Would you buy Cakewalk By Bandlab?

[User 905133]

4 hours ago, Shane_B. said:

If CbB ever went back to the Sonar days with an initial purchase and then paid upgrades, would you jump on board?

Not that I have any say in this as a Cakewalk user, but as an alternative I would rather see a monetary user investment system put into effect such that credit be given for the user financial support over the decades that led to the current product. 

Since this is purely a hypothetical issue over which users are not the financial decision-makers, let's say that CbB can be evaluated at a fair market value of $1200 (USD).  As example 1, let's also say over the decades User A has paid $1500 over the decades, there would be no additional costs to continue to use Cakewalk by Bandlab.

Let's say User B has paid $800 over the decades, a $400 "investment" in the software could be paid based on flexible terms, for example $10 / month for 40 months after which User B will have a "forever" license. 

Let's say User C is new to CbB. Perhaps after a 90 day trial to decide if User C wants to use it, she or he would have flexible terms (such as $10 / month) to continue to use it or discontinue both payments and use (classic rent-to-own licensing).

Clearly this is a purely academic discussion. Let's be clear: we have no say in the matter.  However, I think the question is a good one and if the decision-makers  like your suggestion, I hope financial credit would be given to users who have helped financially support the software through years of purchases.  

 

Edited March 10, 2021 by User 905133
to remove a duplicate word ("would")

[57Gregy]

Not as long as my 32-bit Windows XP computer with the E-Mu 0404 and SONAR Home Studio 6 XL installed is still working.
When it ultimately does die, I would have no problem paying... something for CbB.
I have only ever used Cakewalk DAWs.
Not against other brands, but it's what I know, and as a hobbyist I barely make time for recording so I don't think I could ever summon the energy to try and learn another system.

[Bapu]

1 hour ago, craigb said:

@Bapu

Hi! ?

Don't drive iffin yer hi!!!!

[Bapu]

8 minutes ago, 57Gregy said:

 so I don't think I could ever summon the energy to try and learn another system.

Or in my case the brains. That's why it's so easy to just bumble about in any DAW I own.

[Shane_B.]

15 minutes ago, 57Gregy said:

Not as long as my 32-bit Windows XP computer with the E-Mu 0404 and SONAR Home Studio 6 XL installed is still working.
When it ultimately does die, I would have no problem paying... something for CbB.
I have only ever used Cakewalk DAWs.
Not against other brands, but it's what I know, and as a hobbyist I barely make time for recording so I don't think I could ever summon the energy to try and learn another system.

I still have my original 8.5P installation discs. Paid extra to get a hard copy. It was the last stable version for me until CbB. I also have a slipstream XP install disc I made with the final updates and drivers on it. I would have no problem going back to that if I had to. I miss a lot of things about the pre-X versions. I had a ton of old projects I did in 8.5P. Lost them all in a HDD crash. It just flatlined with no warning at all which is pretty rare for an HDD.

[SteveStrummerUK]

37 minutes ago, Shane_B. said:

I still have my original 8.5P installation discs. Paid extra to get a hard copy. It was the last stable version for me until CbB. I also have a slipstream XP install disc I made with the final updates and drivers on it. I would have no problem going back to that if I had to. I miss a lot of things about the pre-X versions. I had a ton of old projects I did in 8.5P. Lost them all in a HDD crash. It just flatlined with no warning at all which is pretty rare for an HDD.

I loved 8.5.3. Best version ever.

(I could post a screenshot of someone stating X1 pre-many-many-fixes was the bestest ?)

[Shane_B.]

12 minutes ago, SteveStrummerUK said:

I loved 8.5.3. Best version ever.

(I could post a screenshot of someone stating X1 pre-many-many-fixes was the bestest ?)

@SteveStrummerUK

Yes, 8.5.3. I still have the update backed up. As well as Dim Pro and Rapture updates. I also have a bunch of free add-ons for Dim and Rap too. 

I really need to back all this stuff up. I'm playing a risky game with these old HDD's. But if I went out and bought everything I needed today to backup and update my PC it would total in the thousands. Prices of this stuff is getting out of control.

I'd rather not see that screenshot. My BP is already elevated. 

[InstrEd]

13 minutes ago, Shane_B. said:

I'd rather not see that screen. My BP is already elevated. 

Hey this site is rated "G"

Or is this site rated "H" for Humor

[Shane_B.]

4 minutes ago, InstrEd said:

Hey this site is rated "G"

Or is this site rated "H" for Humor

@InstrEd @Bapu

Apparently the site rating is on a sliding scale depending on participant.

I wish Bapu's forum was still going. I'd be willing to pitch in if cost was a problem.

Back to the topic at hand ?, I'd rather forget those X# days to be honest. Not very good memories of that era.

[Bruno de Souza Lino]

2 hours ago, User 905133 said:

Not that I have any say in this as a Cakewalk user, but as an alternative I would rather see a monetary user investment system put into effect such that credit be given for the user financial support over the decades that led to the current product. 

Since this is purely a hypothetical issue over which users are not the financial decision-makers, let's say that CbB can be evaluated at a fair market value of $1200 (USD).  As example 1, let's also say over the decades User A has paid $1500 over the decades, there would be no additional costs to continue to use Cakewalk by Bandlab.

