Noel Borthwick

That is a gross understatement to say it's a change in look. While there was a lot of thought that went into the redesign both from our graphic artists and product management, the bulk of the work that went into sonar was a rearchitecture of the UI framework. This was necessary for future work and to support modern displays. It is also much more efficient. In fact in the next update you will visibly see that the time display and meters response is smoother. Besides the UI there are tons of changes beneath the hood of the app as well as hundreds of bug fixes over a period of a year and a half that we don't list. If you find nothing of interest that is obviously going to be a subjective opinion any one could have about any software update. It depends on ones use and workflow for the app. There is no way we can could ever satisfy all users likes and needs. Also this isn't the end of the feature set. There is more coming this year.

Keep an eye on it. I run with a mixed config 2K display and 1080P and have never seen the quick start show up like that so far.

If you want to start using Sonar right away, backstage pass (which includes both Sonar, Next as well as other bandlab perks) is the only available option right now. There are plans for other purchase options but there isn't a known timeline just yet. Today you can get it monthly or get an annual BSP license upfront which is cheaper.

An in app sampler is planned soon. It will be similar to whats in Cakewalk Next (XSampler) so you can check it out there.

If you don't get a crash logged try capturing a dump from task manager while the app appears hung.

Can you share a project that is in this state?

Hi @tdehan thanks, if you can please send a dump file it will help is figure out why it hangs for you. We'll obviously fix whatever is causing that. We're also considering throttling the prompt so it won't pop on each launch. As mentioned, this was a first cut that was put in a very long time ago (even before the last release) so it hasn't been refined at all. I understand your use case of the product and it sucks that you had to experience this problem live. We'll find a solution but please send a dump ASAP since thats the quickest way. You can PM me directly. >>unless we have all been hiding under a rock we are all aware that CbB will be transitioning You might be surprised to learn how many live under rocks - we still get people contacting support trying to buy products from 2015 ? >>With that said, it has also been my understanding that the last final updated version 29.09.0.075 would keep running without further updates. It may be updated but not with feature updates. We cannot guarantee that it will keep running indefinitely but certainly during the Sonar transition period. See Jesse's post here - if there is any planned change it will be communicated clearly in advance. Also as mentioned earlier all prior builds of CbB will stop working at some point since they use services that are deprecated.

@tdehan can you confirm that you are running build 29.09.0.075? If it hangs you can capture a dump file while the app is hung and send a link to me to investigate. Here are some details about how to capture a hang dump This is always the quickest way to diagnose such issues. Regarding the experience with this, we'll continue to improve on it but it was put in as an initial placeholder attempt for the announcement many months ago. FWIW Its very common for free apps that have an upgrade path to display such messaging. (As you know CbB will be transitioning to a paid fully supported product)

This is likely due to some specific settings you have for the start screen that is referencing the cakewalk.com domain that doesnt support the older apps. What is the version of the startscreen exe you have? We may update the Startscreen and change its references to Cakewalk.

Yes. If you are not a steam user who had purchased legacy SONAR, this article doesn't apply to you.

The product center will only handle current cakewalk applications not legacy ones.

Would have to check what scalar is doing. It's very unlikely that the problem is in cbb. The plugin may be blocking audio processing when you drag in midi.

We already have full cross platform project transfer to and from Sonar <==> Next using our own new transfer format. It goes beyond what this does and supports tracks, buses, auxes, plugins, instruments, routing, automation, arranger track, folders and more. Since it's our own interchange format we have full flexibility to rapidly grow as the need arises.

@Klaus M Old versions of SONAR will always open newer files but without any new feature content. This is because we support backwards and forwards compatibility. Did you try renaming the file back to cakewalk.exe and trying. If it doesnt work then something is still blocking the Windows services somehow. As mentioned, there are other apps that install hooks or tamper with Windows for nefarious purporses leading to issues like this.

