jonboper
I'm learning Reaper right now. It's a steep learning curve, for sure, not a very user-friendly GUI, but it has some really cool features and an active user base. I'm watching videos and playing along. If I can't get into it in the next few weeks I'll try...one of the other ones.

Same here.  I open Reaper to start learning this & that, and a few minutes later it's like "I'll come back this later", lol.
 
I need to conquer it, though, 'cause I'm not in a position to purchase any of the other DAWs at this time.  ...but I'm also dabbling with the Studio 1 Pro demo as well.  I have 30 days to cough up the cash if it suits my needs better than Reaper.  I do have a version of Cubase that came with my Focusrite interface that I could look into a little deeper, but... brain hurt....

Maybe Sonar's demise is a blessing in disguise?
 
Many will probably end up with another DAW listed as supported on a 3rd party's product! 
 
"Supported by leading DAWs such as Logic Pro, Cubase, Bitwig Studio, Ableton Live, FL Studio, Reaper, Studio One".
 
That list is just from the presets included with my Akai VIP control enabled keyboard...

All this talk of "DAW x has inferior MIDI editing to Sonar's" needs to be taken with a pinch of salt IMO. I'm not suggesting that people are lying when they say it, it's just that even if you're a heavy MIDI user, DAW x's MIDI editing might be just as good for your purposes as Sonar's. 
 
For instance, I use MIDI a LOT. All of my projects are centered around VSTi's, and I do a lot of guitar-MIDI conversion, and I do stupid amounts of fine tuned editing in the PRV. Hours upon hours of it. I have MIDI flying around my projects like there's no tomorrow. Both my MIDI and MIDI generated by plugins. Despite that, I don't think I use Sonar's MIDI capabilities to anywhere near their full extent. As an example, in 5 years of Sonar use, I've never once used the event list! Even just tinkering with stuff in the piano roll, I don't use half of the tools available to me. 
 
It's been awhile since I used Pro Tools, but I don't remember having any problem editing MIDI in it, and this was over 5 years ago. I'm sure the MIDI in Studio One, Bitwig and whatever other DAW's would be fine for me as well. So just if you're a heavy MIDI user who is being swayed by people saying that such and such a DAW has inferior MIDI editing to Sonar's, don't write it off. Have a think about what you actually do with MIDI on a daily basis, and look into how those operations are carried out in the new DAW. You may find it just fine for your needs.  

jyoung60

jonboper
I'm learning Reaper right now. It's a steep learning curve, for sure, not a very user-friendly GUI, but it has some really cool features and an active user base. I'm watching videos and playing along. If I can't get into it in the next few weeks I'll try...one of the other ones.

Same here.  I open Reaper to start learning this & that, and a few minutes later it's like "I'll come back this later", lol.
 
I need to conquer it, though, 'cause I'm not in a position to purchase any of the other DAWs at this time.  ...but I'm also dabbling with the Studio 1 Pro demo as well.  I have 30 days to cough up the cash if it suits my needs better than Reaper.  I do have a version of Cubase that came with my Focusrite interface that I could look into a little deeper, but... brain hurt....

My immediate impression of Reaper was that it does feel a little clunky to work with, i.e. the GUI isn't exactly buttery smooth and things like scrolling and zooming happen in steps instead of smoothly. I tried installing a theme, which was the best looking one I could find (Imperial) and even though it improved the look of Reaper immensely, of course it didn't do anything to make those operations smoother. I don't know why this bothers me so much but I guess it's just that in this day and age of silky smooth GUI animations, I'm used to a smoother experience. It's amazing how the look and feel of a GUI can totally influence how you feel about the program you're using, and how you feel about it really does affect your workflow. Perhaps there are some settings to make things look smoother, I didn't look into it yet. 

sharke

jyoung60

jonboper
I'm learning Reaper right now. It's a steep learning curve, for sure, not a very user-friendly GUI, but it has some really cool features and an active user base. I'm watching videos and playing along. If I can't get into it in the next few weeks I'll try...one of the other ones.

Same here.  I open Reaper to start learning this & that, and a few minutes later it's like "I'll come back this later", lol.
 
I need to conquer it, though, 'cause I'm not in a position to purchase any of the other DAWs at this time.  ...but I'm also dabbling with the Studio 1 Pro demo as well.  I have 30 days to cough up the cash if it suits my needs better than Reaper.  I do have a version of Cubase that came with my Focusrite interface that I could look into a little deeper, but... brain hurt....

