I upgraded to X2 but could not / did not want to use it because of the graphical issues - so I have got no value for money on that product. I am still on X1
I don't think too many of the third party stuff in X3 is of much interest to me, as I either have  the full versions (Melodyne  / Addictive for instance) or I have alternatives I am quite happy with.
 
So US$149 to get X2 to work (hopefully) and perhaps a couple improvements such as ARA and VST3.
And of course if they have rewritten Sonar, the host of new bugs they will have introduced!
 
So If I buy X3 at another $149 just to get X2 to work properly (which I think was about $100) but when I install X3 I find another load of bugs that Cakewalk then WILL not address until the next paid upgrade........................the merry-go-round continues - me forever paying more and more for Software that is NEVER right.
 
I think the only way I would even consider X3 is if we had a WRITTEN commitment from Cakewalk / Gibson / Tascam that THEY WILL address and fix bugs free of charge.
 
I have been with Sonar for over 10 years I think it is now - Guitar Tracks then Sonar 3 - this new upgrade scenario  might just have made my mind up that X2 was a waste of money, X3 another waste of money and for the combined investment I could well have purchased and been learning an alternative. Sad days in my book.
 
I think if someone / anyone ( and I suppose it is Craig Anderton)  is going to rescue this situation, they really need to address the total foul up that was X2. Perhaps not foul up product wise, but foul up customer relation wise. Lets face it X1 was a bigger mess than X2 on launch, but they DID fix it.
 
I KNOW some people have no issues with X2, but many people do - some issue are not major, MANY are unrepeatable, but it's these nuisance non repeatable problems that make it a no go in my book.
And someone further back in this thread was surprised at the animosity - I'm not - whilst I won't be chaining myself to the  railings outside Cakewalk Head quarters, my silent protest will probably take the shape of a move away from Cakewalk products. And I bet many have either done this already or are thinking about it.
 
Mr Andertons challenge will be to rekindle some kind of confidence in Cakewalk products - that X3 will be made to work properly FREE of CHARGE for those who should buy it. If you buy it at the moment there is NO guaratee that you will not be asked to buy it again (as  X4) in a years time to correct the problems that will undoubtedly exist in X3.
Nigel
 
 

bitflipper
Even the new guy in this soap opera, Craig Anderton, got attacked as "another empty suit". And he had nothing to do with X1.

Really? I'll have to get out more all I've seen on the subject has been round here and most people seem to be going beyond all sane boundaries of any self-dignity in order to see who can get the brownest nose.
 
I see Craig as the most likely person to steer a DAW manufacturer into creating what could be one of the most useable DAWs ever given his background of 'How To's' but I'm darned if I'm going to earnestly set about getting the matching face of a two year old minutes after he's been set free with a fine chocolate pudding any time soon...
 
I must admit though introducing yourself as 'Cheif Magic Officer' seems kind of like sticking your head way too far above the parapet for your own good... Still rather that than someone going round masquerading like he's some regular Sonar using Joe without any vested interests in Cakewalk at all.  That's been my only criticism of him in the past now I kind of see him as being the most likely saviour of the future of Sonar.  There can't be too many people left around these days that want to champion the future of a fully-fledged desktop DAW.

...I have been with Sonar for over 10 years I think it is now...- this new upgrade scenario might just have made my mind up that X2 was a waste of money, X3 another waste of money and for the combined investment I could well have purchased and been learning an alternative...
 
This pretty much echos my sentiments, although I've only been with Cake since Studio 6, so about 5-6-7 years. I've upgraded every time, usually at $99.00, whereby I jumped up to Producer @ 8.5.3 and so on.
 
I hesitated in getting X1 and when X1'd' came out, like others, I was finally satisfied & relieved.
 
I also went with X2a - but I too share the many feelings here that Cake dropped the ball on this one, literally punishing the 'faithful' with silence and inactivity, even knowing all too well just how many unhappy customers have been on the forums here - all the while quite comfortable in purposely & consistently ignoring them.
 
Myself, I have all the Nomad Factory plugs I want as well as Melodyne Editor - not Essential, which I got because Presonus Studio One had an upgrade path that I jumped on, since it was integrated right into their DAW.
 
In hindsight, I too wish I hadn't bothered with X2, and now consider it a waste of money that I could have spent on what I did recently, which is the full version of Cubase 7.
 
It already has VST3, and between that and Presonus Studio One and all the plugs I have, these 2 DAWs offer everything I need & more - one of them much much more. In fact, just seeing what Q7 has to offer is simply jaw-dropping! 
 
So while waiting for the 'silent bakers' to bring X2 'b,c & d', I was enticed by a much better option & so my investment has gone elsewhere.
 
What dollars I might or could have spent here went to Yamaha/Steinberg instead.
 
I've never paid full price for a DAW before, always using the LE versions & through the upgrade paths instead.
 
