So...if Sonar lives....

I never liked the way they implemented FX Chains.  I never really wanted a container.   Maybe they could implement chains so that dragging them onto the FX bin gives you the container, Shift-Dragging just drops the effects.
 
I also really like how Studio One and Bitwig have Instrument presets which allow you to drag an instrument and effect chain onto a track to replace what is already there.  So if I had one preset of a Dimension Bass into Guitar Rig on a track, I could easily replace that with a preset of a Kontakt bass going into Amplitube, or similar.
 
 

Well for one, I've been doing some intensive automation envelope drawing in Reaper over the last few days and I can't believe I ever coped with it in Sonar. When you're drawing dozens of envelopes for synth and effect parameters in Reaper, it's so much easier to manage everything. You open a big window which lists all of your effect plugins in a well organized array of collapsible lists, and you simply tick checkboxes for all of the parameters that you want and it creates lanes for them. No more creating them lane by lane and scrolling endlessly through those horrible parameter menus in Sonar to find the one parameter out of 200 you need to automate a synth. And you can choose which ones to show/hide from the same window. You can also resize all of the lanes independently, as big as you like. 
 
Another thing I like in Reaper which it's about time Sonar had is the integrated wet/dry for every effect in your chain. That's so handy. Bitwig takes that a step further and lets you do stuff like split your signal into bands on the same track and branch off separate FX chains for each band, or do the same for mid/side etc. It's so much easier than having to do stuff like this with aux tracks and sends. You get to do it all on the one track, and your projects are so much easier to manage as a result. With Bitwig you can even have recursive fx chains within fx chains, as many times as your computer can handle. You can do stuff like embed an fx chain into a synth, and then save the synth with its fx chain as a preset to use again. Really great stuff. 
 
I'd love to see Sonar take some cues from other DAW's in integrating modern production techniques and making them easier. It has a lot of great stuff to learn from the likes of Ableton, Bitwig, Reaper and Studio One. You don't even have to be into EDM or pop to appreciate this stuff. Times have changed tremendously and people are looking for much more than just a "fancy multitrack recorder" in a DAW. 
 
Oh and fix the long standing bugs which made Sonar such a frustrating experience for many and drove huge numbers of users away! The program does not perform well under pressure, nowhere near as well as other DAW's. I've been working with the same sized project side by side in Reaper and Sonar and honestly Sonar feels like a geriatric with arthritis in comparison. Big eye opener for me, that. I suspect there a large amount of legacy bloat that barely anyone uses any more in Sonar, and it would be great to see it come back as a lean, mean fighting machine. 

Cautiously optimistic about the developments with Bandlab. Now that I've tried other DAWS e.g. Studio One, Samplitude and Reaper it strikes me that for SONAR to have any sustainable longevity for the future the following features are entry level for any Pro DAW in 2018:
 
The ability to have separate buffer sizes set for recording and mixing (like Studio One)
Support for per note controller automation (like Reaper, Cubase and Bitwig)
As noted by the aptly named sharke previously, a complete re-write of the automation writing process
Revamped and reorganized MIDI editing tools with some of the more useful CAL routines available from the editor
The ability to preview an FX chain by hovering over the target track
 

mettelus
Given what we know so far I am pessimistic about seeing feature requests at any appreciable rate. I expect SONAR to get a makeover to conform to the new status quo first, and only two people have been named who know the code already. Some FRs have already been languishing for years as it is, and I expect them to continue to for some time. I used to read through the FR forum just to keep myself focused on reality, and then it was moved to make it even harder to track. I expect that to remain relatively unchanged.

Which is really just another way of saying it's irrelevant who owns Cakewalk as feature requests will never be implemented by anyone, ever and the installation servers will perish in the heat death of the universe anyways....
I think much will depend on the type of target user at which Bandlab is aiming to pitch a relaunched/re-branded Sonar i.e. the niche pro DAW user demographic (unlikely) or the casual dabbler whose looking for a set of more sophisticated tools to get their music onto the cloud via a web based DAW (more likely) However, Bandlab must themselves be in something of a quandary as they know they have a potentially large and loyal Sonar customer base with which they could earn considerable income over the coming years depending on how they weigh up the anticipated income streams from both demographics.

mudgel
Band lab will have the do something with Sonar that no one’s been able to do for many a year.

Make a profit. That will mean significant changes. In what way, I have no clue, but clearly changes will be made.

I think that this will indeed be the key to winning back those who have already moved and retaining those that have stayed so far waiting to see what will happen.

