8.5.3 Producer is running great for me so I am not really motivated to upgrade. I don't find it cumbersome and am comfortable with my workflow. When I have a few bucks to spend I grab more virtual instruments and samples which for me is a better investment.

I also own FL Studio and am keeping a close eye on how Studio One develops.

In the Sonar realm I'm actually sticking with 8.3.1 as 8.5 didn't do enough to make me move over to it. X1 would force me into a new computer and essentially learning a new program and I'm not buying another Windoze machine. Long ago I started trying out Digital Performer and got into that more & more. Somewheres along the line I also got into ProTools. I flip amongst the 3 programs depending on what I'm working at as PT still has some MIDI issues (haven't gotten to PT9 yet).

Seeing the clusterf... that X1 is I'm glad I didn't go that route.

timidi

Murph, at least get 8.5 man...

Where?

My question exactly.  I bought X-1 a while back, installed had too many learning curve and problems to stay with it.  I then purchased Sonar 8 Producer, but cant get the 8.5 even after emailing to inquire about it.  I LOVE Sonar 8, but would like the complete package to use while I wait for the eventual "as complete as sonar 8 x-1 fix" to arrive.
Ive used cakewalk products since 2002, and have never had an issue until X-1.   I know some change can be goiod, but Ive reperatedly asked why fix something that doesnt appear to be broken (to me anyways), and no.... I'm not a power user, but the paid work projects have started to come in and I want the best that I can get with what I have ;)
 
Me

Some here say there are still legal boxed version on dusty shelves of music stores and Ebay. There will be old stock around for a little while yet. They probably gave retailers the option of retuning it for a rebate and replacement but some might have not bothered. Just be careful, it should be in the box, unopened.

Hey Beagle-
No that's wrong- you CAN get 8.5 as a paid update from Cakewalk. It will probably run you about $79 which is a lot cheaper than the odd boxed versions that you can sometimes find on ebay or in stores. 

All you have to do is call Cakewalk and beg. Beg (!) them for the download. There's a good chance they'll send you a link. Believe me, they DO still have the data... I highly recommend that everyone who has a licensed version older than 8.5 call Cakewalk and try to get this download. Sooner or later, you'll probably need something compatible with win 7 64 bit and if you wait too long, they may stop allowing you to get a download of this end-of-life'd legacy version. 

Officially, they don't sell 8.5 anymore- but they CAN send a link for the download, and it's cheaper- as an update- than a new boxed version would be! 

Cakewalk is a GREAT company, and if you've never tried it, I bet you'd be thrilled with what a sweet recording system 8.5 producer is on a win7 64 bit computer with tons of RAM!  

I upgraded to 8.5.3 Studio from 6.02 Home Studio XL (a very strong product for what it was) in 2010. About 3 months later I got an e-mail from Cakewalk with X1 upgrade for $200. Really? I just dished out that much for going to Studio 8.5. I then started to compare 8.5 with 6.02. Nicer, but some essential things weren't met. For example, TTS-1: same harsh guitar sounds in their upper register. Sounds are still popping in stead of sounding like they're plucked.  Other plug-ins such as Session Drummer remained the same, etc. But, as I said, 8.5 is better and it is 64 bit, which I need for large orchestral compositions.

I saw lots of interface changes in X1 and some more substantial offerings, such as surround sound recording which would be nice for orchestral settings. Too, there are some new plugins as well. But did Cakewalk iron out those lackings in TTS-1? I am not harping about TTS-1, but it's a very good, that is, it would be a very good plugin if it weren't for those problems. Why not improving on it and other plugin synths in stead of cosmetic changes?

From what I saw on the product page, most of the changes are cosmetic. I am NOT the one to go for that. 8.5's interface is plenty user friendly for me.

I am staying with 8.5.

S.