Hi
 
Apart from the almost identical names ... do these 2 play together these days? Sonar X3(e) and Behringer X32 digital mixer? I did a forum search but didn't find much (nothing current) ...
 
Does it work off the mackie protocoll or not at all when it tries to talk to Sonar?
 
Also startet a thread over in the hardware forum (here) as I would appreciate comments on its general performance (when used standalone) as well.
 
Thanks for sharing you experiences!
 
Rob

Just for the record ... after very informative feedback from Jim Roseberry (here) I just sold my kids car and ordered the X32 system including S16 snake and P16 monitoring. Primary use will be live gigs ... but nevertheless I plan to hook it up to Sonar once time allows and see if/how it can compete e.g. with the VS-700 system (that I'm extremely happy with these days) ...
 
Give me a few weeks and I'll get back to this ... if someone stumbles into this thread earlier and needs info, just PM me ... or ask Jim - he's a tremendous source when it comes to knowing things that you'll never find on the web and that would take you ages to figure out yourself ;-)

Just in case anybody ever bumps into this thread, I add some information:
 
I've owned and extensively used the X32 for half a year now and got quite some experience with it, so ...

• DAW control is very limited - you can only use the most basic features of a mackie control unit (MCU) i.e. channel fader, mute, arm, stop, play, plus add like 8 buttons with special functionality (no bus accessm etc.) ... so extremely limited (!!!),  but I did not buy X32 for DAW control in the studio, that what I have a VS-700 for ...
• for live use in combination with Sonar it's absolutely awesome (32 tracks IN/OUT), scenes can be stored per songs and auto-switched via MIDI, stop/play, next/prev marker can be assigned to X32 buttons i.e. you don't ever have to touch the mouse if you're using Sonar for playback of aux tracks ... you can record your sound-check and listen to it really quickly ... and Sonar X3e has been rock solid in all live applications when run from a Windows 8.1 tablet PC without ANY tuning changes ...

I'll chime in here:
 
I routinely use my X32 with X3e.  It's a solid combination. As mentioned above, I yearn to have 'bus switching' capability with the Mackie Control Emulation functions. I've submitted a feature request to Behringer for this function. They shouldn't have to work hard to make this happen, as it's a part of their BCF2000 product function.
 
Other than that, the main attraction of the X32 (for me) is the ability to deliver great headphone mixes with effects to the performers. The high quality compression and reverbs of the X32 help to build excitement and confidence within the performers, while I leave X3e at a relatively high (and untouched) latency setting appropriate for mixing, that is fully de-coupled from the monitoring functions. The other convenience is that the flexible routing allows me to use my Focusrite, Golden Age, and ART preamps into the 'Aux-In' ports of the X32.
 
I also run two sets of 2.1 speakers from the X32 for mixing and review, and all is well. As you can tell, I'm a happy camper, but I'd be a bit happier if there was away to have motorized faders on my busses in X3e.