I have time to ramble so thought I would.
 
When I started digitally recording with a PC and knew nothing. I was just drawn in that direction. Didn't know anyone doing it so I was on my own...and still if we don't consider the forums.
 
I went to Radio Shack and bought an IBM w/Pent 100 ($3,200.00 !!) and started learning about "on-line". Took awhile with dial-up and ignorance but I stumbled on Cakes Guitar Studio 1.
 
From that day until Sonar Platinum I've been trying to get "it" where I wanted. I've always had blind faith in Cakewalk but never in the PC world.
 
Well I sure don't know for how long but it seems that my PC and software are where I've always hoped they'd be.
I hindsight I think my thoughts of; why would I want "industry standard" when I think there is a company that's geared to be re-writing what it should be?; has paid off.
 
Now that I'm set...it's all about what I can only describe as "freezing it".  Outside of Platinum core improvements let nothing change. Isolate it so Windows 7 and everything else is "froze".
 
Now the system is basically nothing more than to run it's life for as long as possible.
 
I can't believe how long it's taken for all the things including me to get lined-out but it's happened. I'm hoping that it will be a long run because I'm getting very close to retiring and it's one of my hobbies that I would like to continue on with so time will tell that story.
 
But I've noticed...I turned it on last night and it was different. There was nothing like check for updates, check on software for this or that, find out what's wrong with this or that...nothing. It was just enjoy making some music. After all these years.
 
After all the time, money and effort I wonder just how long do I get to enjoy the final results?
 
I know in the analog days it seemed everything was just a question of money. If you had the money then you could buy the equipment, plug it in, turn it on and record...until your fingers bled trying for that part you couldn't piece together. The one you had to know and be able to perform or be able to jam a part that was worth keeping with no gasses.....I think I'm going to find out now that all this digital stuff is working that I'm no longer the guitarist I use to be...no problem...I already know that I guess it's Ok because I really don't have to perform like I did in the analog days.  Freaky. Freaky getting old and having all this hindsight to deal with.
 
Where's Danny. I think he could appreciate the length of this BS. Time for lunch.
 
 

Michael,
 
Good on you.

Really hoping it lasts for a long, long time. It's always nice when your PC and software get along "harmoniously" when you're inspired to make music.
I for one am really happy that there are avenues like this (for a hobbyist like me) to have (feasible) access to some excellent instruments/sounds in which I would've never dreamt of using outside the software world. Sometimes though, we still have to go through a little pain/heartache in order to get things to see eye to eye......but, it's definitely worth it (IMO). Another positive is you also have options like being part of an online group.......i.e. The Forum Monkeys.

My rigs have been pretty stable over the years.
 
I am fortunate in that respect.
 
I only made one bad mobo choice and that was because of its firewire implementation. Jim Roseberry helped me out of that situation. That was two years ago. Who knew that today I would no longer care about firewire.
 

I'm happy for you.  I've been where you are, with different specs, for about 4 or 5 years.  It's like home studio DAWs and amp sims have reached maturity together.  As I'm typing this, I have S-Plat looping 24 bars of my latest idea - on the same machine!!  I can even execute a few trades in between without glitches, hiccups, coughs, sputters or crashes.  When I was first trying to use P8 & PA9 the current state of things seemed impossible.
 
I will likely go for new hardware some time in the next 12 months, but I will make sure this machine remains available for as long as it keeps running as smoothly as it is right now.
 
I'm happy for all of us. 

Congrats! I too have a stable system -at least until the next 'update du jour'. Argh.
 
I started with Dr T's KCS on the Commodore. Dr T's was arranged kinda like looping software for midi. It was fairly simplistic in all it's text graphical glory but it always worked without issue. Using that crude setup is probably the most fun I ever had with midi music. Oh well, another instance where one can never go home again...

"Balance" seemed to be the biggest issue looking back.
 
Something was always changing upsetting the balance.
 
Updating and then having issues with drivers...new software like Spectrasonics and the computer couldn't process all the information...need more power...OS change and disrupt everything.
 
I know...a lot of that was me trying to "stay on top" with the latest. But really I had to. That's how it was going to grow into what I was wanting.
 
I didn't know what it would take. Didn't know what I wanted. I knew I'd know if it ever made it. It made it.
Now there's only a few things that I'm slightly interested in. I'd like to be able to adjust how it looks so I'm hoping the theme editor will be the final addition to "complete".
 
There's always the possibility that they may get smart and include a tuner in the control bar that would become active with selected track- which I can't believe is not already there- but those two things and I don't know of anything else that would be worth risking the balance I have.
 
I think the lifetime offer is what really brought everything into focus and balance for me.

TH3 (the one included in Splat) does have a tuner, but you have to insert the plugin.
Including it in the control bar would be nice addition to have......I'm sure if enough people request it, the Bakers might add it in.
 
Craig Anderton is the man who can make it happen no?

I would think (based on my observations) that there are more (informal) requests for a tuner than staff view chages in these forums.
 
Why? Because there are more (noisy buggers) guitar players on this forum than composers who write with a staff view. JMO.

Mesh
TH3 (the one included in Splat) does have a tuner, but you have to insert the plugin.
Including it in the control bar would be nice addition to have......I'm sure if enough people request it, the Bakers might add it in.
 
Craig Anderton is the man who can make it happen no?

No. He thought it was nuts. Of course he turned what I said around into a specific tuner request and price of rather than the simple idea of having a tuner quickly available on the control bar. The idea was also met with- well this and that has a tuner- guitarist should already have a tuner- and a number of statements that had nothing to do with the value of having a tuner in the control bar that was active track activated. One tuner for all tuning needs.
 
But it in nutshell...I don't care. I have tuners when I need them. IMO Cake is the one that needs a tuner in the control bar.
In fact...that idea thread was plagued with my words being turned around...really best left forgotten and too bad the good idea is really a bad trip for me. I've no more to say about any of it.