I'm a relative newcomer also.
 
First used LE that came bundled with UA-101. Then bought P5. Then upgraded to the Producer Suite- Sonar 7, P5v2, Rapture, Dim Pro.

Another newbie : Sonar 6

A user since '94 - version 2 - on 3.5 disks.

Relative newbie - Sonar 2.

spacey
Now I'm hoping X3c and my computer will last long enough before everything
changes again to let me record a few tunes...that will pobably suck.
Well...at least my computer skills are getting better. Maybe I should be like FBB and
record that. ;)

A bit off topic here, but since you mentioned this, I just had to chime in here. My apologies ahead of time for the topic drift.
 
Just do what I do Spacey....put a good version of Sonar on your machine, and if you decide you want the newer stuff, put it on a little pc that doesn't matter too much.
 
I have this little get together with all the engineers in my area once per month at a bar for drinks and food. It's really cool as we get to share secrets, bond, bust on each other, and of course, talk shop in ways we can't talk to anyone else. I opened up the floor with "do you all think we are losers for buying into hype and being current?"
 
This opened up one of the best discussions we ever had in all the years we've been doing this. Everyone at this table (there were 10 of us this night) agreed that we're losers and deter our own progress just because we have this passion and excitement to buy the latest and greatest stuff all the time. Here are the things that were said:
 
It's like our options have options that have options that have options. By the time you get all that stuff organized and working for YOU in YOUR work-flow, the tables turn....you're searching for drivers, your go to plugs no longer work right, you're experiencing crashes, you can't load old projects in this new software, the software has abandoned things that worked for 15 years, the program is over-kill, you're forced to re-learn an entire DAW....wow, what a time waster "just to be current". Are we fricken' nuts?
 
This isn't just in regards to Sonar. We got the latest MAC users with PT and Logic crying, Cubase dudes, Presonus...the list goes on and on. So at the end of the conversation, we were all in agreement. None of us will purchase anything more unless it sincerely blows our doors off. We will not purchase new DAW software and put it on our real recording machines. If we do, it goes on a box we don't care about. This way we can learn about the new system if we choose to....and we can experience the new stuff in a stress free environment. If we find issues that annoy us...you lose on that release unless you feel like trying to resolve them or wait for patches.
 
If you don't find issues, you decide whether or not to install on your good machine. Me personally? I have 8.5 and X1 on my good boxes with X2 and X3 on my secondary recording boxes. I've never really been an X2 fan, but seem to like most of X3. It seems to be working really well on my secondary recording box at the moment and may graduate to the good box this weekend. The whole plugin debacle scares me with X3, but it seems to have been taken care of (at least for me) with the C patch. A and b caused a few issues there for me...but I expected this due to VST3 and the other growing pains we may have experienced.
 
But if I can be honest....from a business owner standpoint, it really hasn't paid for me to be current in anything other than upgrading to Windows 7 which is of course old and dated already. Though I had no problems with XP, 7 obliterates it. With computer audio, when you get something working right, I really and sincerely feel it's best to leave a well-oiled machine alone. For those that like to tweak and work on this stuff spending countless hours troubleshooting, may God bless you. For those of us who have to make a living from this, it can become one of the worst time consuming and frustrating endeavors known to man....all because we get so excited, we gotta buy. It's almost better to not have the money to buy this stuff in certain situations. I got a client that has so many plugins, his uterus fell out. LOL! He uses just about none of them....talk about a spending fetish. Get a good pc...put on a good version of a DAW you know works, add your plugs, make music. Current in my opinion, is way over-rated.
 
-Danny

Don't remember the version - but it was Pro Audio v something around 1999
 

Cake 4.0 here. My college roommate used it and I was so happy there was a good PC sequencer. I remember when Pro Audio 5 came out and it blew my mind. 

Danny Danzi

spacey
Now I'm hoping X3c and my computer will last long enough before everything
changes again to let me record a few tunes...that will pobably suck.
Well...at least my computer skills are getting better. Maybe I should be like FBB and
record that. ;)

A bit off topic here, but since you mentioned this, I just had to chime in here. My apologies ahead of time for the topic drift.
 
Just do what I do Spacey....put a good version of Sonar on your machine, and if you decide you want the newer stuff, put it on a little pc that doesn't matter too much.
 
