delonasn
 The reason I've stuck with Cakewalk all these years is because I knew the product well.  

Did you use the versions prior to 8.5???

daveny5
There is definitely a learning curve for anyone moving from Sonar 8.5 and earlier to the X series. Some people just can't stand change. I like change, but it took me a while to get used to it, but Cakewalk has made quite a lot of free video help to get you through it. Maybe you should take a look at some of those. 

Hi, Dave.  For me it's not about "change," I like it too, but more about compromises which have left SONAR missing one of its greatest assets.
 
Kind regards,
 
Living Room Rocker

yevster
The one thing that's been lost since 8.5 is the ability to access every function of every PRV tool without switching tools. SmartTool comes close, but still doesn't do everything. For the functions it doesn't include, tool switching is required, and sometimes that means switching modes within a tool. Every time the user has to keep track of the mode of the program, that's a design smell, and it still hasn't been remedied.
 
For everything else, using the toolbar/control bar for routine elements of workflow is inefficient in the first place.
 
Touch will not take off beyond the matrix view for several reasons:
1. Touching a vertical surface is not ergonomic.
2. A DAW presents a high concentration of information requiring either a precise pointing device (which a finger isn't) or a large amount of real estate. The problem with consuming a large amount of real estate is having to shift visual focus from one point to another (which is why Sonar's side-docked Pro Channel will never be as natural to use as it would be if it could pop up wherever the cursor is).
3. Touch may be a great way to control faders in the console view, but, unlike conventional faders and knobs, touch faders cannot be manipulated without looking at them. Besides, the console view itself is a vestige of 20th century hardware-centric design philosophy. It is far more straightforward and efficient to mix and produce in a single view, and based on all kinds of videos being made today (including Pensado's Place), DAW consoles seem to be going out of style.

Hmmm... Honestly, I don't think I've ever changed tools in the PRV.   I add notes, delete notes, move notes, stretch notes, change velocities, etc., using the Smart Tool.   The only time I do choose a different tool is either when using the Mute tool for audio clips or one of the automation shapes, though I typically use the F keys for that, not the control bar.   So I'm geniunely curious what's missing in the PRV because maybe there's something I could be using more that I'm not.
 
Re: touch, if I had the funds I've have a nice 27" monitor at about a 30 degree angle, positioned just above my keyboard and mouse.   But alas, I do not.    Yet.  
 
 
PS... I do use a BCF2000, but always have to look at that too, at least to get my orientation.
 

You don't use drag quantize, I take it. To get to it in the x-series, you have to select the edit tool and then make sure it's in the "timing" mode.

It doesn't matter how you switch tools. Each tool is a mode, under which the program behaves differently, and the user is tasked with keeping track of what mode the program is in. It's like using vi. :)

yevsterTouch will not take off beyond the matrix view for several reasons:
1. Touching a vertical surface is not ergonomic.
2. A DAW presents a high concentration of information requiring either a precise pointing device (which a finger isn't) or a large amount of real estate. The problem with consuming a large amount of real estate is having to shift visual focus from one point to another (which is why Sonar's side-docked Pro Channel will never be as natural to use as it would be if it could pop up wherever the cursor is).
3. Touch may be a great way to control faders in the console view, but, unlike conventional faders and knobs, touch faders cannot be manipulated without looking at them. Besides, the console view itself is a vestige of 20th century hardware-centric design philosophy. It is far more straightforward and efficient to mix and produce in a single view, and based on all kinds of videos being made today (including Pensado's Place), DAW consoles seem to be going out of style.

I've never seen a single person who uses a touch screen for actual work use it on a vertical 90 degree angle.
 
My ideal workstation would be to have my normal monitor sitting at 90 degrees with my trackview, my touchscreen below it at 30 degrees with my console view, and my third monitor off to the side for whatever I need it for. This resolves the real estate problem.
 
It would take some time to get use to, but we're becoming more aware of the virtual space. Younger generations would pick up a digital touch mixing console a lot easier and faster than people who have used a physical console their whole lives, but I and many others believe it's the future. Touchscreens in the past couple years now have become extremely accurate with a very low touch response time. I believe it's Microsoft that has nailed the 0ms touch response delay just last year on a multi-touch screen. Eventually it will become just as commonplace as using a digital keyboard on a smartphone and it will be up to DAW programmers to keep up with the new race of having the best and intuitive console and editing interfaces that work brilliantly with touch.

Until X1c I couldn't even use X1. Once I could use it I found I was constantly having problems getting used to it.

I was always going back and forth between 8.5 and X and it just wasn't working. Once I committed to learning X properly and put 8.5 aside my workflow improved in leaps and bounds and find that going back to 8.5 really shows up how dated (read clunky) that interface is.

I remember starting with Cakewalk at version 7 then 8 after that I didn't upgrade till Sonar 3 and each version since. Going from Cakewalk 8 to Sonar 3 was a huge jump not only in versions but interface/workflow as well.

Those sort of design changes always call for a bigger user effort. The X series has complicated matters because of the inherent problems in X1 for some and then X2 for others.

It seems that cakewalk have interrupted their update cycle (3 or 4 each version) for a while to concentrate on fixing the core which so many complained about with the constant cry for stability. They've traded short term happiness for a more long term strategy that has made a bunch of users very cranky especially with a virtual media blackout. Well now the cats out of the bag so can any of us say we don't want Sonar to succeed, of course not, we have a vested interest. I'm sure things are well in hand and the future is looking a lot brighter.

yevster
You don't use drag quantize, I take it. To get to it in the x-series, you have to select the edit tool and then make sure it's in the "timing" mode.

It doesn't matter how you switch tools. Each tool is a mode, under which the program behaves differently, and the user is tasked with keeping track of what mode the program is in. It's like using vi. :)

Ah... I'm aware of it, but no, it's not something I've used.   Do you have a typical use-case for it vs. regular quantize?  I understand what it does - "dynamically" quantizing a group of notes by dragging left or right - I've just never thought of a scenario that made me think to use it.
 
 

The easiest cure for the "greener grass" syndrome is to try other DAWs. I found it very easy to harp on Sonar while every other DAW seemed mind-blowing. Then I switched to Studio One. After your first five-minutes waiting for a project to load, switching again doesn't sound like a bad idea. And that's just the first of the many problems I encountered. Yet, while I was a Sonar user, playing with S1 only casually, it seemed like heaven on earth. What I found most surprising, though, that switching from Sonar didn't really change the frequency of crashes I encountered, regardless of the DAW. That part literally shocked me.
 
I'm mostly on Cubase now (and liking it a fair amount), but Cubase has its own limitations. And, time and time again, I find myself missing Sonar. If this release delivers the goods, I haven't ruled out coming back.
 
The other advantage in trying other DAWs is the inspiration that can be gained from changes in the workflow. For example, StudioOne allows non-destructive rendering of clip effects. This resulted in me playing much more freely with processing short snippets of audio in all sorts of crazy ways without needing a gazillion tracks, and thus led me into a different direction than I might have taken otherwise.

BlixYZ
who would buy x2 right before x3 comes out? 

BenMusTech did.

Back to the OP.
 
Even without Noel chiming in on the design standards, I'll say I'm no brain surgeon or rocket scientist but it took me all of a week to get used to X1 (making X2 a no brainer).