Anderton
 
Emotional impact is what it's all about. Be yourself and you are automatically a "real" musician.
 

You don't even need a good instrument ...  though talent helps.
 

John T
The only think I don't like about take lanes - and automation lanes - is the crazy, unwieldy placement of the show / hide buttons. They absolutely merit a place on the minimised track header. When working with comps, I pretty much only expand the track header to access those buttons, then minimise it again. Turning what could easily be one click into a multi-stage click-and-drag fiesta. Maybe I lack imagination, but I can't think of a single argument for the current placement of them.

I agree the show/hide lanes button should be accessible in a minimized track header; in the mean time, there's Shift+T.

I think what Saxon is talking about is not four separate takes, but four takes taken at the same time. Like three different mics, a 57 straight on, a 57 off axis, another mic a foot or two away or perhaps in the room, and a direct in, all recorded on different tracks at the same time recording the same performance. And do four or five takes like that.

Now try and comp that!!

Grem
I think what Saxon is talking about is not four separate takes, but four takes taken at the same time. Like three different mics, a 57 straight on, a 57 off axis, another mic a foot or two away or perhaps in the room, and a direct in, all recorded on different tracks at the same time recording the same performance. And do four or five takes like that.

Now try and comp that!!

Exactly, Grem!  Usually two mics on a guitar cab plus a DI track--but sometimes also the room mic.  So, I am recording three or four tracks simultaneously for one guitar part--and doing many takes of that guitar part.  I'm an imperfect player, so up to 20 takes--I've gone to 75 takes in fits of madness--sometimes selecting one good note from a take when comping.  The screen was comprehensible with layers, but with all those main track lanes and the small-sizing limit on take lanes, it's difficult in X3.  Watsamatter?  don't you guys seek utter perfection in your recordings?  Bwah hah hah!  Ah hah hah hah HAH!

Saxon1066
Here's how:  I do many takes of guitar on three tracks (two different mics and one DI).  Take lanes are still very cumbersome to use and take up too much screen space, even if they work better than in X2.  I don't want a "main" track lane in addition to the takes.  It takes up valuable screen space.  If I audition takes by keeping lanes open and the main track lane closed (for the extra space), it requires three clicks to close up the entire track when I'm done.  A clip still will not paste into a selected take lane:  it goes wherever it wants, sometimes erasing the clip it lands on.  The new comping system is not as easy to me as just slicing bits of clips in the old layers system.  Layers were better, more streamlined to work with.  There are no advantages with take lanes.  Since the way the tracks look and function during tracking and editing is the most important aspect to me of any DAW, X2 and X3 went in the wrong direction.  I bought X3, used it, and I am on the verge of going back to 8.5 . . . again.  Whoever thought takes lanes were a good idea never did many takes of multiple audio tracks.

Hi Saxon1066
 
Your OP gives me the impression that your way of working on a track/song needs to change. What I cant believe is that your screen space takes precedent to working on your music/comping. You can do only one thing at a time and if what you are doing at the time should have enough screen space as not to make mistakes.
 
That you then have to click a mouse three times and move it around a bit tells me that as far as mixing/comping goes that you are very lazy. You want everything automatical done for you and dont want to pay for it. You should go to a studio and let them mix it for you.
 
The simple truth is that no DAW is a HOLY GRAIL and yes you will have to work in order to get the song you want. Comping is being looked into by CAKE as we speak (so to say). Some people are never happy with what they have.
 
Suggestion: Buy a tape recorder and then mix and splice all your comping there. You wont have to use a mouse and wont have to click either. Wouldn't that be nice.
 
BTW. Learn how to play Guitar. Less comping.

Ah...this thread should've been titled "How can you not like X3 Take Lanes??"
The two titles mean quite different, I must say. But please don't get me wrong. I like X3 overall.

cowboydan
That you then have to click a mouse three times and move it around a bit tells me that as far as mixing/comping goes that you are very lazy. You want everything automatical done for you and dont want to pay for it.

I paid for it already with Sonar 8.5.  Then I paid for it three more times in X1, X2, X3, but they had taken it away.  It was called layers, and it worked perfectly for me.  I never had a complaint about layers.  And yes, I should learn how to play guitar, but after 20 years of trying, I may have hit my talent ceiling.  Lazy I am not.  I work for hours and hours tracking and comping.
 
