chris.r

Do you have any details on the products mentioned above? Right. Erik, to the point ? let's put them down here (and make it easier for everyone). Those from my list I tried at least to check and confirm in their FAQs, so they should be all fine for offline.

Plugin Alliance does allow for a simple license file for their whole suite (it's one of methods possible with them): first you have to create a machine ID for each computer, once it's there in your account then you only need to activate them for every new plugin that you bought and then at the bottom download a single consolidated license file and replace the old one with this new on your disk Applied Acoustics Systems - does allow for serial then challenge/response (basically a challenge-response offline activation method) Airwindows free for all

Harrison - DAW: nice workflow for mixing, license is file on disk - awesome, editing tools are being actively developed... I stuck on an early version but historically they used to offer a very good upgrade price so I probably will be looking for upgrading at a point, plugins: there is a problem as their plugins crash my Cakewalk to desktop, but hey, who said I can't use other tools: Audiority - no nonsense license file, updated, some good vintage stuff there AudioThing - license file, updated, nice selection of plugins and instruments Boz Digital Labs - serial, updated, anyone need recommendation? we're missing the Pro Channel versions, Mr. Boz! Final Mix Software - I think these come without any authorization, just install - like Hornet and Sknote Hornet - no authorization, great selection to choose from, updated Klevgrand - serial, updated, nice stuff there both, the instruments and effects Melda Production - license file, updated, versatile suite of plugins Overloud - great plugins, I think you can authorize directly from the plugin online but you've given an option for offline method and to authorize to an USB stick United Plugins - license file, updated, well worth looking into plugin selection and great prices on intro sales

Not of that specific FWIK.

One thing I'm trying, since the prices are much more accessible over last couple years, is to build an alternative plugin collection to the online only ones, that I can install and authorize any time with a simple license file on disk, so that I can even go back to the idea of building a completely offline workstation one day should I get fed up with subs and the like. There is quite a broad variety of choices there: United Plugins is giving best prices when on intro sale AudioThing have some intriguing plugins to look for Audiority good for some vintage flava Boz... can't be sure if it's challenge/response? Melda Productions maybe not exactly into vintage but very versatile Final Mix Software for quick effect Hornet Harrison, but some of them are buggy on my system Kazrog Klevgrand Overloud Sknote (didn't use them in long time though, but sound great once they work) ...and then there's a bunch of challenge/response type of plugins that need internet at least for authorizing, like Baby Audio or denise, Cherry Audio being probably worst of them because I can't see how I can install it offline - it's impossible!

Acha! ... no I don't do subs.

LOL, same here. I just spotted old Fix Phaser license in my iLok account, when installing a fresh new one ? ...but the price was so good.

Plugin Alliance comes first to mind, especially great when on sale! I always thought Slate plugins are the direct competitor to T-Racks but they were always dongle'd so I avoided them until today, not sure it's still the case but for me too late. So I can't say if they are lighter or not since I don't have any.

I've bought into sonible because I didn't want to go the izotope route. Now what...

To me it looks more like a process in time with regard to changes they've undertaken to authorization managers of their software. Exactly my point there. With time, they have moved over from the old type of authorization manager that handled both, the online and offline authorizations, to the newer Product Manager that seems to work just online, sucks I know. Also that's why all the questions in the first about which exactly app you're trying to authorize because with all that mess now it seems relevant, otherwise it won't work if you try the wrong way. There's this paradigm shift now onto everything online and subscription and perhaps we users don't do much enough to express our objection, or maybe there is already enough acceptance in the amount of customers taking the offer. Well, to me the T-Racks suite is great, if not a bit too CPU intensive, and I'm too long with these products now that I'm just used to all be bizarries. I think if you're new user then you might need to weight for yourself the pros and cons of having a good sounding and quite versatile suite of effects that will come with a convoluted way of installing tied to it. The download alone is over 2GB (edit: as you pointed out promptly). Guess the new IK Product Manager had been introduced to simplify the authorization process, at the same time bringing a harm to users like us that would want an offline method, you can't please everyone??. Yeah in my case they've eventually (wish some push ) been helpful with some sales or account issues but never got to resolve a bug I reported. I've seen other users saying their bug fixes were done so there's that.

