Hey,
 
I've been getting a lot of emails about the lifetime updates offer which is expiring soon.  I must admit that I have not been keeping up with the latest Sonar news and info.  I don't use Sonar on a day-to-day basis.  I'm more of a seasonal user - I do most of my recording during the cooler months of the year, especially during the winter when I'm holed up at home. So... I'm not clear about the lifetime updates offer and if it would be wise for me to take advantage of it.  I'm currently running Sonar Producer X2a build 351 - x64.  I would love to hear your thoughts on this.  It would be much appreciated.  Thank you!

Lifetime updates aside, just updating from X2 is probably worth it. Check out the Rolling Updates page just to see what's been added since 2015, on top of what was already added in X3. 
 
Granted, you say you're a more casual user and I noticed that you're still running Windows 7. You would likely have been better off if you'd upgraded to Windows 10 while it was still free, but that's life. My only caveat is that if what you have works well and you don't need anything more, then "freeze" your system and carry on. But if you plan to move forward with the times in the years ahead, I'd recommend Windows 10 and lifetime updates. With both of those, you're covered for updates as long as your computer can handle them.

You can still get Windows 10 for free:
http://betanews.com/2016/08/04/how-to-get-windows-10-for-free/
KEv

I guess I'm a subscriber to the "if it ain't broke..." philosophy so I'm just gonna stick with what I've got for now.  I hope to finish a project I've been working on by the end of the year.  Perhaps once that's complete, I'll think about upgrading.  Thanks for the input!

Well, I just upgraded from X3e on a Win 7 machine and the August release has impressed me. It uses a lot less CPU than X3e, so I imagine it would be even easier on your system than X2. All the extras included in it alone are worth it in my opinion for $168.99 you pay at Audiodeluxe.com. Plus you get the lifetime updates.

Hmm...  Well that's interesting.  I would have expected it to be more cpu intensive than earlier versions.

Free lifetime updates? There is no decision to be made. That is perhaps the biggest no-brainer I've ever heard. I just found out about it about a month ago and I did the trial of Platinum and liked it. I asked around and I asked on here if there was a "catch" to it. There was some skepticism, but in the end everyone I talked to bought in.  Everyone I discussed this with seems to think this is the best deal Cakewalk has ever offered, and one that just can't be passed up. I was happy with X2, but I think back on all the Cakewalk upgrades I've bought since 2007 and the good chances that many things will come along in the future that I'll want, so I did the upgrade and am happy I did.

JustGotPaid
Free lifetime updates? There is no decision to be made. That is perhaps the biggest no-brainer I've ever heard...the best deal Cakewalk has ever offered, and one that just can't be passed up...

 
Exactly! I'm not ready to upgrade yet, as I need to stick with my current X3e setup for a while for practical reasons. However, it's an absolute certainty that I will upgrade at some point in the future, so I might as well get on board now with the one-time payment while the offer is available. I'll switch over to using the new version when I'm ready.

Dave I'm still running Windows 7 and I can tell you that the latest version of Sonar Platinum absolutely smokes X2 (and X3) AND runs like a dream on my system.
 
So don't let OS concerns be your guiding factor.

Just took the plunge!!