I'm not really saying that these are not great features but they are something that I would say that I never use or foresee using.
 
Video View
Matrix View
Beatscape
Surround Sound
Navigation view (Defender view)
Step Sequencer
Dreamstation synth
Session Drummer - any version
TTS-1 Synth 
  
EDIT:  Some responses have reminded me of some others.
 
Arpeggiator
Publisher
External Inserts
ACT 
Guitar Rig or any other Amp Simulator. 
Rewire.
Dropzone

Video View
Staff View
Tab View
Matrix
External Inserts
Navigation Strip
Anything that you click on with a cursor if there's a way of doing it with a keyboard/CS

I'd pretty much concur there, Dave.

Except perhaps for TTS-1 which I use for prototyping even if it never makes it to the end of a project.

There's probably other stuff I don't use but I don't know what it is because I don't use it.

Did I mention I use Rewire a lot but has been broken since I joined the fold at version 7 and is confirmed as still broken in X1 (Stereo Inputs higher than the first pair)?

So lots of stuff introduced since 7 that I don't use but the one thing I'd really love to use to it's full potential hasn't been fixed. 

They may say it isn't worth fixing because they don't have many requests for it, but then anybody needing this functionality will likely have migrated away or dismissed Sonar as not being an option for them because of it.

I actually bought Sonar because it was touted to support Rewire too and now it is the only Rewire host that doesn't handle multi-ins properly. 

There is no impact to the rest of the application as its functionality resides on a .dll called DeWire and all the connections are already there it's just that nobody has bothered to tidy it up as far as I can tell.

So how come every other DAW on the block has got this working with no problem and Cakewalk can't?

Smacks of can't be bothered if you ask me.

Staff View
lyric View
Matrix
External Inserts
Navigation Strip
TTS-1
Beatscape
Dreamstation
Session Drummer (tried it - didn't like it as much as Battery)
Surround Sound
ACT - although I might try to hook up my BCR2000 - not tried but does aj's utility work in x64 or would the changes in X1 require a full rewrite? - not used it since Sonar7
Publisher
Rapture LE












I have used Video view a couple of times but not being able to see every frame makes it pretty useless (matching up a snare hit is tricky - and only having a single video track makes video editing a non starter) so I mainly use Ulead VideoStudio Pro X2 for that.

multidock
matrix
arpegiator
beatscape
cyclone
SI

These are those that come to mind real fast.... I'm sure there are others....

...and I don't mind any of them being there until they get in the way of 'my' work methods...

Console View
Matrix View
Surround Sound
Navigation View
Dreamstation
Navigator
Channel Strip track inspector thingie (which I'm apparently going to have to use if I upgrade to X1 cos they've lost buttons off the TV headers)
ACT (I've tried but it's just not quite there for me, if I could disable it from twidling track items and just limit it to plugs I'd be very happy)
Audiosnap (not for want of trying but it was allways a bit dickie and then they hid all the options that seemed to be relevant to the things I wanted to do and I've not relearned it yet)
That terrible saturation plugin, I try it every now and again because people here sing it's praises but IMO it's junk
Staff view
Lyrics view
Big Time
Video

If ACT and Audiosnap were tweaked out and considered I would definitely use the a lot more, the other stuff I just generally don't have a need for.

Child

Dreamstation
Matrix View
Staff View
Surround
ACT
Lyrics view - I would use it if it were more intuitive.
Video
Loop view
Console view
Cyclone
Pentagon
RXP
SFZ
Grooveplayer
Session Drummer - Use Superior for this.
Compression plugs - use all 3rd party UAD or external devices (will be using the Prochannel however, very good)
Lexicon plug - Use Sonitus and other 3rd party or externals.
Any of the older cakewalk plugins which were part of the early versions.
Guitar Rig any version, I like the real thing much better.
 
Could not live without the external insert, hybrid mixing here.

one man's ceiling.

I think it would be important to note where you use alternative free or purchased tools.

e.g. Session Drummer .... as use BFD as a goto. 

Why ?

The Session drummer may not be relevant to a poster  as a longtime user or VST junkie , but to a new entrant to DAW world, it would be a must. syaing that session drummer probably a bad example as it really has improved over time.

Jonbouy


I'd pretty much concur there, Dave.

Except perhaps for TTS-1 which I use for prototyping even if it never makes it to the end of a project...

Interesting thread topic, Mod Bod, and based on the responses, it looks like your list is fairly typical.

I've pulled out Jonbouy's reply about TTS-1 because I use this GM synth the same way.  That synth is extremely light weight on power, and is a handy place-holder early on in a project.  I routinely start a new piece using the TTS-1 default piano.  Then as things develop, I start swapping sounds out for the real deals.  But it should also be noted that there are actually some perfectly more-than-acceptable instruments in that humble little package.

I'm surprised ACT comes up several times on this thread.  I thought more people were using it.  Now that I have the A-800Pro, I'm really happy to have hardware control now.  I've also added my Korg Nano unit which wasn't in use, adding even more control, and it's working great.

Video, as most long-time Sonar users know, isn't very advanced in its implementation, but I use it a lot and it works fine for my purposes.

The Step Sequencer is on my "don't use" list - It's redundant when we have the much more flexible PRV.

I've toyed with the Arpeggiator, and it's fun, but not useful for the music I write.

Matrix - fun to toy with, but not applicable to my music.

Navigation Strip - Never have understood why that's needed.  It just takes up screen space and doesn't help me navigate any better than I do.  I use a lot of Markers for jumping around in a project, and that negates the need for this thing.

Rapture and all of the sound-the-same analog synths - I poke at them once in awhile, but have used the Cakewalk synths so rarely that I may as well say they're not useful to me.

Staff View and Lyric View - I think if more people looked into those, they could find them more useful than they imagine.  You don't need to be able to read music to easily type your lyrics in Staff, each syllable married to a note in a dummy melody track, then your Lyric View is ready to go, complete with "bouncing ball" kind of action with the syllables being highlighted as the project plays.  It's a useful way to have words displayed instead of having pieces of paper stuck up wherever you can in your set up.

So, it's true for me too, that there's really a lot in Sonar (of all flavors) that I never use, and don't need to use.

Randy B.

Publisher - Horrible.  It sounded like a possible cool feature, but the results just aren't usable.  It's a waste.

External Inserts I would use if I had an interface with more than one set of stereo channels, seems like it could be very useful for bringing in a hardware compressor, for instance.