Where is the new Cakewalk Sonar?

[Misha]

2 hours ago, Terry Kelley said:

I am here to see them finally confirm it will not be available outside of a subscription.

Well, so am I, but I also want to know approximate expiration of Cakewalk by Bandlab - so I can plan ahead. Still hope it's just some sort of internal locomotion and other non sub "options" will be introduced shortly. 

[Terry Kelley]

Me too but after a year I chose to make my move. Someday they might tell us something different but if they said nothing, they still have a product available via subscription.

We will see someday ... maybe.

[John Vere]

As said in another thread (!10 of them?)  

What is your plan B? If you follow my You Tube channel you will see I’ve be sharing ideas about what you can do while growing old waiting for any solid answers about Sonar. 

Plan B for me is

1- I have already purchased a backup DAW. Mixcraft. I also have Cubase 7. Mixbus 7 , ProTools first and Waveform. 
2-I’m in the process of backing up all my CWP files as a midi files and stems. I have successfully opened these in various other DAWs with out much missing. It’s time consuming but easy . 
3-I have Sonar X3 which is the last version you can trust will activate with out the internet involved. Splat requires activation using CCC. This would allow me to still open projects I somehow failed to transfer using #2. 
4- I own 2 Digital 8 track recorders and lots of midi hardware . 
 

Cause you know what gang?  We represent possibly a hugely insignificant user base that in in big picture won’t matter what we decide to do to Bandlab. 
They probably have 2 million people paying the Membership fees and so from their perspective Sonar is a huge success already. 
The dozen people here threatening them is sort of laughable. 
We just need to make our own personal choices and see what happens and not get screwed by it all by having a plan B! 
I’ve stopped worrying and thinking about it now I have my plan B working smoothly.  

Edited June 10 by John Vere

[Misha]

John,

You sold your soul to the devil signed up for subscription. I respect the choice you made, but I will not do that.  Of course there are many DAWs out there. Likely the closest for me is Studio One. Why I am still hesitating:

1) Two+ decades of projects.

2) Particular take lane recording that is only found in Cakewalk.

3)Familiar workflow..

4) There is at least some truth to initial humble letter by Bandlab  sent to the "core of dedicated Cakewalk users" in 2018. (See my "Blast from the past" post if you need to refresh your memory)

5)Still hope they (Bandlab) have decency to reply to numerous concerns from several angles of worried current customers. At least give some clarity on what already had been said in the past few months, so some of us can plan ahead.

6)I don't want to purchase 2 DAWs in a year, if Sonar normal licenses are coming soon.

[Jimbob Blues]

3 hours ago, Misha said:

John,

You sold your soul to the devil signed up for subscription. I respect the choice you made, but I will not do that.  Of course there are many DAWs out there. Likely the closest for me is Studio One. Why I am still hesitating:

1) Two+ decades of projects.

2) Particular take lane recording that is only found in Cakewalk.

3)Familiar workflow..

4) There is at least some truth to initial humble letter by Bandlab  sent to the "core of dedicated Cakewalk users" in 2018. (See my "Blast from the past" post if you need to refresh your memory)

5)Still hope they (Bandlab) have decency to reply to numerous concerns from several angles of worried current customers. At least give some clarity on what already had been said in the past few months, so some of us can plan ahead.

6)I don't want to purchase 2 DAWs in a year, if Sonar normal licenses are coming soon.

 

If someone was going to reply to you don't you think they would have done it by now?

 

[Misha]

Jimbob,

I don't think anything. It's my firm belief that Bandlab owes "dedicated core of long-term Sonar users" (Bandlab (c))  some clarity.

Not answering those calls, again in my view, dampens their reputation as a company that made certain pledges.

[ptheisen]

I must be in an agreeable mood today.

Misha, I agree with you that Bandlab should be giving clear answers to their long-term Sonar users, and that their lack of response dampens their reputation.

However, you are assuming that their eventual answers will be what you are hoping for. Bandlab is probably in a position where they've known the answers for quite a while, and the answers are not what a lot of people are hoping for, so they think it is better to just not say anything.

In that respect, I agree with Jimbob. If the answers were what you are hoping for, they would have given them by now.

Which leads me to agreeing with John Vere, you probably need to start not just thinking about, but acting upon, your plan B. I started on my plan B about 6 months ago.