I have this little get together with all the engineers in my area once per month at a bar for drinks and food. It's really cool as we get to share secrets, bond, bust on each other, and of course, talk shop in ways we can't talk to anyone else. I opened up the floor with "do you all think we are losers for buying into hype and being current?"
 
This opened up one of the best discussions we ever had in all the years we've been doing this. Everyone at this table (there were 10 of us this night) agreed that we're losers and deter our own progress just because we have this passion and excitement to buy the latest and greatest stuff all the time. Here are the things that were said:
 
It's like our options have options that have options that have options. By the time you get all that stuff organized and working for YOU in YOUR work-flow, the tables turn....you're searching for drivers, your go to plugs no longer work right, you're experiencing crashes, you can't load old projects in this new software, the software has abandoned things that worked for 15 years, the program is over-kill, you're forced to re-learn an entire DAW....wow, what a time waster "just to be current". Are we fricken' nuts?
 
This isn't just in regards to Sonar. We got the latest MAC users with PT and Logic crying, Cubase dudes, Presonus...the list goes on and on. So at the end of the conversation, we were all in agreement. None of us will purchase anything more unless it sincerely blows our doors off. We will not purchase new DAW software and put it on our real recording machines. If we do, it goes on a box we don't care about. This way we can learn about the new system if we choose to....and we can experience the new stuff in a stress free environment. If we find issues that annoy us...you lose on that release unless you feel like trying to resolve them or wait for patches.
 
If you don't find issues, you decide whether or not to install on your good machine. Me personally? I have 8.5 and X1 on my good boxes with X2 and X3 on my secondary recording boxes. I've never really been an X2 fan, but seem to like most of X3. It seems to be working really well on my secondary recording box at the moment and may graduate to the good box this weekend. The whole plugin debacle scares me with X3, but it seems to have been taken care of (at least for me) with the C patch. A and b caused a few issues there for me...but I expected this due to VST3 and the other growing pains we may have experienced.
 
But if I can be honest....from a business owner standpoint, it really hasn't paid for me to be current in anything other than upgrading to Windows 7 which is of course old and dated already. Though I had no problems with XP, 7 obliterates it. With computer audio, when you get something working right, I really and sincerely feel it's best to leave a well-oiled machine alone. For those that like to tweak and work on this stuff spending countless hours troubleshooting, may God bless you. For those of us who have to make a living from this, it can become one of the worst time consuming and frustrating endeavors known to man....all because we get so excited, we gotta buy. It's almost better to not have the money to buy this stuff in certain situations. I got a client that has so many plugins, his uterus fell out. LOL! He uses just about none of them....talk about a spending fetish. Get a good pc...put on a good version of a DAW you know works, add your plugs, make music. Current in my opinion, is way over-rated.
 
-Danny

great post Danni. I am certainly in no danger of being a pro like you and unfortunately have one box not several, but I upgraded to x2 from 8.5, and the only reason was to not fall behind on the upgrade curve...8.5 was almost the perfect DAW for me as someone who has used Reaper and Cubase...then the X-series was launched to compete with Live and Studio One...I'm lucky in that X2 has been stable for me and I have grown to like the new workflow...but yeah, it's like they know that anyone in this field has uncontrolable GAS!

Danny Danzi

spacey
Now I'm hoping X3c and my computer will last long enough before everything
changes again to let me record a few tunes...that will pobably suck.
Well...at least my computer skills are getting better. Maybe I should be like FBB and
record that. ;)

A bit off topic here, but since you mentioned this, I just had to chime in here. My apologies ahead of time for the topic drift.
 
Just do what I do Spacey....put a good version of Sonar on your machine, and if you decide you want the newer stuff, put it on a little pc that doesn't matter too much.
 
I have this little get together with all the engineers in my area once per month at a bar for drinks and food. It's really cool as we get to share secrets, bond, bust on each other, and of course, talk shop in ways we can't talk to anyone else. I opened up the floor with "do you all think we are losers for buying into hype and being current?"
 
This opened up one of the best discussions we ever had in all the years we've been doing this. Everyone at this table (there were 10 of us this night) agreed that we're losers and deter our own progress just because we have this passion and excitement to buy the latest and greatest stuff all the time. Here are the things that were said:
 
It's like our options have options that have options that have options. By the time you get all that stuff organized and working for YOU in YOUR work-flow, the tables turn....you're searching for drivers, your go to plugs no longer work right, you're experiencing crashes, you can't load old projects in this new software, the software has abandoned things that worked for 15 years, the program is over-kill, you're forced to re-learn an entire DAW....wow, what a time waster "just to be current". Are we fricken' nuts?
 
