I wandered from Sonar about 8 years ago, after being a user since it was a midi program only.  I bought a Mac to run PT and Logic.  I bought Live and S1 as well.  I have been keeping my Sonar license active because I also have a nice PC setup as well.  I just purchased the half off deal and though it's installed I probably won't use it due to some off the things I've read here.   I will be very careful with my upgrades from here on out.  As an old Oberheim owner, I don't have much confidence in Gibson's business practices.   I hope Cakewalk does well in the future.  Its a great DAW.  
 
Cary

Just remember a few things:

1. A large percentage of the reported "problems" are due to either user error or a badly configured system/hardware setup
2. This forum represents a very small percentage of the entire user base (< 10% so I'm led to believe)
3. Certain posters - even long standing ones - will take every opportunity they get to bash Cakewalk/Roland/Gibson/Tascam, just because they can

 
From what I've read over the last year or so, X2a is completely stable for the VAST majority of users who post here, so if you have any specific qualms, please feel free to post them and someone will without doubt come up with an answer

Guitarmech111

hockeyjx
I've always felt that too many people don't have quality machines/setups, so a good deal of problems are there. I also think some people just don't know what they are doing. Then, there are the ones whose pirated warez don't work well together.
 
Take away all those above and X2a is pretty solid. Not perfect, but solid.

No, not really. I am a registered user and I have an 8 core 3.6Ghz processor with 16G ram and a RME UFX. X2a is NOT stable. It is quite often flaky.  Pressing record often gets me an unable to store audio error, yet pressing record again, works fine. I get crashes trying to search for missing audio. I get random audio transient errors. I often get audio wave form redraw issues when recording and opening projects. I also get issues with take sync timimg on loop recording. I have other issues, but these are at the forefront of my mind. X2a is Cakewalks Vista...

don't you think though if everyone was having this problem like you then no one would be getting any recording done and cakewalk would have to issue another patch ?
 
my advise is to try it out on another machine because ive tried it out on 2 different machines with stellar results.
these machines are however newer models build within the last 2 years.
your computer sounds like it was build by a pro with those stats and large amount of RAM.
have you contacted the builder of your machine ?
 
 
is your CPU an AMD bulldozer or Intel Xeon ?
 
 
Redraw issues are almost 90% a videocard problem.
your videocard may be contributing to a lot of your issues.
I run and 8 core AMD Bulldozer with no issues at all.
those are quite a few issues your having that I haven't heard of.

doncolga

Guitarmech111
X2a could have been in muliple patches?

Good grief ya'll are cranky!..is it a full moon?
 
Would it have made you all happier if they'd just divide up the A update into lets say...10 separate updates?...would that make ya'll feel better?  Of course it would...you got 10 free updates...those bakers sure are busy!
 

Guitarmech111
Is that because of poorly engineered software not meeting the customers needs and expectations? I wouldn't brag on that.

I'm sorry, but that's ridiculous.  I'm sure the software is doing just fine for LOTS of users.

That many fixes tells me that they did not design or code the product correctly in the time given to form a new release with the end user desired operability and stability. Whoever planned and tested it, failed IMO.
 
I test program software for a living. If any of the products I have worked with had over 250 fixes in it for a single patch, that would exemplify failure in the prior development and testing cycle. They used to have a robust beta team that had a magnitude of environments. Maybe that is not so any more.
My point, as some people may or may not realize, The end user should think that there was time to get it right the first time. 250 fixes in a single patch just begs to have regression issues on stuff that did work. Wiyhout a follow up patch, those regressions STILL FAIL. Unforunately the cash inflow is more important than pushng out a schedule.

This is not the way Cakewalk used to do it. I am dissapointed in the current state of the product. I don't really care what others think about it since my money paid for it and my money paid for a sub par product that has stability issues on my machine and with my work flow. I have called TS a few times to help me out. They have, but there are issues that I will not see fixed unless I pay for an upgrade as I understand it.
 
I may just download the demo before upgrading unless they decide to give a steeper discount for X3 to people who have called in issues that TS/DEV deem errors with X2a.

Guitarmech111

doncolga

Guitarmech111
X2a could have been in muliple patches?

Good grief ya'll are cranky!..is it a full moon?
 
Would it have made you all happier if they'd just divide up the A update into lets say...10 separate updates?...would that make ya'll feel better?  Of course it would...you got 10 free updates...those bakers sure are busy!
 

Guitarmech111
Is that because of poorly engineered software not meeting the customers needs and expectations? I wouldn't brag on that.

I'm sorry, but that's ridiculous.  I'm sure the software is doing just fine for LOTS of users.