My immediate impression of Reaper was that it does feel a little clunky to work with, i.e. the GUI isn't exactly buttery smooth and things like scrolling and zooming happen in steps instead of smoothly. I tried installing a theme, which was the best looking one I could find (Imperial) and even though it improved the look of Reaper immensely, of course it didn't do anything to make those operations smoother. I don't know why this bothers me so much but I guess it's just that in this day and age of silky smooth GUI animations, I'm used to a smoother experience. It's amazing how the look and feel of a GUI can totally influence how you feel about the program you're using, and how you feel about it really does affect your workflow. Perhaps there are some settings to make things look smoother, I didn't look into it yet. 

Try the LCS mod of Imperial.  It might not be smoother, but it gives you folder control in the mix view. along with an overall more compact appearance.
 
FYI:  Overall, I'm not experience the step-wise GUI updates you're describing.

BobF

sharke

jyoung60

jonboper
I'm learning Reaper right now. It's a steep learning curve, for sure, not a very user-friendly GUI, but it has some really cool features and an active user base. I'm watching videos and playing along. If I can't get into it in the next few weeks I'll try...one of the other ones.

Same here.  I open Reaper to start learning this & that, and a few minutes later it's like "I'll come back this later", lol.
 
I need to conquer it, though, 'cause I'm not in a position to purchase any of the other DAWs at this time.  ...but I'm also dabbling with the Studio 1 Pro demo as well.  I have 30 days to cough up the cash if it suits my needs better than Reaper.  I do have a version of Cubase that came with my Focusrite interface that I could look into a little deeper, but... brain hurt....

My immediate impression of Reaper was that it does feel a little clunky to work with, i.e. the GUI isn't exactly buttery smooth and things like scrolling and zooming happen in steps instead of smoothly. I tried installing a theme, which was the best looking one I could find (Imperial) and even though it improved the look of Reaper immensely, of course it didn't do anything to make those operations smoother. I don't know why this bothers me so much but I guess it's just that in this day and age of silky smooth GUI animations, I'm used to a smoother experience. It's amazing how the look and feel of a GUI can totally influence how you feel about the program you're using, and how you feel about it really does affect your workflow. Perhaps there are some settings to make things look smoother, I didn't look into it yet. 

Try the LCS mod of Imperial.  It might not be smoother, but it gives you folder control in the mix view. along with an overall more compact appearance.
 
FYI:  Overall, I'm not experience the step-wise GUI updates you're describing.

What I'm talking about is, stuff like zooming into tracks, it's not buttery smooth like it is in other DAW's. Whether I use the mouse wheel or the little zoom buttons in the lower right corner, it happens in steps, like this:
 
 

 
EDIT: I guess when I change the track height by dragging it, the vertical zoom is indeed smooth. It's only when holding down the zoom buttons or using the mouse wheel. Huh. 

Starise
This is the unique thing about software. Sonar was, but Sonar still is for now. No matter what else happens with Gibson, we can still use Sonar. At least in the near foreseeable future. The only way I see that changing is if a competitor buys it to strip the useful code and then kills it. Even then, that buyer has the option to allow import of old files.
 
I might be one of the lucky ones. I've been using Cakewalk software since Pro 8. I have always had my computer online. A windows update has never broken my machine. Sometime an update would change an audio setting. That's a 10 minute fix for me to go in, see what it changed and change it back again. Simples.
 
I'm not knocking anyone who unplugs, just saying I have had no major issues. Now I'm not surfing while I'm recording and I watch where I go online. I'm hip to those scam emails. If I get anything from my credit card company or my utility. I do directly to them if I have a question. Usually a scam is obvious- " Plese chek your account" lol.

Same here.  I do plan on doing a system backup though.  Long live Sonar!!!

i have been working mainly with SO3 since the gift from Gibson.  I figure I have to learn something new some day, why not now?  
 
I know it is way more limited in its MIDI implementation, but I use only a couple of external synths anyway.  
 
 

Currently Cakewalk software uses a DRM - an app that checks the license and manages the downloads. I wonder if there will be an option to simply download the entire application (such as Sonar) and install it offline. I'm not sure of the implications for preventing software piracy, but it would sure be convenient and bring some peace of mind to current Cakewalk software users.

In case you are unaware, you can already and always have been able download all your files manually from your account page, and install them manually. The problem would be authorizing.