The take lanes implementation is a disaster.  I can't believe Cakewalk would take something that worked perfectly well - the old layers implementation - and replace it with a half-assed imitation of Cubase.  Actually the old system was better than what I've seen in Cubase or Samplitude.  To replace it for no reason, and then to offer something so unpleasant to use, and no ability to keep the old method, is just not nice or really smart. 
 
There's tons of bugs with it - for example, moving multiple clips from one lane to another just doesn't work, and sometimes the program doesn't show the crossfade cursor when placed between overlapping clips.  The fact that one of the tools for clip automation has been moved to a drop down menu on the take is counterintuitive and obnoxious, and it seems to have some bugs also.  The take lanes try to behave like tracks, but you can't add effects to an individual lane, which could have useful creative purposes.  The way all of the takes zoom at once is unpleasant and the fact that there's a maximum zoom level removes the only possible advantage zooming the lanes could offer.  When the take lanes are shown, it wastes space by emptying the track - the old method conserved space and allowed you to look at the track layers without changing the overall look of the tracks in the track view.
 
The only real problem with the old method was that when collapsed, the muted clips would usually appear in the track instead of the intended takes.  But, of course, that isn't fixed in the new version. 
 
The only thing better about the new version is that you can individually zoom waveforms, but even this is broken, since when you zoom the waveform on a track it doesn't carry over to the lanes when you expand them.
 
Automation lanes suffer from a lot of the same problems.

Re: "Disaster" - I can't agree with you, Brian - and I'm one of those who hated Take Lanes in the beginning.
They take some getting used to - and by that, I mean that if your workflow involved Track Layers, you won't be happy until you are comfortable with how Take Lanes are designed to work; and revise your workflow to suit.
It took me about 3 months to get to that point, and it took changing my workflow to do it. Not everyone has the patience or inclination or temperament to do so. (I don't mean that negatively.)
 
Am I am fan of Take Lanes? No way. There are some aspects and defects that annoy me, but I don't find them to be show-stoppers any more. Of course I hope the feature is polished in the next release.

I have to say that take lanes as currently implemented in X2 are pretty horrible to work with. I think the old take layers were far superior. Sure, they had a few bugs of their own, but somehow the baby got thrown out with the bath water. I used to routinely edit multitrack drums in Sonar, but have given up even trying in X2. Working with audiosnap in take lanes is just too buggy.

Whether they stick with lanes or go back to layers, I really hope this part of Sonar gets some serious attention in the next release.

I never use Take Lanes since it can't hide clips on muted lanes when collapsed. I use folders and wait for X3.

The buggy, poor implementation of Take Lanes is the main reason I will be very discouraged from continuing w/ Cakewalk if they simply release X3 (or whatever it will be called) w/o addressing these issues for current X2 users.  But we will see.  I'm very interested to see how they handle this.

I probably shouldn't join in on this, but of course... Here I am! ;-)
 
I haven't stopped feeling frustrated, stifled, and shocked at Take Lanes. I did not want them before they were implemented as they were horrible everywhere I've seen them...
 
Layers had some bugs, but was far easier to work with...
 
I'm just holding my breath for X3 (I no longer believe there will be an X2b) and waiting to see if/how they've addressed this. I doubt they could make it much worse in my work methods...
 
I agree with Brian whole-heartedly to say the least! ;-)
 
Tho I use them all day everyday, with uncomfortable workarounds... I do not stop being miffed with every edit... For me this goes back to the Edit Filter and how it changed envelope work back in X1, so there's a multi-layer of disturbance for me and X2....
 
I'm still in shock that they haven't released an update with fixes for the plague of problems.... It's been a long 6 months of severe discomfort for me...
 
Keni
 

I'm planning to start working with Sonar again for composition and producing (haven't really much since just a bit on v.6 and v.8, as my main DAW is Samplitude for recording/editing/mixing/mastering). So, I'm interested in this take lane discussion.
 
I have a fully functioning X1d and now X2a.
I'm aware that much pleasure/irritation with software is with perceived intuitiveness. We like software programmed to work how WE think. Having to change our workflow is like getting inside someone else's head and trying to make sense of how they think.
That said -- unfixed bugs are irritations to everyone. Rightly so. And a kludge is almost never worth taking time to learn.
 
Since I'll be coming at this as a re-newbie, would some of you recommend I use X1d and learn how to use Layers? Or take the plunge with X2a and learn to get comfy with the Take Lanes?
 
Any recommended videos/tutorials for either one that have been helpful to you?
 
Craig

Hi Craig...

I wish I could say, but as Cakewalk is choosing to be uncommunicative about this, one guess is as good as another.

Having said that, I have both, but I chose to work with X2a as it has many other attributes that I find much better for me than earlier releases...

Now back to holding my breath...

Keni

Craigster91
I'm planning to start working with Sonar again for composition and producing (haven't really much since just a bit on v.6 and v.8, as my main DAW is Samplitude for recording/editing/mixing/mastering). So, I'm interested in this take lane discussion. I have a fully functioning X1d and now X2a.I'm aware that much pleasure/irritation with software is with perceived intuitiveness. We like software programmed to work how WE think. Having to change our workflow is like getting inside someone else's head and trying to make sense of how they think.That said -- unfixed bugs are irritations to everyone. Rightly so. And a kludge is almost never worth taking time to learn. Since I'll be coming at this as a re-newbie, would some of you recommend I use X1d and learn how to use Layers? Or take the plunge with X2a and learn to get comfy with the Take Lanes? Any recommended videos/tutorials for either one that have been helpful to you? Craig

I'd wait for a month or so see what X3 offers (meanwhile you can keep creating music with Samplitude). You may not like the direction Cakewalk will be taking and learning track layers or take lanes now could be a total waste of time. Something tells me X3 is going to be great, though.

 
The more I use Take Lanes, the more I hate them. If I know I'm going to be doing a lot of comping, I actually switch back to X1 to record the audio and perform that task.
 
My particular (albeit idiosyncratic) way of working with Layers was a dream. Take Lanes looked promising before they were implemented, but the end result was a disaster for me. Now I loathe having to stumble around with a clunky, awkward and completely unintuitive tool, when I had something I was incredibly happy with taken away. It wouldn't be so bad if we had the choice to use one or the other. But to force me to have to use an older version of the software to be able to do something 2 or 3 times more quickly seems, to me anyway, completely ridiculous.
 
It's actually quite likely that I'm going to hold off on upgrading to X3 unless this is fixed, such has my enjoyment of using SONAR been lessened by this one single factor.
 
And yet again, there's not even the slightest word from on high about whether or not this is being addressed. And sorry, but I just don't buy the idea that by revealing, for example, that they were sorting out Take Lanes/Layers, they would be handing their competitors some form of advantage. That's an absurd argument and I'm afraid it doesn't wash with me any more. If anything, I get the feeling that the continued silence is really starting to get quite a few folk's goat up around here.
 
I'm already running a demo of another DAW in preparation. Just a word or two from Cakewalk to tell me that I'm going to get Layers back (or similar) in X3, and I'd happily delete said competitor off my system.
 
Come on Cakewalk, wake yourselves up and smell your loyal customers' frustration