That many fixes tells me that they did not design or code the product correctly in the time given to form a new release with the end user desired operability and stability. Whoever planned and tested it, failed IMO.
 
I test program software for a living. If any of the products I have worked with had over 250 fixes in it for a single patch, that would exemplify failure in the prior development and testing cycle. They used to have a robust beta team that had a magnitude of environments. Maybe that is not so any more.
My point, as some people may or may not realize, The end user should think that there was time to get it right the first time. 250 fixes in a single patch just begs to have regression issues on stuff that did work. Wiyhout a follow up patch, those regressions STILL FAIL. Unforunately the cash inflow is more important than pushng out a schedule.

This is not the way Cakewalk used to do it. I am dissapointed in the current state of the product. I don't really care what others think about it since my money paid for it and my money paid for a sub par product that has stability issues on my machine and with my work flow. I have called TS a few times to help me out. They have, but there are issues that I will not see fixed unless I pay for an upgrade as I understand it.
 
I may just download the demo before upgrading unless they decide to give a steeper discount for X3 to people who have called in issues that TS/DEV deem errors with X2a.

im sorry but im having a hard time believing you do test software for a living because if you did you would have some answers for why your having issues and not just spiting out issues your having.
you'd also know that a fix (250 fixes) can mean a lot of things, like when you re-code one feature you need to fix 10 others.
I also think your being a bit childish. here it is cakewalks big day for their release of the new x3 and your here first thing in the morning the day it goes on sale.
your upset because others are excited to use a new product they have been having great success with.
they cant wait to see the new features and dive in to a software that worked great for them in x2.
 
So you've had to ask yourself a few times now, why are others having success but im having issues?
there's a conflict going on somewhere and rather than track it down its easier to come here on cakewalks site and post your displeasure in hopes of ruining any sales for their new product?
I don't get it.
 
and if you think the: "issues that you will not see fixed unless you pay for an upgrade as you understand it"
im not sure where you got that info from but if you cant be productive in the last version (X2) what on earth makes you think you can be with X3 ????
 
if these are show stoppers (a you've said) I don't think a new version is going to help.
if they are just annoying little things that your making in to big things, then yes im guessing youll be happy.
I myself think x2 had some annoying things about it and I hope they are fixed but surely don't think they are bad enough to start a thread out of jealousy  
 
 

chuckebaby

Guitarmech111

doncolga

Guitarmech111
X2a could have been in muliple patches?

Good grief ya'll are cranky!..is it a full moon?
 
Would it have made you all happier if they'd just divide up the A update into lets say...10 separate updates?...would that make ya'll feel better?  Of course it would...you got 10 free updates...those bakers sure are busy!
 

Guitarmech111
Is that because of poorly engineered software not meeting the customers needs and expectations? I wouldn't brag on that.

I'm sorry, but that's ridiculous.  I'm sure the software is doing just fine for LOTS of users.

That many fixes tells me that they did not design or code the product correctly in the time given to form a new release with the end user desired operability and stability. Whoever planned and tested it, failed IMO.
 
I test program software for a living. If any of the products I have worked with had over 250 fixes in it for a single patch, that would exemplify failure in the prior development and testing cycle. They used to have a robust beta team that had a magnitude of environments. Maybe that is not so any more.
My point, as some people may or may not realize, The end user should think that there was time to get it right the first time. 250 fixes in a single patch just begs to have regression issues on stuff that did work. Wiyhout a follow up patch, those regressions STILL FAIL. Unforunately the cash inflow is more important than pushng out a schedule.

This is not the way Cakewalk used to do it. I am dissapointed in the current state of the product. I don't really care what others think about it since my money paid for it and my money paid for a sub par product that has stability issues on my machine and with my work flow. I have called TS a few times to help me out. They have, but there are issues that I will not see fixed unless I pay for an upgrade as I understand it.
 
I may just download the demo before upgrading unless they decide to give a steeper discount for X3 to people who have called in issues that TS/DEV deem errors with X2a.

im sorry but im having a hard time believing you do test software for a living because if you did you would have some answers for why your having issues and not just spiting out issues your having.
you'd also know that a fix (250 fixes) can mean a lot of things, like when you re-code one feature you need to fix 10 others.
I also think your being a bit childish. here it is cakewalks big day for their release of the new x3 and your here first thing in the morning the day it goes on sale.
your upset because others are excited to use a new product they have been having great success with.
they cant wait to see the new features and dive in to a software that worked great for them in x2.
 
