Where now?

Wow a lot can change in two months...

creynolds
I use sonar more than any other DAW. I have a protools 9 licence. I bought studio one and I used reaper for a while. Cakewalk should be quite interested in why I gravitate to sonar for most projects.  

Groups and grouping. Lets spell that out so the terminology doesn't trip us up here. I have done a few really large projects that have really quite a lot of tracks. In this respect any decent DAW can handle 60 plus tracks without major expansion or stress. But when it comes to making a new audio channel that just carries say, just the kit, sonar makes that a breeze. I can select a bunch of tracks and say "hey you lot, you all go to this stereo bus and that is it". In this way, no matter how many track a project contains I rarely waggle more than 10 faders to do the final mix. 
Some others can do this but the mute and solos get mashed up or you have to deal with a matrix or manage aux's. Sonar just says "ok done that". 

Amazingly, in all other respects I find all DAWs horribly similar. 

So there you are. 

 
 

Very interesting, Mr. Reynolds.
 
I turned 58 this year. For me, Sonar X1 was the sterile one and X3 brought me back to life, musically speaking. I've been hitting the books and learning more about music production than I was ever aware of (or cared to know about) before. What's even more interesting (for me, at least) is that I've been working on one single song... one song... since September 13th--more than three months--and I'm still engaged. Mind you, it's hasn't all been just that song; it's also been learning how X3 differs from X1, learning all these new things about mixing, and even digging into learning more about the hardware I have and reawakening my friendship with the bass (which I haven't played with this type of enthusiasm since the 1980s).
 
So, you see, whereas X3 seems to have given you reason to find inspiration elsewhere, it's given me reason to find it right here. To each their own, I guess.

Well, the important thing is that you're inspired to create. That's what it's all about, not what you use to get there. That said, as a fairly long time Sonar user, I'm very inspired by X3. I hope you will at least try it when the demo comes out. Best wishes to you.

Just switching to a different DAW can inspire you to do something new! Just a fresh approach or changing workflows can light that fire. I have worked with Cakewalk products since Pro Audio 9. The studios I worked for that stayed loyal to Cakewalk always upgraded every chance. I have also used Logic, Cubase, and Pro Tools. Pro Tools, pretty much out of necessity as it has been the standard for so long. I always felt more comfortable and accomplished more in a shorter time with Cake. When I set my own studio up at home I started with Sonar 8.5. It came with the free introductory for X1. From then on I have been an exclusive user of Sonar.
I will say anytime I have used a different DAW, something different came out creatively. Sometimes, you have to jump the fence and check out the grass on the other side. That being said, if you have had the same experience as me, you will probably come back to the Cake fold with a new and fresh outlook.
I have not had a lot of the issues that some people complain about. I know that all DAWs have their little quirks. I must go down as saying that X3, while not perfect, is running as solid and reliable as anything I have ever used before. I'm sure we are all agreeing that the Gibson buyout scares the hell out of us but with the rollout of X3 as positive as it's been is a good sign. The forum is humming along, updates are coming faster than I have ever seen in the history of Cake. I hope that things stay this good and when you finally come back it will be to stay.
Only time will tell. 

I'm glad logic is working out for you. Not sure what the purpose of post was , but i wish you well

See the world, young man.
 
Lots of folks here in the forum use different DAW software for different aspects of music creation and production.
 
DO check out the X3 demo, when it shows up.  There are some things being worked on, and some things made better, and some things new, and you might find it to once again fit your needs/wants.
 
In any case, to echo a prior sentiment, best of all to you in all you do.
 
Bob Bone
 

Going to a DAW for me is like going from Lotus123 to Excel (or vice versa), a fairly dull affair. Music is what it should be all about.

Its been nice to read all the comments on this thread. Really very heartening to see how much everyone majors on the music and not just blindly banging the drum for technology and Sonar X3.

Sonar is a great piece of kit I have used it for many many years and I know it well. In some very small way I have helped it develop. However, in my view, it may have headed off on a bit of tangent. Prochannel in particular perplexes me. I simply find it pointless. If I need a compressor I have several amazing Plugins for major manufacturers that I paid quite a bit of money for. I don't want all these other fiddly homespun modules hanging off the channel even if they can be hidden. I like to keep things simple and if don't use it I don't want to see it or worry that I may have enabled it in error. I often run very large track counts (entire string sections) and the grouping is essential. I often apply dynamics, eq and sends only to groups. I would love to remove as much as possible from a channel to economise on real estate, processing and visual distractions. Of course you can hide lots of things, but this does not always mean they are passive or inactive. Anyway that's a small personal beef that I like to get off my chest whenever I have the conch. I simply believe you should only add what you need to the path and not clutter it with stuff that is inactive, bypassed or simply not contributing, as it can lead to confusion and therefore errors.
 
Many will heartily disagree with me and that is as it should be.
 
I think all that remains is to sign off and wish you all a Rocking Merry Christmas and a fabulously creative new year XXXXX

Merry XMAS!!!!
 
> Where are they now?
 
 

 
... as long as you know you know you know :)