Interested to see how those who have narrowed the choice down to two or more of the above are progressing with the decision.
 
I still need to explore the demos a bit more but I'm pretty sure that whichever of the four I choose they have enough of what I need to make music. This means that my final decision will come down to a few less technical factors.
 
Sonar
 
Pros

• No learning curve (except for features that I don't already know)
• No loss of functionality (locked and 32 bit VSTs, DX support, Pro Channel)

Cons

• Lack of support (updates and how to)
• Could turn out to be an expensive choice (this depends on how long it keeps working i.e. at what point does cross grade plus updates exceed the price I pay in the future I'm guessing that I'm in pocket if Sonar works for 4 years before I finally have to buy)

Cubase, Studio One, Mix Craft
 
Pros

• Support (updates and how to)
• Should get better
• Pro options include effects and instruments (not necessarily replacements for what is lost but a start)

Cons

• 32 bit VSTs need a wrapper (which may or may not work based on my research to date)
• Learning curve
• I had not budgeted for this now
• May not be compatible with everything else I use and my hardware (unlikely but could happen)

Cubase
 
Pros

• Current offer is reasonable 
• Have their own hardware (good for the their finances and for me if I need to update/upgrade)
• Part of Yamaha
• A "standard" (I did not choose Sonar/Cakewalk over Cubase I just bought what was right at the time and stuck with it there have been times when being a Cubase user would have been a good thing i.e. when my son was at college and the choices were Logic and Cubase)
• Used in Education (this is good repeatable business)

Cons

• No ARA for Melodyne (VariAudio looks like a viable alternative)
• Feels "old" (compared to the other two)

Studio One
 
Pros

• I'm sure the pricing will be reasonable when it is announced
• Have their own hardware
• ARA
• Feels "modern"
• Lot's of great reviews

Cons

• Some elements seem like a work in progress
• Not an established Pro player

Mixcraft
 
Pros

• Price
• ARA
• Takes a different approach

Cons

• Small company (they remind me a lot of Twelve Tone not necessarily a bad thing but need to think about it)
• Feels like a work in progress

Summary
 
Cubase feels like the safe (future proof) option and Sonar the sensible (financially conservative) option.
 
This leaves Studio One as the innovative this could be really good (or bad) options.
 
I remain undecided and open to ideas.

Well I have tried Mixcraft and Studio One - Audio wise they are okay - but if you need solid and relatively intuitive MIDI then imo, forget both of them. And Cubase is way too expensive. I might have a go at the Elements version - it might be okay to create basic midi tracks with VSTi's then export those to WAV files for later editing/mixing/mastering in something like Mixcraft or Studio One or even Reaper.
 
Sonar did it all so nicely in one package, but WUTB now
 

This is nicely summed up, thanks. Right now here is where I am. I have been playing with Studio One demo. First impressions; it's a stripped out, lightweight racing DAW. That will suit a lot of people, especially newbies who can get up and running fast. For me though, it doesn't go deep enough and I can see myself hitting brick walls and having to compromise my workflow around the limits of what the DAW can do. Sure, that's the same with any DAW to an extent, but S1 is just too lean for me. However, I'll come back to it in just a mo.
 
Cubase is currently my top choice. Presonus' marketing department refer to Cubase (and Sonar) as "being built on legacy code which makes it full of bloatware" - not an exact quote, but the jist of it. However, what they refer to as "bloatware" is actually deep features, flexibility, and workflow choice. Much of the legacy code in these big, old DAWs are actually features that still work and are still used. I'm not exactly a newbie to Cubase. I first used it on an Atari ST in the 80's and later used it in the early 2000's. I had some issues with it then and later moved to Cakewalk. Cubase is the devil I kind of know and it is the only choice that has the robustness of Sonar for my kind of workflows (which vary depending on the job I am doing at the time). It's the only option that is really comparable with Sonar. However, there are things I don't like about Cubase. Steinberg is one of those things. The update pricing regime is more expensive than other solutions. If you skip an update, it will cost you more. Even the forums often feel a bit stiff and uptight. One thing I loved about Cakewalk was the friendliness and community feeling here. Another con is the lack of ARA support, but they have their own alternative for Melodyne and Melodyne can still be used as a plugin. 32bit plugin support requires Jbridge, but there are only a few 32bit plugs I use in Sonar now and I probably wouldn't miss them too much so may not even bother with Jbridge. The dongle - not a big issue for me. I have several dongles for stuff now so one more won't hurt.
 