I'm looking forward to seeing what emerges in the next 3 months.

mumpcake
I never liked the way they implemented FX Chains.  I never really wanted a container.   Maybe they could implement chains so that dragging them onto the FX bin gives you the container, Shift-Dragging just drops the effects.

 
ahem it it already does this :) Shift dragging an fx chain unpacks the individual effects. Most people prefer keeping them intact as a single object however since its much easier to manage and move the chain as a single entity in the fx rack. Unpacking them prevents you from doing this or using the global controls for a chain.
 
 
>>I also really like how Studio One and Bitwig have Instrument presets which allow you to drag an instrument and effect chain onto a track to replace what is already there. 
Again this is already available. We have had replace instrument available for years.
Its not done via drag and drop in this case. Just right click a synth track and choose replace synth or access it from the dropdown in the synth rack. If you have a default preset set up it will choose that.
 
>>So if I had one preset of a Dimension Bass into Guitar Rig on a track, I could easily replace that with a preset of a Kontakt bass going into Amplitube, or similar.
 
Yes it would be nice to have a separate preset browser that allowed drag and drop as well. We had that in the backlog at some point.
 
 

Never left, Just bought an alternative should the worst happen, so I'll use the one I fancy on the day. But so pleased Sonar didnt die.
Roy
 

never mind, I guess placing the words "can someone please restore my post"
before my actual comment tricked the spam filter into believing im not a spammer.
go figure.

What! Cakewalk hardly implemented any feature requests.
 
Name five?
 
All the added feature were pretty much their own ideas

5. happened because the licensed expired.
 
So easy, then name 20. Even then would it be the reason that Sonar was unstable. Are you supporting Cactus's claim that this is the reason that Sonar is unstable? 

mixmkr
How many are going to come back and flood feature requests that their "new love" could do, but Sonar hadn't implemented yet?  In other words...  Bend Sonar into its' competition.
Boy.... a thick channel would be nice and an interface that perfectly integrated with the software....even used the same native plugs on their hardware, where you could transfer settings from computer to hardware.
Maybe colors that look like "cotton candy" at first, but the gaudy-ness of it, starts to grow on you...
ha!

I never left.
 
Feature requests? Fix the bugs first. But I don't expect the new owners to "reissue" SONAR as it currently is. I expect they want to blend their existing products with the crazy advanced IP that is SONAR. I'll wait to see what comes of that before coming up with feature requests.

The one obvious request someone might have: A proper "Sheet Music/Score Editor" - I got MuseScore (free) and "Forte" (Not so free), so I'm OK on that front. They don't directly integrate with SONAR, but they work for what I need.

Beyond that, I want to see what BandLab comes up with before charging in with the Demands... I mean requests.

Kamikaze
And the subject was 'endless pursuit of feature requests was why Sonar became so unstable for many.'

Not from what you posted. Your often repeated comment that Cakewalk did not implement user requests is simply not true. A simple check of the link I provided invalidated the comment. Cakewalk was continually on the bug hunt too. Look at the link provided for that info if you so desire. Better still why not look to the future rather than complain about the past.

Cactus Music
Myself I think this endless pursuit  of feature requests was why Sonar became so unstable for many. 
There is a huge difference in stability between using Home Studio and Splat for me,, on the same 2 computers and set up parameters. Sonar ( SPLAT) randomly has crashed for me. Mostly during midi editing and sometimes after saving and export. 
 
So I started working in Home Studio as it has all the same features I need for midi and after more than a year HS has never once crashed. So you can go ahead a dream of adding even more junk and making it more un stable, but my wish for what ever these people produce is the same stability Home Studio ( yes and Cubase)  has. I often wondered if Artist was also more stable? 
 
And last night a midi track for no reason decided to add a overlapping few measures of wonderfully out of tune piano chords at the end of the song.. It also extended the drum track by 10 measures???? These weird bugs are what we get used to, but they don't ever happen in HS,, why? Because it is simplified and what it does have, works solid. From there you can start adding code and the more code you add, the more stuff is going to go weird. 

Johnny, I can tell you that my install of 8.5 Studio is far more stable than my 8.5 Producer ever was, which is why that is what I am now using. Although I plan to upgrade as soon as that becomes possible. I have been regretting that I did not do so before "the announcement."  So Artist could be more stable than Sonar Platinum. Anyone know?

Wow Lots of speculation, which is to be expected.
 
All I care about, ATM is don't forget to give me my algo so I can reinstall the product I paid for.
The rest we really have no control over..............
 
Just keep the promise made way back when..........