hey now!!! don't be hating on the folks who like the save button!!! Heck, why not remove all buttons and just use keystrokes!!! LOL!

Oddly enough, it was the download trial of X2 that sold me on it.
I was using Cubase 5AI and contemplating the upgrade to 6AI or 7.
I hadn't used any other DAW in the Cake lineup since 1995.
Considered it just okay and only slightly better than PPG's PowerTracks.
Wasn't concerned with any inception of Cake in between.
They told me the V-Studio software was mostly equivilant in form and function
to Sonar X1. And it feels the same to me as other DAWs.
So far, I'm enjoying the workflow of X2aPro.
So much, I've shelved the Cubase completely.
So I'm using X2 and Reaper together and finding they fit well
together for my methodology.

To each their own I guess, maybe CW has found a new niche market.

Yes, but one needs control bars, just not that huge thing which feels like a big ol' stick jammed in my eye. Steals way too much real estate. Also, where is the Save button.

 
It's already been mentioned, but, if you can get in the habit of using the mouse *and* keyboard, you'll find things go way faster.   For example: "C" for Control Bar display, Ctrl+S for Save, F11 for Full Screen, "D" and Shfit+D for docked views, etc.    But if you're only ever using the mouse to access the UI, then yeah, I can see how not having an icon for everything could slow things down.
 

Save icon was a complete waste of crucial real estate. you have to move the mouse over to the icon and press save and then take the mouse back to where you put it. What would your paying clients think? They would be ashamed to be in your weak studio and would move themselves to a pro tools HD studio asap. 

Shortcuts are the future, for example c shows or hides console view, ctrl+s saves. You can multi task with keyborad shortcuts and save yourself and more importantly the paying client time and money

Hmm, I didn't even realize there wasn't one until this came up.

Then don't upgrade if you don't like it. That's the point of a trial version. I think X2 is heads and shoulders over X1. Lots of usability improvements.

twanger


Seems like everything is made larger and very unnecessarily consumes more screen real estate, so that I can get far fewer tracks and layers (now lanes) showing.

That is an over riding first impression when opening X1 and X2 for the first time. Its been debated at length and I think its been proven by the many screen shots posted that in reality there is little difference between X2 the versions once X1/X2 are set up to optimize the number of tracks displayed. Cakewalk's default template is horrible and really contributes to this impression. I have the multi dock and browser completly minamised with the multi dock set to open up to full size when opened.
 
Auto Track Zoom, introduced in X2 is a really great feature that helps manage screen real estate. Its one of my favorite features. Somebody is going to jump in and say screen sets soon, this is also a very power feature in managing the screen real estate.
 
The removal of toolbar icons, and the save icon in particular, has also been discussed ad-infinitum There is a add-on that restores a toolbar called Duckbar Despite liking toolbars in preference to shortcuts I elected to stay with the standard X2 and work out how to get around without it. If you really don't want to reach over to the keyboard, clicking on the file menu and save only takes a minuscule amount of time in any case, its hardly going to significantly affect productivity dispite passionate arguments about the virtues of cntl-S and toolbar icons.
 
If you're prodominatly a mouse user one feature you will like is click on the top right had corner of a clip and be able to launch Piano roll, event list, staff view of step sequencer.
 
In short, its worth persevering, you may or may not end up prefering the new interface to 8.5 but you will find it does not stop you from doing anything, and there are a lot of great new features.
  
 

can someone paste a list of essential shortcuts? ...sorry for hijacking the post

djoni


can someone paste a list of essential shortcuts? ...sorry for hijacking the post

See this thread http://forum.cakewalk.com/tm.aspx?m=2794133
 

I also bumped up from 8.5.3 to X1 & then X2.

At first opening of X1 & X2 sure it seemed cramped & all crammed together upon first glance.
But with just a little fiddlin' around with the docking options, it actually spreads out pretty well for me. 

I'm using 3 monitors, and most seem to be up to 2 at least by now.

That way I spread stuff out nice & wide open. 

My 3rd monitor, which is a new 37" TV, I drag my VSTs & other things like that over there, and/or dock stuff in the console view, which sits on my left monitor, and the track view on my right.

Lot's of real estate that way - even more flexibility with toggle key strokes to show & hide windows & things.