Here is a story for the V-Vocal holdouts, of which I was one until today. I am writing this long dialog to give a more or less complete account.
 
I really liked V-Vocal, which I used for vocal training more that pitch correction. It was simple.  I would sing a tune, or a scale, and then check the pitch in V-Vocal. It was nice because V-Vocal was fast to call up, and the pitch was on the line instead of in a lane. I also used it for pitch correction, like everyone else. And it was free.
 
Celemony Melodyne, on the other hand, always made me crazy. I had stability problems, registration problems, I always was offended by the opening message that my buffers were set too low, my support requests to Celemony were not handled to my satisfaction, it seemed very complicated, I don't like blobs on my screen, upgrades seemed  very pricey, and so forth. Also, the last time (January 24/25) I tried to install Melodyne, Celemony's website was not functioning and it put me off.
 
But lately V-Vocal has become so unstable it has been blue-screening my otherwise stable and fast computer. It is just a matter of time before V-Vocal becomes not viable. So I have been looking at my options. Since I had extra time today I installed the Melodyne demo, this time with no installation issues.
 
I am very happy to report that there is a very nice light at the end of the tunnel. Melodyne is really a great product.
 
The trick is that the "Essential" version is not really adequate. In the last few years several times I have tried to use Essential and could not get basic things to work. I would refer to the official training videos and they constantly refer to features not in Essential. It seemed like Essential was not functioning properly, but in actuality it was just so cut back in features that it was more nuisance than help. Just about everything is greyed out, and it is difficult to tell if the greyed out buttons are greyed out because you are not in an appropriate mode, or if the feature is only available in an upgrade.
 
So I think it is critical to try one of the higher level of products before you dismiss Melodyne. For Sonar Platinum users, the free Melodyne Essential should be thought of as a $99 discount ticket to one of the higher level versions.
 
Today I found it easy to demo any of the four levels of Melodyne for 30 days. Their website is working fine, and their demo download worked out well. The download is the full Studio version, but if you go to the help menu it lets you convert to Assistant, Editor, or Studio with no hassle.
 
I discovered that the next step up from Essential, Assistant, which costs about $150 to upgrade, will more or less blow away V-Vocal. It is stable (so far), and for me intuitive to use, once you get into the zen of the interface. Finally their training videos make sense. But after a little bit of time the training videos are not needed. Also, I notice there is a pitch line mode that has a presentation like V-Vocal instead of having note lanes. And, in Sonar Shift-D will bring up the editor in full screen, unlike the last few versions of V-Vocal. Plus the very unwelcome buffer error message is gone.
 
I believe many skip the Assistant and go for the Editor version. The step up to Editor will cost about $400, and it is more or less the same as Assistant but with an uncanny polyphonic capability. I didn't think I would use this but I now have to admit it is cool to play a guitar chord, then see the notes separated, and move them around. You can spend a bunch of time playing around with altering chords in a song. It works well, both in sound and in user interface.
 
Then there is a multi track polyphonic version (Studio) that is expensive. I think it could be fantastic for cleaning up a live performance that was recorded without clicktrack on a multitrack recorder, but for me it is too much to purchase given my current needs.
 
For me right now I am deciding between Assistant or Editor, tending toward Editor. It is kind of frustrating to have to pay to replace the free V-Vocal if all you needed was V-Vocals capabilities. But at this point, at least for me, its a real relief that I can continue my basic world of pitch correction within Sonar. I also admit the Melodyne 4 user interface is very usable, and the sound is a big improvement over V-Vocal.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Great post pkn - I couldn't agree more. I wonder if it mightn't be worth waiting to see if there are any discount offers for upgrades from Essential? I haven't seen any yet,  but one was certainly offered shortly after we were given Melodyne 2 (149 to upgrade to editor).  That would make your decision a bit easier! Then again,  who likes to wait:) 

Be aware that registration has changed and now requires a live internet connection.
This is not stated anywhere on their website. I would not have purchased had I known this.
 
Also be aware that to register online you also need to login manually, despite some sort of personalization being done before you download it.
 
I took my PC off to work to connect to the internet only to discover I didn't bring the bit of paper I'd written my login details on. Had to go back to get it. Fun.
 
I complained bitterly. No response.

jpetersen
Be aware that registration has changed and now requires a live internet connection.
This is not stated anywhere on their website. I would not have purchased had I known this.
 
Also be aware that to register online you also need to login manually, despite some sort of personalization being done before you download it.
 
I took my PC off to work to connect to the internet only to discover I didn't bring the bit of paper I'd written my login details on. Had to go back to get it. Fun.
 
I complained bitterly. No response.

Your assessment is basically correct, an online connection is needed.  And I agree that it is a real drag, but my question is what is the other option?
 
There is some small print under system requirements on the website that you need online registration. Or an Ilok2.
 
When you download the demo, you are forced to go to their website to register. And then each time you want to change the demo package to a different level, you need to return to the Celemony website. I don't know what happens after the software is registered, ie is it a one time thing, or do they fish around on your computer whenever they want.
 
