Sonar, Windows, and other DAW's

I have been reading here that a lot of people are ready to just jump ship now, even though Sonar still works great. I can see using it for a good while before any issues come up, such as Windows updates eventually having compatibility issues. So, is it more of a screw you Gibson or mainly a get used to something new now instead of later?
 
Does the current and apparently final version is Sonar Platinum still function properly on Windows 7?
 
I keep my studio machine connected so I can easily update plugins and other apps.. So, if a Windows update does screw it up just installing Win7 should get it working again, right?
 
I hate change to the point it makes me cringe thinking about learning a new DAW. I did check out Studio One and it was ok, but not great. So, if you guys had the option between Studio One or ProTools which way would you go an why? I ask because I'm kind of planning way ahead. I imagine that drivers and hardware will eventually be incompatible with Win7 so the need to change will eventually be mandatory.

I've only ever used Sonar on my own computer, but here are some thoughts based on feedback I've gotten from other users:
 
Several people I know and respect have abandoned Pro Tools for either Studio One or Reaper and never looked back. Reaper is the more stripped-down option, but super stable and very frequently updated - very responsive to user comments. I get the impression that S1 is not all about extra features, either, so see what comes with the basic platform.
 
However, if I were starting over I would look very seriously at Cubase and especially at Digital Performer now that it's available for PC. Every interaction I've had with a DP user I've been very impressed.
 
I wouldn't mess with Pro Tools unless you have to, which I'm guessing you don't since you aren't using it right now. With Avid I trust their future only slightly more than I trust Sonar's. I also would steer clear of any of the "smaller" DAWs (Bitwig, etc.) unless you are tied in with some existing users you want to interact with (collaboration with a friend being the reason I went with Sonar in the first place). I know that Mixbus has a rabid following and the newest version seems to cover many of the bases for creating and mixing music (older versions were really only good for mixing).
 
My recommendation is to keep using Sonar for a while and take a close look at the options. At a base level they will all record, edit and mix audio and MIDI. What sets many of them apart is the extras that come with them (something Sonar excelled at) so that is what I would analyze most closely. I'm not gong to make a jump unless Sonar becomes unworkable on my computer (I have heard tales of a-list mixers in Nashville and LA that are still using Pro Tools 6 because it works for them). When I do jump I'm going to try and make it a clean break and not transfer projects between the two platforms.

I'm just not into supporting the Avid lifestyle at high rolling monthly or yearly fees. I honestly don't mind a reasonable yearly update cost. I'm not big on... pay us every month to keep your software working models.

so with a new year starting and by friend Sonar having been put 6' under, I'm thinking I'll take advantage of Studio One Pro's cross grade sale at sweetwater for $199 and at least have a head start on moving forward this year.

I've got three projects that I need to finish in Sonar. And believe me, I'll miss some of it's great features, but it seems like using it until it gets broken by a windows update (like happened with streaming software and webcams when the windows 10 Valentines day update game my live stream setup the kiss of death with OBS ;-) is just asking to be more frustrated than I am now.

Gibson has had pleanty of time to come out and say, Hey, we are open to selling the code base or gifting it to the community for anyone that wants to pick it up and take it someplace... but all we get is silence. I think that ship has sailed. And, even though I requested a partial refund of my "swindleishious" Lifetime Updates Platinum version... I'm not expecting them to do the honorable thing. And there will be no one there to put out an emergency patch to fix a suddenly non-functional DAW that is officially dead. I hate that but it's where we are at. So I have to have a forward looking plan.

Studio One Pro looks like a decent current platform, they are young, hungry, and aiming high, plus they interlock with overlapping hardware products with might well be a good thing. They also seem to like to make things simple and easy and clean. From what I've read, they have created a blend of some of the best features of their competitors and have been moving fast to keep improving.

I'll give them a try.
 
Best of luck you to and best of luck to us all! ;-)

If everybody just stopped and read the last post by Craig, I'm sure it would cut down on the 1001+ posts here about what everybody is switching to.
 
Don't panic, learn another DAW (you might learn a thing or two), and be ready if necessary...

Anderton
I don't think it's a situation where you have to stop using Sonar and start using something else. It may seem daunting to learn a new DAW, and it is, but you already know how to use a DAW if you use Sonar. A different DAW will have other features and lack some features, but there will be more similarities than differences.
 
Sonar won't die tomorrow and probably not for quite some time. So keep using Sonar, but start playing around with another DAW that interests you. Over time you may be surprised that it's not that difficult to be fluent with two DAWs.
 
I chose Studio One because I've been using Studio One's Project Page functionality for years, and know the Song functionality reasonably well. I also wanted a cross-platform program because I have a MacBook Pro for travelling. So if Cakewalk gets bought and Sonar survives, great - but I'll also be fluent with Studio One and when I start a project, I'll decide which one will be best for the task at hand.
 
It's like an instrument. My primary instrument is guitar, but I also play keyboards. Most of my songs are born on guitar, but many are born on keyboards. Knowing how to play both has benefited me far more than simply being proficient on one or the other.

I went to Studio One, of course very unhappily.
 
The last thing I wanted was to change DAWs, after 30 years of Cakewalk.
 
