Hang on, you still have help "but still"? You have the help file, so you are not "screwed".

The Sonar forum: the place where the case is never knowingly understated.

Jind


The funny thing is I'm really not that concerned about myself as I have been using Sonar for quite some time now, but imagine being a brand new user that downloaded X1 as your first DAW today and low and behold, you get a user guide that may get you started, but if you want to know about some deeper topic, your screwed.  Sure you have Help, but still.  A professional product should include a manual with it.

I dunno.  I think totally new users to Sonar may fare better because they had NO prior knowledge of Sonar.

Now, those of us involved for years with it have to learn completely new ways of working (keybindings, screens, etc, etc).   I'm not sure who has the better deal there ;)

But manuals -- I'm a manual junky!

drewfx1

ba_midi

drewfx1

ba_midi

mudgel


Addressed by Robin or Seth who said it will be available shortly.

That's great, but I put aside time to study the manaul.  I always do.  NOT to have one on a very big change to a program at release time is unfortunate.

Sometimes it's the little things that make a big difference.

Please don't take this wrong - I mean it as an honest question:

Why upgrade at the very earliest possible minute if "little" things make that big a difference to you?

Why not wait a few weeks for the first update and all the little details to get sorted out? Why not let others deal with the initial headaches?

I understand your point, but that doesn't make it right to NOT include a "manual" for such a big upgrade.

Being an early adopter is challenging, sure.  But manuals should not be "optional" regardless.

Well, first of all I agree having a manual ready for a major update is expected.

But the way I look at it, we can either we can either get X1 right now and deal with these issues for a few weeks until Cakewalk gets them sorted out, or they could have held up the release for a few weeks until they get them sorted out...

I was just telling my fiance that I wish companies wouldn't con customers with 'beta releases' and calling them commercial releases. It's unfair and underhanded. Now I know why in all the videos they were just talking-not actually doing anything. Even in Brandon's videos-for the most part he just talked and didn't actually show us anything-except a few simple features. And what about this 'pro channel'? Has anyone actually heard this to comment on it? Interesting that there were no audio examples to download and listen for ourselves. If there were-I must have missed them...This is seeming more and more like a beta-release. Not cool at all.

ba_midi

That's great, but I put aside time to study the manaul.  I always do.  NOT to have one on a very big change to a program at release time is unfortunate.

Sometimes it's the little things that make a big difference.

Indeed!  I have evidently wasted about 2 hours today with excrutiatingly slow response from the CW web site to get my download.  All I wanted was the manual.  I'm flying this weekend Fri. and Sun., meaning I have about 10 to 12 hours in airports and on planes.  I so wanted to print off a few hundred pages so that time could be productively employed.  After all this, no manual?  Completely unacceptable.
 
Next time, CW, please don't make us waste our time this way.  To begin with, if the manual is not done, it's not ready to ship.  Period!
 
But wait ... there's more.  After finally getting through the shopping cart procedure, I still don't have a download link even two hours of doing everything I was told I needed to do.  I'm more angry about CW not being up front about what we'd get than I am about the not so surprising difficulties in getting the download.   A complex piece of software is not useable without the doc.  Next time, CW, please at least have the courtesy to tell us up front if that critical file is not immediately available.  For some of us, the manual is the only file we care about for early acquisition.
 
I posted a message a few days ago saying that some of us really just wanted to get our hands on the manual ... the rest of the download could be deferred with no angst on our part.  Don't tell me no one at CW didn't see that poist.  A simple notification about the state of things would have been understood and appreciated.

Yes I thought it was a bit cheeky to not put in the full pdf manual with the download but I'm pretty happy with the get started guide at least it covers getting some beats and rhythm rolling. I would suggest to all those who are a bit upset about this to have some patience and wait till CW get the full manual out. They perhaps left it late for good reason and spent more time beefing the program.
 
In the mean time play with X1. Don't get confused just start adding samples or playing with the softsynths. If you are having trouble with this then it's written in the S8.5 Manual and it's the same procedure. If you're looking for a certain widget have a look around and explore, come across stuff and see what it does. After you've got into it, gained experience and the feel of the program then you can start reading the guide with confidence. When the manual eventually comes out you'll know what's what, you can then learn the complicated stuff later which most likely will have figured out after you've produced a few tunes. Skim read the parts you would then know just to fill in the gaps. Who really wants to read so much when there is more fun in getting into making a tune especially an easy program like this.

The Sonar 8.5 full reference guide is more likely to have 90% of the queries and won't be much different to the X1 full guide. So there is nothing to worry about and I reckon CW will release it by next month.
 

I got an email today from Cakewalk.  15% off the X1 Video Tutorial.  One would think it would be more customer oriented to provide a reference guide before charging a premium for a video to learn how to use the product.

Is the reference manual still not available?  I'm fiending for it!

The Sonar X1 reference guide I downloaded from the Cakewalk store has 1,850 pages. It seems to be more than a puny getting started guide.
 
Ardjunc

riojazz


Sorry, but I just looked through the Cakewalk Store as well as My Account, and I do not see anything about an X1 Reference Guide.  Where did you find it, please?

I think there's a sticky in the forum that points out how to get it. 
  
Yep here:
 
http://forum.cakewalk.com/tm.aspx?m=2168001
 
 

Here are the new Manual of SONAR X1------------>  http://www.cakewalk.com/support/doc.aspx?DLID=943