@musicroom,
Right about no ARA integration, just have to bring up the effect and use as a generic vst. No indication that this is going to be implemented anytime soon, so have to look elsewhere beyond Reaper if this is critical.
About the fx browser being defective or hard to navigate, this to me is one of the major advantages in Reaper when dealing with plugins. You can set up any number of custom folders, even rename the effects or synths, categorize the preset libraries in whatever way is most efficient for you. Once set up, the cataloging workflow is so much nicer than what I have put up with in Sonar. Both get the job done however.
Lots of skins for Reaper, probably more available than for any other DAW. Doesn't guarantee that every knob will work in all of them, but some really elegant choices. I use ver 5 but have selected the default ver 4 GUI. Just works great for me and gets direct access to the tools under the hood.
Then the idea that at $60, you get something cheap and realizing later you get what you pay for. Reaper could sell for 10 times the price and still be nearly king of the realm. $60 license is a no brainer, a steal. The outfit wanted to bring highest quality professional tools into the reach of everyone, not shut some kid out because he or she can't afford several hundred dollars for a pro DAW. These guys have a lot of good karma going forward. Cheap license is a gift totally disconnected with the quality you receive.
Hoping everyone migrates to something that works, keeping in mind that Sonar will not go down for several years if even then in the slow erosion of abandonware. No freak out needed for any of us. Lots of experts around here in many other DAW's. Till they close the doors on this place, many seem to be here willing to help in the transition.
John