Cakewalk is NOT free!!!

[adwsail]

This seems like the old bait and switch. I have been a Twelve Tone Systems user since the 5.25" floppy days of the 80's. I have paid for updates through and including Sonar. When they shutdown I switched to the Bandlab version which was FREE. So now after a several year hiatus I have a new system and wanting to use Sonar again which seemed smart at the time. So I downloaded the Bandlab version of Sonar and low and behold I cant even load a VST without paying Bandlab for the software which is not even a released version! I have never nor would I ever upload a song Ive produced to Bandlab so being a "member" is neither needed nor desired, read the disclosure we all automatically accept...you own nothing you create, Bandlab is the owner. So after over 40 years of loyalty to a product I am moving on. I live off grid without internet so I just need a free standing music production piece of software. Apparently that is too much to ask for with Cakewalk derivatives. Perhaps I can find my old cd for Sonar and go from there or, more likely, try out Reaper or one of the others that dont try to hijack everything I do and require an internet connection and cash. Thanks for making a mess out of a formerly great product.

[IgoRr]

6 hours ago, adwsail said:

Bandlab-версия Sonar и вот, я даже не могу загрузить VST без оплаты

You have everything mixed up - "Cakewalk, Sonar, Bandlab, you don't own anything you create", maybe you just didn't quite understand what is what? Now there are 3 different DAWs - Sonar and Next from the Cakewalk brand, and a program (DAW) called "Cakewalk" from the Bandlab brand. The first two programs are paid, but the Cakewalk by Bandlab program (a much better version then the previous SONAR Platinum) is completely free, with only one condition - is activation through the official website. But after activation, no one encroaches on the results of your creativity, you can check. In addition, there is a special "offline" activation method especially for those users who do not have the Internet.

In vain you are so emotional about a completely typical state of affairs, hundreds of other programs are now created and activated according to the same scheme, in this regard, Cakewalk by Bandlab is absolutely no different from them, and it has been completely free since the release of the very first version in 2017 or 2018.

Edited Friday at 01:56 AM by IgoRr

[CSistine]

5 minutes ago, IgoRr said:

You have everything mixed up - Cakewalk, Sonar, Bandlab, you do not own anything that you create, maybe you just did not really understand what is what? Now there are 3 different DAW's - Sonar and Next from the Cakewalk brand, and a program (DAW) called "Cakewalk" from the Bandlab brand. The first two programs are paid, but the Cakewalk by Bandlab program is totally free, the only one condition is activation through the official website. But after activation, no one encroaches on the results of your creativity, you can check. In addition, there is a special "offline" activation method especially for those users who do not have the Internet.

In vain you are so emotional about a completely typical state of affairs, hundreds of other programs are now created and activated according to the same scheme, in this regard, Cakewalk by Bandlab is absolutely no different from them, and it has been completely free since the release of the very first version in 2017 or 2018.

To be honest, since the re-activation time has been that short, Cakewalk by Bandlab cannot be used offline in a reasonable way anymore! This was the reason I dropped it and I regret that I had invested so much time for it. It would have been better to stay with Sonar Platinum! Today I mostly use another DAW and for the old projects I have Sonar Platinum that does its job quite well. For me BandLab was a real disappointment, but YMMV.

[Bristol_Jonesey]

2 hours ago, CSistine said:

To be honest, since the re-activation time has been that short, Cakewalk by Bandlab cannot be used offline in a reasonable way anymore! This was the reason I dropped it and I regret that I had invested so much time for it. It would have been better to stay with Sonar Platinum! Today I mostly use another DAW and for the old projects I have Sonar Platinum that does its job quite well. For me BandLab was a real disappointment, but YMMV.

I use it offline all the time

I call that reasonable

And Cakewalk by Bandlab is light years ahead of Platinum.

And it's free.

[T Boog]

25 minutes ago, Bristol_Jonesey said:

I use it offline all the time

I call that reasonabl

Yeah, I use CbB everyday and Im almost always offline. Every couple months(?) the toast comes up to say it's time to reactivate. That usually takes me 2 mins, then I go back offline and forget all about it for the next couple months.

[Wookiee]

@adwsail first post and you seem confused.

Firstly, Cakewalk Sonar, Cakewalk Next and Cakewalk by Bandlab have absolutely nothing to do with the old Gibson regime, just some shared code but no shared ownership. Bandlab Technologies owe you nothing. 

Cakewalk Sonar, Cakewalk Next are both subscription based products. 

Cakewalk by Bandlab or CbB as it sometimes known is most definitely free.

If you can remember your old username and password, then download the latest version of the CCC where you can access all your old Cakewalk products. 

Or if you download the new Cakewalk Product Centre and login with your, free, Bandlab Account you can download CbB for free. If you so desire you could take out a subscription to the new Sonar, Next, (Next also runs on MAC OS), and the extended version of the Website Bandlab app, plus all the Bandlab MIDI and Audio loops.

I hope that helps you with your apparent confusion. 

[Misha]

On 3/20/2025 at 7:57 PM, Wookiee said:

Cakewalk by Bandlab or CbB as it sometimes known is most definitely free.

What is not definite is the activation that is being held hostage. You would think that after the release of new product they would be confident enough to finally stop tethered activations (and collecting data) and permanently unlock outgoing product. 

[Wookiee]

2 hours ago, Misha said:

What is not definite is the activation that is being held hostage. You would think that after the release of new product they would be confident enough to finally stop tethered activations (and collecting data) and permanently unlock outgoing product. 

You miss the point, they are monitoring the use of the free product. They are in effect checking to see if it is still needed.