Wow what an incredibly ignorant and arrogant post

 
It does not have anything to do with ignorance or arogance.  It is just how things are.  How many people are still using Commodore 64s and Amiga's to produce their music? 
 
I can come up with the names of a lot of people who have decided to get off of the upgrade bandwagon.  These people perform and produce far better music than I will ever be able to do.  Sonar 8.5 and XP work wonderfully together for a lot of people to great success.  The time will come though when the only place they will be able to get an audio interface or a video card will be from junk sales on e-bay (yes - you can still buy a Commodore 64). 
 
If someone has chosen to freeze their system at a specific point in the technology treadmill it might just be the right answer for them.  What aggrivates me is when someone comes on the forum complaining that their mish-mash of outdated/unsupported 32 bit plugins no longer work in a current environment and complain that the software developers have abandoned them.  Somehow this is a Cakewalk problem?  It isn't Cakewalk's problem that the new computer you buy is not available with Windows XP.
 
It seems to me that the majority of people posting difficult problems on this forum are battling with plug-ins that have not been kept up-to-date or outdated drivers/hardware, or mashing 32 bit pieces into a 64 bit environment.  It is time to acknowledge that XP is no longer supported by Cakewalk and either freze your system (OS, DAW, and plugins) or buy the correct versions of all of these components so that things will work together.  X2a will not run on your Commodore 64.  Either accept that you may not be able to use the latest and greatest plugins/OS/DAW (individually or combined) or commit to making your environment current.
 
 
 
 

As important as the OS is the hardware underneath.

Its unreasonable (unfortunately) to expect large modern programs to run on antiquated hardware.

A lot of problems people have with X2, and especially X2a, seem to come from running them on less than ideal (recent and powerful) hardware.

You have to see daws and hardware as a unit. If you want to run a modern daw, you have to also buy the modern hardware it requires.

I  think any piece of technology has a workable lifespan,  whether that be hardware or software.

64-bit CPUs have been around for quite a while now, so it should not be surprising that 32-bit will be phased out, which is interesting from the point that Windows is still available in 32- and 64-bit versions. I think the biggest problem is that many consumers have no idea what 32- and 64-bit computing is, they just switch on and use their comps. But while O/S companies are reluctant to ditch 32-bit completely, it will be a very, very old horse to flog, and is just prolonging its agony. When 32-bit is finally ditched, we might see price reductions, as development teams will be working on one, not two, products, making development more efficient and cost effective.

I am sure that XP is great for many people around the world for doing what they do. I hung onto Windows 2000 until 2008, but there comes a point when the next thing to install won't work with it.

The UK ditched analogue TV with a set deadline. Sure, there will have been many people that shunned the idea of digital only, or complained that they would have to buy a digital TV or set top box, but sometimes it is necessary to kill a beast at the head than have it squirming painfully to a slow death. I'm outraged that I can't use my nine-inch, black and white, portable TV anymore!

We all get forced to move on at some point. Trying to stop progress is as futile as trying to stop a freight train by jumping in front of it.

The problem is that people probably have more money invested in plug-ins than in DAW software, so this becomes the key financial consideration in upgrading: therefore, I think it *is* the responsibility of the DAW manufacturers (not just Cakewalk!) to support old plug-ins for as long as possible.  Equally, although it's easy to say "just replace the old plug-ins with new ones that are supported", that assumes that i) it's possible and ii) one can open old files (somehow) to check settings and compare sounds.  Or maybe you never return to projects from years ago to remix, re-export or just to see how you did something...

How would you expect any of us using Sony/Sonic Foundry's DX plug-ins to easily move to a 64 bit environment?  Those products are "supported", but resolutely 32 bit and there is no DX equivalent of BitBridge or JBridge (well, there is, but it's actually an unworkable solution and anyway crashes with SF plug-ins).

I'd like to point out that Windows 8 is available in a 32 bit version, so it's clearly not a totally dead environment!

KPerry, maybe DAW developers have supported old VST plugins as long as they possibly can without incurring additional costs, in turn making DAWs even more costly. I don't think it is the DAW manufacturer's responsibility. Progress is how VST producers make their money. When a new O/S comes out, software and hardware manufacturers start licking their lips in the hope of 'forced' upgrade cash cows. Manufacturers make new stuff to be compatible with new systems. If you want to use the new system you need to buy the new stuff that works with it. It's not by chance that stuff becomes incompatible eventually.

There is lots of software and hardware that doesn't work on new O/Ss, but we can't blame the O/S developers or scream at them to make it work with old tech. You simply have to buy the up-to-date software and hardware. I wanted to play carmageddon, but it doesn't work on Win 7 64-bit. I just boot into my old XP system and use that. I guess, we may end up with dual DAWs. If you want to use the old plugins, use your old DAW. Keep an old version to hand, just in case you need it.

Cassette players didn't support reel-to-reel tapes; CD players don't support vinyl records; DVD players don't support video discs. And when CDs stop being produced, I guess we'll see SSD MP3 players that won't be compatible with CDs due to encryption and security algorithms that stop copied CDs working in them. Not to mention the lack of a slot to put a disc in.

It's the old saying, "You have to keep up, or get left behind." Unfortunately, that often includes a price tag.

leebut : "It's the old saying, "You have to keep up, or get left behind." Unfortunately, that often includes a price tag. "

That's the beauty of it. Not only are we forced to accept progress, we're also forced to pay for it :-)

I love the way posts start in one direction and then morph into these giant pissing contests between folks...makes for very entertaining reads...:-P

How many people are still using Commodore 64s and Amiga's to produce their music?

I have no idea why you are obsessed with the Amiga. I have an Intel Quad Core computer capable of running just about any plugin except Diva in divine mode at 6ms latency. I've never had to freeze a track. I've just chosen not to "upgrade" to Win7/8 because I don't feel like rebuilding my system and reinstalling/reauthorizing dozens and dozens of plugins and apps when everything is working just fine. Some day I'll buy a new computer just because I'm a gear slut but unlike you I don't measure my manhood based on the version number of my Operating System. Oh and I've purchased,downloaded and installed the X-2 upgrade and it's running just fine.

Its not a civil right to be able to buy the latest software's and expect that it will support XP32 or Windows 95 x32 or what ever forever. Save your money to a new computer instead of wasting them on latest software's is my advice my friend. Best Regards Freddie

Luckily I don't need your advice...and I don't have to "save my money" to buy a new computer. Trust me I could walk out right now and buy the highest spec'd computer on the market or have one custom built. I simply have chosen not to... As I said above I've installed the X-2 upgrade and it's working perfectly.... Like I told the other wanker snob above I don't measure my manhood by the speed of my CPU or the version number of my Operating System. You guys are obviously compensating for "short" comings in other areas......

For running Sonar (pre-X2a), the only real benefit of upgrading the operating system from XP is to take advantage of 64-bit.  If your current system is stable and performing well, then changing it seems pointless.  Might as well wait.  Sometimes upgrading serves no purpose.

I don't always listen to my own advice though.  I just upgraded recently for no good reason.