[Glenn Stanton]

i think we should remember - Bandlab bought the SONAR product intellectual property from Gibson after Gibson abandoned the SONAR users. and they generously provided the current "Cakewalk by Bandlab" to those aboandoned SONAR folks a free version of the updated product along with numerous fixes for that past 5 years or so. while the development team has been pretty much the same group of good people who have been managing the technical aspects of this transition, the Bandlab executives know  (or care is perhaps the better word) little or nothing of the previous owners of SONAR agreements to their SONAR consumers (whom the Gibson company abandoned).

so, it seems odd that people have an expectation that besides the IP bought, that the committment made by another entity (Gibson et al) was also "purchased" as an "incurred debt" to SONAR users. in practical terms, Bandlab doesn't owe SONAR users anything. but they did it anyways. for 5+ years.

remind us how long Gibson milked it for the money before leaving us behind?

i can say solely for myself - i'm grateful that i had a fairly stable DAW for these past 5+ years, for free.

and as i decide on staying or going, i'm looking at a number of free and paid DAW products, and frankly, if i have to pay, i'm inclined to stay because when i look at the workflows / paradigms of other products, then visit their forums (and see most of them have actual mayhem going on there), i feel very confident the "grass is not greener on the field over the hill"... i especially feel bad for the Apple users who get doubly screwed - Apple in the front, DAW vendors (who "support" multiple OSes) from behind (or perhaps they simply tag team it, either way not a pretty visual and seriously not as much fun as it sounds like)

anyways my 2¢.

back to my popcorn, sorry to interrupt, continue the show.

Edited June 10 by Glenn Stanton

[David A Ludwig]

My plan B is cubase 13. I'm working on an album now, 7 tunes in Sonar, 7 in cubase.

I don't like it but I'm paying the 15 per month because I have over 100 cwps that I want access to. I don't trust that cbb will always be there, they could easily shut it down.

It's a shame, I like the new Sonar and I'd like to buy it, but bl won't let me and won't tell me why.

[Steve Moddelmog]

Nothing free expected, but the payment model is not what is wanted.  I have yet to see a user on these forums or in any CW social media groups say they were hoping for a subscription model.

[John T]

I'll say it! It's miles easier for me to pay small monthly amount than a single price up front. Obviously, the specific terms may or may not be favourable, but I have no fundamental objections at all.

[Terry Kelley]

I don’t think Bandlab’s challenge will be keeping us old timers but pulling in people from other DAWs. I suspect most that bailed with the Gibson fiasco won’t return. They didn’t like it then and probably don’t like it now. But new people are born and might go with Sonar.

Edited June 10 by Terry Kelley

[John T]

As a side note to that, though: I haven't yet signed up for the Backstage Pass thing, because I agree with the general feeling that there's not enough clarity on what's happening.

I mean, go to the Bandlab homepage, and tell me how many clicks it takes you to get to *any* information at all about Next and Sonar. It's like they don't exist.

I'm kind of going to need the company to show a bit more enthusiastic support for their product before I put any cash down.

https://www.bandlab.com/

[GIM Productions]

8 minutes ago, John T said:

I mean, go to the Bandlab homepage, and tell me how many clicks it takes you to get to *any* information at all about Next and Sonar. It's like they don't exist.

exactly!!!

[GIM Productions]

5 minutes ago, pwal³ said:

ancient sonar users

I am 59 years old and I produce, compose and arrange both for my production company and for third parties and it is fun to go and see the average age of producers, composers and ghost producers of hits from 10 years to today?

[Lynn Wilson]

22 minutes ago, John T said:

As a side note to that, though: I haven't yet signed up for the Backstage Pass thing, because I agree with the general feeling that there's not enough clarity on what's happening.

I mean, go to the Bandlab homepage, and tell me how many clicks it takes you to get to *any* information at all about Next and Sonar. It's like they don't exist.

I'm kind of going to need the company to show a bit more enthusiastic support for their product before I put any cash down.

https://www.bandlab.com/

Go to the top of this page and click on Other Links-Cakewalk|Home and then the Sonar tab.  At the bottom of that page is the link to download.  You can tell that Sonar is now active and available.  It may not have all the answers you're looking for, but it has more information than you've provided

[Misha]

54 minutes ago, Glenn Stanton said:

i think we should remember - Bandlab bought the SONAR product intellectual property from Gibson

We do. We should also remember the letter by Bandlab sent April 13, 2018. Do we? If some "forgot", take a look here:

 

In original April 12th 2018 Bandlab's letter, "decades" were clearly mentioned. To keep their promise, technically  they have to have Cakewalk available at least till April 13th 2028. Whatever will happen to Sonar licensing that remains a mystery... and their business. If they offer licenses - I will be among first in line. However, knowing how much time is left for transition period if licenses are not planned should be made known, if it is less than what was promised.

[John T]

11 minutes ago, Lynn Wilson said:

Go to the top of this page and click on Other Links-Cakewalk|Home and then the Sonar tab.  At the bottom of that page is the link to download.  You can tell that Sonar is now active and available.  It may not have all the answers you're looking for, but it has more information than you've provided

That's kind of my point though. I have all the information; I'm following it all quite closely. But "Go to the top of this page and click on Other Links-Cakewalk|Home and then the Sonar tab" isn't exactly a neon sign in Times Square.

My point is that Bandlab are not pushing this in terms of publicity *at all* right now. I find that odd, and off-putting.

 

[Misha]

Where is the voice of reason - Noel B.?

 

[Lynn Wilson]

Yes, in terms of marketing, Bandlab gets a provisional D-.  It's disappointing in light of all the information they've given us in the past.  It suggests to me that the cake is finished, but the icing is not.  Let's hope that soon changes.