Danny, Jon and Mike....
Thank you very much for your thoughts.

I'm all ears with total respect for your thoughts and appreciation for your time/efforts.

Clearing the slate and trying the 32 bit X2 sounds like a good first shot.
No Danny I didn't do anything but load X2a 64 bit. Since I've been doing nothing
but trying to get the audio settings to eliminate all the pops etc... with no good results.

I really have only fiddled around with X2a until a week ago when I decided to
work Warrens request. It's been the only major endeavor that really let me know
how bad things are.

If 32 bit doesn't work then I'll go back to 8.5 ...I know it works.

Then I'll be weighing options.

Jon I haven't had reasons to look at other options until now. Even now there is the
money part. I sure hate to just dump my investment and start over but I will if need be.
After all it is about pleasure and performance and both are currently gone.

No, I've been able to work with a "fair" amount of stability with all the "Xs".  That said this latest (X2a) seems pretty buggy on my system.  But not so much that it precludes using it for music projects.  Also, I could very easily start using X2 at my commercial broadcast facility as what we do day in and day out doesn't tax the DAW at all so I'd not expect to much in the way of hangs and crashes.  That said, 8.5 is dead solid stable and will do more than I need at work so I don't see a real need to change.  Probably will sooner or later. 

mike_mccue

Bub

So, you guys who stuck to 8.5.3 (McQ, Timidi, Ol'Pal) ... are you saying that the X's are unstable?

The boxed version of X1 that Cakewalk sent me would have killed my computer with the ASIO driver bug IF I had installed it. I would have needed a disk image back up just to get past bios. Luckily for me... that happened to enough other innocent bystanders that I had warning and didn't give Cakewalk the chance to kill my computer too.

One of the X1_ versions did work on my computer... it seemed stable enough for me to make a few videos showing all the bugs that I purchased with X1.

Then I realized that every time I opened X1 I was looking at the symptoms of Cakewalk being abandoned by it's original developers... so I uninstalled it and I stopped focusing on the idea that Cakewalk was encouraging me to take my money else where. Let's not mince words... Cakewalk representatives actually suggested I try other DAWs as a work around to problems I observed with SONAR. 

Then Greg Hendershott bailed on us confirming my opinion that the past 5 years of "upgrades" have been nothing but empty promises meant to keep our cash flowing.

The bugs I work around in 8.5.3 were in 2.0.... they were never going to get fixed. I know that now.

What's next?

best regards,
mike

But, according to many others, you are completely wrong. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the X series.

So what is so different from your system, and mine, than theirs?

Are they lying?

What is their motivation?

I'm really trying to understand all this.

Michael, if it will be of any help to you....I have no problems sending you a pm with my number where we can try a few things if you want. I actually have pretty good results making Sonar work. I can't stop crashes and stuff, but just about always I can cure pops and crackles etc as well as using less resources. I sincerely feel the issue is somewhere in 64 though.

I can use 64, but I wouldn't trust doing a single thing without a ctrl+s right after. Either bit bridge dogs me, or some weird faded white screen pops up and crashes me without a chance to save a back up. I gave up on 64 quite a while ago. The only time I use it is....hmm....hardly ever. As a matter of fact...check this out...

My band practices here in my studio. I have a 30 track template I use in Sonar 32 running BFD 2, Superior, Sample Tank, 3 instances of Drumagog, various compressors and effects etc. I run this at 64 samples ASIO. When I run the same template in Sonar 64, I can't even use it because of latency. All the plugs in the 64 bit project are 64 bit except for the Drumagog plugs. Not sure what the deal is, but 64 just doesn't like me and I have a VERY bad @ss Roseberry machine. I built 2 more boxes based on Jim's build that run just as good....they too seem to struggle with 64. It very well could be my interfaces. But I seem to get the same results with my Echo stuff or my RME stuff. So 32 bit for me from here on out. It just seems to work without an issue no matter what I do.

Anyway, if you need me for anything...send me a pm or an email and we can set up a call time if you want. I have no problems trying to help you remedy some of this stuff. But I'd honestly try 32 bit first. Especially if you have a strong processor and Windows 7. I don't even want to think about Windows 8 and was surprised so many made the jump so soon. Then again, I run a business here and can't afford to be down or sitting around waiting for driver updates and doing work-arounds. Let me know if I can help in any way. :)

-Danny

spacey


because it's bottled up inside and makes me sick. 
  
 
The reason I'm posting...
 
Frank made a comment about the lead guitar. I was surprised he was the only one.
 
The part was recorded only for Warren. It was a "dummy" track. I had planned on laying
down the part(s) ( I planned on doing the lead parts last )
The problem was that it would shut down...it would do crazy things to parts..I mean there
were so many issues that I just couldn't believe anything could be that bad.
 
I gave up. I didn't want to lose everything and since it was crashing not only itself but my computer
I mixed the dummy track in and called it quits.
 
I thought this evening that I would go ahead and try. I recorded the two tracks for the first two
short lead fills and set up a buss for them....
It went nuts when I dragged the buss to where I wanted it. Nothing for me to do but close it and
not save the changes.
Well it had already crashed with SONARPDP.EXE before all this so I gave up again.
 
And all the snap crackle and pops....now matter what settings...it's just the longest list of issues
I've ever experienced since the day I started with a Pentium 100.
 
I give up. You win Cake.. 

