BobXX

When first installed, Sonar starts with this default user interface / color scheme: If we compare with one of the 2 main old CBB/Platinum interface (Mercury): we can notice that the new default interface doesn't show buttons borders (only their labels), knobs are barely visible, without enough contrast from objects and background 🤐. Changing the color scheme with "light" and all the others (except one) all these problems remains the same. Almost all UI colour schemes have the same problems: the interface is difficult to read and very tiring. By patiently trying all the combinations one by one, I've found the only one... that solves the problems and save us... 😌, getting the following interface, less 3D, but with a good readability: If you agree, it's the "Mercury Classic": very similar the old CBB / Platinum "Mercury", without 3D shades**, but maintaining a good readability. Strangely, the "Tungsten Classic" (equivalent of legacy "Tungsten") doesn't do the same. ** why less 3D ? Because the new UI is vector based, not bitmap based. This allows the UI to have new option to scale it from little to very big monitors, maintaining the highest graphical quality. If you like it, just go in the Preferences / Customisation / Colors settings, and simply set "Mercury Classic", then "Apply" and "OK: Enjoy.

@Bass Guitar @Michael Vogel Fortunately my CBB is still working. In the meantime trying and trying... I've found that there is just one usable (the only one!) and not tiring UI, the "Mercury Classic", (it is also similar to the old CBB / Platinum "Mercury", not the same real similarity for Tungsten), Just go in the Preferences / Customisation / Colors settings: at least buttons and other details are visible: Mercury Classic on Sonar free/Premium: Mercury on CBB:

Sincerely I don't like to work with the current Sonar Premium colour interface, IMO it isn't friendly and it's tiring. I've subscribed all the same on trust the Sonar Premium, but in the meantime I would continue to use the CBB until Premium will have a more user friendly colors choices and objects drawing (se below a sample comparison). Please help. EDIT 04/10/2025: see a solution in a following reply here in one of my replies in this topic.

Currently track colour information seems not to be sent by Sonar to the MIDI controllers, so the X-touch colour display cannot be used entirely, very useful changing the offset of the tracks. Cubase, Studio One, Reaper do it with an advanced MCU protocol. Colour doesn't match perfectly because Sonar allows much more colour shades than X-Touch do, but all the same it will help a lot. Wish this will implemented at least in the paid Cakewalk.Sonar !

I just subscribed to the new Cakewalk Sonar PREMIUM on trust, even though the new graphical interface is really very difficult to use and I am continuing to use the free Bandlab version. 😅 I can see the potential of the new grafical interface, more independent from the screen resolution and compatible with large screens, I imagine that in the future it will have at least the readability than the old Cakewalk and Sonar Platinum, and therefore become even better. At the moment, this is not the case. Although it may seem contradictory 😄, my paid subscription can be considered a contribution and a posthumous way of thanking Bandlab for the FREE version, which I hope will always remain available, albeit with fewer features, alongside the paid version. This will make it easier for amateurs musicians to have and learn a DAW, it will allow occasional collaboration between band members sharing projects in different PCs, IMHO representing a marketing advantage for Cakewalk Sonar

It works only after updating the installer THEN downgrading Sonar with 2025-08 version

You're absolutely right! The note was set to “C0,” which is probably equivalent to “0x00,” and MIDI was “Enabled.” If I change it to Db0, the non-functioning button becomes REC 2 instead. 🤗 I simply deselected the option and the mysterious behavior was resolved. 🖤 ** Kudos for your hint and promptness **

This apply with both Sonar and CbB. Controller: Behringer X-TOUCH last firmware (1.22) DAW: Cakewalk (last version), Sonar (last version) and probably previous ones In MCU mode (Mackie Control) all seems to work with the exception of the upper left button REC of X-TOUCH (REC arm, see photo), even if the track is a proper one for recording, even if the arm of that track from CW/Sonar itself works and the button becomes lit for confirmation. If I simply enter the Sonar "Preferences" menu and press that REC button... it works ! 😳 I understood that buttons sends CC 0x00 whilst the REC buttons of the other stripes send 0x01 0x02 0x03... etc (and they works). I tried another configuration with "General Surface" or with the "AZslow" driver, but all the same that button seems to be ignored/filtered by CW before them, the AZ driver monitor shows all the controllers commands with the exception of that one. Maybe CW considers 0x00 a null command ? Does anybody have clues/solutions ?

I'm trying the Sonar Free Tier now for one of them for testing. It successfully loads CbB projects and CbB settings too and have all the functions required. I'd say it has all the functions of CbB with the exception of the theme editor. The only evident different thing is the "theme" colours, quite unfriendly for the eyes, But I know that isn't really a theme change but a completely graphic re-enginnering to allow high DPI, bigger screens and GPU use. So il will probably develope in the future, IMHO mandatory for the payed version.

I'm asking a suggestion to decide whether is feasible to remain in the Bandlab world after ~20 years of Cakewalk/Sonar/CbB In my band I'm the main user of Cakewalk, I'm not happy to have ANY rented software, but I could anyway consider temporarily the new Sonar pay per use solution. I have other 4 band's member that used free CbB for rare remote contributes on the projects (mainly pre-production). What's the best solution could be for them - staying within Bandlab - considering that a Sonar payed licence for all of them is it totally out of the question? Thanx for help

One thing is that free CbB "support and development is discontinued", a totally different thing is the fact that it will be on purpose stopped working. Why do this ?? Just eliminate the activation and leave CbB working at user's risk ! I'm using Cakewalk @home since it was just "Cakewalk" ~20 years ago, then Sonar Producer & Platinum (free and purchased updates) with a lot of plugins added. Not for professional use. I was going to purchase the new Sonar Premium, to get more features and contribute to its development, I'm happy to, but I stopped because I don't like pay-per-use software and free/purchased versions will no longer work. Hope to have misunderstood something. EDIT 14/08/2025: there's a Sonar free tier available with less features than the paid version (IMHO that's fine), from my test completely compatible with CbB. During installation it asks to import CbB settings to (suggested). Both free/paid versions have a new graphical interface (1 fixed theme) not particularly pleasant to see because it's flat, dark and more confusing. But it was my understanding that is because it was rewritten to allow big screen and GPU acceleration. So probably there will be some improvement in the near future.

I'm using Cakewalk since it was just "Cakewalk" ~20 years ago, then Sonar Producer & Platinum (free and purchased updates) with a lot of plugins added. Within my band I used to use the "Top" version for myself to organize the main job (mainly preproduction and intros) and the free version for the other components of my band, just for their occasional remote contributions when working on the same preproduction songs. Now it appears that the free version will no longer be usable with a sort of "trick" saying that it's perpetual but: "Cakewalk by BandLab will no longer offer activation renewal after 1 August 2025. Existing installations will continue to function until their activation period ends." so after 1 month of last activation Cakewalk Sonar free version will be totally unusable !?! 🤐 Am I wrong? I was anyway thinking about purchasing the new Sonar Premium, to get more power and contribute to its development, but I don't absolutely like the fact that any version (free/purchased) will no longer work, I can understand that I won't receive updates, but I need to invest my money on software that remains usable. The last messages I have received make me very upset: if all 5 components of my band have to pay the licence I will be simply be forced to move to another DAW. Please help me clearing what will be the future of Cakewalk Sonar versions. Thank you.