Hi everyone - I'm a fairly new user of Sonar and a complete newbie on these forums so please treat me gently!
 
I upgraded my DAW last August and am using Windows 7 Pro 64 bit. I've had some experience of Sonar 8.5 but decided to go for X1 Producer, which I have to say has been brilliant for the type of music I'm making. Scan Computers who made the PC recommended Windows 7 Pro 64 bit which is very stable and runs Sonar X1 with no problems.
 
But like everyone else, I'm getting constant reminders from Microsoft to upgrade to Windows 10 but I've no idea what effect this might have on Sonar X1. My instinct is to stick with Windows 7 - why fix it when it ain't broke?
 
But I'd be very interested to know if anyone else has experience of upgrading to Win10 whilst using Sonar X1 Producer? I'd appreciate any advice.
 
Thanks
ji

Hi Ji,
I have a laptop with Windows 10 and Sonar X1 Producer. It works, I did not try all function, but basic recording is working. You can insert Fx record mix it down with a backing track, etc.
 
Jan

Thanks Jan - I appreciate your response and it's a positive one! Glad it's all going ok on your laptop. The kind of stuff I do is a mixture of audio and midi - i.e I use midi for keyboards, strings and drums, supporting real guitars, bass and vocals. I do get quite deep into the various functions, so I'm hoping there will be further advice following your comments.
 
Many thanks
ji

You don't have to upgrade to Win 10, especially considering that you have a solid setup now... In fact, my recommendation is that you don't.  I've read too many posts complaining of weird behavior after going to Win 10.  Add to that you're on X1, which is no longer being updated, and it's a no-brainer.  Like you said, if it aint ain't broke....
 
There are ways to suppress the Win 10 upgrade message.  Here's one for example:
 
http://forum.cakewalk.com/Permanently-Remove-Get-Win-10-m3388879.aspx

^^^^ Definitely consider this. If the system is stable, you have what you want already. Older hardware may also not have drivers for Win10, so if/when you do upgrade, be sure to thoroughly research your gear for what is/isn't supported properly.

Sonar X1 should work fine with Win10 but, here are two reasons not to upgrade:
 
1) Once you upgrade to Win10, you will get automatic updates from that day forward. Any of those could cause a compatibility issue that Cakewalk will likely not fix.
 
2) Unless your interface drivers are rock-solid under Win10, you should steer clear. Most DAW issues with Win10 relate to interface drivers.
 
Regards,
Dan
 

Yes, the one thing you MUST do before even contemplating upgrading to Win10 is to ensure there are suitable drivers for your interface.
I run 2 systems (well, 3 really, but don't really use my laptop other than for capturing screenshots etc). My main DAW is still on Win 7 as there are no Win 10 drivers for my somewhat ageing but rock solid Focusrite Saffire Pro 26IO, but my other system runs Win 10 using a newer Saffire 6 USB which again, is rock solid.
 
I will only consider upgrading my DAW once funds permit me to upgrade my interface at the same time.

dcumpian
 
2) Unless your interface drivers are rock-solid under Win10, you should steer clear. Most DAW issues with Win10 relate to interface drivers.
 
Regards,
Dan
 

Hi. I think this is the biggest issue you might run into.
All the best.

Hey guys - really appreciate you offering your advice and I'm kind've relieved that you're all saying what I've been thinking myself, especially regarding the driver issues. 
 
I mean, we all use these DAWs for one reason - to write and record our music and personally speaking, as I'm at an age where playing out live is no longer an option, being able to write and record my own stuff has been a real boon. Fiddling about with computers is probably on my list of top 10 most frustrating things to do  and the prospect of having to re-configure Sonar in Windows 10 is not one I relish.
 
So I'm sticking with good old reliable Win7 - thanks for you input, Dan, John and mettelus - gratefully received!
ji

Hi Ji,
The fear for upgrades is genuine and understandable. If you have a stable system you can wonder why you want to upgrade. On the other hand there will be a moment that you probably must. I do have a W7 x64 system that works fine but I do use it for everything not only recording music also for emailing graphical stuff, text rendition etc. I know this is swearing in the church (!), but I trust my protection. I do have more systems and one of them is a (new) laptop that I dedicated to music. It came with Windows 10 and one of the first things I did was Installing X1 producer expanded (on my W7 system I have  I have X2 Producer). .... just from curiosity. It is true that the most important item is the driver you use for interface, you must be sure that they are available in W10.
I use Vstudio 100 on the X2 system and Roland Duo-Capture Ex on my laptop. You told me about using midi etc....I use midi for drums piano and strings sometimes as well. So I took a project containing that, created a bundle and loaded it into X1 on the W10 machine. I got a message that the V100 was missing and I replaced it with the Duo-Capture. After that the project looked and sounded as on my W7 system.
I know there are much more features that I do not use but this looks very promising to me.
Jan