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cakewalk not relevant in the market?


Ciodontrax

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On 10/15/2019 at 2:01 PM, slartabartfast said:

This actually raises a serious question about the viability of Cakewalk. I would have expected that by now every kid with an internet connection would have downloaded CBB--if only to see how good free software could be. Such a massive user base should have pulled the plugin guys into testing their stuff on CW and proudly advertising their compatibility. The money to be made with a free DAW would seem to be in supplying plugs, and frankly I have been a bit surprised that Bandlab has not put major effort to distributing Cakewalk compatible, if not Cakewalk specific, stuff.  In fact there does not seem to be a major effort to push Cakewalk to the masses at all.  Free software might not generate enough revenue to justify the expense of advertising it. Perhaps that is to save support costs on software that is not generating any direct income. Perhaps it is generating enough indirect advertising revenue to justify its existence as a BandLab front end.

As has been the case for years, the actual number of users of the product seems to be a state secret. I can understand why you would want to keep low numbers secret, which makes me suspect the numbers are in fact low relative to the not-much-if-any-more-capable and much-much-much-more-expensive alternatives. Without a general consensus among the add-in development community that Cakewalk users are a major market there is little incentive to even test their products with it, let alone support compatibility issues.

FYI:  "General consensus" is a redundant term.  A consensus is a general agreement, so just use the word by itself.

I agree with you that I was hoping to see CbB do something with the plugins they  acquired.  I missed the opportunity 2 or 3 years ago when Rapture had an upgrade with a ton (like 4000?) of presets.

I am extremely glad that CbB was saved and the improvements continue.  When I watch videos incorporating other DAWs in the demonstration of (x y z) I make a special effort at watching what the person does to do things with the DAW he is using.  Sometimes the other DAW seems okay, but there are times where I look at the interface and how to navigate in it and I think to myself, "I just love what Sonar X3 became and where it has come to now."

I tried a little bit the BandLab thing when we initially were told that logging into it and having an account was required to be able to download CbB, and long story short I thought BandLab had a way to go.  But I have not tampered with it since the first time, 20 months ago?  Maybe it's better now.  

The reason I mention that is with regard to the big picture and expansion.  As others in this thread have stated, it would be cool if Meng dropped in and told us some secrets.

:)

Edited by Toddskins
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On 10/15/2019 at 11:43 AM, HarryC said:

I wonder why many manufacturers of music software completely ignore cakewalk, such as izotope. In the list of compatible DAW's only the following products are listed for Ozone 9:

Supported Hosts:

Logic Pro X, Ableton Live 9–10, Pro Tools 12.8-2019, FL Studio 20, Cubase 9–10, Nuendo 10, Wavelab 9, Sound Forge Pro 13, Sound Forge Mac 3, Studio One 4, REAPER 5, Reason 10, Audition CC 2019, Premiere Pro CC 2019, MASCHINE 2, Komplete Kontrol, Bitwig Studio 3, Final Cut Pro X.

In my opinion, cakewalk is one of the best DAWs in the world!!!

 

If I remember right, nothing has changed since CbB (#Sonar) is free.

There were many developer which didn´t officially support Sonar /CbB before .

Edited by Pragi
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This is an oldie. Cakewalk disrespected due to not being listed on some plug-in house's official compatibility list.

Here's a list of other programs that I guess aren't "relevant in the market" by that standard:

Samplitude, Sequoia, Vegas, Mixcraft, MuLab, Pyramix, Cantabile, Digital Performer, ACID Pro, Mixbus, Waveform, Band-In-A-Box, Goldwave, n-Track Studio, and DaVinci Resolve, to name a few you may have heard of, and there are probably many more less prominent ones.

Keep in mind that nobody at iZotope has any more access to CbB download and use numbers than you or I. All they have to go on, probably, is survey data from their dealers and their website.

Also keep in mind that like it or not, CbB, as freeware, will be attracting people with little money to spend, at least at first. That iZotope list means that iZotope thinks that people who run those programs are the best investment in terms of rigorous testing in their in-house and beta compatibility programs. Every last little feature will work.