Let's say User B has paid $800 over the decades, a $400 "investment" in the software could be paid based on flexible terms, for example $10 / month for 40 months after which User B will have a "forever" license. 

Let's say User C is new to CbB. Perhaps after a 90 day trial to decide if User C wants to use it, she or he would have flexible terms (such as $10 / month) to continue to use it or discontinue both payments and use (classic rent-to-own licensing).

Clearly this is a purely academic discussion. Let's be clear: we have no say in the matter.  However, I think the question is a good one and if the decision-makers  like your suggestion, I hope financial credit would be given to users who have helped financially support the software through years of purchases.  

 

I thought we were trying to come up with reasonable marketing practices here, not to copy IK Multimedia.

CbB cannot be evaluated at a market value of that amount because it would be too expensive in comparison to the competitors on the market that have more features and cost less. This whole proposition only benefits people that already spent money on the software while giving new users a nice way they can spend money on what amounts to nothing. If we take CbB as is, you are maybe paying for Drum Replacer and ProChannel and they're frankly not worth the eventual 120 bucks you'd spend paying for the software for a year. At a market value of 1200, you'd have to give Bandlab 10 years worth of money to own the software. Consider that Ableton Suite costs 700 bucks, FL Studio All Plugins Bundle costs 900, Cubase Pro costs 600 bucks, Studio One Pro costs 400 bucks...And you're getting about 10 times the content CbB gives you nowadays. And the price comparison is optimistic and assumes none of those pieces on software ever go on sale.

Edited March 10, 2021 by Bruno de Souza Lino

[Wibbles]

2 minutes ago, Shane_B. said:

I wish Bapu's forum was still going. I'd be willing to pitch in if cost was a problem.

Participation was dwindling to say the least. 

 

 

[Shane_B.]

9 minutes ago, Wibbles said:

Participation was dwindling to say the least. 

@Wibbles

Sorry to hear that. I have been off line for several years and every time I checked his forum via my cell phone it just showed everything in a jumbled text format that was unreadable. I've only gotten back on the net in the last few months. Ain't you guys's lucky. ?

[Fret Flintstone]

No.

I wouldn't even jump back onboard if it was free . . . wait a minute, it is and I haven't.

S1Pro FTW

[SteveStrummerUK]

4 minutes ago, Shane_B. said:

@Wibbles

… every time I checked his forum via my cell phone it just showed everything in a jumbled text format that was unreadable.

What's changed?

[User 905133]

1 hour ago, Bruno de Souza Lino said:

I thought we were trying to come up with reasonable marketing practices here

I spoke only for myself.  I was not speaking for a collective "we" as you asserted.  I was clear to point out that while the question was a good one, we (the users) are not decision-makers.  

3 hours ago, User 905133 said:

Since this is purely a hypothetical issue over which users are not the financial decision-makers, let's say that CbB can be evaluated at a fair market value of $1200 (USD). 

That being said, I disagree with your interpretation and analysis of what I wrote.  But quite honestly, it is not worth debating.

[RBH]

I would buy CbB again - no question. I've tried most of the major  PC daws. I've logged many years on Cake in one or all forms or another. It works well for my needs- which is basically a linear tape style recording / tracking concept with as many outboard processors as my computer can handle and one hell of of a synth rack. I firmly believe in making editing decisions and rendering them to file. I don't do beats or ever use a grid  and I track band style performances either with bands or as a one man band type of thing. I think the editing is intuitive / comprehensive and I have projects going back to the early 90's that are still viable. Other DAWs have a little different style of bell and whistle - but they all do the basic same thing.

[DeeringAmps]

Without a doubt!!

t

[Bapu]

18 hours ago, Shane_B. said:

@InstrEd @Bapu

I wish Bapu's forum was still going. I'd be willing to pitch in if cost was a problem.

It was participation level, not cost. One less plugin per month covered the cost.

[craigb]

32 minutes ago, Bapu said:

It was participation level, not cost. One less plugin per month covered the cost.

I do miss several that used to post there though!  It's becoming rare that they ever visit here (or, with some, not at all)... ?

[pbognar]

On 3/10/2021 at 9:51 AM, Bapu said:

I shelled out for:

Studio One 5.x

Mixcraft 9 (PC Only, I'm less likely to upgrade in the future for more than $40 as the last upgrade was $30)

Samplitude 5 (PC Only, I will probably not upgrade any more)

Pro Tools 2020 Perpetual

Digital Performer 10

Cubase 11

Reaper (the cheaper pricing)

Mixbus/MIxbus 32C

Reason

Logic X (Mac only)

 

Would I shell out for CbB if it become paid for again? Not likely unless the re-entry cost was $99 or less and yearly version upgrades were $49. For what I use it for the locked down current version would be sufficient (just to create a tracking shell with markers for my CbB collaborators).

 

 Most DAWs are overkill for me, but usually have a couple of features which are important to me.  If  CbB, Mixcraft or REAPER added a chord track, it's all I would need in combination with Scaler and Melodyne Editor (for chord dectection from poly audio).