About to chuck Sonar - frustrated!!

I am so frustrated with the Sonar software, about to throw $500+ down the drain and switch to something easier.  I thought getting the Producer right off the bat would allow me to easily record songs but it has been such a pain.  I was a beginner 4 years ago when I bought Producer 8.0, then 8.5 came out so I upgraded.  All the time I've tried to worked on it, it has been 2 steps forward 10 steps back. It seems every time I come back to it I have to relearn everything.  The software is so un-user friendly.  I got so frustrated I stepped away completely for quite a while ... Now I am trying to get back again.  Still no luck.  I need to know, if the X1-3 versions changed to be more of a beginner friendly tool?  It seemed Sonar 8.x the front end was a bowl of spaghetti with too many functions all over the place.  Wonder if I should have bought Protools instead.  Just feel like I've wasted so much money and time and have virtually got me no where closer to recording my songs.  Can someone help me figure out what I should do next?  

We can understand your frustrations but it would help if you were to start by asking a specific question.
Sorry to sound harsh but your post comes across as a rant and you don't actually ask anything!
 
Have you done the tutorials or accessed any of the many videos that are available?
 

When I started with Sonar, I knew how to record and mix with other tools.
 
It was too much for me to immediately start capturing recordings using a computer. I would record using a Tascam 2488 and export the tracks to Wav files and import them to my computer for mixing in Sonar. That way, latency really didn't matter at all. I did all my tracking on the Tascam and all my mixing in Sonar.
 
I had years to learn the FX and automation techniques and the DAW in general starting with a 2002 version of Sonar and more seriously with Sonar 6.
 
When I started tracking using Sonar, I was already completely familiar with the FX. I'd watched videos and read books. I had a handle on it. The only thing I had to focus on was tracking. Punching. Loop Recording. So, the scope was focused.
 
I feel you on 'there are too many things to learn'. It's no fun to be overwhelmed. So try to slow down. Pick something you want to do in Sonar and get that to work.
 
BTW, the changes in the X series were almost entirely organized around trying to make it easier for new users. There is still a contingent of hard core users that are afraid the X series will make them less efficient so they don't upgrade.
 
IMHO, X3e is best yet. I wouldn't want to be stuck using anything else.
 
And ask questions in the forum. Don't be a stranger. Also, trying to answer questions in the forum will show you what you do and don't know. Once you can teach Scook a thing or two you'll be getting there. :-)

And to any viewers reading this thread researching which software to get, don't spend $500 on recording software if you're a beginner (as much as Cakewalk would love that ). Get  Cakewalk's Music Creator for less than $50. 

http://forum.cakewalk.com/To-Those-Who-Find-Sonar-Overwhelming-m3039787.aspx

Wow. I'm not sure why but I actually take offense to this. I, and most of the dudes here, have spent hundreds of hours learning how to use the program. I'm two years in, have watched a ton of tuts, read large chunks of the manual, sat down and played with the program familiarizing myself with everything and STILL consider myself a novice... because I am.
 
Music production is very complex but programs like Sonar make it FAR easier than how things used to be done (just ask the old timers about working with tape and analog gear). If you just work through the tutorials at the start of the manual step by step you will be able to perform most of the basic functions (record, edit, mix and even use softsynths and whatnot). That is a LOT of skill that can be easily obtained with a few afternoons of work whereas many people spend thousands of dollars and WAY more time going to school to learn the same basic principles.
 
Beyond that Sonar has an enormous amount of free or extremely inexpensive resource material, as well as this forum, to help you take those basic skills and achieve pro results.
 
Put the work in like the rest of us had to.
 
This is like buying a helicopter and moaning that "IT NO GO!!! WHY IT NO GO?!!"
 
Now shake your head, work through the tutorial sections at the start of the manual step by step, watch some of the free vids in the CakeTV section of this site. You'll be surprised how much you'll accomplish with minimal effort. You will NOT find ANY of the other programs that much easier to use. There is a reason people pay large amounts of money to record with pro engineers. It is complex work that uses complex tools. You want those results from home? Do your homework. If you have actual questions the forum will answer them.
 
BTW you are in the wrong sub forum. You want the X series forum which is the one just above this one.
 
 

Yeah, but sometimes it feels good to yell at clouds. ;-p