And about that, haven't we just seen some work done to CbB in the area of VST preset saving? Issues that had been present for what I understand was a long time? What if iZotope noticed that there were issues in that area that Cakewalk needed to fix and weren't fixing?

Whatever, if you go around examining the details of other companies' marketing specs looking for signs that Cakewalk is in danger, you'll probably eventually find some if you look hard enough, so it's probably best not to. 😄

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Good point. I don't know that I'd waste time promoting plugins for Audacity, despite its huge install base. Plus Logic and Pro Tools users already self-identify as folks who have no problem spending money needlessly - clearly a more desirable market segment.

Meanwhile, we cakewalkers merrily follow our own path, content in the knowledge that our solution works as well as any other. Just less-expensively.

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4 hours ago, bitflipper said:

Meanwhile, we cakewalkers merrily follow our own path, content in the knowledge that our solution works as well as any other.

Some stories that really cracked me up in the past were told by some studio operators that preferred Sonar as their go-to DAW, but kept Pro Tools in  their studio just to tell prospective clients that "yes, we have Pro Tools". :D

So if Cakewalk works for you, just follow your own path and don't cultivate an inferiority complex about a tool that may not be as well known or popular than the "cool kids" are. ;)

 

Edited by abacab
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3 hours ago, bitflipper said:

Plus Logic and Pro Tools users already self-identify as folks who have no problem spending money needlessly - clearly a more desirable market segment.

Bingo.

This type of analysis would also apply to the reason that some DAW's get little love in magazines that depend on advertising to survive.  I do not recall seeing as many option packages or aftermarket mods on Gremlins as I did on Continentals--but clearly my memory is not all that reliable these days.

That said, I expect that a fair number of CW users are as susceptible to digital& analog GAS, although many will probably wait for the sale price.

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4 hours ago, Terry Kelley said:

However, free is synonymous with "catch." There is a catch coming

It already happened and I guess you missed it. When you installed the free version a secret virus was also installed which morphs into nanoparticles of moisture that leech through the keys of your computer and get all over your fingers, eventually finding their way into your bloodstream when you lick your fingers after eating that big doughnut that you had during a recording break. Once inside you, the virus will slowly multiply in your brain until one day you have an overwhelming urge to sell all of your possessions and donate all of your money to Meng.

How else do you think his dad got so rich?

Edited by paulo
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On 10/16/2019 at 9:52 AM, Johnbee58 said:

Do we really know how many people actually bought  DAW software since CbB became available for free early last year?

 

 

😀

…….one would be a fool to pay hundreds of $$$$$$$$$ for something that could be obtained easily and for absolutely free....

 I have purchased both Protools 2019 and Cubase 10 since CbB came into existence.

Yup, I'm a fool but y'all knew that already.

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On 10/16/2019 at 6:17 PM, Toddskins said:

  As others in this thread have stated, it would be cool if Meng dropped in and told us some secrets.

:)

By definition secrets are meant to be held in well...… secret.

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14 minutes ago, Bapu said:

 I have purchased both Protools 2019 and Cubase 10 since CbB came into existence.

Yup, I'm a fool but y'all knew that already.

Yeah, that's been proven.🤣

Unless they both have something that CbB doesn't offer.

😀JB

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4 minutes ago, Bapu said:

Yes, I do have ProTools

 

and Reaper

and Studio One

and Mixbus/MIxbus 32C

and Cubase 10

and CbB

🤣

It's one thing to have all the tools, yet another knowing how to use them. Bapu's got mad skillz yo!!

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That somebody would actually pay a significant amount of money for a DAW when they can have Cakewalk for free begs discussion though.  I have heard many people on this forum say that Cakewalk is a true professional DAW.  If so, it should offer just about everything an music artist should need, or at least  make everything possible available.  I'm curious why somebody who has CbB for free would pay so much money for something else.  If that's the case, Cakewalk must be missing something that Pro Tools and Cubase aren't.

😀JB

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