I started with Reason and FL...then moved to Sonar for workflow reasons, and I loooove it.  I thought once I should try Pro Tools to be more "industry standard," and it had a couple of features I wanted (like adding the same plugin to multiple tracks at once,) but found the workflow to be confusing, probably because I was so used to Sonar.  Sonar has its learning curve for sure, but made more sense to me than PT's learning curve. And Sonar added the feature for adding a plugin to multiple tracks :) Sonar is also pretty awesome in that it seems to have multiple ways to get the same goal usually.
 
Pro Tools seemed to crash about as often as Sonar.  So...even game there I suppose.
 
The community here is extremely helpful, that is a huge plus.  Everyone is happy to share their experience to get problems worked out.
 
I say, definitely try a demo of Sonar.

Why do I have the feeling when in a crowd, assimilated people will point at me and scream when they recognize I'm not a Pro-tools user, (i.e. Invasion of the Body Snatchers).
LOL 

abacab
Time to come up with a Pro Tools skin for Sonar to fool those clients, LOL.

Great idea LOL

Anderton

SiberianKhatru59
I started in Propellerhead Reason and I have slowly but surely been moving towards SONAR.  I still use Reason sometimes, but SONAR has a lot to offer IMHO for the home studio guys (like me) and with Lifetime updates for Platinum, it seems to me to be an excellent deal as well.

And...you can rewire Reason into SONAR. It's a great way to get an additional "instrument rack."

This is a great point!

I'm at the tail end of a long breakup with Sonar and in the process to switching to Cubase (which so far I am liking a lot).   I would recommend making a list of things that drive you nuts in Pro Tools and see if doing the same in Sonar is better to your liking.  If so, then the two of you are a match.
 
These days you can download 30 day trials of all major DAWs and there are wonderful tutorials on Youtube for about everything, so you have a lot of options depending on the amount of time you want to invest.

not sure what the op would expect posting a question like that on the very forum for the product he is thinking of moving to, not really going to get a very objective answer here, you might say that the sample group could be just a wee bit biased, the jury pool a little tainted. but the best advice that has been given here is to get yourself the demo and really give it a work out, make sure it suits you and what you want to do, also do yourself a great favor and also do the same with some competing products, give at least a couple a good and even try out. if it turns out sonar is what suits you that is all well and good, it is capable of getting the job done, although it is not my first or second choice, and would come in about forth on my recommendation list.
 
most important thing, don't worry about others opinions (remember what clint eastwood said about opinions) the only opinion that matters is your own, so give at least a couple of products a good honest demo and pick the one (or 2, or 3) that works best for you, works best on your hardware, the one which you you feel more comfortable with, don't just demo one product, try at least a couple.

The Grim
not sure what the op would expect posting a question like that on the very forum for the product he is thinking of moving to, not really going to get a very objective answer here, you might say that the sample group could be just a wee bit biased, the jury pool a little tainted. but the best advice that has been given here is to get yourself the demo and really give it a work out, make sure it suits you and what you want to do, also do yourself a great favor and also do the same with some competing products, give at least a couple a good and even try out. if it turns out sonar is what suits you that is all well and good, it is capable of getting the job done, although it is not my first or second choice, and would come in about forth on my recommendation list.
 
most important thing, don't worry about others opinions (remember what clint eastwood said about opinions) the only opinion that matters is your own, so give at least a couple of products a good honest demo and pick the one (or 2, or 3) that works best for you, works best on your hardware, the one which you you feel more comfortable with, don't just demo one product, try at least a couple.

I think I gave a very unbiased response to the OP's questions. I also see the value in asking on the forum of the product one is inquiring about. The very fact you have a different view and that you feel free to post it speaks volumes. 
 
As to all opinions being equal or valid lets test that notion. Ask ten people randomly on the street what their opinion is of Sonar and see if their answers are as useful as ours. 

regardless of that waffle, my advice was to try out several and choose the on that you feel is the best for you, regardless of others opinions, and if you are trying to suggest that people here, or on any other products own forum would give unbiased opinions/answers, all i can say is 'waffle' maybe try a neutral forum like kvr or gearsluts. note i didn't mention or suggest another competing product, but just suggested to try at least a couple of products, of the op's choice
 
waffle on

I appreciate all the feedback very much! You have been more than helpful and I will definitely take advantage of the free trial. My choice is either upgrading my Pro Tools 9 or looking for a new DAW. Not sure if it is just my version but PT9 seems buggy as hell. It is slow and difficult to work with and I always intended on using it solely for tracking and then sending those tracks to a studio for mix/master. That has never happened and I've learned in the process that PT isn't as "industry standard" as I once thought. I went into a studio and they referred to it as Slow Tools. It seems that Cubase is really catching on in the industry and that they don't mind if you bring your PT project files because they will just export stuff into their DAW.
 
Thanks again everyone!

What does "waffle" mean? I know of it as a breakfast food. 
 

The Grim
regardless of that waffle, my advice was to try out several and choose the on that you feel is the best for you, regardless of others opinions, and if you are trying to suggest that people here, or on any other products own forum would give unbiased opinions/answers, all i can say is 'waffle' maybe try a neutral forum like kvr or gearsluts. note i didn't mention or suggest another competing product, but just suggested to try at least a couple of products, of the op's choice
 
waffle on

That would have been a good way of answering which almost all replies already noted, to try the demo. The other comments about bias were to me uncalled for considering the OP had to know where he was posting. Yes I think strongly it is more than possible to give an unbiased answer to this sort of question. As I already stated I believe mine was unbiased.
 
If you believe KVR or Gearsluts are without bias you maybe the only one.