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.

Sonar Platinum still works fine on Win7. The problem is, no one knows for how long it will work before switching to demo mode if the servers go offline. I'd rather spend time preparing now than be surprised...
 
Dan

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 did reinstall windows this weekend and installed Cakewalk Sonar fresh on it. There was some bugs now. Volume of tracks change without changing the faders is one. In one project a Dimension Pro track peaked out even tho I had not changed anything on the track. Is - 5 on the volum slider. Gain is at 0. So I can't use Sonar now without tech help.

Personally I'm ok with it working - or being able to work until windows 21 (or whatever) comes out. 
 
My big issue is the authorization.  THAT has to be figured out we are not dependent on "Gibson" for authorization. PERIOD.  They have zero respect to just "trust" them.

In our special case we have SONAR misused to digitize thousends tapes and vinyl.
So we will continiue to work with SONAR until we find a new DAW that can be also misused for such work.
We need very special functions and we will check Cubase as soon there is a trial for the new version 9.5. We have ProTools and Studio One sorted out. They are great DAWs - but not for our work.
But we only change from SONAR when an other DAW is significant better for our very special workflow.
If the authorization server is down - there are cracks for the latest version. I have paid for a few licences of livetime.
In the worst case we have - in the year 2027 - to use a ten year old DAW to digitize tapes from 1964.
But I hope that Cakewalk is born again.
 

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! ;-)

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.

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...

In my case it's more a matter of, hey, this ship seems to be, well ok not already sinking but rudderless and heading into uncertain waters, so it felt like a good time to look at some options. Not in a panicky way, I have generally had a great time with Sonar and will probably keep using it for a while at least while learning something else, but just to see where other platforms were at these days.

I checked out most alternatives to some extent, and found that while Studio One had a lot going for it, snappy and responsive and well designed, it was Reaper that felt the best to me personally. I'd always liked the whole concept and ethos behind it, but hadn't looked at it for a while and remembered it as being not quite ready for prime time compared to Sonar, but frankly that has changed. I'm not sure why it would be seen as the 'more stripped down option' as someone suggested above, it's actually insanely deep at this point and with all the community add-ons, very powerful indeed.

I was having a spot of trouble with Sonar for a couple of days there - not its fault really, but it gave me some trouble around an Arturia update that, in comparison, didn't make Reaper flinch, so I did a couple of tracks in Reaper just to get the feel of it, and realized... yeah, this is where I want to be going forward. It's just a good fit for me. Probably better overall than Sonar, if I'm honest.

I would likely not have come to that realization if it weren't for this CW debacle. I have nothing particularly against Gibson; I do think this whole thing is unfortunate and a terrible waste, but I'm not in a position to assign blame over it (that hasn't stopped a lot of people here from doing just that, mind you). I just know that I've found my way forward, and am more interested in getting on with making music than ruminating on what went wrong here.