Let me start by saying that I'm not looking for feedback from the users, this post is aimed at the developers.
As a former FL Studio user, I bought Sonar primarily to get access to better quality content; mainly, virtual instruments, which you term soft synths, even if they're not synthesizers per se.
I find that I cannot compose an instrumental with any great accuracy and that using Sonar is inefficient and frustrating.
I waste too much time sorting problems/bugs that I didn't have before moving to Sonar.
The Excel style "rows and columns" approach utilised in FL's sequencer view does not exist, the closest alternative I have found being multiple overlaid PRV data tracks, but there is a limit to how many different colours of Midi data I can follow.
Comparing two tracks at a time in a multi-track project is simply too time consuming.
In FL, I was free to create a huge number of single or multi-instrument patterns (using piano rolls and step sequences in the same pattern!) and align them precisely with regard to their relative timings, whilst viewing only their size/length, not their content; but in Sonar, I have huge single tracks that have no subdivisions.
Markers, clip groupings and step sequencer clips are nowhere near as accurate or as useful.
Trying to line up two tracks (guitar with drums for example) is a very arduous task, demanding many hours of zoomed-in (32nd note accuracy) screen work.
Not enjoyable, not amusing and a waste of my creative time.
Changing between PRV tools creates constant clashes between the note duration value and the grid snap-to value.
Why doesn't the grid automatically reset to follow the note duration? and why can't they both be locked globally until the user wants to change them?
Why isn't there an "end of project marker"?
Many people have requested this feature, but it has never been implemented.
Copy/paste and move, frequently results in a small placement error, (1/64th generally) but which requires constant attention over the entire track length.
I also have a bizarre issue with the third note in the PRV not sounding, and yet a copy/paste of that data played normally.
This was in more than one project and required the first three notes to be deleted and replaced, with the copy being unaffected, yet when first placed, they had played correctly until the track became longer.
I have more issues with Sonar, but in the interests of brevity and to keep this post short, I'll leave them out.
I can see that for people who record audio, Sonar could be useful, but for a virtual instrument musician like me, it creates more problems than it solves.
Whilst researching the purchase of a new DAW, I did read a piece of advice which said "once you learn a DAW, stick with it and don't change".
I think that this is extremely good advice, even if you are unhappy with the instruments available, like I was.
I have placed several posts in the forums over the last few weeks and I would to thank all the users who contributed positively with their knowledge, suggestions and encouragement.
I would also like to thank the people who have created video tutorials, of which I have watched many and learned much.
So, I'm going to return to being creative in what I view as a technically inferior program but which is far more user-friendly and has a vastly superior interface/workflow.
Goodbye Sonar, it was a real waste of money, but that is something you can only find out by paying for it and trying it out.
The demo is almost completely useless and really needs to be as fully enabled as possible, but load disabled until unlocked.
That way, potential customers can create something of value, which can surely only encourage them to purchase the product, whilst also testing the performance of Sonar on their computer.