Future Re-install of Cakewalk after Sonar is Available?

[John Vere]

1 hour ago, Steven Gerard said:

I used the word "if".  I'm not asserting, I'm speculating.  I was under the assumption that Cakewalk could continue to be used, just that it wouldn't be available for download anymore.   Then I had people commenting that it was going away completely and that is why they recently started requiring online activation.   So it would make sense to wonder "if".  What other reason do you think they instituted online activation?   I'm open to any theories.

It's been online activation since Bandlab took over. There's an Offline activation but the software was NEVER unlocked for permanent use. They obviously new from day one what they were going to do in the future. As Meng said in his first announcement " We are Baking up something special for you" 

[Steven Gerard]

I've never been asked to activate when opening Cakewalk until the last update.   A big red warning came up saying NOT ACTIVATED.  I was like, what is this?

[Emer]

Re downloading the full installation version instead of a starter, I have always clicked on upgrade and it downloads the complete installer. It goes to C:\Users|Me|Downloads|Cakewalk.   It offers separate installation files for Cakewalk_by_Bandlab_Setup_29.090.098.exe, at 561,291kb, one for CakewwalkDrumReplacerSetup_1.2.0.14.exe at 253.075kb and also one for the SI instruments, which I didn't download, as they work fine. I downloaded those installers on 30 March 2024 .

I have kept 3 earlier versions of the installations files all around 560MBs. The instruments downloader of 23 April 2021 was 919.667kBs!  I note that I also have those smaller setup files of around 49,178kB, just preceding the dates of those complete installers.

So perhaps you are right, you may start up with the smaller file, and m ay not be aware that it then downloads the big file to yoru computer as well. If you just let it install Cakewalk, it wipes that big file. SO, when it asks whether you are ready to install CAkewalk, don't say yes, but copy that file that another location first. I have a directory Setup files, for all of them.

[Emer]

With regards to CbB's future, they may be right when they say that existing users can still be using it but, as John Vere wrote, you need to re-activate every so often. I had to do it about 7 weeks ago. If you don't they take the save function away. Technically you can still use it, but can't save.

I started recording with a ZOOM MRS1266, then ZOOMR24, and went through the trouble of transforming the old files to wav files and put them all through the R24. Then I started with Cakewalk, did about 30 songs but got very impressed by the Reaper instruction videos, so I put all my songs through Reaper. There were about 350 songs to do. Then I got frustrated with certain Reaper things and went back to Cakewalk. Again, I opened new project for every song, inserted all the tracks in to Cakewalk and mastered every song. By this time i had over 650 songs. Today I have recorded (played all instruments and did all singing) 815 songs. I keep all songs in my current software because I keep adding things and remixing. SO, if they discontinue and stop the re-activation of Cakewalk I would probably be the most affected person. As I anticipated what Joghn Vere wrote about them introducing on-line activation and the latest version, I did download that latest version, but haven't installed it. I didn't want to find myself trapped in a version where they included controls to force you to give up and buy their new offerings.

[Emer]

Because they do ask you to re-activate Cakewalk they know exactly which version you have installed and they don't let you install an earlier version after you have activated a later one. So, even if you wiped your hard disk and installed an older version, you would not be able to activate it. Ths is another reason why I did not install the latest version, but kept the complete installation file, in case it would be needed to give me an extra year or so.