This is the wrong forum to post information on Next

Error 20 means something on your PC is tampering with the system used to check the digital signature of the app. Most likely caused by running cracked software or your PC has been hacked by something. Look in the registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options Check for a value DevOverrideEnable set to 1 for that key. If its there delete it and reboot your machine and try again. Also sheck if cakewalk.exe is listed as a sub key underneath there with a value "debugger" or similar. If so, delete that as well.

On the next discord channel. The discussion is there. This is the suggestions topic. https://discord.com/channels/1024921285953863700/1065147809805893712

Introduction This article only relates to legacy versions of SONAR distributed via the Steam platform. As of 2023 Sept, changes to the Steam platform and Cakewalk's website have caused compatibility problems with activation. Some symptoms of this are the SONAR app being in demo mode after installation from Steam or "communication problem with the server" error messages when trying to register the application. PS: These instructions are provided as a courtesy to users using legacy versions of Cakewalk that are no longer supported or maintained by us. No support or fixes are provided for these products. This article discusses how to resolve these and reactivate your software if necessary. Activation Steps: Open the Steam client and copy the serial number of the software you wish to activate. (Go to Manage | CD Keys to find it) Download and unzip SteamReg.zip which contains the latest version of SteamReg.exe for both 32 and 64 bit installations. Copy the appropriate flavor of SteamReg.exe to your Steam application's program folder. e.g for 64 bit SONAR it typically is: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Cakewalk\x64\SONAR Note: The path may be different from above if you have installed Steam to a different folder. This will replace the existing file in that location. For Instruments (Rapture Pro/Z3TA+ 2), you'll want to place these in the folder with the microhost, the default for x64 Rapture Pro: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Cakewalk\x64\VstPlugins\Rapture Pro\ Open a command prompt (Start | Command Prompt) Type the following command, replacing <serialnumber> with your serial number as obtained in step 1. "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Cakewalk\x64\SONAR\SteamReg.exe" /SN <serialnumber> For Instruments, you would use the appropriate equivalent path. Here's how a successful entry for Rapture Pro would appear in Command Prompt: If step 5 succeeded with no errors, you may now open the application from the Steam client. When the app launches you should see the registration dialog prompting you for your e-mail address. NOTE: If you have previously registered the product with Cakewalk, its very important to enter the SAME email address you used before, otherwise the registration will fail. Your PC must be online for this step. The app should now be activated! The same steps may also be used to activate plugins from Steam such as Rapture. Note that if you reinstall the application, you will have to redo the above steps since Steam will restore the SteamReg file to the original version.

That is also a symptom of old third party software components expiring due to timeouts or certificate expiration. While we have kept the legacy back end in place as a courtesy, it no longer receives any updates so its subject to failures like this. This is one reason why we want users running the latest version of our software since that is the only version that is actively updated.

We are in fact going to have a new product center app to list all user specific product assets. In app updates will still be there, but this will be a simpler way to navigate and reinstall etc.

@Andres Medinaplease share the dump file with us.

No it isn't. There is a lot more beneath the surface and more to come of course. What you are reacting to is similar theming and branding that we following for our apps to look consistent.

That page is just the discord invite to switch to the app. Nothing to do with Next guys. We don't write the discord software ?

Some anecdotal data. Back in the SONAR days in 2015-2017, you may be surprised to know that despite having the annual membership option, the monthly memberships were by far the most popular choice for our users despite being more expensive overall if you paid month to month. Even though that might not be the popular choice for many people on this forum, there are many who prefer to pay a smaller monthly fee because it lets them manage their finances better. Payment choices are good for everyone.

BandLab has a limit to song length (IIRC 15 minutes) and also tracks (16 tracks). If all you are doing is using it for private file sharing, you could achieve the same with any file sharing service. Of course you won’t get the integration, socializing features that BL has. Ultimately depending on demand we may provide access to a more advanced tier for this. The upcoming Cakewalk Next has much deeper BandLab integration, and Sonar as well has been enhanced in this regard.