But I can tell you Studio One has a fresh feel to it. Not everything happens the way I want, but it is fast and reliable. You can set your latency to be very low and it works without weird problems. It is stable and fast.
 
My old projects might be toast but the new ones on Studio One will be new adventures that I expect will be very good.
 
I just hope Gibson does not buy Presonus

Still do the abrupt wake up at 4am, random concerns, the usual worries...world coming to an end and all,etc. Cakewalk/SONAR "demise" still in the bad dreams mix, even though it opens and works just fine. It's not a panic,but it's a reality.  So we purchased Samplitude Pro X3, already have S1 3.5. Yet, we totally prefer Sonar and will use it with much fun and glee,until.... ? It's such a Dam# It! moment..

I know this sounds awful, but I'm almost grateful for what happened (I should imagine Cakewalk employees don't feel the same way) - if it didn't happen, I would still be plodding along with Sonar and all of its problems hoping for fixes that probably weren't coming, thinking that "jumping ship" was a pipe dream, that I would never take the time to learn another DAW. I'm still using Sonar to finish old projects although I honestly don't know if I'll get all of them done given how problematic, buggy and unstable Sonar is for me. But test driving Bitwig has made me realize just how much greener the grass is in many ways, and it's been a treat to mess with a fresh young DAW that's been built on brand new code & design from the ground up, paying attention to the shortcomings and mistakes of DAWs gone by. There's loads of stuff in newer DAWs like Bitwig that will make you think wow, Sonar could never have done this without an extensive rewrite and design rethink. 
 
I used to listen to people talk about using multiple DAWs on this forum and think, why bother? Surely that's more trouble than its worth. But having test driven Bitwig and to some extent Reaper, I now understand that. They really do have their individual strengths and no one DAW is a jack of all trades. At one time I demoed Studio One and was really impressed with how well designed and snappy it is, and I would have gone with it now like so many other people here but I was just so intrigued by the futuristic design of Bitwig. If I had more spare cash lying around I probably would have gone with S1 as a sort of backup/"normal" DAW to compliment Bitwig, but I'll probably save the $$$'s and use Reaper for that instead. We just ought to be thankful there are so many choices these days. 

I'm transitioning to Cubase Pro 9.5.  I see a lot of people going for Studio One, but if you want to know why that wasn't even close to an option for me, Google "Presonus groundbreaking ceremony Louisiana" (images) and you will see my answer.

Jeff Evans

SF_Green
I'm transitioning to Cubase Pro 9.5.  I see a lot of people going for Studio One, but if you want to know why that wasn't even close to an option for me, Google "Presonus groundbreaking ceremony Louisiana" (images) and you will see my answer.

Its got nothing to do with how great a DAW it is though

No, but it has everything to do with who I am willing to give my money to.

SF_Green

Jeff Evans

SF_Green
I'm transitioning to Cubase Pro 9.5.  I see a lot of people going for Studio One, but if you want to know why that wasn't even close to an option for me, Google "Presonus groundbreaking ceremony Louisiana" (images) and you will see my answer.

Its got nothing to do with how great a DAW it is though

No, but it has everything to do with who I am willing to give my money to.

i'm not sure what i'm supposed to be seeing there?

I'm guessing it's because they were photographed with a Republican. Personally I couldn't care less if the developers of my DAW take a photo opportunity with a politician I disagree with. He is the governor of Louisiana after all, love him or hate him. Until my dreams of a libertarian wonderland bear fruit, businesses are always going to have to bite their tongues and suck up to government figures 

sharke
I know this sounds awful, but I'm almost grateful for what happened (I should imagine Cakewalk employees don't feel the same way) - if it didn't happen, I would still be plodding along with Sonar and all of its problems hoping for fixes that probably weren't coming, thinking that "jumping ship" was a pipe dream, that I would never take the time to learn another DAW. I'm still using Sonar to finish old projects although I honestly don't know if I'll get all of them done given how problematic, buggy and unstable Sonar is for me. But test driving Bitwig has made me realize just how much greener the grass is in many ways, and it's been a treat to mess with a fresh young DAW that's been built on brand new code & design from the ground up, paying attention to the shortcomings and mistakes of DAWs gone by. There's loads of stuff in newer DAWs like Bitwig that will make you think wow, Sonar could never have done this without an extensive rewrite and design rethink. 
 
I used to listen to people talk about using multiple DAWs on this forum and think, why bother? Surely that's more trouble than its worth. But having test driven Bitwig and to some extent Reaper, I now understand that. They really do have their individual strengths and no one DAW is a jack of all trades. At one time I demoed Studio One and was really impressed with how well designed and snappy it is, and I would have gone with it now like so many other people here but I was just so intrigued by the futuristic design of Bitwig. If I had more spare cash lying around I probably would have gone with S1 as a sort of backup/"normal" DAW to compliment Bitwig, but I'll probably save the $$$'s and use Reaper for that instead. We just ought to be thankful there are so many choices these days. 

I admit to the same heresy. One simple example: of all the software I’ve run on multiple computers for many years, Sonar is the only one that routinely causes a complete crash, BSOD. I switched to Reaper a couple of years ago because of that, and it’s reliabilty has been a breath of fresh air. I’m almost relieved that now I am better off migrating everything to Reaper, although sad to be saying farewell to Sonar after 15 years.