2 questions on pre 2018 Sonar activation.

[Misha]

With unfortunate BL's current position and unwillingness to provide clarity on perpetual licenses, I want to start preparing an offline backup system with all of my Cakewalk/Sonar projects. I am sorry if it was asked before, just want to make sure it is achievable the way I intend to do this.

I have an older Thinkpad (420s, i7 Win 10).  While these are dated laptops, they are built like tanks and parts for them are abundant... In any case, the idea is to install last pre- Bandlab's 2017 Sonar, activate it on this machine and put it away for the time being. Two questions please.

1) Once activated, will it require future re-activation using BL's server feedback on that laptop? 

2)When this older (2017) Sonar "activates", does it use a Hard Drive ID or a System ID?  

Thank you.

 

[mettelus]

Once activated, Splat should stay that way. There is no activation "cycle" with it, it just updated the version allowed by your membership.

I cloned my C Drive a few years ago to use a bigger one (using Macrium Reflect), and only recall a couple apps that needed reactivation. Splat was not one of them, and I totally forget now which apps needed it.

[Misha]

mettelus,

Thanks!

Since I have all the hardware, and most software I use allow for 2 machines, seems my plan should work for complete bread & butter archive / backup. Who knows, maybe in not distant future BL will realize how they mistreated their most loyal fans & will start selling normal licenses and this project would become a nice happy paperweight, like my X1 box set.

 

 

[John Vere]

Sonar X3 was the last version to just use serial numbers. 
Splat requires Command Centre. 

Command Centre requires the server. The server is now maintained by Bandlab. 

As said Splat once installed using CCC is activated until that computer dies. I have a 4 core Pentium computer with Splat on it running W7 that was my main DAW from 2006- 2012 It still boots and runs because it had lots of upgrades over time and the parts are all good stuff.  
It has a PCI Sound Card made by Card Deluxe, they still support the ASIO driver.  It has SPDIF that teams up with my Yamaha 01v. I still have that too. It was a bulletproof system that always worked. 

I wouldn’t want to return to that system but it is living proof that you can keep stuff running forever if you want to! It has X3 and Splat and my copies of Cubase and Wave lab 7. If I move the ilok dongle those still work too. A time Machine I call it. 

Edited July 14 by John Vere

[rsinger]

23 hours ago, John Vere said:

Sonar X3 was the last version to just use serial numbers. 
Splat requires Command Centre. 

Command Centre requires the server. The server is now maintained by Bandlab. 
 

Yeah, I got a new DAW and tried installing Splat from downloaded files. It installed fine, but I needed CC to activate. I have Camel Audio's Alchemy. Camel Audio was sold to Apple and is no longer supported on the PC, but it still activated for me. Hopefully CC is maintained for some time ...

[John Vere]

Back when we got the big kick in the face from Gibson the forum was pretty focused on solutions to what we could do to sustain Sonar for as long as possible.
 

Of course we were certain that the server for CCC would be shut down and (like perpetual licensing ) we had no clue when. 

My action plan was I installed and activated a copy of Splat on every computer in the house. In my case that was I think 7. I figured this lessened the odds of computer failures killing Splat. 
 

So that 2006 computer I mentioned above still has that last version of Splat working perfectly fine and I was sort of correct about that solution. 
It was a top of the line PC from that era and I guess as long as you don’t fry the MoBo everything else was replaceable. Because it was mothballed 8 years ago it’s still in perfect working condition.  Not sure if it would survive daily usage. 
 

Therefore one can maintain time machine DAWs for possible 10- 20 year no problem. 
 

I have a 2004 Dell laptop running XP I keep to run my CD printer software. Still boots every time I need it. It has Sonar 6 and Wave Lab 4 on it. 

Edited July 16 by John Vere