I'm all about owning discs too but I'd rather get something worth more (like some expansion packs or whatever) and fork over the $30 bucks for the discs. It's just more economical... provided the download freebie is something worthwhile. However "worthwhile" varies wildly from user to user for obvious reasons.

Hey, Bub. Haven't seen you in a while. Hope you've been well. Thanks for the link. For me I'd be using it on tracks that are "almost there" anyway. I don't really expect miracles but it does look like it will be a lot easier to accomplish some cleanups. I was going to attempt some of this just using regular EQs and stuff but the R-Mix looks like it'll make it WAY easier to figure out what's doing what in the stereo mix. That alone I think will be more than worth it to me. Knowaddimean?

djwayne

Well a credit would be nice, but what I'm saying is I'd use such credit on the boxed version rather than a synth or drum samples, etc...I really like having the boxed versions rather than depend on a download, this becomes important if you have to de-frag or change your hard drive for some reason. Having a hard copy on hand is great.

Usually Sweetwater has the 'boxed' version at no extra charge. Although, you don't actually get a 'box', you do get a shrink wrapped package with the OEM DVD's, printed 'Mind Map', and a printed basic manually which doesn't tell you a whole lot.

I kicked and screamed about this when X1 was released, a lot of us did actually. It's a ripoff to charge $30 extra for the box.

I ordered the X1 box and I got an X1 box with the dvd's. I actually have three boxes now, Essential, Studio and Producer. Years ago I got a shrink wrapped package with disks on it, but lately they have been coming in nice boxes. I buy directly from Cakewalk, maybe that's why...??

Like if I can SOMEWHAT separate things, dump them into their own tracks, tweak them to the specific instrument or sound I'm trying to fix/tame/eliminate then it will at least be better than the original track. I've done this with semi decent results using EQs in the past but this should make it far easier... especially considering I don't really know what the heck I'm doing as far as isolating frequencies the traditional way.

It is a shame that many companies are charging extra for boxed versions these days but in theory it should keep costs down and it's more environmentally friendly so... there's that. That practice has been going on for ages now so I'm not gonna fault Cake for it. I don't even care about the box itself. I just want the discs so I don't have to waste time and bandwidth downloading (I got dinged for bandwidth charges recently because of a couple particularly large DAW related downloads) if I ever need to reinstall or want to set up an extra system.

I don't have a problem with companies charging extra for the hard disk versions, especially with Cakewalk as their download upgrade price of $99 is reasonable for what you get. An extra $29.99 covers the cost of producing the cd's and boxes for people who want them. Not everybody wants them...so be it. I'm really not expecting a really big incentive here for early adapters, as the price is already good enough for me. Anything to sweeten the deal should make it a no-brainer.

djwayne

I ordered the X1 box and I got an X1 box with the dvd's. I actually have three boxes now, Essential, Studio and Producer. Years ago I got a shrink wrapped package with disks on it, but lately they have been coming in nice boxes. I buy directly from Cakewalk, maybe that's why...??

If you ordered X1 directly from Cakewalk, and got it in a box, you paid $30 extra for it, or someone screwed up and sent you the boxed version by accident. There was a very heated discussion about this when X1 was released. Lot's of folks were upset about the $30 extra charge for the green and white box. They used to charge a fraction of that.

All I'm saying is, if you want OEM DVD's now, the cheapest way to get them now is to order a 'boxed' version from Sweetwater. You won't actually get a box, but you will get the OEM DVD's so you don't have to download everything. Or, pay Cakewalk $129 for your upgrade and get the cardboard box. I don't like not having it, but I'm not giving them $30 for it.

:)

Yes I paid an extra $29.99 for each of the boxes I got. They sure look nice on my desk. I always get the boxed versions when they are available. Believe it or not they do serve a purpose. I can easily find them when I need to because I keep all my boxes in one place. Just a disk would get lost in my studio. The boxes also protect the disks from damage that might occur to an unboxed disk. Someday I may not have access to the internet to download any programs, so that's a big incentive for me to get the disks, and have them in my hand. I hate downloading large programs cause it takes so long.

What's new in X2 for studio?