I now use either Sonar X3 or Energy XT 2.5.2 for just about everything. Audacity is my audio editor, but I used to do that in Sonar, too. I've used Sonar since version 3 in 2005, and have used XT since 2007. XT is great for anything synth-related, with it's great browser that allows you to drag and drop VSTs, samples, and loops so quickly. You can also save to mp3, which Sonar still will not do unless you pay extra. I still use Sonar for recording my voice or guitar, and for editing audio and MIDI tracks, and for doing mastering, especially with the new channel tools in the left-hand pane. The visual of the wavefile in Sonar is great. It's great for doing fine adjustments to MIDI notes and fine trimming of audio parts. The Zoom function is great. Sonar also seems easier to grasp than Cubase, which is just confusing to me, though they have a similar layout.
I bought Orion Platinum a few years ago and was disappointed with it. You can't, say, adjust filter cutoff and resonance on one of their Generators from the front panel, you have to program it into some sort of timeline, like I think trackers do. That's too much effort, it's not fun at all. It had some good points, the included Generators were fantastic, but I think FL Studio would have been a better call.
Here's some things I did using Sonar:
https://soundcloud.com/one-deep-breath/fairytales-daffodils
https://soundcloud.com/one-deep-breath/when-the-bastards-get-you-down
Here's some things I used XT to make:
https://soundcloud.com/moe_shinola/the-mind-keep
https://soundcloud.com/moe_shinola/return-to-outer-darkness
There's a difference in workflow that I think shows in how the music came out.
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