In all my versions of cakewalk products from PA9 to X3 I've never had a single feature change the way I work like "comping mode". It's like working on tape machine in a futuristic fantasy world. I use the transport control on my console to control X3 and punching in and out is a beautiful process that works seamlessly nearly every time. In the past I used to have a very long handed way of punching in but now it's crazy how fast I can work. As an engineer I feel much more connected to what I'm recording than in the past because my own timing plays an important part in the process of refining a performance.
So far I've only tracked with X3 but the process has made me anxious to get into some mixing to see what new features await. Even if the modified recording modes/take lanes are the pinnacle of improvement I'm already more than pleased with where the software has gone with this version.