But paying full for Q7 seemed right and some 3 months later still feels right - even better.
 
They've done what I feel, [my opinion], Cake could have done, but didn't - which is actually 'listen' to their customer base AND then implement the changes/improvements, complete with now 6 - yup count 'em - 6 updates in only 8-9 months!
 
So as far as I'm concerned this is almost a 'slap in the face to the faithful' & should be all but 'free' [minus any 3rd party plugins of course] to all those who have been waiting ever so patiently for the 'X2 mess' to be cleaned up but never was. 
 
I'm with Bit on now being able to use all that I have already - in fact I have even more than I need.
 
Sorry Cake - but this $149.00 [up from the usual $99.00???] went to a competitor.
 
In fact, for just $220 more, I got their full DAW version plus their flagship instrument HALion 5 [priced at $349.00 alone].
 
Great deal for the money. Too good to pass up!
 
For those who do bite, I sure hope you'll not let them down this time.
Your customers neither deserve nor can tolerate yet another farce.
For the most part, they've been very patient and many seem rather forgiving already from what I've read so far, considering the audacity to be asking for even just $1 more dollar at this point. 

Any upgrade to a DAW as old as Cakewalk is going to include plugins. Longtime audio software users are more likely to have them.  Except for newer products like Studio 1, it is inevitable that many of these plugins are already owned. .  For those who don't, it's still a mixed bag.  I never go by gearslutz reviews and only peak just to get the obligatory negative view.  i have seen extreme views both ways on Nomad Factory Blue series and it usually plays out like this:  1) Plugin sluts who buy everything and claim everything is great rave about how awesome and "warm" they are...until they move on to thenext toy. 2) People who hate everything but the most expensive plugins that are snob fan favorites of the moment.  Yanno, that guy who brags about having 20k worth pof plugins and yet his music still sucks. 3) The guy who bought the bundle dirt cheap and feels the need to tell us all about what a steal he got and how these are even better than some of the bigger names.   Needless to say the truth tends to lie in the middle.  The Nomad Factory plugins are different.  Some will find use for them and others will find them utterly useless.  I like some of the time delay effects and I think the pultec EQ adds nice coloring.  Yes, there are plugins that may be considered better, but they are not bad tools to have in the arsenal.

I bought Sonar 6 but stayed on 5, bought X2 for $49 but have stayed on X1d(e). I missed 8.5 because I didn't have a DAW for a few years. I'll just wait until they have the big sales. When X3 goes on sale, I'll buy, but stay on X1 until I see a reason to install it. I'm mostly still happy with X1 and don't really want to mess around with my DAW. I'd rather turn it on and know it's gonna work...
 
Regards,
Dan

I'm waiting, not for the official release but for Noel's traditional under-the-hood blog that usually follows a couple months after the initial chaos has died down. With prior releases, that's where we've gotten the juiciest information.
 
If you'll recall when 8.5 came out, it too got criticized for adding too many plugins nobody needed. The marketing department didn't think it was worth mentioning the many little usability enhancements that turned out to be the most significant improvements.
 
Noel has already explained that V-Vocal will still work in X3. Marketing will never mention V-Vocal ever again. Noel has told us that comping will be a vastly improved experience. That's not mentioned in the feature list. He's said that plugin scanning is now transparent and automatic, that the Waves UI flickering has been resolved, that CW now owns the Bitbridge source - all factoids you'll never see in any print ads. 

Bah, nobody cares about that stuff. Do you know if the new tapesim reels spin while the transport is running?

LOL... I want COLORS!!!!

Agree that Noel is a treasure trove of interesting Sonar information. The great thing about it is sometimes when the other Cakewalk guys have put up the cone of silence, Noel stumbles in blissfully unaware and answers stuff straight up. I wonder if the other guys get mad sometimes 

I spent a 120 for me and my wife for a crappy meal the other weekend  (could have done better myself at home for half the price).  Every time me and my family leave the house to do anything it seems to cost a 100.  (Parking, gas, yaddah, yaddah...)
 
150 is really not that much in my world, so the price is not holding me back. 
 
My experience with X2 has been pretty good so I am not worried on that front either.  (If as an example X2 was unusable on my rig I would definitely be hesitant...)
 
Even though I have sleezey drummer and BFD2, addictive drums intrigues me.  A buddy of mine tells me that addictive drums are pretty good (of course it will only include one or 2 stock kits and buttons to buy expanded kits etc.)
 
Melodyne sounds interesting too.  (f course i myself do not need pitch correction, but I have this friend who sometimes gets pitchy...  )
 
All in all I am on board and will very likely jump (not too fast) on this upgrade too.  If nothing else I love playing with new plugs and VI.
 
I have never owned a real gibson before, so this will be a first.  Hopefully X3 is not made from exotic rain forest wood and we cannot take it out of the US.  If Cakewalk relocated to Nashville, they will be closer to me too !
 
JR