This isn't just in regards to Sonar. We got the latest MAC users with PT and Logic crying, Cubase dudes, Presonus...the list goes on and on. So at the end of the conversation, we were all in agreement. None of us will purchase anything more unless it sincerely blows our doors off. We will not purchase new DAW software and put it on our real recording machines. If we do, it goes on a box we don't care about. This way we can learn about the new system if we choose to....and we can experience the new stuff in a stress free environment. If we find issues that annoy us...you lose on that release unless you feel like trying to resolve them or wait for patches.
 
If you don't find issues, you decide whether or not to install on your good machine. Me personally? I have 8.5 and X1 on my good boxes with X2 and X3 on my secondary recording boxes. I've never really been an X2 fan, but seem to like most of X3. It seems to be working really well on my secondary recording box at the moment and may graduate to the good box this weekend. The whole plugin debacle scares me with X3, but it seems to have been taken care of (at least for me) with the C patch. A and b caused a few issues there for me...but I expected this due to VST3 and the other growing pains we may have experienced.
 
But if I can be honest....from a business owner standpoint, it really hasn't paid for me to be current in anything other than upgrading to Windows 7 which is of course old and dated already. Though I had no problems with XP, 7 obliterates it. With computer audio, when you get something working right, I really and sincerely feel it's best to leave a well-oiled machine alone. For those that like to tweak and work on this stuff spending countless hours troubleshooting, may God bless you. For those of us who have to make a living from this, it can become one of the worst time consuming and frustrating endeavors known to man....all because we get so excited, we gotta buy. It's almost better to not have the money to buy this stuff in certain situations. I got a client that has so many plugins, his uterus fell out. LOL! He uses just about none of them....talk about a spending fetish. Get a good pc...put on a good version of a DAW you know works, add your plugs, make music. Current in my opinion, is way over-rated.
 
-Danny

Consumeritis. Materialism. Genuine progress in the computer sciences.  Capitalism.  Insecurity about one's place in the cosmos.
 
All of the above factors contribute to this anxiety about "upgrading".  What about music?  What about real art?  What about the fine arts?  What about "if it's not broken, don't fix it?"  What about learning your craft separate from computer technology?
 
30 years ago, no one would dream of getting involved with music seriously/professionally unless they were certain they had genuine talent.   Music schools would not accept you if you didn't demonstrate talent as a performer or composer.  Now, schools like the Academy of Art in San Francisco will accept anyone who can pay the obscene costs of tuition and they'll con you into thinking you'll get a job in a field that is vastly over-saturated, even though all you have is a studio, like everyone else, without the level of skill required to actually do great work that distinguishes you from the pervasive mediocrity of the marketplace.  Computers and software give us the illusion we have more skills than we actually do. A few years ago, a young person studying at the Academy of Art came to me for consultation on the Vienna Symphonic Library. He told me that his friend, who was about to graduate the Academy of Art, is $250,000 in debt for his "education".  Of course the school doesn't care, they'll get their money regardless of the hardship and impact on this young man, who now owes the government the money.  Imagine starting out life going into a field that is already difficult to make a decent living in and owing that much money in your early 20s.  Insane.
 
I used Sonar 7 for over 5 years.  Now, I'll use X3 for another 5 years.   Though software and hardware are undoubtedly advancing in many ways, it's the marketing and PR departments that keep up the propaganda, illusions and false promises about "no limits" that keep insecure people buying things they don't need.  Check out the advertising of gear that's 20 years old; you'll find the same claims of "no limits on your creativity", just like today.  Actually, real artists thrive on limits.  Limitation is what spurs on creativity, limits are what ignites the imagination and allows us to develop skills.  Without limits, we're lost.  Perhaps one day, when the profit-motive has long been abandoned and people do things not for money but for the the joy of doing them and out of service to others, technology will not overwhelm us and not distract us from the core values that make us human.  Not in my lifetime, but hopefully one day. We're all caught up in delusions of all kinds about the ultimate purpose of our lives and our relationship to the material world.  It's no one's fault.  It's just where we're at in the 21st century. 
 
JG
http://www.jerrygerber.com
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Version 1.1 DOS floppy, don't remember the year, I was an embryo, just kidding. I don't even remember where I bought it. I do remember the DOS screen look though, ooooh tough on the eyes back then. LOL