Loody1985 Posted October 23 Share Posted October 23 (edited) I've been using and enjoying the free version of Cakewalk by Bandlab since 2020, and I see that once it's upgraded to Cakewalk Sonar it may not be so free anymore--anyone have any insights as to whether the new product will be worth it? I'm lucky enough to be in a place to consider purchasing a DAW, but is this the one? ...or should I start researching alternatives? (and on that note, any suggestions to that effect would be appreciated) slope game Edited October 24 by Loody1985 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bristol_Jonesey Posted October 23 Share Posted October 23 Well you're going to get some biased views from this forum But in my opinion a Bandlab Subscription is well worth the money. There have been a whole host of features added, bug fixes and other optimisations. It's starting leave CbB way behind. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Tubbs Posted October 23 Share Posted October 23 If you already are are knowledgeable with CbB why pay for learning another DAW? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwallie Posted October 23 Share Posted October 23 10 hours ago, Loody1985 said: I've been using and enjoying the free version of Cakewalk by Bandlab since 2020, and I see that once it's upgraded to Cakewalk Sonar it may not be so free anymore--anyone have any insights as to whether the new product will be worth it? I'm lucky enough to be in a place to consider purchasing a DAW, but is this the one? ...or should I start researching alternatives? (and on that note, any suggestions to that effect would be appreciated) i believe that you can get a free 3 day trial of the new sonar version, after which you'll have to pay a subscription fee; if you cancel that subscription then you won't be able to save or export from that new sonar version Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwallie Posted October 23 Share Posted October 23 58 minutes ago, Alan Tubbs said: If you already are are knowledgeable with CbB why pay for learning another DAW? tbf, most major daws are very similar these days, moving from one to another is no big deal, just the small details; nobody knows how long cbb will remain free, including the developers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sailor55 Posted October 23 Share Posted October 23 1 hour ago, bad gateway said: tbf, most major daws are very similar these days, moving from one to another is no big deal, just the small details; nobody knows how long cbb will remain free, including the developers IMHO, moving to another DAW would be an enormous pain. If one is proficient at the many features of CbB, then moving to Cakewalk Sonar is completely painless. I actually found it to be a positive, enjoyable experience. My advice... get a year's subscription and don't look back. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Promidi Posted October 23 Share Posted October 23 2 hours ago, bad gateway said: tbf, most major daws are very similar these days, That would be true if you are using your DAW as a glorified tape deck. Not so true if you are using the deeper functions of your DAW. If you are using dedicated scripting or custom GUI designs, then switching DAWs would be near impossible. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwallie Posted October 23 Share Posted October 23 fair comments guys, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starship Krupa Posted October 24 Share Posted October 24 21 hours ago, Loody1985 said: anyone have any insights as to whether the new product will be worth it? I'm lucky enough to be in a place to consider purchasing a DAW, but is this the one? In my opinion, Sonar is "worth it." Something that is different about Sonar vs. past Cakewalk DAW's is that the licensing model has changed. Research that, and if you're comfortable with it, Sonar is your best option of the bunch. "Already know how to use it" is at or near the top of a DAW's feature list. Learning a different one is not, IMO, the chore it once was. So many features have been copied back and forth between the programs that there is usually an equivalent feature. Not always. For instance not all DAW's have scripting languages. Not all DAW's have performance panels or chord tracks. Not all of them have staff views. With the mainstream payware DAW's it's now more a matter of how to access and use a feature than whether a feature exists or not. As with any major software purchase, demo, demo, demo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misha Posted October 24 Share Posted October 24 Since nobody clarified in plain language to OP, and to prevent a possible buyer remorse situation, I will. Seems like new Sonar is a great DAW, but you can not buy it. This is what you are trying to do Ludi, Buy it... Right? You can only buy subscription (rent) new Sonar. Stop paying = Sonar will no longer work. If you are OK with this, go for it! It was said on multiple occasions that company is considering sale of permanent licences, but as of now there are no updates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wookiee Posted October 24 Share Posted October 24 4 hours ago, Misha said: Since nobody clarified in plain language to OP, and to prevent a possible buyer remorse situation, I will. Seems like new Sonar is a great DAW, but you can not buy it. This is what you are trying to do Ludi, Buy it... Right? You can only buy subscription (rent) new Sonar. Stop paying = Sonar will no longer work. If you are OK with this, go for it! It was said on multiple occasions that company is considering sale of permanent licences, but as of now there are no updates. Obviously you have never read the EULA that has come with software since the beginning of software for computers. You don't buy software, you buy a licence to use/operate it. The EULA gives you a licence to use the software, but you don't own it, it also gives the owner of the software, i.e. the issuer of the EULA, the right to withdraw your right to use it at anytime it feels like it. Recent changes to EU law now give the user the right to transfer that licence to a third party. The third party is subject to the same rules as the party who purchased that licence in the first instance. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misha Posted October 24 Share Posted October 24 Wookie, it is obvious as day you have a very certain degree of prejudice against me. Publicly and privately. Please don't go that route and think about wisdom of words mentioning KARMA that you proudly showcase in your signature. It was a wording mistake, but the point is, OP wanted to Purchase software(his/ her words) Meaning, pay for something that doesn't expire and will not stop working as current rental version of Sonar. At least that was my understanding of what OP was trying to convey. Instead of poking me, do the honors and explain to OP yourself benefits and disadvantages of current model of Sonar licensing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wookiee Posted October 24 Share Posted October 24 1 hour ago, Misha said: Wookie, it is obvious as day you have a very certain degree of prejudice against me. Publicly and privately. Please don't go that route and think about wisdom of words mentioning KARMA that you proudly showcase in your signature. It was a wording mistake, but the point is, OP wanted to Purchase software(his/ her words) Meaning, pay for something that doesn't expire and will not stop working as current rental version of Sonar. At least that was my understanding of what OP was trying to convey. Instead of poking me, do the honors and explain to OP yourself benefits and disadvantages of current model of Sonar licensing. You are incorrect in your assumption regarding my level of prejudice towards yourself, neither publicly nor privately. I have no feelings one way or the other towards you, I do have a task to do in these forums and that is to keep things as correct as possible. You have repeatedly been told by staff the position of Bandlab regarding to topic of perpetual licensing but persistently bang the drum, possibly believing if you bang it long enough and hard enough you will brow beat the management into concededing to your demands. However your actions have now had a detrimental affect on this thread. Apologies to @Loody1985 but the actions of one give me little choice but to lock it. As has been suggested you try the free trial. Sonar has functionaly moved on from CbB, the basic workflow is the same as CbB, though it looks a little different due to the method used to generate the GUI. There have been serious improvements to the Audio engine and general operation of the whole program. You are correct in there is now being a charge to use it. There is a choice of monthly or yearly subscription, like so many audio software vendors are now doing, Roland, UVI, etc. The price is not unreasonable historically SONAR cost $450 to buy new, yes it was a perpetual licence which you had to renew each year to get the latest updates, features and bug fixes. The subscription offers near monthly bug fixes, new features when they become available and very diligent support when bugs are found. It is your choice stay with CbB or join the many that are helping Cakewalk Sonar to be a excellent audio tool. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts