dubdisciple
Chuck.  I didn't say it was common.  Noticed that I used past tense.  Vegas was once an audio only application.  As a modern DAW it would be awful.  it's not even capable of side chaining .  When Vegas added video features the DAW market was a lot less advanced.  Vegas, even with the new video additions was somewhat of a poor man's Nuendo.  It is wise that they focused on the video aspect because they have not made any major core updates to the audio core of any of their programs in ages.

sorry I misunderstood what you were saying in your first post.

Depends on the Musicians!

ProTools has a very nice workflow for audio especially (or so most people feel). Back when PCs were a LOT less powerful, their expansion cards allowed people to use a ton of plugins while native systems were stuck with a few, or low quality ones. These days, that isn't such an issue, but ProTools is by now the de facto standard for larger recording studios. Many production style studios use Cubase, Logic and yes, Sonar. Reaper is gaining some popularity, and if I'm not mistaken Colby Caillat's hit of 2012(?) "Call Me Maybe" was done entirely in Reason.

In other words, your own skill in composition, production and mixing are much more likely to hamper you than any inherent lack of sound quality on Sonar's part.

To break down the OP's original question:
 
Is Sonar a professional piece of software with the right tools for recording and mixing?
Yes.
 
Does the Sonar package include all the softsynths and effects that you would need?
No.
 
Sound quality?
A non-issue.

I recorded my band's last two albums in X1 and X2 www.serotonincrush.com
 
Sonar is an excellent, pro level DAW. The only things I don't use it for any more are film scoring (due to it's lack of features...although X3d might be better), and project delivery...in which case I use Pro Tools.
 
If you plan on recording an album, Sonar is killer.

This is not the question, but for readers who may be new to the game:
 
Most people's (technical) downfall does not come form the choice of DAW, but from preamps or mics.  I do NOT believe you need an $8,000 boutique preamp, but a really cheap preamp that won't provide enough clean gain is a real handicap.  Thank God there are a lot more good quality, affordable options now than five years ago.
 
I have similar thoughts on vocal microphones; however, everyone's voice is so different that there are no rules there.  I am quite happy with an RE-20 and a Rode NT2A for most things and they are not expensive.  People have cut hits with Shure 57s/58s which are even less expensive.  That said, a U87 is definitely worth its cost because it will work for almost anything.
 
Related to both of the above points, if you don't have the right combination of preamp and mic or don't have the impedance matched and the correct padding/trim, you can get some very ugly sounding vocals.  Sometimes people see good levels on their console and don't realize they are distorting the mic.  I am not an expert on vocal recording and wish I had an assistant who was; but I have learned some things not to do the hard way.  Fortunately, my voice is so weird that a messed up recording might help.

Actually, Sonar is NOT powerful enough to make a full-fledged album: I looked for a menu item that said "Make full-fledged album" but couldn't find anything. Apparently it's the responsibility of the person using Sonar to make a full-fledged album

Anderton
Actually, Sonar is NOT powerful enough to make a full-fledged album: I looked for a menu item that said "Make full-fledged album" but couldn't find anything. Apparently it's the responsibility of the person using Sonar to make a full-fledged album

You mean, this isn't Cakewalks fault????
 

Kev999
Does the Sonar package include all the softsynths and effects that you would need?
No.

I disagree, I submit this massive hit to the jury (live version so you can see what is going on):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15YZUXL_ULU
 
More stuff may make you feel more creative, but you ain't necessarily more creative. 

Kev999
 Does the Sonar package include all the softsynths and effects that you would need?
No.
 

I would respectfully disagree with that.  Yes, there are synths and effects some might prefer over what is included in software, but I have no doubt a reasonably competent synth player/ audio engineer could use what is included to cut an album.  I think the relative low price and convenience of being able to add softsynths and effects as compared to the past makes us underestimate how powerful many of them are. z3ta and Rapture are high quality synths.  There are only a couple of drum programs one could argue are better than Addictive drums. Considering in the past that many albums were recorded on "lesser" synths and effects due to budget constraints, one could do far worse than what is bundled.  Many synths got popular for this reason.  Many Casio synth owners could not afford the Yamahas popular in the 80's and managed to crank out a number of hit albums.