lykwydchykyn said:
Obviously, I know it ultimately comes down to me and what I need. What I want to know is if the people who did pay the extra cash for Studio edition feel the plugs are good and worth what they paid.
Are the bundled plugs really head and shoulders above the cakewalk FX series stuff, or just a little different flavor?
lykwdchykyn - that sounds familiar. you post on Harmony Central under a different handle?
As far as the Producer Edition, I am very, very happy that I spent the extra to get it.
I wasn't real impressed with the lexicon verb right away, it sounded metalic and cold out of the box, but after some time and tweaking I've come to really like it. A little dab will do ya, but when you get it right it really brings tracks alive. It's crystal clear, not muddy at all. I love it on percussion.
The sonitus plugs are great, as well. It's reverb is a little different - a tad warmer but not quite as crisp. Between that and the lexicon, I'm usually set for my verbs.
I've also been really impressed with the multiband. I've been able to get some really good results with it on my final tracks. I seem to usually prefer the vintage algorithm.
The delay isn't anything crazy like
ohmboyz but has a decent amount of control - it covers about 90% of my delay needs.
The wah-wah and modulator are fun and sound really good.
Vsampler is OK. Truthfully I haven't dug too deep into it aside from the basics. The consensus seems to be that it doens't stand up to kontakt and the like, but is still competent none the less.
The other thing you get with the Producer Edition is the track inspector, which I love. It's the only difference in the actual programs (SE & PE). It's just convenient and cuts down on having to switch between views as much.
So I guess if you are completely set on plug-ins and a sampler, it could be a toss-up as I don't know if the track inspector is worth the money alone. But if you think you will get some use of the plugs that it comes with, it's a fantastic deal.
FYI, many users stick with older Cakewalk because that's all they need to make music. eg. they who don't play MIDI, or they who records only two tracks at a time, etc. Decide what you need, then you can see which is the best for you 
