Hello,
 
*Do not worry about your laptop CPU power. I have a Phenom 2 X4 with 8Gb RAM and X3 works very well. You just may have to freeze tracks to release CPU,but it's not a very bothering thing.
*Yes for the external HDD drive.Try to get a 7200rpm with USB3 and it may be faster than your internal HDD. You just have to be sure your new HDD is alone on his port as for soundcard. For the other slow devices, well just grab a hub (mouse,ilok,MIDI interface) and pray you have multiple buses (check in device manager).
*If your laptop has expresscard (it shouldn't since all recent computers do not have it anymore), just get one of them to add USB3 or firewire ports. They are quite cheap.
*For the soundcard, I own a focusrite scarlett 2i2, so it's +1 for tcaylor comment. Quite cheap and works very well (good preamps, very clean and silent) and windows 7-8 compatible. The 2i2 is 2 ins-2 outs and no MIDI. There are models with more inputs and more functions.
*One concern you may have is Screen Resolution. I have a 1366x768 and it's not that great. X3 UI is a lot more interesting on bigger screens. An external screen will be welcome (you may use your current PC's one)
*Concerning X3 UI, it take some time to get accustomed to it, but it's not very long and once you'll get there, it may be difficult to switch back.
 
 

No more studio upgrades for you, Pal; it's all going for dog food now! 

mudgel

Sanderxpander
But you have Guitar Rig, R-Mix, V-Vocal (was that in 6 already or from 7 and on?), and so on. Plus you ot to use all the upgrades as they came out, many years between 6 and X3.

Perhaps you misunderstood. My comparison was to highlight the great update price for someone in Kenny's position rather than a complaint about my cost. I've been an annual upgraded for our er 15 years and always happy with the price. Cakewalk's pricing encourages those who stopped upgrading to come back by generous upgrade pricing.

Hi Mike V, 
+1 I agree w you , I think it's great how Cakewalk handles their upgrade pricing ....
I feel this way not only because I made out like a Fat Rat in a cheese factory  ....by upgrading  
It's really nice to know that no matter what happens , and even if you have to start all over ,like I did
or for what ever reason...... 
as a valued Cakewalk customer You are always in the Loop 
I'm Home now and I'm very pleased to be a long term customer and SONAR user.
 
all the best , 
 
Kenny
 
 

guigz2000
Hello,
 
*Do not worry about your laptop CPU power. I have a Phenom 2 X4 with 8Gb RAM and X3 works very well. You just may have to freeze tracks to release CPU,but it's not a very bothering thing.
*Yes for the external HDD drive.Try to get a 7200rpm with USB3 and it may be faster than your internal HDD. You just have to be sure your new HDD is alone on his port as for soundcard. For the other slow devices, well just grab a hub (mouse,ilok,MIDI interface) and pray you have multiple buses (check in device manager).
*If your laptop has expresscard (it shouldn't since all recent computers do not have it anymore), just get one of them to add USB3 or firewire ports. They are quite cheap.
*For the soundcard, I own a focusrite scarlett 2i2, so it's +1 for tcaylor comment. Quite cheap and works very well (good preamps, very clean and silent) and windows 7-8 compatible. The 2i2 is 2 ins-2 outs and no MIDI. There are models with more inputs and more functions.
*One concern you may have is Screen Resolution. I have a 1366x768 and it's not that great. X3 UI is a lot more interesting on bigger screens. An external screen will be welcome (you may use your current PC's one)
*Concerning X3 UI, it take some time to get accustomed to it, but it's not very long and once you'll get there, it may be difficult to switch back.
 
 

Hi guigz2000, 
 
Yes , I love doing the whole freeze function ....my P 4 was a little anemic , I actually enjoyed freezing my tracks and copying them over to a new project ...once they were there I would do edits and arrangements that I would be too afraid to try in the parent project ... a cool way to experiment , create new arrangements and save cpu .
Whenever  i found something I dug , my parent project would get the same edits.
 
Yes, there is no express card on my lap top ....
 
I'm gonna have to try using my PC's display ...great suggestion  
 
Getting a USB3 external 7200rpm HD is very high on my list ...in addition to that figuring out some sort of a hub arrangement ..
Ideally , I would like to be able to have total independence and flexibility w my new set up and just be able to plug it into my monitors as a fully self contained rig...
currently , I'm sort of on a very short leash ...one USB2 for my Yamaha SC , one USB 3 w the mouse..
this feels very limiting to me , it seems OK for now as a temporary way to at least poke around under the hood of X3 and learn my way around all the new features and new instruments  .... this is a start ....it's the first rung of the ladder ...
 