If X makes you sick... don't use it... and don't use X as an excuse not to record great music...
I wasted my time, money, and drive-space on X1 & X2, but I sucked it up and got over it...
I still have 8.5, and it works ok for me...
Michael, I've collaborated with you on a couple of projects, and I know you know I'm not going to BS you...
You are way to talented to let X shut you down... forget about the money, time & tears, and get back to work...

Bub

mike_mccue

Bub

So, you guys who stuck to 8.5.3 (McQ, Timidi, Ol'Pal) ... are you saying that the X's are unstable?

The boxed version of X1 that Cakewalk sent me would have killed my computer with the ASIO driver bug IF I had installed it. I would have needed a disk image back up just to get past bios. Luckily for me... that happened to enough other innocent bystanders that I had warning and didn't give Cakewalk the chance to kill my computer too.

One of the X1_ versions did work on my computer... it seemed stable enough for me to make a few videos showing all the bugs that I purchased with X1.

Then I realized that every time I opened X1 I was looking at the symptoms of Cakewalk being abandoned by it's original developers... so I uninstalled it and I stopped focusing on the idea that Cakewalk was encouraging me to take my money else where. Let's not mince words... Cakewalk representatives actually suggested I try other DAWs as a work around to problems I observed with SONAR. 

Then Greg Hendershott bailed on us confirming my opinion that the past 5 years of "upgrades" have been nothing but empty promises meant to keep our cash flowing.

The bugs I work around in 8.5.3 were in 2.0.... they were never going to get fixed. I know that now.

What's next?

best regards,
mike

But, according to many others, you are completely wrong. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the X series.

So what is so different from your system, and mine, than theirs?

Are they lying?

What is their motivation?

I'm really trying to understand all this.

Maybe I'm wrong.

I don't appreciate the repeated personal insults and I don't think I'll ever understand how that works.

I don't think everything can be understood and there's lots of stuff on my list that I want to understand that seems fun to learn.

What more can be said?


all the best,
mike

There is nothing wrong with using old software for years if you are creating quality music. 


That's all I am saying and Mike had a good thought that I agree with.  

I completely agree.
 
I started in digital recording it would not only inspire me to play guitar again but
also give me the ability to work alone. It has done both.
 
"Quality" is a state that I seek from whatever tools I use. "Quality" as well as other
desires and goals can be achieved with older versions of Sonar.
 
That is not the only reason for me upgrading or attempting to keep up with the
"new". It is also a desire I have to see what is new. To evaluate it and make determinations...to move forward
with the new media, possibilites and funtions.
The problem as I see it is that in this release the move forward was indeed a major gas. It's the first major gas
that I have experienced.
 
I can say that even though the experience with X2a presented the realization of complete failure ( in my case) I also got to experience
many things about it that I think are fantastic. Should it had performed as intended I would be feeling
great about all the new features and looking forward to moving forward. I was looking forward to
upgrading many areas. All that was destroyed only to face looking backwards now.
So although I completely agree with you Mooch and Mike....there is more to it for me.
 
 

But, according to many others, you are completely wrong. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the X series. So what is so different from your system, and mine, than theirs? Are they lying? What is their motivation? I'm really trying to understand all this.

 
Bub, those of us who have had a different experience than you (or at least me) don't claim that you are completely wrong - just that we don't seem to have the same issues that you do.  It isn't a personal attack (well from some of us anyway). 
 
One of the key points that I have learned from following your posts is that people who do relatively simple projects like me don't run into as many problems because we aren't using as much of Xn as some of the people who are encountering problems do.
 
I'm not being a fanboi when I say that I use X2 for an hour or two daily, have been doing so since the first day it was released, and have only had 2 crashes over that period.  For me, this seems to be stable and dependable. 
 
It really would be nice to know what differences there are that make my user experience so much better than yours.  Is it really just because I only do simple projects with a minimum of third-party tools or are there specific incompatibilities that, if flushed out, would help those of you who aren't having the same good experience that I am?
 
Glen

spacey
 
That is not the only reason for me upgrading or attempting to keep up with the
"new". It is also a desire I have to see what is new. To evaluate it and make determinations...to move forward
with the new media, possibilites and funtions.
 
I can say that even though the experience with X2a presented the realization of complete failure ( in my case) I also got to experience
many things about it that I think are fantastic. Should it had performed as intended I would be feeling
great about all the new features and looking forward to moving forward. I was looking forward to
upgrading many areas. All that was destroyed only to face looking backwards now.
So although I completely agree with you Mooch and Mike....there is more to it for me.

That's exactly how I feel.

I've struggled with it for so long because I believed everyone telling me that it was my system. It's not my system, or your system, or Mikes, etc etc. It's the software. There's too many respectable (and otherwise - the thread upstairs this week) people popping up now stepping forward saying something is wrong for anyone with half an ounce of brain to refute it any more.

Between the module's and the upgrades, I've spent well over $200 on Sonar the last year or so. I feel like it was stolen from me, and it won't happen again.

Danny and Frank...I am not a bit surprised by your posts or the others
that have been made.

Your offers of ideas and support are very simply...solid gold.
Not matter what the issues we know that the characters here are in tune.

I'm taking in all the thoughts so I can try to make
the best moves to recover.

I feel it's important to say again...I don't know what the problem is and I
sure don't want to bad-mouth anything...I could be the problem for all I know.
I'm having to work with common sense and very little technical/digital know how.

I know I've been knocked down and there's plenty trying to help me up...so what
I do know is good. Thank you all very much for that.

I use to have a good friend that always said, " I face piles of trials with smiles"...I'm
trying.