X1 forum has more daily posts then the old Sonar forum, so...

...does this mean

1. most people are slowly going for X1, or...

2. X1 has more problems?

I am STILL trying to figure out if X1 is stable enough by now to buy the upgrade or that I should simply stick with the great working 8.5 PE version. Are the workflow enhancements really enhancements? I asked this somewhere else too but didn't get a reply yet, so I thought I'd start (hopefully not yet another) topic about it. I still can't figure out how many people actually upgraded to X1 and how many stuck with 8.5 because it simply works great... Is there really a need to go for X1? Is it worth getting used to everything all over again? Is it as stable as 8.5 is? What do I actually gain from going to X1...?

I find it hard to assess and advise anyone as to whether X1 is 'better' than 8.5 in terms of work flow, as it's mainly a personal preference thing.  I was tearing my hair out with X1 at first, but having gone through the pain barrier of learning X1's new ways I now find 8.5 too difficult to use if I go back and take a look at it.  In fact I' m surprised just how cluttered it looks!

The fact is 8.5 and X1 are different and Cakewalk made the changes to make Sonar more like some of its competitors in terms of ease of use in a bid to increase market share, which is fair enough.  So it changed and I went along.  My reasons for going along?  (i) I've been on the Sonar train since Sonar 2 and I'm staying on the train rather than get off in the middle of nowhere, i.e. keep using an old version for ever, (ii) of the various competitor products I've tried Sonar is the best -  some others appeal in certain ways but I found they had serious shortcomings one way or another**, (iii) the Cakewalk people are highly skilled and very helpful.

As for stability, yes a bit of a nightmare at first but I can honestly say that barring a few minor bugs which I hope will be fixed soon I find X1 as stable as 8.5.3.  If you're thinking of making the change I'd say now is a good time.
** I'm looking at Reaper and Studio 1 just to use Melodyne Editor for vocal corrections as it won't work for me in Sonar: it freezes and crashes Sonar.  NB: Some other Sonar users also have this frustration but others don't.
 
John 

the way you've posed the question will get you nothing but speculation for answers.  forum participation ebbs and flows for various reasons.

I love X1, both prior to expanded and after.  but I have never had the "stability" issues that you're concerned about.  yes, there are still some bugs to be worked out.  all software has bugs, whether those bugs affect you directly or not depends on what you find most important in your workflow.

FBB's suggestion of getting the demo is THE best way to determine if you want it or not.  hands on.