It is nice to hear that the Focusrite Scarlet 212 is Win 8 compatible , has good preamps , is quiet , and works very well.
I'm very tempted to go that route , it sounds like it would be perfect for my audio needs and price point .
the rub is, I'm still doing a little research & i might need find out what is available in the general + or -  200 dollar price range that includes midi and has a good recommendation on this forum ....
I have and play midi guitar .....as long as my P4 runs I might be able to just use that to create a midi guitar part / file to import
 
I'm under the impression that many of my current limitations are self inflicted  
There is no doubt in my mind that most of them will go away if I ask the right questions around here , follow the guidance and direction I'm given and do my best to spend my money wisely ...
( when I have it to spend  )..on all the right things ...
 
thank you guigz2000 for going into your post w so much depth  you have given me a lot of food for thought 
 
Kenny
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hello,
 
Do not forget your laptop can do dual screen.When I mentioned using an external screen,I was meaning in a dual screen setup (both screen are a part of desktop). Sonar is the best DAW concerning dual screen support (make windows floating)
 
I'm not a focusrite representative.:) 
The scarlett 2i4 is a bit more expansive than 2i2 but it has 4 outputs and MIDI. Same preamps as 2i2 and same compatibilies (same product range).
There are other brands that should fit well,too. 

RobertB
LOL, Kenny. I can totally see Duke as your dog. He looks happy to have you.
Over the years, our dogs have all come from the Humane Society or a box of puppies in front of K-Mart.
They've all been great dogs.
Only one made the trip to Texas (Peppa), and she's been Daddy's girl for over ten years.
Like you, I was stalled by an outdated, but reliable XP system. However, I did go as far as X1 Essential.
On my birthday this year (Aug 22), the system died. The bond between the P4 and the heat sink had broken, and it baked itself to death in a very short time. I discovered the problem after disassembling the machine.
So I pressed my Vista laptop into service. Luckily, I had loaded all of my Cakewalk software onto the laptop earlier, even though I never actually used it. I still need an interface, as Vista has a quirk handling the audio input, but that's in the works.
Anyhow, I downloaded X3 Studio. Even though it is not supported, the docs indicated it will run under Vista.
I've hit one or two minor hiccups, but so far so good.
Like you, I really appreciate that Cakewalk keeps us in the loop.
Welcome to the future, brother Kenny. Onward and upward.
It's always good to receive a transmission from Tele X

Hi Robert ,
it is Great to hear from you again  isn't it great to have such a wonderful blessing as having a Daddy's girl or a Daddy's boy in a good dog . I know we have that in common . Lucy gave me a solid 13 years of loving memorys . 
 
Duke is sure working me over w all his puppy mojo and charm .
Apparently he must of gotten an A on his puppy play book test , I'm starting to think he can out Bambi Bambi w all his mugs and expressions 
 
I'm sorry to her about your P4 ...I know the feeling well.....
 
Yes, it's a very good thing you had that Vista lap top  having it gives you the opportunity to stay in the loop .
You have built up a lot of good Karma over the years helping people , you never know whats right around the corner .
 
When I took my DAW permanently off the net , my back up plan usually was to set up a secondary PC that doubled as an audio workstation and my internet computer  ...
 
I've managed to get a few trouble free years out of some of these out dated XP back up machines before they gave up the ghost .
Yeah , I do feel pretty lucky that I got a really good deal on that lap top (it was a refurb) then when I factor in the upgrade to SONAR X3 PE from S 6 PE ....WOW that in itself was super righteous  ....the features , the price , the support 
 
I feel like I'm getting a fresh start ...I hope the best is yet to come 
 
it has been real nice rapping with you Robert  
 
Kenny
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

guigz2000
Hello,
 
Do not forget your laptop can do dual screen.When I mentioned using an external screen,I was meaning in a dual screen setup (both screen are a part of desktop). Sonar is the best DAW concerning dual screen support (make windows floating)
 
I'm not a focusrite representative.:) 
The scarlett 2i4 is a bit more expansive than 2i2 but it has 4 outputs and MIDI. Same preamps as 2i2 and same compatibilies (same product range).
There are other brands that should fit well,too. 

Hi guigz2000 , 
 
I had a feeling when you mentioned that my lap top can do dual screen, that it meant I could use both screens and be able to float my views in SONAR . This info is great news and I will have to try that out .
 
I do like your audio interface recommendation  . It is very possible that the scarlett 214 (or even a similar config / manufacturer  ) would be my best option for my price point , in the long run being able to have the midi self contained in one interface seems to be the way I need to go .
I will have to see how my bills and expenses are gonna play out this month now that I have a new very large hungry mouth to feed 
you have been a great help in clarifying some of the things I'm in the process of sorting out over here w my new set up
I sincerely do appreciate your help. 
 
Kenny