Have to agree with CCLarry here. I quite like the PC too, but it is just a glorified FX bin, though I guess quite handy because CW ruined the fx bin when using narrow strips (ie all the time for me) in X series console view.
 
I also think that people should show a little more respect to the OP. He asked a question about something that he wants to know is possible. That question was answered for him, yet it seems some people still feel the need chip in and say he is being absurd or nonsensical - totally unnecessary IMHO.

I certainly don't need the ProChannel. Even though I like some of the supplied fx (mainly EQ and CA2A, tape sim was nice as I didn't have one yet), on the whole I would prefer one central place for fx on a track. Having both a bin and a PC confuses things. It was easier when PC was just a few compressors and EQ, but when they started adding random reverbs and delay and distortion it stopped being even slightly logical. While the visuals are nice, most of the included fx are nothing remarkable and would certainly not be preferred over top of the line third party stuff in a professional environment. That means you're stuck with half a useful screen eating channel strip. I could do away with the entire thing if they separated the EQ. I may just get Fab Filter's Pro Q during the holiday sale and be done with it.

Odd thread

Man... after doing some intense work using the PC for as much as I could with my limited modules I gotta say... give it a chance. It is so freaking easy to use and gives such great results compared to the Sonitus stuff (which is great too but I sure wouldn't want to use those plugs exclusively). I've had issues with Sonar but the PC is golden IMO.
 
One thing though, and I know this can be done with FX chains and whatnot, I would REALLY like to be able to insert other plugins wherever I want in the chain more easily. Like be able to have multiple instances of the FX bin or have some kind of mapping option so I can put PC modules IN BETWEEN plugs in the bin. Using a PC FX Chain module for a single plug is kind of a waste of real estate.
 
Oh and I still really would like a scroll bar. If you have certain modules in focus the key commands to scroll just won't work (like the Sat knob) and on the ones that do (like the EQ) you have click on a very small area to put it in focus for scrolling and if you're not careful you end up activating a parameter which gets screwed up when you scroll. It's a bit of a problem for me especially considering the scroll wheel on my trackball doesn't seem to work properly.

I totally disagree with you Beep. Its platinum not merely golden. :) 

John
I totally disagree with you Beep. Its platinum not merely golden. :) 

Just being able to get in and out of it with one keystroke is super useful compared to what I was used to. It drove me nuts having all sorts of plug in windows open and trying to figure out what was what. I'm sure the other DAWs have made things a little better but I haven't seen anything that's that quick. In my old DAW even getting at the inserts to just get at the plug list to pop them open was a hassle. Very time consuming and confusing... especially for a guy who didn't really know what the hell he was doing.

I hadn't considered the quickness of using the PC Beep. Very good point.  The way you put it also is so true.  Though I have duel monitors to help with plugin windows the PC still is so convenient and compact. With the new pop up Quad Curve EQ it is like being in PC heaven. 

cclarry
And as far as what Craig said about
windows and clutter...well all they are is a bunch of open windows alongside the channel strip, rather then floating.

 
I think you're missing the point. Open up four or five VST plug-ins on a channel, and the windows will be all over the place...you'll likely need to spend time re-sizing and re-positioning them. The PC consolidates all the plug-ins in one place.

Craig, you are correct in your assertion of "more control" just like Reason.  It gives the developing Company
CONTROL over the format, so that it can't be used elsewhere and can only be used in the Company's host.

 
That wasn't my main point, which was about the stability a proprietary format allows.

Sanderxpander
While the visuals are nice, most of the included fx are nothing remarkable and would certainly not be preferred over top of the line third party stuff in a professional environment.

 
Try identical settings with the PC EQ and an EQ from another manufacturer, flip phase and do a null test, tweak the settings to get as close to a null as possible, then switch between the two EQs and see if anyone can notice a difference. It's instructive. I've done this on sessions to give the client the chance to choose whatever EQ they like best, and very few hear any difference at all. Of those who do, there's no real consistency to their choices.
 
One aspect I like about the PC is that I don't have to load different EQs for different colorations (or lack thereof), given the four possible modes. Also, I use the 48dB/octave high and low pass filters all the time. Before the PC EQ came along, I'd load in the Waves LinEQ filter. It's fine, of course, but it's more convenient to have everything in one place.
 
As a historical footnote, several years ago I did tests of the Sonitus vs the LP64 when it first came out. The LP64 hadn't been fixed so it was a real PITA to adjust, and much more time-consuming than the Sonitus. But when you compared the two, it was clear the LP64 had a more transparent high end. Pretty much anyone could hear the difference.
 

I think you're missing the point. Open up four or five VST plug-ins on a channel, and the windows will be all over the place...you'll likely need to spend time re-sizing and re-positioning them. The PC consolidates all the plug-ins in one place.
 
This is true. X-ray helps a bit but GUI spacing is not ideal! My situation is this. I use Reason rewired to Sonar. Reason does all my virtual instruments. Sonar handles audio tracks and mix down etc. My second monitor is portrait perspective to take advantage of Reasons mixer if I ever want to open that by itself.
 
Now I have Ableton too and one cool thing about that is the way it handles VSTs. Unlike Sonar it recalls each channels VST locations. So I just stack them on that second monitor and whenever I click on a track, there are all my VST guis- just as I left them. Just as convenient as the ProChannel. What's more the Ableton method of first party plugins is not a million miles different from ProChannel either. Plus you can doub le click on the header bar of each effect to narrow/widen etc.
 
I do miss the HPF though because often that is all I use on a track.