@Jlien X:  I was expecting others maybe to offer other examples.  Maybe everyone else just loves X3.  I have to admit, I love the Pro Channel with its EQ and compressor and other goodies.  The CPU performance is far better than 8.5.3.
 
Hey Cake, if it were possible to run a setup to choose either lanes or layers, that would make some of us really really happy with X3.  Is that at all possible?

CakeAlexS
Last week did 10 tracks of vox on one song. Spent 5 hours comping it into a lead vocal. A pain but it was worth it. As I was using X2 (where take lanes suck) I used track templates instead and had ten vox tracks. Looking forward to changing my workflow with X3 (I hope it is better). 

Alex, its a blast..
 
Did a recording session of Alanis's "Mary Jane" and ended up with 8 full length takes. split the vocals into short phrases, picked up the wireless keboard and sat of the studio sofa.. shift+space then up/down/enter/right and repeat.. comp'd this vocal track (50 cuts) in 2 hrs.. and i KNOW it would have taken me the better part of the day previously.
 
you will enjoy or else!..:D

Saxon1066

Grem
I think what Saxon is talking about is not four separate takes, but four takes taken at the same time. Like three different mics, a 57 straight on, a 57 off axis, another mic a foot or two away or perhaps in the room, and a direct in, all recorded on different tracks at the same time recording the same performance. And do four or five takes like that.

Now try and comp that!!

Exactly, Grem!  Usually two mics on a guitar cab plus a DI track--but sometimes also the room mic.  So, I am recording three or four tracks simultaneously for one guitar part--and doing many takes of that guitar part.  I'm an imperfect player, so up to 20 takes--I've gone to 75 takes in fits of madness--sometimes selecting one good note from a take when comping.  The screen was comprehensible with layers, but with all those main track lanes and the small-sizing limit on take lanes, it's difficult in X3.  Watsamatter?  don't you guys seek utter perfection in your recordings?  Bwah hah hah!  Ah hah hah hah HAH!

I record a bit like this especially acoustic guitar. I usually have a DI from the guitar and three mikes, one on the body, one on the neck and a room mic.
 
I then do as many takes as needed which is usually at least 4 or 5, often more. Either way I end up with several tracks and takes. If you use clip grouping you don't need to worry about anything more than one track while comping. Expose the lanes in on track and comp that, the rest will follow. I can't envisage wanting different takes on the same track. In that scenario I'd use different tracks in the first place rather than takes.
 
I do quite often use a second comp from the same set of takes and that's even easier now in X3. Do the first comp then flatten it then do the second and then flatten that. Move them out in separate tracks.
 
I'm sure I find layers in the earlier versions as insane as you  do takes.YMMV of course.

Regarding the OP, I for one like X3c quite a lot, but it is not without numerous bugs that are well documented and repeatable by numerous users (64 bit engine issues, take lanes in wrong order, snap to clip not working for some tracks).  There are also some odd and workflow-slowing quirks, such as the fact that clicking DIM *then* auditioning takes works fundamentally differently than clicking DIM *while* auditioning takes.  Took me a while to figure that one out. So, I can absolutely see why someone would not like using X3, or would hope/expect significant improvements.  
 

Saxon1066A clip still will not paste into a selected take lane:  it goes wherever it wants, sometimes erasing the clip it lands on.  The new comping system is not as easy to me as just slicing bits of clips in the old layers system.  Layers were better, more streamlined to work with.  There are no advantages with take lanes.  Since the way the tracks look and function during tracking and editing is the most important aspect to me of any DAW, X2 and X3 went in the wrong direction.  I bought X3, used it, and I am on the verge of going back to 8.5 . . . again.  Whoever thought takes lanes were a good idea never did many takes of multiple audio tracks.

Saxon, are you on X3c?  One of the biggest improvements from X3b to X3c is how it handles multi-miced tracks.  I could not use layers at all for drum tracking in X2b, but find X3c much better.  I also find the issue of clips jumping around randomly when dragging to be *almost* gone in X3c, although there are still a few times I have run into it if I have many takes.  I agree it does take up a lot of real estate. It would be great to have something like a "rebuild takes" function to consolidate unoverlapping takes like we used to have in 8.5, as well as more flexibility to resize takes.
 
As an aside, I second the notion that the Hide/show takes button should be available on a collapsed track.