Beepster
I am now covered in damned wires and spent the morning getting poked and prodded by strangers if that makes you feel any better.

Alien abductions are always tough. Just don't mention the word "analytic probe," if you get my drift.

Fortunately I don't THINK I need another one of those because I watch my diet but I'm probably getting to the age where I should be getting the ole UFIA sans roses nor lobster dinner attached.

M@
Well;
In my opinion for the collected data to have even the slightest bit of meaning:
- CW needs to know exactly what percentage of all Sonar users have (stayed) opted in.
- They will need to know if at any given time a 'series of data' is collected if the user's actions lead to succes or to failure (from the users point of view!) .... or if certain (series of) actions were due to other actions taken before with succes or failure.
- They would need to know what type of customer the user is.
 
Seems to me that this is the wrong approach for collecting data with the purpose of analysing and improving user experiences.
 
!
I believe a better approach would be to have a daily/weekly/monthly theme or question which would be presented to the users that opted-in to helping. (On the new start-screen for example)
Then the users that really do participate will give feedback to that specific question only....and as soon as the user submits his response to the question/theme the collected data for that session (mouse-travel, amount of clicks, menu's opened & closed, etc. or whatever data CW is interested in) will be submitted together with the user's experience described in words.
 
THAT will give CW real focused insight.
 
The daily question could be simple or complicated.....doesn't matter. It should be specific though.
(i.e. are the buttons for function XYZ too small for your touchscreen?  User answer yes: Data logged also shows users multiple times clicking next to function XYZ by 5 pixels so they know how much larger the buttons must be.)
 
The people opting in do not need to respond each and every day/week/month.....but in this scenario even rewards for the amount of feedback given makes sense......people spend time actively contributing to answering the questions CW are actually really after.......not just 'dead' data being logged.
 
Even though this approach sounds similar to what people are already actively contributing in the features&requests and bug-reports forum this is not the same....there users are expressing their own thoughts; not answering CW's questions.
 
Also CW could then in certain cases contact certain users directly for additional feedback. I guess that's what the new feedback feature will be about?!
Maybe I'm thinking too simple or too complicated and this might not work at all.......but right now that's just:
my 2cents.
 

Unfortunately, this is probably going to be a bit more intrusive into the workflow of a Sonar user than most will like.  My opinion (that should be obvious) is these type of things "get in the way."  A lot websites want to verify some bit of information or ask you go to paperless - things that I really want to do, but because I have logged into them with a specific purpose in mind, I click the remind me later button (as opposed to the no thanks or ok, let's do it buttons.)  And usually I never actually do it because they always remind as I am logging in and on a mission.


When I fire up Sonar, its usually because I have a musical idea floating around my head and need to get it down on disk, or I have an idea on how to improve the mix I was working on last night and I don't want to be distracted by "the question of the day."  I will ignore it and never come back to it.
 
I would much rather things happen behind the scenes and email contact be made to get further information.

irvin
In all fairness, Cakewalk is at a crossroads: power users are a minority of their clientele (you can tell from the postings on this forum) and the super-saturated DAW market makes it almost impossible to pry users from the competition. The most promising market is casual users and total beginners.

What is Cakewalk supposed to do? Cater to the minority? Lose potential customers?

I also have felt the same way since last couple of months.
Artists comes in the top 10 list - not Platinum. Upgrades are not based on the feature request - may be the commitments for monthly upgrade now becoming stressful for the bakers creativity - we cant blame them.
I feel they need to look into list of the FR for last 1 year.
Secondly have a new team made for creating video tutorials - to upgrade the new comers to power users.
Giveaway scaled down version with most of the hardware [midi controllers + audio interfaces], the new comers coming in the field of DAW purchases these two in the beginning.
 

Anderton
Cakewalk has made it clear that using analytics doesn't obviate their other methods of canvassing users. But perhaps more importantly, power users are the ones who push the system harder, and find bugs that new users would never find because they're just doing the basics. I think analytics would make it much easier to fix the kinds of bugs that vex power users, especially because the power users may not have the time to really investigate a bug in order to submit steps to reproduce...but if analytics does that for you, then that would be tremendously helpful for troubleshooting.

Analytic to be kept for power users [self declaration] to understand and troubleshooting only.
Cakewalk from time to time can release a questionnaire to get to understand what the features mean to the user-base : knowledge about a feature, usefulness of the feature, complicacy if faced, using or not using - reason etc etc. Serious users will certainly give the feed back.
 
Please don't put feature just for making the list bigger: that will damage more - Insert track, the Painter tool in PRV, increasing the row height etc. 
 
Cakewalk users are considerate enough and feel for the bakers as well, some users are from the field of developments - they know what pressure comes with the deadlines.
 
Hope Cakewalk will rethink - This is my personal view.
 
Regards
Snehankur

Snehankur
Secondly have a new team made for creating video tutorials - to upgrade the new comers to power users.

 
From what I've seen of the younger generations, they couldn't sit still long enough to see through a video.
They want to do things right now.  They want an app to be simple and obvious.  You could probably throw away 80% of what Sonar can do and they'd never notice.
 
To be fair, I have all videos except the Platinum newest features one and still haven't gotten around to watching most of them myself.  Most of what I've learned is by performing in an always open project whatever members are currently discussing in these forums.  It's like being in school.  But the youngsters don't have time to do that either.

Paul P

Snehankur
Secondly have a new team made for creating video tutorials - to upgrade the new comers to power users.

 
From what I've seen of the younger generations, they couldn't sit still long enough to see through a video.
They want to do things right now.  They want an app to be simple and obvious.  You could probably throw away 80% of what Sonar can do and they'd never notice.
 
To be fair, I have all videos except the Platinum newest features one and still haven't gotten around to watching most of them myself.  Most of what I've learned is by performing in an always open project whatever members are currently discussing in these forums.  It's like being in school.  But the youngsters don't have time to do that either.

I'm sure you said something interesting, but I didn't have time to read your post 
 
I've been asked to do videos by more than just Cakewalk, but the reality is that if a video is over 2 minutes, most people will drop off.

The tin foil hat brigade is really spoiling participation in any meaningful discussion in this forum.

Please have your doctors increase your anti psychotic medications to therapeutic levels. Surely you can't be leading a happy life with this degree of paranoia. I say this with real concern for your mental health.

I'm going to have a self imposed holiday from too much internet activity in general and this forum specifically.

See you all occasionally.

Anderton
I've been asked to do videos by more than just Cakewalk, but the reality is that if a video is over 2 minutes, most people will drop off.

Now there's an idea.  In Sonar, instead of F1 bringing up contextual help text, have it bring up a 1-2 minute video on the subject at hand.  I'd put that to good use.

Right now I have just finished a video
Sound Design Tutorial: Layering Drums - Native Instruments Battery 4 w/ Evan Sutton
now noticed the duration is 11:19

Anderton
I've been asked to do videos by more than just Cakewalk, but the reality is that if a video is over 2 minutes, most people will drop off.

Why you?
Cakewalk should preserve you for the Pro.
There can be a secondary team - can be from this forum also. There are so many knowledgeable users.
 
Regards
Snehankur