Hi gentleman! 
 
First things first, i am no one famous etc ...i'm a guitar, bass, uke teacher in Atlantic Canada ...i have some real concerns about the new Sonar Series ...
 
My upgrade path ..Sonar 3 /4 / 8 / 8.5 / 2016 ....
 
i've been trying to use my latest for the past 3 months as my main DAW is Win 10. Sonar 8.5 won't even open files authored in 2016. Sonar 8 is normal except - the mouse on the faders in console view are  a disaster!? I've given the new Cake Bake a solid try ...i want things back to normal ....and i'd like to keep Win 10. They've made too many changes in this change  over from Roland to whoever owns it now! 
 
Opine please! I shall persvere ....i see brilliance in the new stuff ...but i feel i need a freaking university course in New Sonar to pull this off! 
 
I've been hung up on the stupidest stuff ....display clips!? a tiny icon on the left? WTF was wrong with "show layers"? 
 
You Changed the "copy" Command to cntl, alt, c .....FK that is idiocy ....get your **** together or i'll FKN go Audacity or revert to something worse like Pro Tools M Powered! Judas! Do not Fk with a good thing ...i just restored my buddies win XP PC and gave him my Sonar 3 .... i was blown away by how smooth it ran! Come on!? 
Thanks, SammyP 
 
 

Hi Sammy -
 
You are jumping 5 major releases. Those of us who got here incrementally have had 7 years to get used to each change as it occurred.
 
Moving from "Layers" to "Take Lanes" was a particularly controversial change, and indeed, it is different now from how it was when it was first introduced. In some ways I'm envious that you get to meet the feature in its current mature state.
 
However,  there is going to be some pain, and learning time. I recommend spending serious time with the manual. And folks in this forum can be mighty helpful. 
 
Good Luck, whatever you decide!

sammyp
I shall persvere 

In my humble opinion, definitely a big fat Yes.
 
I had a big break away from music and I jumped from Sonar 6 to X1, and I have stuck with Sonar and kept up to date since.
 
As Colin says, there will be some pain, but, in the end, I think it is worth it, and moving to Win 10 is also, IMO, a positive step, despite all the issues with "privacy."
 
Spend some time in here, as questions, as silly as they may seem, and Peeps will get you up to speed.
 
cheers,
 
and good luck,
 
andy

Defiantly worth spending some time with the manual and asking questions here.  From 8.5 is a big jump but I would not want to go back. 

Definitely stick with it and spend the time SammyP. I had the advantage of incremental changes, but the thought of going back to an older version and giving up all of the new features and stability terrifies me!

I have recenttly started the transition from Cakewalk Pro Audio 9 (1999) to the latest Sonar (2017.3).  Yes, there was blood and sweat and a bit of pain.  However, I am now finding things are easier to handle in Sonar.  My main concern was with Studioware and cals - but I seem to have tamed these as well.

The reason I waited so long is the PRV controllers situation prior to Sonar 2017.3.  The latest Sonar update (with their single lane PRV controllers) was a real game changer.  Before then, the PRV controllers were unworkable and a real show stopper as I use lots of controllers. (I have to use CC information as the files I make are only MIDI files)

My point is, like others have said, is perseverance will be the winner at the end of the day. Once you have worked out the new paradigm (I never thought I would be using that word) , your work flow will benefit in ways you would never think possible.

Stick with it.

Your in a time warp bro. Its like driving a 1956 Buick and then buying a 2017 Corvette...then saying where's the handle to roll down the window.
 
Its not uncommon though and your not alone. A lot of people who make this jump say the same thing. Then after a few months of using the new tools realize how easy it is now. This forum and Documentation is your best friend.
Cheers.

Same thing happened to me when I went from analog to digital mixer...What you can route anything anywhere?  That takes a while to wrap your head around when have been  used to fixed knobs and buttons EVERYWHERE!  But like everyone else has said stick with it!  SONAR is definitely worth the time.  At least you have a basis in SONAR!  That will help.  It is like changing programming languages.  You know WHAT you want to do, but the syntax is different.  AND you can discover new and possibly better ways to do things!
 
Good luck and Happy Learning!
 
 

I went from SONAR 8 to Platinum last summer, and I'm still figuring things out. A few things seemed easier in the old version, but that's probably because I was used to them the way they were. Lots of great new stuff, though.
 
Hang in there, you'll be OK.

sammyp
i just restored my buddies win XP PC and gave him my Sonar 3 .... 

You do know that is illegal, right?. You cannot sell or give away any SONAR product. You are the license holder, not your buddy.