Hello Cakewalk Team,
I’ve been a loyal Cakewalk user since 1997 (starting with Pro Audio 5) and even purchased the “Upgrades for Life” plan under Gibson. I stuck around through every iteration, and I remain extremely satisfied with Cakewalk by BandLab—its workflow, GUI aesthetic, and rock-solid stability have allowed me to create and manage hundreds of projects without a hitch.
That’s why I’m baffled—and frankly irritated—by the new Sonar and Next releases. After purchasing the BandLab annual subscription last year to be given the opportunity to test drive the new offering.
The redesigned GUI feels janky, cluttered, and unintuitive compared to Cakewalk by BandLab. Both Sonar and Next programs are less stable than the Cakewalk by Bandlab offering on both my desktop and gaming laptop running Windows 11. The overall user experience is no where close to the feel of the Cakewalk by Bandlab offering. I understand these both of these programs are in their infancy and can't be expected to perform along side a program that has been refined over decades.
Which brings me to my biggest complaint. Why would you completely overhaul a perfectly good interface only to ship an inferior product? What is the point of the NEXT offering? Why should a user waste time creating a project in NEXT when you can create it in Sonar instead and have greater track count and more advanced features later on as the project evolves.
I have come to rely on the themes and color coding of the tracks and instrument folders as part of my work flow. Dropping back to the monochromatic 2D feel of the new SONAR and NEXT is completely unappealing to me and significantly impacts my workflow.
On a related note, I remember reading in this forum about a plan for a perpetual license key that would allow Cakewalk by BandLab users to continue using the platform after the retirement date. I'm assuming this no longer an option. I would gladly pay to continue using Cakewalk by Bandlab even if it meant no future updates or bug fixes in the future. Being able to open my existing projects in a format and work flow that I'm already familiar with give me some peace of mind in the future. I can't say that I feel the same way about NEXT and SONAR. They seem like a huge step backwards.
Finally, I’m struggling to see the point of NEXT? Who is this application target toward. It feels kind of like the new Sonar with fewer bells and whistles. Sort of like Cakewalk Studio was to Sonar or Platinum. How does it fit into the long-term roadmap? Just curious did anyone bother asking the end users what we wanted (or needed) from you?
I do appreciate all the hard work that goes into building these tools for us. I’m simply hoping for more clarity and guidance on the future vision for the product and for a reprieve from having to completely start over with a new workflow. Looking forward to your thoughts.