dappa1
X series was a bold step but the best step for Sonar.

Wow, do I ever agree!! It took a lot of cojones to completely change a product line around and run the risk of alienating your core following. And from what I understand, a lot of users did drop by the wayside, and some are going to keep using 8.5 until their hard drive melts. But SONAR is picking up a lot of new users and "switchers;" I believe that would not be happening if X hadn't happened. 
 
The biggest difference to me was that the X-series made recording fun and fast again. 8.5 did what I needed to get a project done, and I knew my way around it. X1 wasn't there yet but showed promise, and I think X1d fulfilled that promise. X2 was a logical progression, but X3 was like discovering that your transmission actually had five gears, not three   It's one of the very few programs that puts a smile on my face just by opening it up.

I started with MIDI only Cakewalk Apprentice version 1 back at the start of Twelve Tone Systems. I have every update since through the Cakewalk series, the pro audio, the SONAR 1 thru 8.5 and the X series.

I've loved the process. Back when 8.5 was the current version my home was destroyed buy a flood (2006). Unable to get out from under the mortgage and with a valueless home, I took 5 years to rebuild my home. I had no to little time for music. I bought the upgrades hoping to get back to it. Then other projects came along and I was obligated to use ProTools for them (Wow did I miss SONAR). But never got the time to get into the X series.

Now I have the time, it is a learning curve to get used to the changes in the X series and I am unaccustomed to being in the fog whereas I used to be on top of it all. However, I hope to soon be back in the saddle feeling very comfortable in the X series environment.

I've been very happy with the development of the flagship product.

My first Cakewalk purchase was v. 1.0 for DOS, on a single 4.25" floppy. I used it with my brand new Ensoniq VFX.

The next big change was Cakewalk for Windows (Win 3.11 at the time). I got that and upgraded through several subsequent versions. I remember getting on the Cakewalk Compuserve forum, where Greg Hendershott would show up from time to time.

Years later I became aware of Cakewalk Pro Audio (digital audio recording!) and picked it up. It was version 4, I think. I tried it out with the SoundBlaster that I had installed, and that was the beginning of a series of purchases that has never ended - audio interfaces, microphones, preamps, mixers, monitors, plug-ins. I have bought every single release of Cakewalk Pro Audio and SONAR since then.

My home recording adventures go back to two channel sound with sound machines and (the big leap forward) a Dokorder four channel tape recorder. I learned all kinds of strategies for getting along with four channels, explored the limits of bouncing tracks, etc. etc. I never dreamed of being able to do wihat can be easily done now with SONAR.

I imagine that it can all be done with other DAWs as well. But Cakewalk/SONAR is what I've learned on. And the learning curve has been especially steep with the X versions, because of their increased power. Collaborating with people using Protools is no problem, as I can export OMF files or just wav files. So although I am mildly interested in the competition, they would have to offer something very interesting indeed to get me to switch at this point.

After reading these responses, I feel like a Johnny come lately! I'm a "switcher" from the Mac and a different DAW. Held my nose and bought a Pentium machine in 1995 to run Sound Forge, and discovered shortly thereafter that PCs were a lot more powerful ("Cool!! Multitasking!!!"). I ran Acid on Windows and Cubase on the Mac. When SONAR came out, it did everything Acid and Cubase could do combined on one platform...and I never looked back.

I too got started with the Cakewalk Express that was offered free through Computer Music magazine. Then decided to upgrade to the 'Home Studio' version. When I went on-line to order the upgrade, Cakewalk actually gave me a discount for being an 'owner' of another version of their product.
 
Since then we have played around with other DAWs (especially the 'lite' versions that tend to come with any computer audio product you buy today) but I still come back to Cakewalk. Sonar X3 has really been a nice piece of software, and I learn more and more about it every time that I use it (and every time I come to these forums as well!).