bitflipper
Many keyboard shortcuts are even the same (I assume they can also be customized).

 
Yes, a lot of customization for keyboard shortcuts. The first thing I did was change Rewind to "W". 
 

The Object based editing in Samplitude is extremely flexible/powerful.
It takes a while to get familar with the GUI... but the basics are easy.
If you spend most of your MIDI editing time in the PRV, you'll likely be comfortable with Samplitude.
If you're looking for more esoteric MIDI features (advanced notation, "note expression", etc), Samplitude might not be the right fit.
Samplitude's CPU performance is pretty good... and has been for a long while.
Years back, they implemented a Read-ahead cache... (which I'm guessing influenced Reaper - as it has a similar feature) that significantly increased performance.
 
Samplitude is a great "mastering" solution... and you have the option to export DDP.
 
Independence has potential... but it still sucks.  
It's so far behind Kontakt and HALion 6... I just don't see it being a viable competitor.
No custom scripting...
 

DaveClark
That's a way of saying that I found Samplitude much easier to use for my work than SONAR.  Frankly, I think most people would.

Nitpicking, but this is statement that one can't simply make. Simply too many ways of doing things and if even most people would find the same things good then we would not have such a variety of DAWs to choose from. :)
 
Carry on then, don't mind me griping.

Jim Roseberry
Independence has potential... but it still sucks.  
It's so far behind Kontakt and HALion 6... I just don't see it being a viable competitor.
No custom scripting...
 

Probably not a concern for pros like you and Dave, but considering the difference in cost during this sale, Independence is still a good choice for those who haven't yet been assimilated by the Steinborgs and Natives.

I have Samplitude Pro X2 and think its a great DAW. I got it a while ago on sale. I however am switching to Cubase Pro 9.5. I already have it and am refamiliarizing myself with it. Samplitude is an object oriented DAW and so is Sonar. If one likes this Samplitude is a better choice. If you have as I do a lot of MIDI hardware Cubase is more suitable. Both are deep DAWs and should allow the user to do just about anything they may conceive. Cubase has the edge in notation from the DAW. However both run rings around Sonar in notation. 
 
I have been surprised by the high quality of Steinberg's own VSTs. They have done much to improve the sound. Also the looks.  There is nothing wrong with Samplitude's plugins. They are as good as Cakewalks in quality of sound but are not as good looking. 
 
So far I have been porting Sonar projects over to Cubase. I use both OMF or an export of all the tracks. I import those into Cubase. I have not run into too many problems so far. The import of the tracks seems the most reliable. 
 
I really like the Cubase Mixer. Or in Cubase speak Mixconsole. It is easy to use once you figure it out. It is not as easy to use as Sonar's or as configurable. Mackie Control support is just fair in Cubase. It is better in Samlitude.
 
More later as I think of more things to note.
 
 
 
 

Hum... Might be going down their path, as Magix also bought Vegas Pro (I upgraded my Vegas pro 9 to their first release, v14...)

You seem to be enjoying Cubase 9.5 John. Likewise I am enjoying Studio One 3 We moving from Cakewalk seems to be a good thing as its always good to inject creativity into your art. I would probably have gone Cubase as I had it before and was quite comfy in it. But their offspring Studio One 3 is nice enough has a similar feel but lighter.

Bitflipper, I begrudgingly bought Studio One after Cubase fell through for me. Then the Samplitude deal came along and I snapped it up. I'm very glad I did. I've been learning on the job as it were while I'm working on a couple of projects in it. It is a powerhouse of a DAW for sure and has been very robust and stable for me so far. In many ways, it blows Sonar out of the water although there are many things I prefer about Sonar, but that's probably just through familiarity.
 
Something I love about Samplitude, that I loved about Sonar and hate about Studio One, is that it adapts to your workflow. It doesn't dictate that to you. Everything can be configured the way you like. Everything can be turned into a savable preset and there are many different ways to crack the same nut. Another thing that is great is its ability to play back a big project with lots of soft synths and effects plugins at a higher buffer setting while simultaneously recording at low latency. Its audio engine is amazing! Another thing that sold it to me is its built-in programmer for external controllers. I was able to completely remap my ProjectMix (makie protocol) to control the DAW in any way I want.
 
I have seen some people saying that Samplitude lacks midi features, but that's not true. It's very strong in audio and midi. If you used the full feature set of Splat and need the advanced stuff then I can't recommend Samplitude enough. If you had Splat but only used the features of Home Studio then you'd be better off with Studio One.
 
P.S. They released a new update today. 

Studio One 3 is still a baby but what a baby the things it can do to inspire creativity and the ideas that buzz around in your head merely because of its potential is awesome. So many people are realising its potential. The way its sounds also it's an excellent tool for mixing and mastering. I got to give Studio One its props. I have used Logic Pro which is really good but not as intuitive as Studio One. I have used SPLAT for a long time it is nice and full and it fits like a glove. But Studio One is a boxing glove an MMA glove it's designed to do the job and that it does without timing issues. Its not an old professional like most of these DAWs its definitely a new Champ that in many peoples eyes from different platforms have come to realise it is a GOAT!

35mm
P.S. They released a new update today. 

 
Thanks for the heads up... updating now.