I played one to 50.
Its an odd combo in that you can keep pumping cones out all day with a bit of recharge, since you have Howl (10 seconds), Shockwave (8 seconds) and Psychic Scream (12 seconds).
I played mine almost entirely at range, using the cones as an attack chain with the odd single target thrown in for hard targets (extra damage plus Res debuffs).
The only time I'd risk melee was for Drain Psyche, and this risk could be mitigated with a pre-emptive Shockwave - knock them back and then run in for a quick drain.
Do get Sirens Song - its great damage mitigation if you ever solo, or if you and your team need a breather, say if an ambush pincer-moves you.
I'd highly recommend Shockwave. The knockback is good damage mitigation (its 100%), and its a fast recharging AoE that does 80% base AoE damage, which is not negligible at all. Sonic/MM requires a fair bit of positioning to get good cone angles, complement these skills with using KB correctly and you'll be much better off than if you pass up on Shockwave.
You can build up a bit of Ranged defence using Thunderstrike in Shout, Scream and Shriek, and maybe Stupefy in Screech. Combining this with Shockwave against melee opponents and Sirens Song should keep you reasonably safe for a Blaster.
Later on I supplemented this with the PFF/Aid Self combo for even more damage mitigation.
Actually, Sonic/Mental isn't very melee heavy at all. It does have PBAoEs but that's not quite the same thing... you can fire off one of those and jump back out without letting too many things punch you. With all the cone attacks your best position is probably going to be 30 feet or so in front of a group or better yet above it. One possible strategy would be to take Hover and use Shockwave while floating directly above a spawn, then turn Hover off and activate Drain Psyche as you hit the ground. That should knock them down long enough to land, hit Drain Psyche, and fly back up (in theory, I haven't tested it).
One nice thing Shockwave has going for it is 100% knockback. Attacks like Energy Torrent tend to scatter spawns because they knock some targets back but not others, but Shockwave will send the whole group flying to the same general area (minus the occasional miss). I'd suggest a bit of range enhancement in the cones though, since the farther back you can be when firing them the wider they are when they hit the enemy spawn.
Cascade, level 50 Blaster (NRG/NRG since before it was cool)
Mechmeister, level 50 Bots / Traps MM
FAR too many non-50 alts to name
[u]Arcs[u]
The Scavenger Hunt: 187076
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I use mine as a cone spammer. You can get a nice cone chain at the lower levels with Howl, Shockwave, and Psychic Scream. I replaced Shockwave with Static Discharge once I got it, and the cone chain is fantastic and keeps you safer than a PBAoE/AoE chain. Couple that with the -res and -regen, and you have one of the best teaming Blasters out there.
Mains (Freedom) @Auroxis
Auroxis - Emp/Rad/Power Defender Pylon Video Soloing an AV
Pelvic Thunder - SS/Elec/Mu Brute
Sorajin - Elec/Nin Stalker
Neuropain - Sonic/Mental/Elec Blaster
I create a Sonic/MM Blaster on the i19 beta server and I think it's a great and unique combo.
However, there are a few concerns I have:
-This is a pretty melee heavy set. How effectively can I build defense bonuses with these sets?
-There are quite a few cone attacks as well. I'm considering getting the sleep cone for the cheap purple set. Is this a good idea?
I'm not an experienced Blaster player, so I could use any advice for either power set.