pdlstl


I admit that my feelings regarding X1 were quite similar to Ionian's. I don't record myself. I exclusively record people who come to me and pay me. Upon the release of X1 I was devastated to see (IMHO) that the product I had loved since PA8 was being "dumbed down" and the marketing appeared to be directed to the chap recording in his/her bedroom. I also made the decision that I would not upgrade, no way no how.

However...upon reviewing the sparse information available on X2 I have decided to bite the bullet and take the plunge. I came to the conclusion that I could continue to be hard headed and eventually turn to another product which I had zero experience in or get on the bandwagon, make the upgrade and learn X2. This was after a long conversation with someone whose opinion I highly value.

As I've done with each new version I 've upgraded to over the years, there will be things I love and things I hate. And I will deal with that scenario as I have with many things in my life. Embrace the things I love and shy away from the things I hate.

I purchased the upgrade to X1 yesterday for the free upgrade to X2. I will duplicate all projects currently in production (8 at this point) and work on them in X1 during the learning curve. But my 8.5.3 projects will remained untouched just in case.
 
I'm over being hard-headed.
 
Having said that, my ideal solution would be a version of SONAR without many of the features (silly plugins, too many synths etc.) that are quite important to many hobbyists but useless to me. I tend to use high quality outboard gear and and high quality third party plugins. Give me something that I can record/edit audio/MIDI with, make it rock solid and I'll handle the rest.

I also record people who pay me, but I often use the synths.  I record metal and rock mostly, but even with them I use synths on almost every single project.  And when I get a Rap/Dance/Pop artist, thank god for the included synths.


People that do this to pay bills need software nowadays.  I don't have the cash to go buy these sounds in hardware format haha


I totally understand where you're coming from, cause X1 totally threw me for a loop for a few weeks.  After awhile (and the X1d update) it was clear that it was stable and had a lot more going for it to allow me to work quickly.  The Browser alone is something I would miss greatly, and it saves me from right-clicking through plugin menus in front of clients.  Instrument tracks that are easily dropped from the Browser is so quick.

At first, it looks too shiny to be "pro".  But it's the same thing as Sonar 8 for all purposes if you are recording audio.  My tracking sessions haven't changed a boatload.  If anything they're quicker because of X1's small changes.

X2 kinda seems like they released version 1, fixed stuff, heard response, and now are releasing the product we want.  Hopefully I'm somewhat correct!

To me ... Sonar 8.5 was the best ever. Don't get me wrong, I like Sonar X1 and the new features in Sonar Expanded and the upcoming Sonar X2, but I just need the nitty gritty of recording packages and that was Sonar 8.5.

2 things that bother me most are no automated bypass for the sonitus EQ
and time based fx not bouncing down properly.

just sayin.

Brandon Ryan [Cakewalk
]

mattplaysguitar

Ionian

especially for those of us who don't use the track inspector because IMO it has no real purpose besides from taking up screen real estate.

It SAVES real estate in my opinion! Imagine if you had a ProChannel on each and every track... That would be mighty cluttered...


It took my a few years before I was sold on the inspector, to be honest. But now that I use it regularly, I freaking love it. Give it a chance. It's just a break in your workflow, but I think it's for the better.

I agree. The Inspector saves screen real-estate, absolutely. It also opens and closes with a single click, making it instantly accessible. Of course I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. 

Please forgive this interjection, but I just saw red.
 
In 8.5, I NEVER closed the inspector. It was not necessary. 
 
X1 is so spread-out, I am constantly pressing buttons, adjusting screens and collecting tips from fellow forum members to get more space.  And even with everything closed, there are still thick bars left!
 
I stopped the video at 0.31 and jumped for joy at the thought of being able to custom-configure the GUI to be laptop-friendly.
 
Alas, it seems this is not available to the user.
 
I run a mobile demo studio, and I accept that not everyone runs a laptop. But really, it frustrating comparing the efficient use of space in my old 8.5 and seeing all that wasted space and unnecessarily large controls in X1.
 

I was kinda looking forward to a mastering suite, ie., Studio One project page.  It updates your master if you make changes to your mix.  I love that feature.

Try Firefox V5 or earlier or latest version with IE tab, that's as functional as Chrome at least.

Sorry, but this board is unusable for a Firefox user...

Perhaps it is Firefox that has become unusable. Use Chrome. 

Here there is not a very good moment.
Actually it's really difficult to produce because of the economical conditions.
I recently purchase a Jupiter 80 and it is a very good keyb with great features and sound possibilities.
you can imagine that there is no money left for anything.
But this X2 brings very interesting features and it would be nice to upgrade.
I think that it would be a good thing to help the old cakewalk users to upgrade conveniently keeping the upgrade price especially low for them. I'm purchasing CW products begining from cakewalk 6. 
What do you think about?

daveny5

Sorry, but this board is unusable for a Firefox user...

Perhaps it is Firefox that has become unusable. Use Chrome. 

 
Seriously?  Some of you guys kill me.
 
I go on several different forums and this is the ONLY forum I have trouble w/ in Firefox.   

FF works fine if you know html/BB codes which are easy to learn/add to comments. It's a mild annoyance but it works and I think the forum is worth the effort. And I don't know how someone could completely trash a program after only using it very briefly over something so very minor. There are tons of things I used to do in Nuendo that are different in X1. It's all there though, so I adjust. It's worth it. Everything changes. Everything.

I will be very surprised if the upgrade from X1e or producer to X2P is less that $179.00. If I were saving I would plan for $179.00 or $199.00 and be pleasantly surprised if it is less. It has been twice the usual time between full upgrades and money isn't worth what it used to be, everything costs more... so, I'd be prepared for something near 200 bucks and then be happy if it is less.
Maybe it will be $99.00 but I'll be surprised if it is... I'll also be very happy, but I'll be happy in any case. (I don't like being unhappy, it takes too much energy IMO).
It surely suq if you just bought your first Cakewalk software but we all at some point paid the full entry price then were faced with an upgrade price in a year or less.

I'll probably bite as soon as it comes out, after all is said and done that seems to me to be the best route to take... at least for me, YMMV.

All the best!

Julien

+1 to everything you said John. X2 is X1 but with some tweaks here and there with some new features including those additional VSTs. R-mix is cool, but not everyone is going to have a use for it. $179 to upgrade would be too steep, especially with the economy and high gas prices. $149 to upgrade for Producer customers is also a hit in their wallets. It should be as enticing and affordable as possible. $99 to upgrade for Producer customers and $49 for Expanded customers. These prices will be a No Brainer for most people and they won't have to wait around for a promotion or discount. The higher the prices are set, the higher the chances that people are unwilling to upgrade and Cakewalk will have to work harder to advertise, promote and market to these folks.

I agree with both Beepster and every word of Skylightron. 

i really hope that x2 will finally allow the ability to select multiple clips (drum tracks) and time stretch the whole lot with one click instead of having to do it one clip at a time. i've been requesting this since sonar 6. it's a deal breaker for me unfortunately.

Keni

FastBikerBoy

stevec

Automation lanes are an option in SONAR X2. You can still use X1 style automation as you always have. In SONAR X2 you have the choice of using automation on top of clips (using Edit Filter) or using automation lanes. You can change at will at any time.

Nice.

I've got my fingers crossed for a pop up over the ghosted data, that'll keep me happy.

BIG time!

Yes, holding down CTRL while mousing over an envelope will show its tooltip even when the parameter is not selected in the edit filter.