I agree that intuitive and "Logic" don't belong in the same sentence.
I've mucked around with Nuendo using a... er... 'demo' copy, and I recorded fairly extensively with Cubase SX 1.06. I demoed both the latest Cubase and the latest Nuendo, but only very briefly-- I have to confess that I haven't tried either of them for any more than an hour; however part of that is due to the realization that I did not want to wander down that long and winding learning curve yet again. The whole pathway of 'major' sequencers lost its appeal for me when I discovered a few things:
1. All of my needs are met with much less power
2. It's -software- that tries its best to look like hardware, complete with shadowed, chromed, spiffy-looking knobs. Well that's all well and good, but the whole idea of software is that you can do things on it that simply can't be done (easily?) with hardware... so why does software continually try to BE hardware?
3. I wanted to go the path of legitimate software. Once I put myself in a consumer's shoes (rather than the P2P user's shoes I had worn), I realized how incredibly over-priced that stuff is. Unless I owned a studio and planned on charging a fee for others to record in it, I would never plunk down that much dosh for such an enormous piece of bloatware. In a way, it's quite exhilerating discovering that you can do just as well (or better) using cheap and free software.
There are other reasons, but those are the main ones. Frankly, I find it crazy how many different menus and windows you have to swim through in Steinberg's software. When a dual-monitor system (even triple) is a necessity rather than a convenience, somebody's done something wrong.
In the 2 hours that I 'demoed' Steinberg's software, I completely learned Tracktion. Tracktion's latest version also offers something that Steinberg can only dream of, which is a semi-modular system of routing effects. All of your busing, sending, and in-line effects needs are met, but you can also develop new ways to effect your signal and can easily create super-synths or multi-effectors with a few quick drag and drops. Multiple outputs are taken care of, and can be routed to other tracks, or back into themselves. Really, your imagination is the limit.
So, my question to you-- have you tried Tracktion? Or Energy XT?
Now, I realize that each of us are simply defending programs which we know and love. I'd hate it for some jackass to tell me that $1,000 was a "stupid" investment to make, and I understand that I may be coming off that way. But let me assure you that if you are using the features to their full extent, and are comfortable and happy with that working environment, and are comfortable with the price you paid, then I honestly and sincerely wish you nothing but good will. I'd just never recommend that path to a newcomer.
And no, I'm not a shill. <laff>
Greg