Bandlab Membership - Does it include Sonar?

[Stephen Power]

There seems to be a lot of confusion in some Facebook Cakewalk groups, and in YouTube comments about the pricing of Sonar and/or Bandlab membership.

There is a growing view that the Bandlab membership fee ($14.95) is the price to pay for the full version of Sonar, when it is released. My view is that this is the price for Bandlab membership, but that it does not include the use of the full version of Sonar.

But, it's really not clear from information on the flashscreen of Sonar via 'Backstage Pass', which say...'Unlock Cakewalk Sonar with Bandlab Membership'. 

Also, if I buy Bandlab membership, does this 'unlock' Sonar to the extent that it will save projects (currently not allowed when using Backstage Pass) and will it stay unlocked at the price of $14.95 when the full version is finally released.

It would be great if someone at Bandlab/Cakewalk Sonar could clarify this, please.

 

[Heath Row]

Cakewalk Sonar and Cakewalk Next, the release you have when you're not having a release.

https://www.cakewalk.com/sonar

"NOW AVAILABLE THROUGH BACK STAGE PASS"

https://www.cakewalk.com/next

"NOW AVAILABLE THROUGH BACK STAGE PASS"

I believe it is $14.95 Monthly or $149.00 Yearly, includes access yo Cakewalk Sonar and Cakewalk Next NOW

[DeeringAmps]

1 hour ago, Stephen Power said:

if I buy Bandlab membership, does this 'unlock' Sonar to the extent that it will save projects

Yes (and I can confirm that the saved project opens just fine in CbB)

1 hour ago, Stephen Power said:

will it stay unlocked at the price of $14.95 when the full version is finally released

Well, there's the "rub". We just don't know!
Lots of speculation, absolutely no firm data...

Edited March 24 by DeeringAmps

[Wookiee]

@Stephen Power at present the Backstage pass offers you access to;

The expanded, more tracks, Bandlab Web/Android/iOS  app, and all the loops etc.

Cakewalk Sonar. 

Cakewalk Next. 

It has nothing to do with CbB which is still currently free.

[John Vere]

In a way your paying $15  for a 1 month fully unlocked demo of 2 DAWS and some perks you might not be interested in. 

[Stephen Power]

@Wookiee @DeeringAmps Thank you both for the confirmation. I'm very tempted to jump in right now, but what happens if we're paying $14.95 for Bandlab membership and then Sonar (I'm not interested in 'Next' or the other Bandlab goodies) comes in at $19.95 or - heaven forfend - $9.99 a month?

Edited March 24 by Stephen Power

[DeeringAmps]

@Stephen Power

you cancel your subscription; simple. 
I will probably buy the yearly subscription,  if it is confirmed that Sonar is included. 
Sacrilege to some (oh well), but I suspect that BL is trying to build membership, small price to pay for them rescuing us. Not to mention the five years plus free CbB.

t

Edited March 24 by DeeringAmps

[Wookiee]

2 hours ago, John Vere said:

In a way your paying $15  for a 1 month fully unlocked demo of 2 DAWS and some perks you might not be interested in. 

@Stephen Power Noel said in a thread that they are not demos nor public BETA's.

 

[John Vere]

1 hour ago, Wookiee said:

@Stephen Power Noel said in a thread that they are not demos nor public BETA's.

 

Yes I know that, it’s a early access release.
The point is that you can’t help but look at it as a demo seeing as how it is the full version with either a time limit or a crippled save or export function. That is standard of most demos.
I have 10 different DAW demos loaded up right now including Sonar.
Sonar to me is in demo mode because I haven’t bought it yet. I can’t think of it as anything else under those conditions. 

The only difference between it and the rest is I actually had to pay to demo it for more than 3 days. 

Edited March 24 by John Vere

[Wookiee]

1 hour ago, John Vere said:

Yes I know that, it’s a early access release.
The point is that you can’t help but look at it as a demo seeing as how it is the full version with either a time limit or a crippled save or export function. That is standard of most demos.
I have 10 different DAW demos loaded up right now including Sonar.
Sonar to me is in demo mode because I haven’t bought it yet. I can’t think of it as anything else under those conditions. 

The only difference between it and the rest is I actually had to pay to demo it for more than 3 days. 

Most demo software has save/export disabled.

Most subscriptions are time limited to the subscription period, i.e. adobe

What makes it crippled? Both behaviours are clearly explained in the licence you agree to when you take up the subscription, or have you not read the licence.

If you pay the subscription you have full access, your response is what many would see as nitpicking for the sake of disagreement.  

[AB9]

I assume with the subscription - one can save and export Sonar projects.  If that is so, then it is only like a demo at this point, if the monthly (or annual) subsciption is not purchased.

So that is about $15 a month for the current subscription offering.  If somehow Sonar gets released in a way that costs less, than cancel the subscription as stated above.

Meanwhile, I think it is good that people are expressing a variety of comments.  

 

 

Edited March 24 by AB9

[Wookiee]

@AB9 somewhat confused here not sure how a paid for subscription is a demo when everything works. 

Let's try and clarify. 

If you pay the subscription you get full access as long as you pay the subscription monthly (or yearly), that is not a demo. (The yearly subscription is a little cheaper) 

If you register for access to the trial, which is three days long, you get full access. 

After the trial period expiries, and you decided not to proceed with paying for a subscription, it will become a demo version. 

Is that clear?

[Mr No Name]

subscription for a daw is stupid unless you run a recording studio and are able to deduct it as a business expense, anyone else who does it is a moron.

 

imo.

