a free version of X3 is more likely

dlion16
back in the day cw was a different company. there was a dialogue with power users like us...
 
now, no dialogue, just "we don't care, we sold ourselves to gibson, now. wheee..."
 
sad but true. i still love sonar, but i find myself hating the company. i too want x2b with bug fixes long before x3, but that's not what i'm a gonna get. 
 
so i, and others, have a choice: stay with x2a, or pay cw more money for the honor of beta-testing x3, which also won't be fixed, because x4 is already in the pipeline...

new versions always bring out the best in us, others are in such bliss, happiness while others are rolling over in their graves, sorry to hear about your frustrations.
 

Oh Conley, you know you want it.

I bet Conley buys it even if he has to sell blood to get it.    Haha.
 

daryl1968
wow, a lot of negativity around here 
 

The shirt looks bettah!!!!

Glyn Barnes
Cakewalk always had a one year development cycle, that changed with X1, now its back again.
 
A business has to maintain a revenue stream, for the consumer its a two edge sword but if the company goes bust while putting out free updates nobody wins.

yep but we gota also 2 or 3 update (and bug fixes) a year ....not one and shut up ! ....i feel X2 users ...i installed X2 one week ago : crashola few time , done with it , gonna check X3 but if bug fixes AREN'T the absolute priority ...bad move guyz ...bad moves .....more than short terme money , they can impact the whole company health by losing credibilaty .....they made great work to be seen as a real  BIG player in the game .....they can screw that real easy unless they call themselves AVID

cclarry
B) I just paid $100 for an upgrade a year ago, now they want another $150 bucks for stuff that I already have
  aside from the bug fixes and enhanced features (I don't need any more 3rd Party plugins - I have most of them)
  that should have been part of an X2b...

How much value do you get from SONAR?  I am a hobbyist that uses the software for many things, some of which are recreational and some of which facilitate my ability to make some money as a playing musician and as an arranger for hire.  Even though I am far from regularly making "professional" use of the SONAR, it clearly gives me much more than $150 of value each year.
 
We each have different situations.  If it isn't giving you that kind of value, you have the option to stick with X2 or go with Reaper.
 
For me, X3 is a no-brainer.  I was already looking at buying Melodyne editor, but I really couldn't see the $400 price tag (for what I would use it for) and the integration was really rough under X2.  But if I can get Melodyne single track with the X3 upgrade, and then buy the upgrade to Melodyne editor (polyphonic) for another $50 -- and the whole thing is better integrated because of VST+ARA support, it doesn't require any thought at all. 

just wanted to point out that vst 3 resizing depdned on the plugin dev ;)

Melodyne Single Track upgrade to Editor is not $50, that has been covered in other threads.

MakeShift
Melodyne Single Track upgrade to Editor is not $50, that has been covered in other threads.

Correct.  I have just discovered that.  But it does seem like upgrading to X3, and then upgrading Melodyne from Essentials to Editor saves $100 compared to just buying Melodyne Editor and running it on X2, so that is still attractive -- unless Melodyne doesn't consider that a valid upgrade.