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subtlearts
That said, Ozone7 is kind of amazing, and Neutron is pretty cool too, and aren't you all wondering what this O8N2 business they're currently teasing is all about?
 
Oh snap, I just checked and they've announced it. I'm doomed... 

If they continue to offer loyalty pricing on those bundles I am in!

I'm a bit bummed that there appears to be no better upgrade to O8N2 from Music Production Bundle 2 - it's the same amount to get from MPB2 to the new Music Production Suite, where O8N2 is the only new product, as to get just O8N2 from any Advanced product. I was hoping having nearly everything they make would qualify for a slightly better break on the new Shiny Object. That said, I got MPB2 for a pretty sweet deal, and it's amazing already, so I'll shut up now. Especially as we're well off-topic!

Steely Dan had producers, engineers, acousticaly treated studios and the best of gear also. So it's hardly the point. We are talking about the application of plug-ins. You can use the built-in eq, compressors and tools used in Sonar. Maybe they don't have fancy graphics but less is more no?
 

Just to put things in perspective, I think the importance of plug-ins pales in comparison to the importance of the audio in the tracks themselves. This isn't to say there aren't subtle differences among plug-ins, or desirable plug-ins other companies make that have no equivalent in SONAR (although the only one I use on a consistent basis is the Waves L3 Multimaximizer - to my ears the best multiband maximizer out there). Also, plug-ins like reverb - which bump up against the limits of computing power - can have significant differences among them.
 
However, when you put reverb on a vocal, what matters to the listener is the vocal, not the reverb. So overall, plug-ins may help make us feel better about a recording, which has value in itself. As to whether they make any difference to listeners, it's probably not that significant.

Jeff Evans
Are you aware that with the Slate Deal you will have to pay every month or every year, all the time once you get into it.  Every year/month as fast as I can see.  Ongoing.  It is also iLok. My son got into it and regretted it. The iLok has caused him some issues. 
 
At least with Waves plugs you own them. If there is anything about the subscription model you don't like then maybe reconsider. 
 
 

Are you aware that you can just buy Slate Plugins? 
 
I've been using my iLok2 since it came out. Not one single problem. Yet, I still have a spare iLok2 and I pay the $30 insurance every year.
 

For signal processors, I use most often the plugins that come with Sonar Platinum. For bread and butter plugins they are more than adequate. If you can't get good results from them it's almost surely a lack of skill that's the problem, not the plugins. For me, when it comes to things like EQ and compression it just takes a lot of patience and careful listening to get it close to right because my skills are middling at best. I think you can get pretty far without any third party plugins.

Having said that, third party plugins can sometimes a) offer a different tonal flavor, sometimes subtle sometimes dramatic, b) simplify getting certain sounds, and c) do specialized "effects" much more easily and simply than setting up a complex processing/modulation chain.
 
I've been picking up some Waves stuff lately as their sale prices have been pretty dramatic. Everything I've gotten either does something kind of specialized (Reel ADT, Abbey Road Plate reverb) or is a model of very specific analog hardware unit. The great thing about the latter is they are modeled on circuits that were designed to get specific musical results with much fewer options than are available today in software, which can be a good thing. I've been using the Scheps 73 a lot, modeled after a Neve 1073 console preamp/EQ section. I have no idea if it really sounds just like a Neve - I've never been near a Neve console - nor am I all hung up on "Oh it sounds so totally analog, dude!" What it does is offer a simple set of controls that have been very carefully designed to give musical sounding results in a straightforward way. Quad Curve EQ is great, I use it all the time. It can do virtually anything, including  getting EQ settings very close to the Scheps 73 (also including making a next-to-intractable mess if you're not careful) . It would take some finagling to approximate the Scheps, and then I'd need some kind of saturation plugin to add some subtle harmonic distortion (or not subtle if I want to mimic driving the mic pre with a line level signal). There would probably be some difference in the way the different processes interact, but with some time and effort I could get something very close. But it's just easier and more intuitive to drop in the Scheps 73 and get it right there if I'm wanting that sound. Same thing with the Kramer Pie compressor. It just has a certain tonal flavor when I put it on a drum bus, a smoothness in the top end that I like. I could likely well get about the same results with Sonar's included plugs, but again this one just gives a particular tonal flavor very easily. 
 
