Yeah, I know there's not necessarily one synth that's best for everything... I'm asking cause I've not recorded anything in a while, and I have these spurious memories of various synths in past versions of Sonar, and I've looked at the Z3TA+ 2 blurb, which reads like its really great...
 
You know, it always sounds fantastic what you can do with these, until you find out you need to get a PHD on that particular synth to work it well, and in another year its gone again and you find yourself reading about new synths that are even more fantastic, but you need a new PHD specific to the new one you pick.
 
So, the question, not shortened for a thread title would be like:  What old synth would you replace with Z3TA+ 2, and should you?  I presume it doesn't compete so much with dream station, cause that's more of a sample modeling thing?
 
I'm lost...
compass anyone?

Z3TA+ 1, or is that too much of an open door for you?

It's a VA and does modern sounds very well, does that help?

This is an invitation to a gunfight. FWIW, Z3TA+2 has never been included with SONAR. It has been included in special bundles, like the X1 Production Suite. The original version of Z3TA+ is bundled with SONAR. I expect each synth has it's champions and the answer may depend on the musical style. My long standing favorite of the Cakewalk synths is Rapture.

Thanks for the input...
 
I'm not sure what you mean by 'too much of an open door' in regards to Z3TA 1
What does VA stand for?
 
I'm not really focused on whether something is the 'current style' or modern or old or anything, Its just if some particular sound attracts me and seems to fit the arrangement, and if the software is streamlined and somewhat quick to use.
 
 
I think I used Rapture a long time ago, but I don't have enough of a memory to give me a preference for anything particular I used before.
 
I know I'll have to learn working one of these from scratch again.  So I'm trying to figure out which one would be best to put that work into at this point, where I can preferably keep my learning investment for a good long while  ;-)
 
 

Z3TA+2 is not only one of the best sounding software synths out there, it's also extremely well designed too. The interface is a joy to use.

scook
This is an invitation to a gunfight. FWIW, Z3TA+2 has never been included with SONAR. It has been included in special bundles, like the X1 Production Suite. The original version of Z3TA+ is bundled with SONAR. I expect each synth has it's champions and the answer may depend on the musical style. My long standing favorite of the Cakewalk synths is Rapture.

I agree with this point of view. I would add that Dimension Pro is also a very useful synth. I have all the CW synths and I can't say which is best only that one may be more appropriate for one type of music and another not so. As much as I respect the CW synths I often use third party samplers and sample players as well as very specific synths. For example the Korg Monopoly the Moog Modular V.  I rely on Kontakt a great deal. For drums its BFD 3. And lest I forget GPO. All of those plus some others give me a lot to work with. 
 
Ones synths are to a great degree a personal thing that is best acquired over time.  
 
 

Z3TA+2 is not only one of the best sounding software synths out there, it's also extremely well designed too. The interface is a joy to use.

scook
This is an invitation to a gunfight. FWIW, Z3TA+2 has never been included with SONAR. It has been included in special bundles, like the X1 Production Suite. The original version of Z3TA+ is bundled with SONAR. I expect each synth has it's champions and the answer may depend on the musical style. My long standing favorite of the Cakewalk synths is Rapture.

Gunfight? No way. This will be much bloodier, lol. I not really sure if the OP meant the best Cakewalk synth ever in Sonar or the best synth period ever included in any version of it.  You were quite right to point out that Z3TA+2 might not belong in the conversation, but it seems to me it should be.
Rapture is a great sounding synth, Dim Pro I still use but I hate the gui's of those and Z3TA though they all are very underrated.
 
But the mere remembrance of Dream Station set my teeth on edge.  I hated it.  Sonar 1 XL was my first experience with soft-synths and I kind of needed something like the DS but it insulted my ears and I thank all deities I found great free synths that sounded sooo much better, but that also led me to the Triangle1 & 2 and The Pentagon which was the first synth I ever bought.   
 
This is so subjective, but if I didn't have anything else other than CW synths and I had to choose one I'd have to go with DimPro because of the content, but I'd kick myself for not choosing Rapture.
 
But if we're talking about the best synth ever included in Sonar (back to 1XL) it's hands down Tassman3 and it's not even close. 
 

+1 on Rapture. I loved it when it first came out and still do. Almost all my projects use it in some capacity.
 
I did a comparison of the Rapture "Minimoog filter sound" with the Arturia Minimoog on Harmony Central, and no one could tell the difference. So I even use it for VA-type applications.

Not gonna directly plug the Minimoog Tribute Expansion Pack? That and Muz3um for Rapture (available from patcharena.com) covers a lot of vintage sound. My biggest gripe is the Rapture screen has not scaled to accommodate my failing eyesight.