So you've had to ask yourself a few times now, why are others having success but im having issues?
there's a conflict going on somewhere and rather than track it down its easier to come here on cakewalks site and post your displeasure in hopes of ruining any sales for their new product?
 
I don't get it.
 
 
 

good post! 

I'm running X2a on a Q9300 + Asus P5N-D, 8GB PC6400 RAM, Win7 64 SP1, a Seagate Barracuda 500GB SATA 7200 for apps and audio, and a fairly generic ATI 1GB graphics card.   And although this the antithesis of a "modern" system, X2a is solid for me - audio, MIDI, VSTi, FX, etc, etc.   The only "problem" I have is when the load reaches a certain point and I have to increase latency to compensate (Focusrite 18i6).  I do that and I'm back to normal.  
 
My only point is that on an older system like mine X2a works quite well.   So there's something we're missing if the focus is on using the latest technology.  'Cause I sure aint.  
 
 

Andrew, I'd like to take you up on your response from earlier in the thread: now that X3 is out, can we begin discussing some of my questions from earlier in the thread in greater detail? The ones that weren't answered by the X3 information I've seen are:
 
1. Did you guys fix the Disk May Be Full error on record bug? Notice that Guitarmech111 seems to be reporting this exact problem just a few posts ahead of mine. A forum search brings up posts on this going back years.
2. What about how Sonar writes/saves projects so they don't corrupt so easily? Any changes there?
3. What about duplicate notes on quantization? Can I Groove Quantize MIDI consistently without getting duplicate notes?
4. What about the Sonar icon remaining in the tray after a close (which often prevents a new instance from opening without manually shutting down SonarPDR.exe in the task manager)? Was something done to address this one?
 
Note on the above: I've run Sonar on at least 6 different systems over the 10 years (or more) I've had a license , across at least 2 Operating Systems (XP and Win7 - honestly can't remember if Win98 got used for Sonar), and all of those issues have popped up time and time again as far back as I can remember. I've got a well-built (no cheapy components) Intel i7 based system, running Win7 64bit stock (I've probably set the priority to background tasks), running Kingston DDR3 RAM, and an RME Fireface 800 with the most up to date firmware and drivers. I say all that to dispel the "I bet people with problems have cheap or poorly configured systems" myth.
 
5. Did you guys include MP3 encoding for free? If not, point out what hosts require users to pay for this feature. I'm curious because I don't know of any others.
6. Did you improve signal flow to allow for more advanced audio routing? Can I route a VSTi output to an audio input? Again, I'd be curious as to which other major DAW's can't do this if you know of any?
7. Have you updated the Staff View or improved notation?
8. With the plugin architecture rewrite and VST3, will Sonar X3 recognize my mono UAD plugins and use DSP accordingly? 
9. Does Sonar X3 include a dynamically resizable vector based console so I can see the full strips in the dock? From the Skylight video it appears not. Notice how little of the strips are visible when docked, making a dockable console nearly useless.
10. Did you get rid of the annoying pop-up questions when pasting or inserting an instrument track that distract from Workflow?
11. Did you make it easier to quickly add/subtract outputs to a VSTi (a la Studio One)?
12. Did you finally create proper Instrument Tracks that can house MIDI and audio effects? Do they have all the same functionality as the separate MIDI+audio tracks did, just intelligently combined into one?
13. Did you add varispeed playback and recording like Reaper (man that's fun, and great for some Beatles-esque harmonies)?
14. Is VST 2/3 support FINALLY built in and not part of legacy Fxpansion code from their VST wrapper (which we wouldn't have needed if you opted to support VST natively from the get go and not DXi - but I digress)?
15. Will Sonar now always recognize which VST plugins send/receive tempo information, and can send receive MIDI without having to go into a separate plugin Properties window to force Sonar to know when some plugins use these features?
16. Did you simplify the Snap to Grid features which have clearly caused confusion in X2. Snap to Grid used to work great BTW: wasn't broken but it got fixed. 
17. Workflow enhancement question: can I now navigate from plugin to plugin on a channel from within a single plugin's UI (a la Logic and Studio One)?
18. Since you guys seem to be admitting that the Take Lanes in X2 were not as fully realized as they could have been (which you've clearly corrected in X3 - good work here, it looks great), why are X2 customers being asked to upgrade to X3 to get the fully-developed Take Lanes functionality they thought they were buying in X2?
18. Most importantly: how much less will Sonar X3 crash compared to prior versions? Is there any data on this? 
19. I see in the blog post that "Several longstanding plugin compatibility issues were also addressed," my first response is: very good move, and better late than never. My question is: why weren't these "longstanding issues" addressed sooner? VST plugin support has existed in Sonar for a very long time.
 