I will add though that I wouldn't have ever paid the original very high prices for any Waves plugins. What they offer just wouldn't have been a good value to me, but I suppose for those who could afford them, it was worth it. At rock bottom prices like they're offering now though, totally worth it.

Also, there are a couple of specific things that aren't covered by any Cakewalk plugins. One is harmonic/aural exciter, like the Aphex units. This is a tool I use a lot actually to give certain things that really shiny presence. Also mid/side EQing, which is a pretty cool way to EQ stereo busses.

Oh, just one more thing...

I use Guitar Rig for my amp sim because I've had it since long before Sonar included the THD amp sim, and don't see any reason to switch. One day when I've got some spare time I'll fool around with it.
 
And also as John mentioned, virtual instruments are a different story and I use third party instruments most of the time, occasionally using AD2 (really a bundled third party plugin) and Z3ta+
 

SONAR stuff is great and is awesome for creating rough mixes etc.   Personally, nothing even approached the sound of UAD2 and the differences are staggering really compared to SONAR stock stuff.  You pay for it though.... Waves is also great but a few steps under UAD in my opinion. CONSOLE 1 is just fantastic too and that basically comes with much of what you need (Great SSL emulation, EQ, Comp, Saturation and gate)  AND a great control surface.   I do not like subscriptions (SLATE) because they may offer you low price now but then you get used to them and then have to pay the much higher normal price later.   I buy what I need (and some that I didn't).  Most UAD2 plugs are for all practical purposes, as good as the hardware they emulate.   The UAD2 1176 for example, even the legacy version just sounds way better than cakewalks.   CWs LA2A is quite good but you have to buy it... or did.   The BOZ 10db is awesome, but its not included.   I think to truly approach commercial sounding releases, you need to upgrade to some name brand plugins, certainly the basics. 

bitflipper
Steely Dan didn't have any plugins from Waves, Slate, Fabfilter or iZotope. They managed.

Yeah, but they had a full-blown studio, and the money to afford it.  Oh, and this quote with Gary Katz at AudioFanzine:
 
If the digital tools we have today were available when you were working with Steely Dan, how would it have changed their recordings?
We would have saved millions of dollars. If you can sing one chorus and fly it everywhere you want, instead of having to sing every note of every double or triple. Yeah, it would have saved us a lot of time, money, and wear and tear. It was a big deal to us. We made records where there were choruses that would repeat often — here, there — if we could have just flown them in.

I, too, must confess to having a lot of plugins. Not a bapu-sized collection, but a lot.
 
Unfortunately, you have to acquire a lot of them before you realize how few of them you actually needed.

Anderton
Just to put things in perspective, I think the importance of plug-ins pales in comparison to the importance of the audio in the tracks themselves. This isn't to say there aren't subtle differences among plug-ins, or desirable plug-ins other companies make that have no equivalent in SONAR.
 
However, when you put reverb on a vocal, what matters to the listener is the vocal, not the reverb. So overall, plug-ins may help make us feel better about a recording, which has value in itself. As to whether they make any difference to listeners, it's probably not that significant.

These are very good words.  I know you're asking about plugins in particular, but they aren't the most critical factor in your recordings.  Craig said "I think the importance of plug-ins pales in comparison to the importance of the audio in the tracks themselves."  That, for me, says it all.  Since you're using mics to record I would offer that the most critical component in getting great audio is your room.  A bad sounding room will always mean bad sounding recordings.  If your room isn't treated then take a look at that first.  Then, in no particular order, other components to consider are your mics, your pre-amps, your speakers, your recording skills, your mixing skills and your plugins.  I would offer that the way to proceed is to identify your weakest link and fix it first.  If that happens to be plugins then I vote for Waves. 
 
I wish you the best of luck with your music!