Anderton

Sanderxpander
My main concern is that so far every new release has come with SOME bugs. They're usually not big but it becomes pretty hard to judge whether or not one will be a problem for me and I don't like rolling the dice every month.

This is something I don't quite understand. It takes only a few minutes to update, and even less time to roll back. Any bugs usually affect only a limited number of people, so there's really nothing to be lost by updating, then if you encounter a bug that actually affects your work, rolling back to a previous version.
 
As to the general topic of being overwhelmed, I have yet to see a serious DAW that didn't have an overwhelming feature set. But, just because you own a car doesn't mean you have to drive every road...you drive on the roads that take you someplace you need to go. 

That's easy to say, Craig, but you don't always notice bugs right away, sometimes they mess with your save files, sometimes they are seemingly small things where you don't understand right away what is going wrong. This is nothing new and happened during previous versions as well. It's just that right now every month brings another "I hope it works".

I don't mean to belittle Cake's intent or efforts with this new system. But the question was posed and for ME new updates all the time can be perhaps not overwhelming but at least disruptive to my workflow. Even though I love some of the new features. I'd just rather not have my DAW be like my phone or iPad like that.

Sanderxpander

That's easy to say, Craig, but you don't always notice bugs right away, sometimes they mess with your save files, sometimes they are seemingly small things where you don't understand right away what is going wrong. This is nothing new and happened during previous versions as well. It's just that right now every month brings another "I hope it works".

I don't mean to belittle Cake's intent or efforts with this new system. But the question was posed and for ME new updates all the time can be perhaps not overwhelming but at least disruptive to my workflow. Even though I love some of the new features. I'd just rather not have my DAW be like my phone or iPad like that.

I was actually WAY more pissed with the "what you get is what you get" approach to bugs with the yearly release model. I almost bailed after the X2 fiasco (and think I nearly got banned from the forum).
 
Things ain't perfect (what is?) and there are a couple of minor things I've noticed that have creeped in but all in all those were MUCH darker days than we have now.
 
Seriously it seemed every session resulted in a crash with X2. Since X3 that is a rarity and I have a much easier time recovering from any problems that arise. Mostly the things that screw me up these days in the program are design issues that I can only hope will be corrected as time goes on. I've already seen large swaths of design defiencies get wiped away in the past year or so.
 
IDK... I'm much happier now. I know that's not the case for everyone but it means the world to me because I can actually WORK without wanting to launch the tower through a wall.

I like the current model. I just wish I could get an e-mail alert when new updates have dropped.
 
I'm some of you get e-mails from Cake, but I don't. I've registered a dozen times to receive e-mail alerts, and gone through all the options in my profile - but for some reason, Cakewalk doesn't want me to know about new products unless I come here first. THAT is what ticks me off about the update model.

Sanderxpander
[That's easy to say, Craig, but you don't always notice bugs right away, sometimes they mess with your save files

 
Just curious, have there been incidents where some bug caused problems with saved files? I don't recall seeing anything about saves in the forums other than people having issues trying to open old Bundles. If you open a SONAR project with an older version of SONAR it ignores new features, so that might be a simple solution if this indeed happens to someone. 
 

sometimes they are seemingly small things where you don't understand right away what is going wrong.

 
I can definitely see that ("Is it me or is it SONAR?") but you don't have to try and troubleshoot the problem. If doing the same thing worked before, just roll back.

I don't mean to belittle Cake's intent or efforts with this new system. But the question was posed and for ME new updates all the time can be perhaps not overwhelming but at least disruptive to my workflow. Even though I love some of the new features. I'd just rather not have my DAW be like my phone or iPad like that.

Well, you're preaching to the converted on one level because I haven't upgraded my MacBook Pro to El Capitan, or my phone to iOS 9 yet , so I know where you're coming from...but I have upgraded my iPad, because I don't use it for business. It's very convenient to be able to "test" an upgrade on the non-mission critical stuff before applying it to something that really matters to my work, but that's basically what rolling back/forward lets me do.
 
I'm also in the camp of finding it easier overall to have my workflow disrupted a little bit once a month compared to a major disruption every year. I think the main argument in favor of a yearly big disruption was that you could have the old and new versions installed side-by-side. 
 

I don't update on D-day for every release, but I usually make it before the month is up.  It is a good system since you can update when you have the time and/or when a project is finished.  I, personally, don't feel guilty about not being up to the minute on it.  More choice is better, to update or not to update, it ain't hardly a question worth fardling over.
 
