deswind
I have not updates for many months.  When I read just even the title of the threads - there is very little positive in the titles.

 
As I've said many times, go to any DAW or virtual instrument forum. If you read the thread titles, you'll be convinced that none of this stuff ever works. This isn't to say software doesn't have bugs, or that forum members don't provide a valuable service by identifying "corner cases" with a recipe to reproduce. But so often the issues are user error, lack of understanding of the program, and/or hardware issues. Even the Mac's closed hardware/software environment doesn't escape this.
 
I upgrade every month because I have to in order to write the eZine. There was only one month where I rolled back, the one where upsampling caused problems when exporting projects that had tempo changes. IIRC there was a hotfix a couple weeks later.
 
It's also important to remember that some bugs affect only some people under only some conditions. If you update and don't encounter a problem, as far as you know the software is bug-free. But if you run into something that's a problem, you can roll back.
 
 
 
 
 

deswind
...When I read just even the title of the threads - there is very little positive in the titles.
Is this skewed?  Are only people with problems creating threads and all the happy people are just not doing so?

You've nailed it - nobody takes the time to post "Yay, another day with no problems!".
 
I stayed at version 8.5.3 for seven years. The reason: it did everything I needed to do, in just the way I liked to do it. X1 was buggy and I didn't like the new automation scheme, so there was no motivation to change. Even after things got sorted out in X2 and X3, I kept coming back to "I can already do everything I need to do".
 
Last year I upgraded to Platinum on impulse, like suddenly deciding I needed a flashlight while standing in the checkout line at the drugstore. My DAW had been stolen, along with 12 years of projects and their backups (as well as my keyboards, guitars, microphones and monitors). To put a positive spin on a horrible situation, I decided to look at it as an opportunity for a fresh start.
 
I haven't regretted it at all. Did I need screensets, FX chains, VST3 support, LP-MB and ARA regions to make records? Nope. I already had great third-party tools for pitch editing, drum samplers, amp sims, effects and mastering. Technically, I could still be on 8.5 and still be happily making music.
 
But there have been advantages, the biggest being that I am now on a maintained version. There had been minor but annoying bugs in 8.5 that while they could be worked around, I knew they'd never be addressed. Nowadays, the worst-case scenario is a bug that won't get fixed until next month. After more than a year since my upgrade, there hasn't been a single showstopper that wasn't fixed within days. All I have to do is wait a week before installing the next version if I don't want to be a pioneer.
 
And while no single enhancement has been a game-changer, the accumulation of many improvements have made the overall experience smoother. The integration of Melodyne Studio is big one. Before, I had to use Celemony's plugin and it was always losing sync. Now, with Region FX, Melodyne works much better. AudioSnap, too. Aux tracks are a handy convenience for staying organized. Ripple editing, MIDI transform tool, color-coded sharps & flats in the PRV, show/hide button for controller pane in the PRV - these are all small conveniences that add up to a more pleasant experience overall.
 
Of course, zapping forward 7 years made my experience far more dramatic than yours will be. The point is that lots of little improvements pass by under the radar. Cumulatively, they eventually reach critical mass and you're really happy when you catch up to them.
 

Yay, running good here on the latest update! 

Thanks Everyone.  I am going to try the latest update :)
Maybe some of us that are very happy with the product need to have threads once in a while.
 
Cheers,
AB

bitflipper
 
 There had been minor but annoying bugs in 8.5 that while they could be worked around, I knew they'd never be addressed. Nowadays, the worst-case scenario is a bug that won't get fixed until next month. 

Or maybe not. Let's not over sell it.
 
I've had Plat for 8 months now and there are certainly bugs that existed in my first installation that have not been fixed and I don't know how long they existed before that.
 
The ones that are fixed quickly are usually biggish ones that were caused by the update in the first place.
 
 
 

One alternative to updating monthly could be that if the version you have works well for what you do, and there are no must have new features or fixes in the pipeline, just update once or twice a year, or whatever is in your comfort zone, to stay current.
 
This might be best for those in the middle of critical projects, that cannot afford interruptions in workflow to deal with new DAW issues.
 
But worst case, you can always roll back to an earlier release if an update messes up.
 
And it's always a good plan to make system backups or images before any major updates.

I update every month, about 1 or 2 days after the updates become available.  That gives me time to check the forum for any screams or mayhem from the pros who are always so helpful here (including bitflipper, John, Craig (of course) and the SONAR staff who are paid to be smart.)  No complaints, no problems.   Just a happy little trooper.

I'm an early adopter. I will install the early release and install the update when it is ready. I can't recall any problems doing it this way. If I did have a problem I would first alert the forum and then CW. I think that is the point for the early release. CW seems to have thought of everything. As a further safeguard they have made it easy to revert back to a stable version. 
 
I know users are often too busy or a little shy in grabbing a new version. In the past many were reluctant due to sometimes running into a major bug in a first release before the new release model. It is very understandable. Now, for almost two years CW has been consistent with making sure nothing is given to the public with major flaws. I notice a very low incident of complaints after each version is released. Its nothing like it was in the past.  
 
Often if we do see a complaint its most likely due to user error not a bug.  If a bug does show up that is easy to replicate CW will try hard to provide a quick fix for it. Though, that is not something that happens much. And it must be said not everyone is effected anyway.
 
   

Just be aware, although everything should go well, there have been a number of cases where people have updated to the latest release only to find a bug or a quirk/issue that was unacceptable to them that didn't exist for them previously, only to find for whatever reason when they rolled back that problem remained, even though it wasn't there previously. I have read this a number of times on these forums. Having seen this happen to others, if it was me and I cared (which I don't) I would make a back up image of the drive first, but that's just me. As I said it should all go well for most people.

I update a day or two after every release. Never had an issue. Ive seen a couple bugs but they dont shut down the program and typicslly gone by the next release