Scratch that.

Any idea if they will be bringing back more licenses? I was stupid to wait until today only to see it gone ???

I'm not getting any more deals emails from jrr shop. Did they stop sending them, maybe slowing down rate or it's just me?

Or scratchpad... for doing drafts. I know SO has this but didn't look closely, possibly some other DAWs have it too.

16. Updated MIDI editing.

Melodyne is another example.

Personally I don't see anything funny about still running Windows 7. Windows 10 is nothing but a headache coming back on a regular basis, at least for me. Windows 7 and previous versions were more like 'set and forget', that gave me peace of mind for years where I wasn't distracted with all the buzz about new forced updates braking compatibility or functionality of software, subscriptions or nagging screens to create accounts, updates to the DAWs or plugins for fixing what the windows update broke apart from new features, next windows update going in the background during Cakewalk session... eventually Windows 7 will have to die due to being left unsupported anymore by all the software that is under pressure to move on, same will probably happen to CbB. It was good while it lasted

What is the authorization method, Kenny? For instance, I like what Mixbus does - you just put a text file, containing the registry code, somewhere on the disk - and voila! Cubase OTOH requires re-authorizing once a year, that's bad... still twice better than Cakewalk ?

Isn't that why an unlocked / one-time only activation version of Home Studio was made available (so that people would continue to have access to their projects)? Not necessarily. There were a few features introduced at different points of time where it could make it impossible to open newly created projects in previous versions of Cakewalk or Sonar, aux tracks being one of them. Now I started wondering if projects that include some of the other new features, thinking about Articulations or Arranger here, could possibly render my recent projects unusable in Sonar Platinum or even earlier versions of CbB. In fact you just made me go try open all my projects, that matter to me, in Sonar Platinum and see how it goes probably will have to create a few quick projects for this test as well. Another step to futureproof own works would be render to audio but it takes much space and I'm on a tight space here. Alternatively migrate projects to another DAW but while I believe I'm still capable in learning something new I can't be sure I don't already overestimate myself ? so I'll wait and see what will come, then decide.

In my opinion best approach would be to keep Cakewalk Sonar in it's base form (as CbB is now) free and supported for those who aren't making money from doing music or are on tight budget, and then start adding new features and content in higher tiers for those who want to pay for it. Best of both worlds.

corrected for you

I hear that is a big reason for a group of oldtimers now being more active, ready to pay whatever money is needed just for keeping things like in the old days, now that would make sense. Wondering what part of the overall userbase would that be. I see a lot of the newer users, since the free Cakewalk, are already confused whether they should stay or jump onto something else, free or cheap. And that's even before any details regarding the price are given. As for me I know I won't have steady income.

By all means get your information from an out-of-date google cache. This is almost certainly archaic pages from the olden times. The image in the preview and the other text refer to Sonar Platinum. Wow, those were the times. I paid slightly above $100 for lifetime updates on biggest discount and was watching every penny closely on both sides before spending. Decided to go for it mainly to get things like Addictive Drums 2, Pianoteq or Melodyne, in addition to the full Sonar version, but also because I realized that I wasn't in position to shell out a hundred or more $$ every year for keeping the DAW current.

Well suited for lo-fi music FWIW.

pretty sure there is no intent to remove the time limit, I've been told way too many reasons why they need to keep it, of which none makes a real sense to me so I read it as they want to keep it for some reasons they won't talk about and we'll have to accept it that way, end of discussion, and I've been crossed with stuff about this for at least 5 years now, there was no mention about removing it except Noel vaguely declaring earlier that it would get unlocked as a last resort should there happen a definite end of cakewalk development, and he just repeated this today I mean I would much appreciate a change in the approach but really not expecting it, why would they let us for example use CbB in the form it is now (will be after the last upcoming update) if there's much chance it will work for several more years, when there will be a paid software you could be kindly 'forced' to buy? sorry for pessimistic note but I live long enough to understand the intentions and incentives of companies, even the most ethical amongst them... time will tell, I'd love to be proven wrong!