Someone, in another thread, posted that we would be tipped off to a new SONAR release if Cake ran a sale on current SONAR software.  Well, I see there is a "blowout" sale on all X1 and X2 tutorial vids.  Might X3 be just around the corner.

 
:-)

I can't recall any historical precedents to support this hypothesis.
 
If anything, I suspect the whole X1 experience was so traumatic for CW that it resulted in more conservative release schedules. Nobody wants to get a reputation for letting buggy software out the door prematurely, which is what happened during the first few months after X1's release. Consequently, the time between X1 and X2 was the longest product cycle ever for CW. I'll be very surprised if X3 appears before NAMM 2014, assuming it's not a minor upgrade like 8.3 to 8.5.

I expect Cakewalk will need a some folding money before next year.  Whether it is X2.5 or X3, a prochannel upgrade or new synth, they will need a splash and cash, unless Roland steps up for a while.
 
@

Ouch. I hope not. New versions inevitably introduce new bugs and I'd much rather see them resolve the ones they introduced with X2 first. Hope bitflipper is right.

Actually, X2a is meeting my needs right now and I have no complaints.  I saw the vid blowout sale and it just got me thinking...

The only solid foreshadowing of a new version that I know of is the "buy now and get the next version" free sale. Sales of any other type don't tell me anything about Cakewalk product plans.

I've be less than happy if x2.5 came along as a paid upgrade which includes bugfixes for bugs that are as yet unresolved....whilst those who don't upgrade will be left with those bugs untouched and with hands almost forced into the pockets. I know there are work around's for some, but that isn't the point, the software should work as described and revision upon revision should be released until all bugs are clear before moving on to the next paid upgrade. (Of course, this is in an ideal world haha)

thebiglongy
...those who don't upgrade will be left with those bugs untouched and with hands almost forced into the pockets.

That describes me perfectly, as well as all the other users who gagged on X1 and stopped upgrading altogether.
 
8.5's bugs and limitations will be there forever, true - but I know about each and every one of them. Our choice is this: deal with the bugs you know or periodically swap them for a new set that you don't know about yet.
 
Unless X3 has some kind of serious WOW factor, I'll probably skip that one, too.

For the Sonar X2 Workshop Effects video, is this available in another format? It opens in iTunes as one huge file, and very difficult to navigate.