And, as pointed out by Craig and others, you get a get out of jail card with rollbacks.  Granted, the bug you don't know about may the one that will kill you (or a project, anyway), but the odds are low and in your favor.  I used to buy Ampex 456 tape since that was what pros used and sounded great, only to find out it is the worst offender for shedding all these years later.  If you want surety, die.
 
@

GMGM
I like the current model. I just wish I could get an e-mail alert when new updates have dropped.
 
I'm some of you get e-mails from Cake, but I don't. I've registered a dozen times to receive e-mail alerts, and gone through all the options in my profile - but for some reason, Cakewalk doesn't want me to know about new products unless I come here first. THAT is what ticks me off about the update model.

Check the notifications on the start screen from time to time. Meanwhile, any chance it's aggressive spam filtering?

This checking is the issue. E-mail about update comes a few days after update available.

Anderton

Sanderxpander
[That's easy to say, Craig, but you don't always notice bugs right away, sometimes they mess with your save files

 
Just curious, have there been incidents where some bug caused problems with saved files? I don't recall seeing anything about saves in the forums other than people having issues trying to open old Bundles. If you open a SONAR project with an older version of SONAR it ignores new features, so that might be a simple solution if this indeed happens to someone. 
 

sometimes they are seemingly small things where you don't understand right away what is going wrong.

 
I can definitely see that ("Is it me or is it SONAR?") but you don't have to try and troubleshoot the problem. If doing the same thing worked before, just roll back.

I don't mean to belittle Cake's intent or efforts with this new system. But the question was posed and for ME new updates all the time can be perhaps not overwhelming but at least disruptive to my workflow. Even though I love some of the new features. I'd just rather not have my DAW be like my phone or iPad like that.

Anderton
Well, you're preaching to the converted on one level because I haven't upgraded my MacBook Pro to El Capitan, or my phone to iOS 9 yet , so I know where you're coming from...but I have upgraded my iPad, because I don't use it for business. It's very convenient to be able to "test" an upgrade on the non-mission critical stuff before applying it to something that really matters to my work, but that's basically what rolling back/forward lets me do.
 
I'm also in the camp of finding it easier overall to have my workflow disrupted a little bit once a month compared to a major disruption every year. I think the main argument in favor of a yearly big disruption was that you could have the old and new versions installed side-by-side. 
 

I recall an issue where some plugin states weren't recalled correctly. I can't say for sure that it was in the way Sonar saved things. But my point was that I'd only notice it after hours of work and upon RETURNING to a project.

I really just don't like the whole jiggamarole monthly instead of yearly (or three times a year with patch fixes). X2 wasn't as unstable for me as for some and X3 was on the whole very good. Every patch fixed a number of small known issues and for the most part didn't introduce new issues. Sorry if I don't feel the installing and rolling back is more comfortable. It makes me feel like a beta tester and I want to be making music. No matter what you say, it disrupts the process and it's not just the rolling back but also the time spent figuring out what's up, possibly cleaning up the mess etc.
I just find it uncomfortable. YMMV.

On occasion I do feel as if I am spending too much time teching than playing! I do like the way things are going since the change though.

Sanderxpander
Sorry if I don't feel the installing and rolling back is more comfortable.

This statement right here is something I agree with whole heartedly... especially as an "offline/manual" installer. I have not, and hopefully will never have to, "rollback". I kind of don't trust the process (like what happens to all the new files and you just KNOW that a rollback ain't gonna put things back EXACTLY as they were beforehand).
 
I'm not even sure how that would work without the CCC anyway (offline). Fortunately I've never had to do it so far but as I said I've only updated SPlat a few times since I got it. I've had pretty good luck with it so far but obviously I'm here on the forum ALL the time to keep an eye on what's up.
 
I kind of figure though that anyone who is more vigilant on updating to the latest version as soon as it comes out (which is much more than I do) would be able to pop into the forum and check out the goings ons. I would say anyone concerned about it who doesn't have the time to scour the forum as some of us do could post a thread asking for the good, bad and ugly on a a release (and all those since their last update). I've done that and gotten the skinny pretty quick.
 
Then I just make a decision as to whether the problem(s) outweigh the benefits based on my own needs. Of course a good place to look for those who are concerned is the Problem Reports area of the site which I think is a brilliant idea and should be used/referenced more.
 
Meh... I get by. Certainly much better than I used to when I had nuthin'. lol