steinberg Cubase
    Tracktion Waveform

Software synthesizers

    Admiral Quality Poly-Ana
    Cycling '74 Max
    Equator / Equator Player
    FXpansion Strobe2
    KV331 Audio SynthMaster
    Madrona Labs Aalto
    Madrona Labs Kaivo
    MainStage
    Native Instruments Reaktor
    Softube Modular
    Spitfire BT Phobos
    Stagecraft Addiction and Infinity
    Symbolic Sound Kyma
    UVI Falcon

​
Mobile apps

    NOISE
    Seaboard 5D
    GeoShred
    GarageBand iOS
    Moog Model 15
    AniMoog

Hardware synthesizers

    Artiphon INSTRUMENT 1
    Audiothingies MicroMonsta
    Axoloti
    Deckard's Dream
    Endorphin.es Shuttle Control
    Expert Sleepers FH-1
    Futuresonus Parva
    Haken Continuum
    MOD Duo
    Modal Electronics 001 / 002 / 002R
    Modor NF-1 / NF-1m
    Polyend Poly
    Snyderphonics MantaMate

These DAWs and synthesizer plugins can be used with certain MPE Controllers by following the setup guides provided by the MPE Controller maker:

    Ableton Live
    Audio Modeling SWAM Engine
    Digital Performer
    FL Studio
    iZotope Iris 2
    Native Instruments Kontakt
    Pro Tools
    Spectrasonics Omnisphere and Trillian
    Studio One
    U-he Diva
    Le Sound Reshape
 

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. 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..

MIDI is still very relevant, even more in later years with all these new great new hardware synth & stuff ... and even the old CV is back in business  I use both modern & vintage MIDI to CV converters & hardware synths ... Don't think they will drop MIDI support, and hey even the BandLab browser & phone app uses MIDI, it's not just a loop based app like some people think:
https://blog.bandlab.com/...ust-where-you-want-it/
I think the BandLab/Sonar combo has great potential 
 
Regards Thomas

MacFurse
Completely agree that dropping midi support now would seriously hinder it, but is it the future? I

Yes, for the foreseeable future it is one of the primary keys to music production.
 
If anything, recording actual instruments has been on the decline compared to what it once was as part of the music creation process.
 
MIDI is only a supplement to my own work, but in many circles, that isn't normal.  
 
As VSTis have become far more legitimate so has the use of MIDI in actual final productions.