I do know that the Celemony website was down or at least very ****ed for quite a while around January 24, and it could have been a big problem for someone with an urgent problem. For instance, I sent them an email on January 25 explaining that their system timed out while I was changing my password and therefor I was locked out. It took them until February 4 to respond, and even then they responded with boilerplate about how I needed to erase all prior versions on my computer before installing,  which has nothing to do with my password to their website being in limbo. I am pretty sure they got their website operating way before February 4, and I could have signed on and done what I needed, but by that time I had lost the urge. This is poor support for a program that costs so much.
 
Not to mention that on-line registration puts you at risk that if the software vendor fails it will leave you without ability to use the software. I know it sounds paranoid, but just how much do you want to invest in a software vendor when you don't have access to know their financial condition? 
 
In the old days I used to keep a dedicated DAW offline, a machine that never touched the internet. But times have changed and I think the vendors have won the battle of intruding into your machine, so I accept it and go back to my recording without dwelling on the matter. It more or less works out, in an uncomfortable way.
 
Cakewalk's registration system is the best in the business. Too bad the partner vendors cannot accept trusting their customers like Cakewalk.
 
But the bottom line remains that V-Vocal is on it's way out, and the only real option we have to replace it is to license at least the Assistant level of Melodyne for $149, and live with the good and the bad of Melodyne. I tried Waves Tune. I even considered moving to other DAWs to avoid using Celemony products. But after a bunch of soul searching I conclude that an upgraded version of Melodyne 4 is the answer to my needs in order to stay with Sonar.
 
Edit: the word I put in that the forum has overwritten is a legitimate word that is not vulgar, as far as I know. It means sluggish, very slowed down, or delayed. I am sorry if I put a word that is offensive, but I don't believe this to be the case.
 
 

I had some difficulty getting the demo of Studio 4 to work in any mode but player, but once I purchased the upgrade the authorisation process was very quick and painless.
 
I  agree that Sonar has always had a great registration process.  One of a very few vendors that seem to favour trusting their customers over inconvenienceing them. 

I've personally only had really good experiences with Celemony support. I guess the changeover to M4 and the new website threw them into chaos for a while. And sorry, but keeping DAWs offline, I understand that some people still want to but in this day and age it's basically a voluntary handicap and you'll have to deal with the problems you create for yourself.
 
Melodyne is a great program and a major player in the industry for a reason. I'm glad we have such good integration with Sonar and we get a good deal on upgrade pricing. It would be my program of choice otherwise too but I probably wouldn't have been at Studio 4 now if I had to buy it from scratch. 

pharohoknaughty
Cakewalk's registration system is the best in the business. Too bad the partner vendors cannot accept trusting their customers like Cakewalk.

tenfoot
I  agree that Sonar has always had a great registration process.  One of a very few vendors that seem to favour trusting their customers over inconvenienceing them.

Cakewalk had the best registration system from the user perspective... But I guess that was producing too many illegal copies, and so Cakewalk is in the "main line" now, you need Internet for activation, either on the same computer on on the other.
 
I was already hit by that. I took the latest "update" for Z3ta2, and since previous versions could be installed offline, I was naively thinking that 2 codes are sufficient. Guess what? After successful installation from USB stick, I have got "Please authorize using CCC".
 
So the only part where Cakewalk trust users (unlike other...) is the number of installations. But... EULA states (explicitly) you can install on 2 computers only, from which one is a notebook. And they counting already. So, they can (I do not claim they will) show you "installations limit exceeded" any time they want.
 
For Melodyne it is more interesting: in EULA they write they allow installation and use on ONE computer only, in documentation they write 2 activations are ok, explicitly mentioning that temporary deactivation is also ok.
 
But Melodyne license can be transferred, Cakewalk license is bound to the person.
 
What I mean is that every company has own rules which from some perspective do not sound good. And "user friendly" offline registration for Cakewalk products is history now...
 
 
 

I suppose my experience is similar.  When Melodyne was first bundled with Sonar, I had just started using V-Vocal.  I had watched a few videos and with the information in the 'Sonar Xi Power' books I was able to correct pitch if needed and also edit consonants and breaths, etc.
 
But, since Melodyne was taking center stage as of Sonar X3, I finally got on board.  I thought I would use Melodyne to create harmonies as well as improve my own lead vocals, and I did take advantage of an upgrade offer from Essential to Editor, but I'm only using Melodyne for small pitch corrections, just as I did with V-Vocal.  If I need harmony, I either sing those parts or I use iZotope's Nectar.
 
As far as editing vocals, I do that using the tools in Sonar for editing audio clips, fades, etc.
 
 

azslow3
So the only part where Cakewalk trust users (unlike other...) is the number of installations. 

Which is a HUGE positive that puts Cakewalk ahead of most others Azs. 

azslow3
And they counting already. So, they can (I do not claim they will) show you "installations limit exceeded" any time they want.

But they haven't,  which also puts them way ahead of most others,  so despite the changes  I still think it is pretty fair to assert that they have one of the best systems. 
 
 

Well, I recently got Studio One 3 and the registration method was like Sonar's.