Bummer. After skipping X1 and sticking with Sonar 8.5 Producer Edition for a long time I finally decided to go for X2 this summer. I was under the impression CW didn't release new versions that often anymore. Guess I should have waited just a little bit more.
 
What makes it even more hard and annoying is the fact that due to circumstances I've not been able to actually use X2 up to now... so if I would spend 134 euro on the new version the money spend on X2 might as well have been thrown out of the window.
 
Bummer!
 
Well, that's just how it goes with things like this, I suppose... but somehow using X2 now won't give me so much fun now anymore.

X2 is a very nice program despite its flaws and you have the benefit of a large pool of educational resources for it. X3 may look nice but it hasn't been proven yet so you shouldn't feel too bad especially if you picked up X2 for the $50 discount (or whatever the discount was for 8.5 users). Also I'm not sure it'll actuall end up costing you more to upgrade because the upgrade from X2 to X3 is $149 whereas and upgrade from 8.5 is more. I'd have to check but at most you'll be paying an extra $50 if anything at all.
 
Oh and you now have a copy of R-Mix and probably some other stuff not included in X3.

for an x1 user to upgrade it would be 199.00 usd
for an x2 user to upgrade its 149.00 usd

chuckebaby
for an x1 user to upgrade it would be 199.00 usd
for an x2 user to upgrade its 149.00 usd

OP was on 8.5 and it actually looks like the upgrade from ANY Producer version is $199 therefore they wouldn't be losing any money with their upgrade IF their upgrade from 8.5 to X2 was $49. If it was $99 then they lose $50.
 
I think. I suck at mathz.

If RMIX looks like something useful to the OP, I'd agree with Beep that the X2 > X3 route would be the better option.   8.5 already has VVocal, but I can't recall if there's anything else between X1 & X2 that they'd be missing by going right from 8.5 to X3.
 

Heavy discounting of any product is usally a pretty good indication that a new version is imminent.

I would go ahead and install X2 and X2a anyways, and the other guys are correct in that I don't think you are out any additional money to upgrade from X2 to X3.
 
I do not recall if there were any upgrades to any of the included components in X2, over what you have with 8.5.3, but you could use X2 to get up to speed on the major UI changes that X2 brought, and maybe by that time an X3 demo will be out there for you to evaluate.
 
Just make sure Windows is up to current maintenance levels, and your computer meets all other requirements for running X2/X3, and you should be fine.
 
I think it is allowable to buy X3 for yourself for the holidays - you've been good, RIGHT??? :)
 
Bob Bone
 

Hi, Bob. I'm pretty sure there were massive component additions from 8.5 to X2. Like all the PC modules and X2 gave full versions of some of the synths (or enhanced versions anyway) that had to be purchased with the Production Suite and/or Expanded. There really was a crapton of extra stuff that came with X2 that wasn't even included with X1 Producer (without Expanded or Production Suite and even counting those there was still R-Mix... then even though they are included in X3 Breverb, TH2, etc...).