Dear forumites -

Rather than battle with the forum software, I have prepared a shared document using Google Docs for your reading pleasure:

Comments and Observations on SONAR X2: An Open Letter to Cakewalk (from an 8.5.3 user who skipped the X1 release.)


Please enjoy, discuss, or ignore as you like.


(Aside: this was my first experience authoring an article with Google Docs. I found it to be a good experience.)

Well Thought out document. I think you should submit some of your ideas as feature requests.

Stickman,

Excellent work. I'm sure that took a lot of time to put together and I hope it ends up being read by the right people. One thing I really liked about your observations was having the slider colors match the envelopes. That's logical and it would look really cool. I really miss that from 8.5. I would like to see the color options open back up as well. Too many of them are locked down right now. Hopefully that is something we will see in X3. Overall I think X2 is an excellent update and since installing the quick fix it has been rock solid here. 

Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for posting a thoughtful critique of X2.

I agree with a few points, but:

-I think it's brilliant have the synth rack in the browser
-currently loving the prochannel (I did not in earlier version of X1) Now, with the inspector, I like it. But yeah, in the console view it can be quite the real-estate hog.
-I have and always will love skylight.
-I think menus are pretty intuitive. Of course, always room for improvement

You didn't mention the console emu that I can see. I don't care "why" there is the voodoo, I love the voodoo!

That was a well thought-out and reasoned document.  Good work.  I agree with some of your points, but while it bothered me at first, I didn't hate X1.  I was confused as **** for a while (the Smart Tool drove me f'ing crazy), but it's gotten much better in X2.  Sometimes I still feel like I have to do too much poking about to find things I was used to in 8.5.3, but all-in-all, Sonar was overdue for a makeover and I'm good with most of it.

I am concerned about the UI not being re-sizable, which I don't think you mentioned.  While Skylight looks great on my dual 22" monitor desktop, it's nowhere near as attractive or functional on my 14" notebook.  Things don't adjust to fit the window, they just disappear into some nether region requiring scroll bars to reach.  Not very conducive to productive workflow.  I've had to get very familiar with keystrokes so I could get the Inspector, Browser and Control Bar out of the way so I could have as much Track Pane as possible.  And I had to give up the Console view altogether, which is a drag because I devote my whole second monitor to it on the desktop, so it's an uncomfortable adjustment.  That's not Cakewalk's fault, though; how much can you get on a 14" notebook screen?  So no Console view, but Skylight should adjust better to notebooks.

Anyway, I hope CW takes some of your arguments and suggestions to heart--before X3.

why you hated sonar x1,the pro channel ?
multidock? ...the browser?
the smart tool?
im sorry but the smart tool hasnt changed that much to think you all of a sudden love and didnt like it before.

im also sorry because all this time the complaing post id read of yours putting down x1,you never even owned to give it a fair chance and honest review.

i think you made a great mistake and missed out on a great daw (sonar x1) for the past 3 years and now will play catch up while other users have a 3 year head start on it.

x1 was great and x2 is everything i wish x1 was.
i read your whole review but was very confused on alot of things that are almost or close to the same that you say you like now,that havent changed all that much.
 
its some newer features that have x2 on the cutting edge of the best daw on the market.

On:

'Munged Routing Names'


You can change the 'friendly names'.


Just click 'P' - preferences,
Devices


Click the Friendly name column entry and type your own name.

Regarding the ProChannel in the console view, I find it much better in X2. If you select a track that has the Pro Channel view expanded and then open the Inspector (hit the "I" key) with the Pro Channel view, the expanded view of the Pro Channel inbetween the tracks disappears. This automatically gives us some screen real estate back, which I like a lot.

Peace,

Tunes

arachnaut


On:

'Munged Routing Names'


You can change the 'friendly names'.


Just click 'P' - preferences,
Devices


Click the Friendly name column entry and type your own name.

Hey there Arachnaut, 


Exactly. I do use friendly names, that's exactly what I showed in the screen shots. X2 jumbles them up regardless.

I hate to say this but after reading the letter I have to agree with most of the points made. I don't agree with the deficits attributed to X1 over all but the finer points are things CW should review in X2 especially contrast and color choices.   

I am impressed also by the quality of the letter. Nicely done.