I use to be a VST junky and searched for every plugin I could find and afford to buy. When Cakewalk introduced Pro Channel and the modules it all stopped there. Concrete Limiter, Quad EQ, PC2A and all the rest are of great quality and have helped me out tremendously. Even some of the other stock plugins are excellent IMHO. Problem is there's so many plugins available I was to busy searching for VST's rather than taking the time to learn and work with what Cakewalk had to offer. Glad I did cause I pretty much use only the stock plugins these days and get very good results. Keep up the great work Cakewalk!

IMHO - the compressors suck, the EQ's are OK, and the gate needs a more finely grained control system - I find it waaay too hard to calibrate. Be nice if the "Pro" channel also included an envelope follower as well as limiter options (a la a certain recent Steinberg product). 

Concrete Limiter is far better than the channel strip limiter in Nuendo so I have to disagree with you there vespesian. And the compressors in PoChannel are very good, you just have to have the ability to operate them- same as the SSL Duende Channel strip- you have to use your ears..... If you need a "finely grained control system" for a transient designer load up the percussion strip or the Studio Devil transient designer. Both those are better than the Nuendo Channel transient effect- which itself needs a more finely grained control system right 

backwoods
Concrete Limiter is far better than the channel strip limiter in Nuendo so I have to disagree with you there vespesian. And the compressors in PoChannel are very good, you just have to have the ability to operate them- same as the SSL Duende Channel strip- you have to use your ears..... If you need a "finely grained control system" for a transient designer load up the percussion strip or the Studio Devil transient designer. Both those are better than the Nuendo Channel transient effect- which itself needs a more finely grained control system right 

Actually, C7 comes with 3 different limiters in the channel strip - standard, maximizer and brickwall -, unlike X2, but i've no clue about Nuendo, that's not my issue.  I was referring to the gate in mentioning a better control system, not a transient designer. BTW - I "have the ability" to employ compressors, but still find the PC items fall apart with bass & hi heavy material, way before they should. 
 

 
 

Fine... use the sontius gate, which unlike the cubendo channel gate has fine grained controls orwhatever. Or use the percussion strip gate in the pro channel as an fx strip. The PC gate is modelled on the SSL desk and does a great job- it's like whining that a Pultec emulator doesn't look like Fabfilter Pro-Q! Have you ever worked on a proper desk?
 
Do you think the stock Cubase compressors do a better job on bass and "hi heavy" material as compared to Sonar? 

backwoods
Fine... use the sontius gate, which unlike the cubendo channel gate has fine grained controls orwhatever. Or use the percussion strip gate in the pro channel as an fx strip.
 
Do you think the stock Cubase compressors do a better job on bass and "hi heavy" material as compared to Sonar? 

Well, now that you brought it up, yes, I do actually. And I didn't have to pay extra for them. Ever (remember "expanded"...?).

OK. Agree Sonar should have a Pro Channel transient designer ( and a much better one than the nuendo channel strip td hopefully). Disagree with everything else you say. How to you find the steinberg channel gate Fully operational and highly tweakable and better sounding too I presume. 
 
If you really want to blow your mind you should try samplitude. Apparently that really DOES have superior effects.
 

backwoods
OK. Agree Sonar should have a Pro Channel transient designer ( and a much better one than the nuendo channel strip td hopefully). Disagree with everything else you say. How to you find the steinberg channel gate Fully operational and highly tweakable and better sounding too I presume. 
 
 

 I'm sorry - but i have no idea what you're talking about. I'm wasn't talking about a "transient designer" (ever), i was mentioning the PC gate. I find the PC gate to be clumsy and difficult to fine tune. And, yes, I like the c7 channel strip better, esp. the tube comp. I also like how the EQ can be plotted/mapped, in a number of different ways. Very convenient. Are we good?

What is an envelope follower then? (ala certain Steinberg product)

I find the PC modules pretty good and I use them all the time.
Cake def needs to come out with a some new ones, though ...or partner with some 3rd party guys like they did with Overloud.