I know I have been critical over Cakewalk and X1 and not jumping onto X2 right away but I really am curious to see how it is. i am hoping that once the kinks are worked out that maybe it may be worth my upgrade from X1 Studio to X2 Producer. Thoughts?

Here's my opinion FWIW....

I thought X1 was a necessary jump away from the confusing mess that Sonar had become. I gelled real quick with X1 it all seemed to make more sense to me than previous versions, despite the fact that I've been using it since V2.

X2 is a refinement on X1 IMHO. The 'little' things have improved workflow even more. Autozoom, smart grid, the smart tool improvements, take lanes and even automation lanes are handy - I still prefer the X1 'in track' method especially now that has a pop up over ghosted data.

AFAICT the automation copy & paste bugs have all been fixed as well as a few other long standing ones.

To sum up I was using X2 to make the SWA video for quite some time and while I was thinking not much had changed as soon as I went back to X1 to work it felt like I'd been throttled back as far as workflow speed was concerned, not quite a big a slow down feeling of going from X1 to 8.5 but noticeable all the same. There's not the same dramatic visual change either of course so it's more familiar.

The ProChannel alone makes the Studio-->Producer change worth it so for me it's a no brainer but as always YMMV of course.

I concur with FBB. I agree with it being a refinement but that could be misunderstood. Its a major change with enough added value to make it a bargin.

If you use X1 X2 will please you Its a darn good version.

This may sound a bit uncharacteristic of me but I was fine with the PC in expanded. X2's PC is more robust plus its open to just about any VST. This could be a great advance or a nightmare. I haven't made up my mind yet. 

It also looks better over all. Its not any more color customizable than X1 was but it looks better.

The audio engine is better and more robust too. The time line is far better.

I think they nailed automation display. Its a matter of 'have it your way' now. Plus it offers more modes. This no small thing You have Overwrite, Latch and Touch.

Its easier to select clips too.

What CW did was listen to us and after thoughtful consideration they fixed or added things that would be most effective in enhancing work flow.

There are a lot of little changes that make it work better too. The sum is far greater than its parts because they all play well together.  Some may go unnoticed others will hit one hard as it is so much better. 

If you liked X1 even a little you will love X2.

I agree with both FBB and John here. And it was the same for me, I really got into X1 right away.

Not too shabby this X2, it seems quite reliable already.

If you are looking for something simmilar to Sonar 8.5, however, look elsewhere. That aint coming back.

And it's really easy on the eye with the black clips

X1 was a bad experience for me but X2 is like a new program.
I recommed you watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw5z9BKWD-I

Hey Mike!


I'm very happy you're having a positive experience this time. That video is good. I'll be watching it tonight to get up to speed.

I jumped from S6PE so I don't know about 8.5

I could probably of stuck with S6PE to be honest, but I liked what I saw when I tried the X1 trial. It sounds like I was lucky because by the time I had got X1 loaded, the X1d patch was out and therefore I didn't really suffer the X1 blues like the early adopters did back then.

For the extra £99 I felt it was a no brainer for me to upgrade to X2 even though I had only just scratched the surface of X1. Automation lanes is what swung it for me, and also the way that you can draw and edit automation data is ten times better than it has ever been in Sonar/Cakewalk.

As others have said though, it's all down to personal choice and it could be that X2 still doesn't do it for you. If you are unsure then I would wait until Cakewalk bring out the trial version.

There are still a few guys here with gripes about colour customisation for instance. And a few have been having issues with downloading files and installing some of the included plug-ins.

If it was me, I would jump straight in, and I did of course, but if you run a pro studio and are worried that it may compromise your work there then I'd hold off. Or, if you can, load X2 onto a separate workstation, if you can. There is one person here who claims that his previous version of Sonar was screwed up when he installed X2.

Good luck with what ever choices you make


andy

great to hear guys. I am glad this version is more stable than the others. i am still waiting for the demo and debating if i should upgrade or jump ship. I am already enjoying Ableton for most of my composition needs I am just learning how to mix effectively in it which is what I have been using Sonar for.

I am just learning how to mix effectively in it which is what I have been using Sonar for.

 
I think the new automation enhancements and fixes could go a long way on the mixing side of things.   And having FX Chains in the PC.   And the Console Emulation.    And Auto Zoom.   Well, you get the idea.   
 
Hopefully the demo will be out soon enough so that those on the fence can have a go at it.
 

stevec

I am just learning how to mix effectively in it which is what I have been using Sonar for.

 
I think the new automation enhancements and fixes could go a long way on the mixing side of things.   And having FX Chains in the PC.   And the Console Emulation.    And Auto Zoom.   Well, you get the idea.   
 
Hopefully the demo will be out soon enough so that those on the fence can have a go at it.
 

that's what I am hoping for. it would also be nice if they looked at their drivers so that it worked better with my audio interface. my understanding is that i will have the same conflicts with sonar x2 that i did with x1 and i love my audio interface too much to give it up plus for $500 and its only 6 months old I think its a safe bet that I am keeping it for a long time.