Hey there gearhed, I'm much more of a Cubase guy myself, having started out on Cakewalk several years ago from a demo a friend gave me. Probably all the way back in '96 or so...yikes.
Anyway, have you ever looked through EQ magazine yet? They always have articles on a different program each month, and they've featured Sonar several times. They always have cool little tidbits about how it works and neat little tricks to get things working even better. Sometimes even though they feature another program, they'll still talk about how to get the same effect in others.
I'm just throwing it out there, although if you're as deep into this as you sound, I'm sure you've already got a subscription. If not, I highly recommend it. I've never been let down yet by anything I've gotten from the Guitar Player archive. I get Bass Player, Keyboard, and EQ.
_________________________
I love science, and it pains me to think that so many are terrified of the subject or feel that choosing it means you cannot also choose compassion, or the arts, or be awed by nature. Science is not meant to cure us of mystery, but to reinvent and reinvigorate it. -R. Sapolsky
Upton Bass Custom 3/4 Upright, BSX Custom Allegro EUB, '80s Peavey T-40, MIM Active Jazz Bass, Godin BG-5 (for sale!), Fender Bassman 100 , `68 Fender Bassman 50 head, SWR Goliath 4x10, Markbass 2x10 cab