tlw
Simple human inertia makes toppling a market leader very difficult.

True, but there are two elements in play - getting people to switch, and enticing new users.
 
Pro Tools is still the top dog in the industry, but its market share started declining a while ago and continues to go steadily downward. Although some of this is likely due to people switching, a much more important reason IMHO is that people getting involved with music and computers have so many more choices.
 
The Mac was always "home turf" for Pro Tools, but now someone buying a Mac gets Garageband for free. So let's presume they like it. Now they want to move up. Are they going to buy Logic Pro for $199 or buy Pro Tools? I'm convinced a large part of PT's erosion is due to Logic Pro, because people just don't see a need to buy into the whole Pro Tools ecosystem. When I ask what DAW Mac people use at seminars, it used to be mostly Pro Tools with a few people using Logic. Now that's reversed. Granted it's anecdotal evidence, but I think it's meaningful.
 
There's additional erosion from more groove-oriented musicians who gravitate to Live, FL Studio, and Reason. They have absolutely zero need for Pro Tools. Then there's also the fact that SONAR has been picking up a lot of new users since X3 was introduced, and SONAR 2015 is accelerating that. While obviously that's not going to topple Pro Tools, it just underscores that someone getting into DAWs has a lot of choices these days, and to many of these people, Pro Tools just doesn't seem to offer value received.
 
On a side note, as to switching, I am familiar with multiple DAWs and I don't find it that difficult to move from one to another. Over time as they continue to "borrow" features from each other, their basic operation becomes more and more alike. A good example is the external insert in Logic; if you know how it works in SONAR, you know how it works in Logic. I highly recommend that people learn other DAWs, not only because it will make you appreciate SONAR more , but because some have functionality that SONAR doesn't appear to have - but SONAR's toolkit can allow you to do something either similar or identical. A lot of the "how-to" articles I write about SONAR are inspired by theoretically not being able to do something another DAW does, but then figuring out a way for SONAR to do it.

Jim Roseberry

Bristol_Jonesey
The amount of Sonar bashing that goes on over at Gearslutz is enough to make a monkey blush.
 
There are some VERY ignorant people over there who have totally closed minds. I can picture them with their hands over their ears saying "I can't hear you, I can't hear you".

There's a LOT of opinions over at GS... and there's a LOT of "bashing" across the board.    
 

There's only one kind of group more passionate than Reaper lovers and that has to be Sonar haters.  Since I own quite a few different DAW programs, I frequent quite a few forums.  The folks that feel that Cakewalk has wronged them in some way, never seem to forgive or forget.

For a Mac user, the only logical reasons (pun intended) i can think of offhand to choose pro Tools over Logic is either being so used to PT workflow that it decreases productivity or your work requires it.  There are few things I find PT to be better at and lots of things Logic is better at. Logic and Sonar give the most bang for the buck IMHO.

It's the small but handy tools that I like about Pro Tools.  For example, what we call Markers in Sonar are Memory Locations in Pro Tools and not only can you name the location like we do in Markers View but you can give them a number.

So imagine this, you number the Markers for the verses like this, "11" for the first verse, "12" for the second verse, "13" for the third verse.  The choruses are numbered "21", "22", "23."  The intro is "41" and every reintro is maybe "42" etc. (If you aren't seeing it already, the first digit is the sections of the songs (Verse, Chorus) and the second digit is which reiteration of the section you want.)
 
Now when you want to jump to the second chorus all you have to do is type "."+ "22" + "." and you're at the second Chorus.  If you want the third verse you type ".13."  Or you could set up half verses at ".125."  
 
I miss this sort of thing in SONAR.

Pro Tools has markers with names in the time line, as well so if you're a mouseketeer, you can click to your heart's content.  (But I bet I can go to four locations in a song on the number pad faster than you can mouse to them.    )

If it'd get me a cute girl in Daisy Dukes, on my website picture, I might go for it!

Yes, Im so sick of paying for upgrades.  Im thinking of going back to hardware based recording.  I have a Boss BR600 (older ver) sitting in front of me.  Also a couple loop stations.  I understand if your doing pro soundtracks and need to edit under a microscope the computer.  But To play and multi Track?  What is the best without the BS?  I started with Voyetra in 1981, after they went out of business Cakewalk.  I have a Mac.  Should I go to pro tools to avoid the constant upgrade charges?  any suggestions please?  Ive heard of Cubase and others that might work well.  I like the PC.  Thanks very much for your post.
 

Shreddi
Should I go to pro tools to avoid the constant upgrade charges?  

My Advice: Tascam Reel To Reel
 
They are dirt cheap now days.
 

You can tell he never had to deal with AVID..20+ years of their product and enough was enough for me.Sonar any day of the week.

bapu
My Advice: Tascam Reel To Reel
 
They are dirt cheap now days.

Behave yourself :-)