Just a general observation.....and because I don't look at every piece of software out there I may be off base.   BUT......for whatever reason when I do look a the specifications for a VST.  Sonar is rarely, I mean RARELY, listed as a supported host system.   WHY?  DMG just released a new EQ, that I most likely will invest in, they list freakin Garageband, but not Sonar?  It's just a minor annoyance, that myself and a buddy of mine, can't help but notice.  

I know right?  I watched the superior drums video up on groove3's website. They had sections on integrations with other big name daws but not sonar.   

Just some speculation but Cakewalk is owned by an Asian company and many of the other DAW companies are US based. I would venture to say that Roland has never been a software focused company. You have to connect with the community and the media associated with the DAW market and make it easy to connect with you. Cakewalk was better at this in the past when they were self owned.

Additionally, there is something about the Cakewalk VST implementation that many have questioned through the years i.e. features not incorporated, compatibility issues and not adopting the full features sets of the platform etc. Just going by what I have read but it seems there is a strained connection between Cakewalk and the Steinberg due to them being competitors. Why the plug in manufacturers shy away from recommending Cakewalk is a bit strange but, there are many that do.

So it's their passive aggressive way of dissing sonar?

I've always wondered the same thing!!

I went to the DMG web site and read the "Specifications" page for the new EQ. There is no specific mention of "supported host systems" there.

They do say that Windows system requirements include, "A host that supports VST or VST3, such as: Steinberg Cubase, Steinberg Nuendo" and others...and their Mac requirements include, "A host that supports VST, AU or VST3, such as: Apple Logic, Apple Garageband" and others.

Sonar is not on the list, but it is NOT a list of all supported systems. Key phrase, "such as". They simply listed the systems that are top-of-mind for THEM. Or, with sales in mind, maybe they listed only programs that come up light when compared to the array of plug-in's included with Sonar.
 
It is true that we live in such a Pro Tools/Logic/Garage Band world that Sonar users sometimes feel like second-class citizens. That has never kept me from making the music I want to make with Sonar, and in fact, the people who hear my recordings always comment on how great the audio quality is, whether it's a song, jingle or radio commercial. No one has ever said, "That sounds crappy, you must be using Sonar," or "What's wrong with you? You can't succeed with Sonar."

I've used Pro Tools and other programs, but Sonar gives me EVERYTHING I need for any recording I want to do. I don't care if others approve of Sonar, or if certain plug-in manufacturers seem to think of it as an also-ran.

Maybe some plug-in companies downplay Sonar because it comes with such a load of plug-ins that their outboard plug-ins are mostly unnecessary. It certainly seems to be a goal of Cakewalk's to load up Sonar with so many built-in features that you don't need anything else. That in itself could make plug-in manufacturers feel that Sonar users aren't a big market for them.

I have invested heavily in the UAD-2 effects system, but as Sonar delivers more-and-more great plug-in's, I find myself using the UAD-2 less-and-less. 

Since Sonar keeps coming out with great new plug-in's, like the CA-2A T-Type Leveling Amplifier that they released this past January for not only Sonar X2, but also VST and AU...maybe the plug-in companies see Cakewalk as competition...and they should.   

We should go for a user buyout and put Seth, Kelly and Brandon back at the top.

It's fairly simple, people don't take us seriously because we're on Windows. There is a huge bias against windows in the music industry. At my sound tech school in 2005, which was very good btw, we were basically told: just get a mac. I like fast computers and good looking video games so I ignored that advice. Good for me, as sonar is a whole load of fun, even more so since x2, and every other daw I know is a complete snore-fest. I would have switched trades long ago were I stuck in cubase, logic, or god forbid, pt.

One thing I've noticed is that in many (but not all) cases the list of compatible hosts are Mac/Win compatible unless they are Mac only (such Logic, GB).

Regards,

let me speculate.
ok
roland cakewalk sonar usa
yamaha steinberg cubase.
two big companies of the 80's
two pioneers of electronic music with daw software.
steinberg did a good job with cubasis vst 32 many functions which were
simply unbelieveable for that time 90's
and cakewalk is a kinda local matadore
the reason why other companies
are much more known as sonar is
most of the computer music software comes out of europe
so its normal that they help and support each other in somekinda way.
and roland belong to usa.
yamaha was and is domanating here the market in europe
by accident i found one day Sonar and was suprised
about the functions and immediatly i fell in love with sonar
but it was not stable enough for real big studios
and data exchange was and is really important.
and most studios made their decision because of stability.

and another problem of the industry is that they were simply ignorant and did not listen to their customers
instead they attack customers with fanboys etc etc.
i have called some companies for support and they treated me the (paying customer) like s..t
all i can say is customer is king.

few weeks ago i have been banned from another forum for starting a simple discussion (topic) i did not use bad words
the oppsite was the case they c..t troll flamm etc etc and i could not conter
but that shows me that industry manupulates the market in somekinda way
they dont wanna hear criticizm
all tthey want is yeah boys and pay boys customers even if their products
b....l...t
since 2010 the market changed dramaticaly and now they get what they earned lol
when it comes to Sonar
sonar is doing it right
it seems to me there were somekinda technology exchange between other
soft companies.
and sonar with all the products inside makes some companies affraid of it.
they want the  prices high (cartell)
i am from germany and i know alotof other musicians and if they ask me what i use i told them Sonar and they said what
they did not know that sonars exists.
and thats really sad
sonar is fantastic but cakewalk has to stop all the fanboys from polutting threads
when a customer has an question which is maybe not nice for...
instead they should learn from the experiences of the customer.

so plz fanboys and fangirls plz plz plz dont attack me now for my opinion.
its only my opinion
take it as it is but when you kool users have good argument i ma willing to learn.