I'm thinking about upgrading at some point to Professional from Sonar 8.5 Producer, mainly to get XML capability. Can anyone give me a quick idea of the learning curve? As much as going to another DAW entirely?

Have any other posters spoken well of XML compatibility? I would want to make sure of that if it was my sole reason to upgrade.

As you are actively using 8.5.3, you will see a pretty decent "culture shock" in the X-series jump. The best perspective is to go in with an open mind, since it is easy to "expect" things that may have changed. Many things are very similar, but the ones that change often trip people up.
 
The easiest way to swallow the elephant is to eat a little at a time... keep both versions loaded on your machine and focus on learning your workflow's "most common tasks" inside the new SONAR (so you can get your best bang for the buck). Learn as you go, and this forum is one of the best resources there is when questions arise. As you get more familiar, the shift to just using the X-series tends to "just happen" for most.

That steep, huh? Sounds like it essentially is a new DAW. I did try a demo awhile back, and admittedly couldn't make heads or tails of it. But the same happens with demos of any DAWS.
 
As for XML: my need is to be able to to export into a notation program like Musescore, to get around Sonar's poor notation. I know I can export in 8.5 as a midi file, but I'm not sure how well that imports into a notation program. 
 
 

I am not sure if I would use "steep" but more "different." I came from SONAR 7, but had not used it in a while and am thankful for that because I didn't immediately react with "why is it this way now?"
 
Some workflows are so similar that they are nearly identical. People tend to notice the differences a lot more, and there were (and still are) loads of "why can't this be like [enter previous version here]?" threads. Leaving both loaded will allow you to switch between them fairly readily. Most folks have a specific work flow they default to, so the best way to learn is to simply target those areas first (significantly quicker).
 
If you consider the perspective of a new user (to any DAW), simple routing of MIDI->VSTi can be an incredible hurdle. In that regard, you are light years ahead already, since the core of the platforms is mostly the same (just different nuances).

michael diemer
I'm thinking about upgrading at some point to Professional from Sonar 8.5 Producer, mainly to get XML capability. Can anyone give me a quick idea of the learning curve? As much as going to another DAW entirely?

See the link. Artist also supports MusicXML export.

michael diemer
That steep, huh? Sounds like it essentially is a new DAW. I did try a demo awhile back, and admittedly couldn't make heads or tails of it. But the same happens with demos of any DAWS.
 
As for XML: my need is to be able to to export into a notation program like Musescore, to get around Sonar's poor notation. I know I can export in 8.5 as a midi file, but I'm not sure how well that imports into a notation program. 
 
 

If you know a Sonar user why not send them one of your Sonar projects (MIDI) and get them to export it as XML and see whether it lives up to your expectations.

michael diemer
Sounds like it essentially is a new DAW. I did try a demo awhile back, and admittedly couldn't make heads or tails of it. But the same happens with demos of any DAWS.

While the Sonar "X" series created significant user interface changes with the Skylight interface, many of the dialog windows have not changed since 8.5.3.  The "X" series terminology is the same as 8.5.3.  For example, a clip is still called a clip, not a "Media item" or an "Event".
 
Recommend viewing the videos in the Get Started section at http://www.cakewalk.com/CakeTV/SONAR-University/Get-Started.  Start with the Sonar X1 videos, since the majority of user interface change happened in X1.
 
Also, review the Sonar X3 documentation PDFs, which can downloaded at http://www.cakewalk.com/Support/Knowledge-Base/2007013322/SONAR-X3-Reference-User-and-Quick-Start-Guides.
 
-- Ron

Thank you Kamikaze, Mettelus, Mudgel and Squire Bum for this info. Re: Artist, I would go with Pro in order to get more plugins and other features. but if I can work in Musescore from 8.5 export, I may not even need to upgrade.
 
My workflow is pretty simple. I record via step-record mostly, do my editing in staff view, also use event list a lot; mix and master in console. That's pretty much it. No PRV for me, it's always been too abstract. I like seeing the actual notes, since I'm classically trained (School of Diemerology - self-taught).

michael diemer
As much as going to another DAW entirely?

Not having any clue how long it would take you to learn an other DAW, I can't say.
 
I jumped from 8.5 all the way to X1. Was fully using it on day one. Same for X2, X3 and SONAR Platinum.
 
I'm a super star though.