First post, hello all,
 
I own SONAR Producer X2 that I bought for use at Berklee, but I have yet to use it much.  I have been more immersed in Reason 7 of late, but I figure that if I can just concentrate on learning one DAW end to end, I can translate that to other environments rather than muddling through 2 different ones and trying to keep it all straight.  What little I have played with SONAR X2 Producer, I like.  It seems well laid out and thoughtfully designed.  I have no real desire to spend another $149 to upgrade something I have never used yet as you might imagine unless Berklee changes the SONAR Course to require X3 before I take it.

Other than that, and considering I am not yet tied to any one DAW that much, is there a compelling reason for me to consider upgrading to X3?

If you don't have MELODYNE EDITOR then it is worthwhile checking whether the offer to upgrade to EDITOR for half price is still on
 
If you fancy a copy of MELODYNE EDITOR (and who wouldn't!) then it is a bit of a no-brainer
 
Add to this colour customisation, addictive drums, the new comping method, and the other "bells & whistles" I would say it is not only a worthwhile upgrade but one that you should jump on sooner rather than later!

Thanks for the advice!

+1 to everything Boydie mentioned.  The workflow enhancements, Melodyne/ARA integration and the many "extras" make for a heck of a good deal.
 
 
 
BTW.... nice forum name.   

There's little doubt that for myself, and a very large number of users, this is the best version ever released by Cakewalk.
 
The depth, richness & feature set combine to place it on at least on a par with most of the other competing packages out there, and in many areas, surprasses them with ease

Bristol_Jonesey
There's little doubt that for myself, and a very large number of users, this is the best version ever released by Cakewalk.
 
The depth, richness & feature set combine to place it on at least on a par with most of the other competing packages out there, and in many areas, surprasses them with ease

 +1

If you are a Reason guy and are looking for a brilliant rewire DAW you could get X3- that would be a $49 upgrade for you. I actually think the Cakewalk guys might have got their sums wrong pricing it so cheaply.

backwoods
If you are a Reason guy and are looking for a brilliant rewire DAW you could get X3- that would be a $49 upgrade for you. I actually think the Cakewalk guys might have got their sums wrong pricing it so cheaply.

That's a first :)

Bristol_Jonesey
There's little doubt that for myself, and a very large number of users, this is the best version ever released by Cakewalk.
 
The depth, richness & feature set combine to place it on at least on a par with most of the other competing packages out there, and in many areas, surprasses them with ease

+1 !!

Upgrade, yes. I was very critical of previous versions. X3 I feel is baked more thoroughly and with quiet dignity. There's a few niggles I still critiqued but we're getting a lot more of what we begged for in X3. Give the Trial a whirl. If you don't think it's worth the upgrade, I think you will find that it's on your Christmas list soon!