[AB9]

1 hour ago, Wookiee said:

@AB9 somewhat confused here not sure how a paid for subscription is a demo when everything works. 

Let's try and clarify. 

If you pay the subscription you get full access as long as you pay the subscription monthly (or yearly), that is not a demo. (The yearly subscription is a little cheaper) 

If you register for access to the trial, which is three days long, you get full access. 

After the trial period expiries, and you decided not to proceed with paying for a subscription, it will become a demo version. 

Is that clear?

I think so - I said it was " only like a demo at this point, if the monthly (or annual) subsciption is not purchased.

But apparently, you are indicating that one can save and exprrt during the three day trial.  If that is true, then my post above is inaccurate and I appreciate your correction.

Either way, I believe we are both saying the same thing for the subsciption - one gets full access and can save, export, etc.  

And as I stated above, the subscription can be canceled for whatever reason, including any better option down the road.

Edited March 25 by AB9

[Wookiee]

@AB9 at present we have no idea of what plans are in place.

1. Will Cakewalk Sonar be available as a standalone product?

2. If so what will it cost?

3. How will it be paid for.

All I do know is historically under Gibson they had two payment methods and a third disappointment.

A. A single one off payment which purchased the current version and one years worth of bug fixes and updates, which may include new features.

B. Monthly payments for the current version,  which to keep you needed to pay 12 months.  If you stopped before 12 payments you only had demo software. Unless you owned a previous version, then you got to keep everything upto your last payment. 

C. Under Gibson just 6 months before they dropped it, they did offer a single payment, on top of that years update, for lifetime updates of the core product.  But that went poorly. 

Prior to that scheme there was a new release every 12 months, which you could choose to update or not. With that a single payment purchased you the product and around 2 to 5 update/bug fixes during the 12 months.

With the introduction of S-Plat etc, they offered a bug fix release every 4 to 6 weeks, with the odd new feature. 

Which brings us in a circle to the three numbered points above, but with perhaps point 4.

4. What do you get with Cakewalk Sonar standalone, historically there was three version. 

Studio, which had the basics but not much else. Sub $100.00 (new cost) 

Professional, which had more functionality and a fully functional Pro Channel  $200+ (new cost)

Platinum, which come with lots of toys, more synths, more Pro Channel modules, more "free" third party stuff. $450.00 (new cost)

Annual upgrade from previous versions of SONAR Producer for S-Plat, as the flagship was known, was around $120.00.

Conclusions we have to wait and see.

[John Vere]

I don’t know why you choose to defend a company that you are not even an employee of . I am only stating what I observe buy being in the middle of Demoing 10  leading DAWs. They all allow saving so far. I haven’t gotten that far with all of them. It will take a while.
Some like Cubase give you 2 months.
They can call it what they like but Sonar is just another demo along with the rest. To me a Demo is software you can try out but you don’t own it yet. 

And I can compare different experiences between all of these different companies with what it takes to acquire the demos. 
Most require you create an account and register to access the demo.  Bandlab was the only company I had to actually pay them something up front to demo their products. 
I don’t mind this because I support Cakewalk. I’ve had a free ride for 7-8 years thanks to them so $15 is a bargain. But that’s me. I’m not sure how Joe Public would think. 

Edited March 25 by John Vere

[JoeGBradford]

@Wookiee your criticism of John, who has been very helpful to Cakewalk & Sonar users,over the years, including me in my early days, appears most unfair.

[Wookiee]

49 minutes ago, JoeGBradford said:

@Wookiee your criticism of John, who has been very helpful to Cakewalk & Sonar users,over the years, including me in my early days, appears most unfair.

Not criticism just an observation, if you view it as criticism that is your choice. Seems you may be quick to judge, perhaps you have not read his recent comments regarding the introduction of the Backstage pass and Cakewalk Sonar and Cakewalk Next. 

You are of course entitled to your opinion, but by that very assertion so am I. 

[Heath Row]

Something seems to have seriously gone off the rails here, it might be a phase of the moon thing?

Wookie, you surely must know John from all those years back on the old forums right through to present time on these new forums? I would find it hard to believe if it was not so. He has had a few issues with the way things have gone with Cakewalk Sonar and Cakewalk Next, which it seems have given him a different perspective lets say. But he has been for as long as I have 'known' him, as much as one can know someone by just observing them on a forum, been one of the most helpful, Cakewalk/SONAR/Sonar/Next, (well not Next so much due to issues he has come across) pro people on Cakewalk forums, and that's been a long time, years before these forums and CbB.

When I read some of this it was like entering some alternate reality, I thought surely you must know this, and by some of your comments it seems you don't. He has just hit a little speed bump, and not to use to strong a language, become a little despondent, disheartened, He is most certainly one of the good guys, just having a down moment.

 

[Edit] and as it seems you are misunderstanding what he has said and is doing, he hasn't been demoing all these DAW's for years, it's just basically now he is speaking of I believe, his feet have been and are completely, firmly planted in the Cakewalk universe, I find it difficult to grasp you aren't aware of this.

 

Apologies to anyone if it is myself who has misunderstood, I am on some heavy pain relief meds, so I accept my wrong doing if so.

Edited March 25 by Heath Row

[Wookiee]

@Heath Row, again it appears that only some people are allowed to express an opinion! Other are not, is that correct. 

Consequently if you and him can have your opinion, does that not mean I can not?

A little speed bump? His very first video on Cakewalk Sonar was not what one would call positive. 

[Heath Row]

all are entitled to their own opinion. I will have to watch that video when time permits.

Peace ☮️