Cubase will probably be the way I go for now. They are not known for having upgrade deals so I will grab it while the crossgrade is reasonable. There's no rush though right now. They say the deal should last til Xmas or the end of the year. So I have some thinking a planning space.
 
Going back to Studio One. I will keep an eye on it. They seem to have deals fairly regularly. Like everyone else I was not budgeting for a new DAW. So I will get the more expensive Cubase now while there is a once in a decade deal. Then later I have the option to get Studio One once it's matured a bit more, during one of their many deals so that I can play around with it. I certainly think Studio One is going places and is worth keeping an eye on. It just isn't ready for me yet.

Another difference is that Cubase supports MIDI FX, Studio One Professional does not. 

Has anyone looked at n-Track?
 
I tried it out around 12 years ago back when it was shareware, and it was basic but very stable. It seems to have matured quite a bit (now at version 8), and it's now also multi-platform.
 
The EX version (which supports 64 bit FX processing) is only EUR 71.40 - might be worth a look if you need multi-platform support.

I did what a lot have done. Watch You Tube videos, navigated several web sites, downloaded demos. etc. 
 
One thing that really attract me to Cubase is their Expression maps, note expression, chord track and notation capabilities. For someone like me that is classically trained and think of orchestration and arrangements on a piece of music paper this is intuitive. I can always learn the other stuff in the software.
 
I see all this situation as a tremendous opportunity to take a step back and reflect on what I really need to make music. Sonar has been my tool for many years and I never looked elsewhere. But now is the time to do so. However, no urgency. My SPLAT version will keep running for several years nless we have another issue with authorization etc. 

I'm seriously looking at Bitwig. It seems to be the most innovative when it comes to features aimed at the synth/modular/sound designing crowd, and it gets a lot of praise from artists in those genres. I go back and forth between all of these DAW options and every one of them has some kind of giant bummer associated with it. Bitwig for example doesn't do time sig changes, and after the Cakewalk disaster I'm naturally suspicious of every company's ongoing financials (will Bitwig still be here in 5 years? What about Studio One? How do we know if these companies are concealing business problems that would potentially make them go ****-up like Cakewalk?).

sharke
I'm seriously looking at Bitwig. It seems to be the most innovative when it comes to features aimed at the synth/modular/sound designing crowd, and it gets a lot of praise from artists in those genres. I go back and forth between all of these DAW options and every one of them has some kind of giant bummer associated with it. Bitwig for example doesn't do time sig changes, and after the Cakewalk disaster I'm naturally suspicious of every company's ongoing financials (will Bitwig still be here in 5 years? What about Studio One? How do we know if these companies are concealing business problems that would potentially make them go ****-up like Cakewalk?).

I love Bitwig.  If it weren't for the fact there's no real track comping in it, I might have moved to them.  First off for Windows users, Bitwig is by far the best UI other than Sonar.  Full screen mode for Windows built in.  Just a very intuitive interface, quick and it really let's you be creative.  They need some work on the file browser, it's a little clunky, but they have all the pieces in place, they just need to add some additional features.
 
As far as Bitwig's longevity, if the rumors of Microsoft buying any DAW are true, my money is on Bitwig.  Their developers worked very close with Microsoft for the release of Windows 10 and for compatibility with the surface products.

35mm
[Cubase will probably be the way I go for now. They are not known for having upgrade deals so I will grab it while the crossgrade is reasonable. There's no rush though right now. They say the deal should last til Xmas or the end of the year. So I have some thinking a planning space.]
 
 
Cubase is looking the same for me as you said. Maybe I'm wrong but I get the impression that Studio One was designed for their live consoles which would explain the lack of midi. For me  I need something that was designed for studio recording and not the other way around. I was looking at their consoles and saw their DAW. The Yamaha TF series support Cubase should I desire automation. This is like a sudden death where you have to make arrangements  immediately. I was not thinking of dumping my DAW. I hope I have the time to get the crossgrades to my decision. I'm not going to purchase a DAW  just to get a deal. I still have my computer and my Native Inst, IK.. all work standalone. I have a Tascam 24trk DP24 and can easily import my instruments in like I did in 8 track analog days if need be. 

No perfect replacement for Sonar from my perspective. I'l keep on using it as long as it works.