The above list is fairly comprehensive in terms of what I, as a longtime customer, would like to see addressed by this, or future Sonar releases.
 
VST3 and fixing Take Lanes are welcome additions to Sonar, but the latter should have been included in an X2 update IMO, and the combination of the two aren't enough for me to upgrade. I also think it's great that Studio and Producer finally seem to include all the same features (question 20: is POW-R dithering now included in Studio?), so kudos to that as well. In terms of the included plugins: I don't need any of them so they do nothing in terms of making want to upgrade. 

$149.00 just to upgrade a program (X2a) I have not even had much of a chance to use yet? Really, Cakewalk, or should I say Roland? Do we really have to keep paying the $149 "license fee" each year just to get some bug fixes and a few new features we may never even use (no matter how nice and usable they are for some users)???? Do you think that all musicians who use your software are made of money??? Perhaps I should skip getting my broken tooth repaired, or having some repairs to the house done and just upgrade now. Maybe if I give up eating for a month so I can afford the upgrade? Or, perhaps just cancel cable, electricity, or phone service? Maybe I can skip some insurance payments, or sell a guitar?
 
OH, I know... I can call the government and ask for some more disability benefits to help pay for X3, I am sure they will be glad to help. I guess I will have to owe someone something if I want to upgrade before I get back into the studio.
 
I am really disappointed in Cakewalk. They don't care one bit about customer satisfaction. Not the same Cakewalk I signed up for years ago.
 
!--END-RANT--!

ELsMystERy
$149.00 just to upgrade a program (X2a) I have not even had much of a chance to use yet? Really, Cakewalk, or should I say Roland?

 
 Have you been hibernating
 
 

ELsMystERy
Do we really have to keep paying the $149 "license fee" each year just to get some bug fixes and a few new features we may never even use (no matter how nice and usable they are for some users)????

 
Er... no.
 
Surely it's up to you what you spend your money on.
 
 

ELsMystERy
Do you think that all musicians who use your software are made of money??? Perhaps I should skip getting my broken tooth repaired, or having some repairs to the house done and just upgrade now. Maybe if I give up eating for a month so I can afford the upgrade? Or, perhaps just cancel cable, electricity, or phone service? Maybe I can skip some insurance payments, or sell a guitar?
 

 
The same applies to the guys and gals who work for Cakewalk.
 
 

Looking at the new features, it hardly justifies spending 149 to get only a couple that should have been included in X2b.
 
I have comment beside each new feature.

NEW! Skylight Interface enhancements and color customizations - YAWN. They could have improved Skylight without charging us. Not worth the $149 upgrade for color customizations. I don't use software because it looks pretty, I use it because it helps get the job done.

NEW! Assemble the perfect performance with breakthrough comping workflow - Never needed this before, but could be interesting.

NEW! Full support for VST3 synths and effects - Should have been a standard feature in X2b. Not worth the $149 upgrade. I don't even have any VST3 plugins yet.

NEW! Gobbler cloud saving and sharing - NO NEED FOR THIS.

NEW! Get authentic drums sounds with the full version of XLN Audio Addictive Drums - ALREADY HAVE IT. Not paying for it again.

NEW! Play vintage piano sounds with AAS Lounge Lizard Session - ALREADY have piano synths. I would rather upgrade them.

NEW! Have a session guitar player with you at all times with AAS Strum Acoustic Session - I am a guitar player. I HATE simulated guitar. Using this would be a crime against nature. Perhaps CW will give me a discount if they don't include this?

NEW! Craft the perfect vocal performances with Melodyne Essential - This one is simple: learn how to sing in tune. People had to do that long before pitch correction software was invented.

NEW! Sculpt your mixes with precision using the new QuadCurve EQ Zoom with Analyzer - Already have a bunch of EQs and analyzers.

NEW! Fine tune your mixes with the 19 included Nomad Factory Blue Tubes FX - Got plenty of effects already (UAD2, IK, Voxengo, etc...). I have been trying to save up to upgrade a few UAD2 plugins. Cakewalk wants to rob me of that now?

NEW! Access Vintage-style world-class reverb with Nomad Factory BlueVerb - Got plenty of high quality reverbs. Do I really need to spend $149 for another one?

NEW! Get incredible filter and distortion effects with Tone2 BiFilter 2 - REALLY? Another distortion plugin? If I can't get the right distortion with what I have, then perhaps I should not be using distortion on anything.

NEW! 57 total FX including the new Boutique Suite plus everything in SONAR X3 Studio - How many FX do I really need to have to choose from AND "everything in SONAR X3 Studio": DUH!