New Cakewalk Sonar Release

[Ezekiel Tsman]

Hi Cakewalk Sonar Developers,

I appreciate Bandlab for the new features added in the New Sonar, but something that I'd love them to do on new Sonar is that they should let be the old and true Cakewalk  Theme and add their new Theme because the 3D theme look more reality, and it makes Cakewalk By Bandlab to stand out and more attractive, I was about making video on "Cakewalk The Best DAW Interface" the new interface looks childish unprofessional, it looks familiar with Ableton and yet Ableton still has good look, please take a look at other DAWs like Reason, Studio One, Steinberg Cubase, especially Luna by Appolo UAD,  I have been so proud Cakewalk since I've been using it since over 20 years back but this new Sonar by bandlab doesn't want to continue with the original Cakewalk Lagacy.

Please let there be the original Cakewalk Themes so that we can chose anyone We want better than the color options, this might make Cakewalk by Bandlab Users not willing to go for the new Sonar as everything matters.

Please add all original Cakewalk Vst plugins back as We have missed them, these are one of Our joys that Cakewalk is coming back, that it is RESURECTIING.

Finally, I have tried to activate Sonar so may times but doesn't work, is it purposely done by Sonar or I still didn't get it right somehow, and same procedure used on CbB and it activated. please take note of this.

I will be glad to see Your good response toward all of these points. thanks. 

[Wookiee]

The flatness is because it uses resizable vector graphics, but give them a chance it is a work in progress.

[DeeringAmps]

Good morning @Ezekiel Tsman I must agree, the Sonar UI in a word is Flat! It seems like a blast from the past, namely Sonar 8.5. As to activation. Currently joining BandLab’s Backstage Pass is the only way to activate Sonar. It is one of numerous “perks” included with membership. There is a “3 days free” option. Backstage runs $15 a month. That is the option I chose. And a $150 a year option as well.

HTH,

t

[pwal³]

43 minutes ago, Wookiee said:

The flatness is because it uses resizable vector graphics, but give them a chance it is a work in progress.

it seems to follow the ableton style, which (i think) was based on some google research, but there are themes available, right?

[Wookiee]

38 minutes ago, pwal³ said:

it seems to follow the ableton style, which (i think) was based on some google research, but there are themes available, right?

There are some basic themes, Light, Dark, Mercury and Tungsten. I think we just have to wait for them to finesse the fundamental core of the GUI  then we might see a Theme editor.  You can still customise some colours in Preferences. The GUI is undergoing a massive changes though from its inception in the first X1 it has used BMP and PNG's in later years, for 90% of its graphical construction.  They don't resize or scale gracefully hence the move to vector graphics 

[Canopus]

1 hour ago, Wookiee said:

The flatness is because it uses resizable vector graphics

That's a common misconception. Vector graphics can be as ”un-flat” as a bitmapped image. You can have gradients, shades and what-not in a SVG file, just as you can in a bitmapped PNG, JPG, TIF or BMP file. If the forum software had allowed for SVG images to be pasted into a post, or at least be visible when linked from another site, I could have showed an example of that. But it doesn’t.

[Wookiee]

2 hours ago, Canopus said:

That's a common misconception. Vector graphics can be as ”un-flat” as a bitmapped image. You can have gradients, shades and what-not in a SVG file, just as you can in a bitmapped PNG, JPG, TIF or BMP file. If the forum software had allowed for SVG images to be pasted into a post, or at least be visible when linked from another site, I could have showed an example of that. But it doesn’t.

I am aware, many plugins, that are scalable, use vector graphics, but it is apparent from the little I have seen it is very much a work in progress perhaps a little patience is needed. There may for all you and I know be a reason for a flat graphical style, it does reflect the same graphical style used in other Bandlab products.

[David Baay]

2 hours ago, Canopus said:

Vector graphics can be as ”un-flat” as a bitmapped image.

I'd be interested to hear the Bakers' explanation for the flattened graphics. I presume it was a combination of "flat is the new black" and that flat is easier to design and re-theme in vector world and more efficiently rendered in a real-time application with many different and frequently-switched views where re-draw performance is paramount and users may not be running state-of-the-art graphics hardware.

If converting a bitmapped UI  to vectors were easy, and had no performance impact, I expect the Bakers woud have done it long ago with minimal changes to the existing look and feel. But I freely admit to having zero knowledge in this area.

[Glenn Stanton]

flat vector graphics will be much less demanding on video cards and/or CPU/GPU. plus sets the stage for other platforms including tablets, macs, and so on. if nothing else, porting new portions of products across platforms becomes easier with a single UI approach. so we could spend the monies to get high performing graphical machines (ala gaming consoles) or stick with the flatter look and use the power for audio and video processing.

as i do a lot of cad design work, i can say that going beyond flat vectors, 3D vector graphics (quality ones, not crappy ones) come with a heavy impact which loads the system screen display cards and likely requires better monitors as well. contemplate a nice looking knob (ahem, get your mind out of the gutter) with tapers and knurls, there can be a hundred vectored triangles and quads to form a single knob in a way that might look as nice as the image based ones we use today.  now if you add hundreds of those kinds of objects + materials + animate them... 

Edited March 7 by Glenn Stanton

[David Baay]

11 minutes ago, Glenn Stanton said:

there can be a hundred vectored triangles and quads to form a single knob in a way that might look as nice as the image based ones we use today.

Thanks for the confirmation, Glenn; I suspected as much.

[sjoens]

12 hours ago, Canopus said:

If the forum software had allowed for SVG images to be pasted into a post, or at least be visible when linked from another site, I could have showed an example of that. But it doesn’t.

Screenshots work great.

MIxcraft v10 for the most part looks identical to v9 but all the png's were replaced with svg files.

Cool thing about Mixcraft is you can swap quite a few of the svg's back to png's or even RGB color codes & vice-versa as all their GUI files are exposed in folders.  A very versatile format.  Also very easy to mess up.  

[sjoens]

13 hours ago, Wookiee said:

it has used BMP and PNG's in later years, for 90% of its graphical construction.  They don't resize or scale gracefully hence the move to vector graphics 

Other DAWs use multiple sets of png's at differing resolutions to facilitate scaling.  Also not very theme making friendly.

If most of the theming for Sonar is assigning new colors to objects, this could be done easily in Preferences > > Colors the same as Sonar 8.5 and earlier.

[Wookiee]

3 hours ago, sjoens said:

Other DAWs use multiple sets of png's at differing resolutions to facilitate scaling.  Also not very theme making friendly.

If most of the theming for Sonar is assigning new colors to objects, this could be done easily in Preferences > > Colors the same as Sonar 8.5 and earlier.

Correct, Arturia do this, if you watch the installation process 70%- 80% of that is installing all the graphical content. Creating a large installation footprint on your drive. 

Perhaps the decision has been taken to reduce that footprint for Cakewalk Sonar, I have no idea if that is the fact,  but using this new method will do that, as the very basics and simplistic of a vector, is a start point, a finish point and a line weight.

As to theme making I have little idea as I have not really played with them, as I have found the supplied adequate to do what the primary function of the software, which is to make music.  Prior to the introduction of a theme editor in S-Plat it was not a big thing for me, though I am aware it was something that was high on some's agenda.