Quick question before I buy....

Hi,
I haven't had any compatibility issues in general, although admittedly I'm more audio oriented than MIDI.  I think Sonar tends to be compatible with most products that any major DAW is, but aside from downloading the demo, which you've already done - you can also post a list of your key synths here and maybe others can respond confirming they're using those without issue or not. 
 
Also please include your system specs and whether you're using 32 or 64 bit versions of the synths for clarity.
Russ

Well, according to the Cakewalk technical support folks, 3rd-party plugins make up the majority of the support calls/emails they receive.  I cannot say with certainty one way or the other if they indicated whether or not those were both 32-bit and 64-bit plugins or just 32-bit ones, but AM certain that they were saying it was 3rd-party plugins.
 
I would add that I have observed issues with particularly 32-bit plugins.  Sometimes, switching from either BitBridge to JBridge fixed things up for some, and sometimes neither one would work for a particular plugin.
 
On the other hand, there are LOTS of folks for which the majority of 32-bit plugins continue to work in 64-bit Sonar, so I wouldn't just write it off, but you really should do some research and testing with the demo version, so that you know up front what you are going to be dealing with.
 
I think ANY of the 64-bit DAW software on the market has posted a mixture of success and failure with regard to the use of 3rd-party plugins in a 64-bit DAW install.
 
I would also offer that MANY of the larger companies have developed and released FREE 64-bit upgrade versions of their 32-bit plugins, so that in many cases, simply checking the vendor web sites for the ones you have would greatly reduce the potential for issues.  Companies like Native Instruments created free updates for nearly all of their many synths and effects.
 
And lastly, you get to install both a 32-bit Sonar AND a concurrent 64-bit Sonar, so if there are 32-bit plugins you cannot port over successfully to work in 64-bit Sonar, just use them in the 32-bit version, or as a last choice swap the ones that can't work out for suitable replacements.  I did this, and most others here in the forum have, too.
 
Most of us have made deliberate choices to move to an all 64-bit set of plugins (synths and effects).  No matter which software you end up with, in a 64-bit environment, you will face the same set of issues.
 
So - best advice I can give you is to test out as many of your plugins as possible in the X3 demo, and additionally look to see which ones are available in a free update 64-bit version.
 
X3 is considered by all accounts here in the forum, and on the web, as being one of (if not THE) most stable releases of Sonar of all time.  X3 Producer Edition comes with a WHOLE bunch of good add-ons, as well as integrated Melodyne, a bunch of instruments and effects, and a SUPERB engine.
 
And beyond the software itself, this forum has a tremendous number of REALLY helpful and knowledgeable folks for when you have questions or issues.  It is also quite common to have 2-3 Cakewalk senior staff pop in at times late at night or even on weekends and holidays (no guarantee of that, but it DOES happen quite frequently).
 
Bob Bone