Isn't there a DEMO where one could judge for their self?

kitekrazy1
Isn't there a DEMO where one could judge for their self?

Uh oh, careful. Andrew got hammered for suggesting that. 

kevinwal

kitekrazy1
Isn't there a DEMO where one could judge for their self?

Uh oh, careful. Andrew got hammered for suggesting that. 

Obviously, kitekrazy1 is just stealth Cakewalk marketing slime polluting the forum. 
 
This just goes to show that it's usually better to start a new thread than necro an old one. When people see that the thread it ancient, they'll generally just jump to the newer part to check out the latest.

I judged the paid version for myself, and find myself frustrated.  I know my experience doesn't represent the majority, since MIDI-only song construction seems to be a niche thing these days.  Still, I wanted to post my experience as a follow-up to the original post, in case someone searching for the same keywords (MIDI, piano roll, etc.) ends up here.
 
If someone else had posted something similar to this, and I had found it easily, then I would have held off on purchasing Sonar Platinum.  So, I am doing unto others [like me] as I would have them do unto me.

I've recently upgraded from SONAR 8.5 to Platinum.  One of the nice things was still getting upgrade pricing after skipping several updates.
 
I'm a hobbiest, and decided to take another whack at recording after some years away.  I upgraded my PC after 8 years, and updated my SONAR rig. 
 
Some observations:
Pro Channel is awesome, and with the expansions come close to a "do all" plug in. The Platinum plug in package is close to everything that might be needed to do quality recordings.  I am looking forward to the updated bus eq and multi band compressor.  My updated Waves plugs compliment the Cake plugs nicely. Current ROMplers (Dimension and Sampletank3) may be better than my (hardware) JV synth. Current plug in reverbs may be better than my (hardware) TC reverb. Melodyne is almost worth the price of the upgrade alone. Hardware integration has not suffered - my mackie control, Tranzport, xL one, MOTU interface, and XP-30 all still work with the new version.
I AM wrestling with skylight, but think I will get there. 

Tripecac
I judged the paid version for myself, and find myself frustrated.  I know my experience doesn't represent the majority, since MIDI-only song construction seems to be a niche thing these days.  Still, I wanted to post my experience as a follow-up to the original post, in case someone searching for the same keywords (MIDI, piano roll, etc.) ends up here.
 
If someone else had posted something similar to this, and I had found it easily, then I would have held off on purchasing Sonar Platinum.  So, I am doing unto others [like me] as I would have them do unto me.

I think your feedback on MIDI workflow is valuable. I personally don't understand what it is that makes it a poor experience for you given users like jsg who do such spectacular work with MIDI (check out his latest post in the Songs sub-forum) but I think it's important for you to articulate them more fully, perhaps in its own thread. Others haved post screen capture videos demonstrating the issues they have encountered, which certainly can help Cakewalk understand what they are. Perhaps you would consider doing the same thing?

Deleted by poster. Not relevant to thread.

Okay, specific problems which are plaguing me:
 
Here is the most annoying new bug caused by Sonar Platinum:
1) http://forum.cakewalk.com...-Premium-m3357021.aspx
 
Here are some of the annoying glitches/limitations introduced in Sonar X1/2/3 and still present:
2) http://forum.cakewalk.com/Note-Properties-How-to-view-them-in-the-Piano-Roll-View-m2687513.aspx
3) http://forum.cakewalk.com/Adjusting-Key-for-multiple-tracks-m2330322.aspx
4) shift-right click in track view doesn't always toggle between envelopes and clips  (sometimes it gets ignored)
 
Here are some limitations which have been around forever:
5) http://forum.cakewalk.com...to-Preset-m697992.aspx
6) http://forum.cakewalk.com/Can-you-insert-new-track-into-existing-track-folder-m2103971.aspx (posted by someone else, but I am annoyed by this problem too)
 
Each of the above glitches/limitations annoys me on regular basis.  There are other, "little" annoyances, and the abandonment of CAL and Studioware development, but those don't bother me as frequently.  The above 6 are the most annoying, because they waste my time each time I use Sonar.
 

Thanks for posting these! 

Tripecac
6) http://forum.cakewalk.com/Can-you-insert-new-track-into-existing-track-folder-m2103971.aspx (posted by someone else, but I am annoyed by this problem too)

 
I don't have the time to investigate all of these right now, but I know you can insert a track into a track folder without moving it from somewhere into the track folder, and if the folder is at the bottom of the track list, the inserted track will not "fall out of the bottom." That bug was fixed quite a while ago.

However you can't do this when the folder is collapsed to its minimized state, you have to "open up the folder" height at least a little bit so there is some of the area showing below the header. The following image shows the "hot spots" in red, where you can right-click and insert a track. If you drag the bottom of the folder down further, it extends the hot spot as far down as the folder track will go.
 
Basically, if the cursor is below the header and shows the usual arrow, you can right-click to insert a track. If it shows the double-headed arrow, that's above the hot spot, and is for moving tracks.