Ozz you are a very good friend to the OP. I will keep everything you have said in mind whenever your friend comes back. Don't worry we will handle him with respect and care. I knew exactly where he was coming from and I think it is evident in my post to him. We are here to help not to make quick judgments or cause anyone to feel worse for having been here. Tell him he is very welcome here and that we hope he comes back to let us help him. 

I agree the OP is not a jerk. Also, as soon as a computer gets involved, there's an additional overlay beyond just the recording software.
 
It's not easy to learn what is essentially an entire recording studio, not just a "tape recorder." Tape recorders are easy . Recording studios are not.
 
I've thought about this a lot, and would love to see SONAR have "levels" like a video game. So the first level would be "I want to record stuff and mix it." The second would be "I want to edit what I recorded and add processing when I mix it." And so on.
 
I had a friend who said SONAR 8.5 was waaaaay too complicated. Given how customizable it was, I created a version that looked just like an ADAT and had the same functionality. That's a great place to start and I don't think it would hurt any DAW to remember that some people are just starting out with it.
 
 

Anderton
 
 
I've thought about this a lot, and would love to see SONAR have "levels" like a video game. So the first level would be "I want to record stuff and mix it." The second would be "I want to edit what I recorded and add processing when I mix it." And so on.
 
 
 

 
As a new user, I think the above is a brilliant idea. 

I think in some ways the tutorials do this.  Maybe they could be better structured to do just that?

I agree with Craig on all but the video game part, (because I am terrible at Black Ops 2).
 
There was endless debate from a group of users who were absolutely brilliant in their knowledge of keyboard shortcuts and work flow in 8.5.3, who HATED the whole notion of the Sonar X1, because the UI was WAY different.  Cakewalk had put a giant amount of effort and cost into a complete redesign, to make it easier for folks to buy the product and be able to get up and running with an ability to record and mix without the massive learning curve of getting through understanding 8.5.3's complicated presentation.
 
Thinking about it all, it DOES make sense to have some sort of way to present a limited functionality basic process set of screens for newcomers, and for those just doing quick and dirty simple projects.  I also think that would be best as some way to control through some changeable options, so that as their skills and understanding grew, they could open up more complex features, like a Basic and Advanced approach to the UI presentation layer.
 
So, yeah - I would think that makes sense.
 
Bob Bone
 

Agree about Groove 3.  When I upgraded to X1 from a really old version of Sonar, I bought the X1 Explained video series and it was excellent.  Like most people, in a normal session I only need about 25% of the available functions so I watched the key videos to get started and then watched one every night as I went along.  I still pull one up from time to time when I need a function I don't use often.
 
About the Internet, I unplug the Ethernet cable (or you could turn off wireless) whenever I am not specifically updating or downloading music software.  I have a really basic laptop + my iPhone for email, Facebook, and all that stuff.

I'm still not sure I understand the need to keep a machine disconnected from the internet. I understand the issue with wi-fi and spikes, but a cable hookup doesn't cause any problems and you're not going to infect your machine just by having it plugged in. The only virus I've ever had was because I opened an .exe from an untrusted source, and boy did I learn my lesson. Unless you're being wantonly careless then there is absolutely no trouble at all. 
 
I hear people say "the DAW is my living therefore I'm not taking any risks with it," but I also know people who work in other fields like 3D animation, video production, photography and design whose livelihoods also depend upon a fully working machine crammed with powerful software, yet they're very much connected to (and using) the internet on those machines every day. Music producers are the only people I ever hear express fear of connecting their machines. It's weird. 

sharke
I'm still not sure I understand the need to keep a machine disconnected from the internet. I understand the issue with wi-fi and spikes, but a cable hookup doesn't cause any problems and you're not going to infect your machine just by having it plugged in. The only virus I've ever had was because I opened an .exe from an untrusted source, and boy did I learn my lesson. Unless you're being wantonly careless then there is absolutely no trouble at all. 
 
I hear people say "the DAW is my living therefore I'm not taking any risks with it," but I also know people who work in other fields like 3D animation, video production, photography and design whose livelihoods also depend upon a fully working machine crammed with powerful software, yet they're very much connected to (and using) the internet on those machines every day. Music producers are the only people I ever hear express fear of connecting their machines. It's weird. 

To me it's mostly about not having to go through EVERY single program installed and trying to figure out the update settings. I generally do anyway to stop any possible auto update actions from occurring (even just reaching out for a connection can distract the system from audio stuff) but if there is simply no connection to be found to start downloading crap in the background in case I missed something then I don't have to worry about resources being pulled away from my work.
 
It's why I don't dig the CCC stuff or the new Startscreen (and the mountains of crap from other necessary software I use). It seems every durned program these days wants to go on little side journeys to their own desired intertube locations when I want the computer COMPLETELY focused on my project.
 
I also don't like having my AV active while I work because it causes NOTICEABLE performance issues and whitelisting stuff (which I deem a security thread even if it's coming from Cake... or PRETENDING it's coming from Cake) is not something I do.
 
So I yank the cable and that's that. Even if a I missed a setting in one of the many programs installed all it can do is search for a connection which is a lot better than actually connecting to something to have a little chat with the mothership or worse start downloading something when I'm trying to record into an already oppressive project ready to crush my system.
 
It also prevents me from getting lazy and poking around on the intertubes on my good system (thus exposing it to potential critters). I generally keep my laptop in the room for that.
 
When I actually want to snag an update for something or do some sensitive online stuff I am forced to really think about it beforehand and physically make the connection. So I turn all the AV stuff back on, connect the cable, update the AV (and Windows security updates), do what I gotta and disconnect again.
 
Massive PITA but it keeps things running smoothly. I do it so rarely too that I can usually pinpoint when problems arose. Like if I did a round of updates (which I'll create a restore point before doing) I can say "Oh yeah... I did that on THIS day" and just load the restore point I made beforehand until I can figure out what went wrong.
 
I've never really had to revert back but I credit that to my hyper vigilance. Honestly I just too stupid to deal with problems AFTER they occur nor do I want to deal with the down time or even regular maintence required for an online system (which I do on my internet system by simply WIPING and restoring the entire computer via system images every so often).
 
That's my reasoning anyway... but I'm crazy as fartboogers.

A video game definitely. Boss level can use drum maps (opps three times this month now).

For whatever the worth - the reason I am OK for MY system's having the Cakewalk folders excluded from real-time scanning is that I am not ever dealing with those folders unless I am actively in Sonar, so no files are being added that I am not personally adding while creating tracks, and projects.
 
Further, all of those libraries WERE completely scanned as they were being initially loaded, as well as during regular full system scans I run.
 
And, LASTLY further, anything I DO download is still getting scanned in real time, no matter where its final destination on my hard drives is, and I don't ever visit sites with naughty bits, from my music production computers.
 
I have never had any virus issues on any music production computer, and all were/are connected to the internutz.  Whenever I have a program that wants to have its own ideas of when updates should be checked, I make note of it, disconnect its little mechanisms for doing so automatically, and then I periodically manually check for updates, OR I may allow some programs to notify me if updates are available, but never let any program decide to initiate some massive download of maintenance, so they never get in the way of anything while I am working on music matters.
 
Bob Bone