Yeah I use console view mostly as others posted for mixing, usually after what I might think taker tracks are dancing together. When Sonar's X series came about, the skyview or what ever the marketers call it, the console view can to track view can easily be toggled back and forth

donplee
On another note, virtually every person that comes over to my "studio" marvels at Console View spread over two 24" monitors. "Wow...do you know what all that stuff does?" 

Ha! When I had my old analog studio, I never told my amazed visitors that the console was just the same thing repeated 48 times. I thought this would make me more attractive to the ladies, but it didn't work.

So the OP asks who NEVER uses the console view and he gets a flood of rationalizations for using it.
 
The internet. Meh!

bapu
So the OP asks who NEVER uses the console view and he gets a flood of rationalizations for using it.
 
The internet. Meh!

hehe, I think I posted this discussion because I was just wondering if I was missing something by not using CV.. I welcome all of the various answers and they are very insightful!

There's way too much automation on my tracks for a traditional mixing/console view to be useful. I've never used it. And I've never warmed up to Pro Channel either.
 
In any case my workflow doesn't include a traditional "mixdown" phase. Mixing is part of arranging for me.

RexRed

bapu
So the OP asks who NEVER uses the console view and he gets a flood of rationalizations for using it.
 
The internet. Meh!

 I welcome all of the various answers and they are very insightful!

I agree. I never realized there were so many different ways people set up SONAR for mixing.

I use it, but I get why some people don't. I remember in the 90's having my eyes on a spirit folio sx and being excited about the routing options on that. Friends of mine that were making 'tunes' and stuff I liked, didn't really get the point, and when they had to have it it was out of necessity to combines sounds sources. For me it was the hub of the whole set up and the thing that set the sound, even though it wasn't a mixer you bought for anything more than a clean sound, but the access to balancing the sound made the sound.
 
If someone was never exposed to hardware mixers, it may seem such an obscure concept, that having used them we can't fathom.
 
 

donplee
...virtually every person that comes over to my "studio" marvels at Console View spread over two 24" monitors. "Wow...do you know what all that stuff does?" 

The #1 reason for using the console view, or for that matter using an actual physical console. It's what visitors/clients expect to see.

That's the thing isn't it. It doesn't seem to matter from what era a person comes, eventually, clients want to see a mixer.
Probably because no matter what the technology is most people have an image in their mind of a big studio with a massive desk prominently occupying the control room.

Even in a modest home studio when folks come around they are most impressed when you show them the console view. Especially with a few Pro Channels open it looks quite the goods.

I've got Track View on the left and Console View above, right monitor is for plugins, Sound Forge, etc. I use two 22" monitors side by side and a 32" above. I can't picture a workflow that doesn't use CV, but I guess it depends on the material. Many of the projects I work on can get over 100 tracks and TV would be a nightmare! It's funny that so many don't use CV whereas I would love to permanently remove MultiDock and Browser...MultiDock is probably good if you absolutely have to run every interface element at the same time on a 14" monitor but I think we've gotten past that ;) And Browser?? Seriously, I haven't recorded anything yet but I can already browse for it?? A floating Synth Rack is good for me :)
 
Bill