Sonar 2025.06 Feedback

[Milton Sica]

Here are some considerations regarding the new version.

I created a new project entirely in Sonar Free using a Cakewalk preset. Everything went very well.

I saved it in SONAR and opened it in Cakewalk. Perfect.

Regarding the interface and features, I still think that Cakewalk Themes are much more attractive, but this is an evolution in view of the new possibilities of the technology embedded in the new application.

As for free use, it is very good. The message time is enough for the user to know what is happening and what improvements can be made if they adhere to the plan. The time is similar to REAPER.

However, I found it quite annoying that the message appeared before several operations. In my case, it appeared when I had to update the settings of an export task. I think the initial message is sufficient and fulfills its role of trying to attract the user to purchase the complete package.

 

Edited yesterday at 02:16 PM by Milton Sica

[msmcleod]

28 minutes ago, Milton Sica said:

Here are some considerations regarding the new version.

I created a new project entirely in Sonar Free using a Cakewalk preset. Everything went very well.

I saved it in SONAR and opened it in Cakewalk. Perfect.

Regarding the interface and features, I still think that Cakewalk Themes are much more attractive, but this is an evolution in view of the new possibilities of the technology embedded in the new application.

As for free use, it is very good. The message time is enough for the user to know what is happening and what improvements can be made if they adhere to the plan. The time is similar to REAPER.

However, I found it quite annoying that the message appeared before several operations. In my case, it appeared when I had to update the settings of an export task. I think the initial message is sufficient and fulfills its role of trying to attract the user to purchase the complete package.

 

You should only get the message if you try to access a setting that is only available in the premium version... and this should be clearly indicated by the crown icon.

If you're seeing it when doing other things, please provide us with the exact steps that led to the message appearing.

Before releasing, we did see an issue when selecting an export preset  (in this case the preset was set to use POWR dithering). We fixed this one, but it's possible there could be other loopholes.

Please let us know all the detail if this is the case.
 

[Milton Sica]

33 minutes ago, msmcleod said:

You should only get the message if you try to access a setting that is only available in the premium version... and this should be clearly indicated by the crown icon.

If you're seeing it when doing other things, please provide us with the exact steps that led to the message appearing.

Before releasing, we did see an issue when selecting an export preset  (in this case the preset was set to use POWR dithering). We fixed this one, but it's possible there could be other loopholes.

Please let us know all the detail if this is the case.
 

Here are the evaluations.

1 - I think that the options that Cakewalk has in the latest free version should remain free in the free version of SONAR, otherwise the user will stay with Cakewalk and not even migrate to the SONAR free version. Take the case of Dithering types.

2 - Premium Options

Sales tip: when the Free version user clicks on an option marked as Premium, explain what it is and what this option is for as a way to implement it in their workflow, that is: in all options that have the "crown"

Edited yesterday at 03:21 PM by Milton Sica

[DAW Hobbyist]

Thank you for offering the Free Sonar version and 30 day trial for Sonar and Next. You should make an announcement video on your Cakewalk Youtube channel, so more people can know about it. Thank you

Edited yesterday at 04:04 PM by DAW Hobbyist

[Magic Russ]

2 hours ago, Milton Sica said:

Here are the evaluations.

1 - I think that the options that Cakewalk has in the latest free version should remain free in the free version of SONAR, otherwise the user will stay with Cakewalk and not even migrate to the SONAR free version. Take the case of Dithering types.

That does seem to be an odd choice of something to suddenly make premium, especially since it has been a part of Sonar for 20 years.

[Xoo]

I think it's licensed from a third party, so making it paid for does make sense if that's the case.

[Milton Sica]

1 hour ago, Magic Russ said:

That does seem to be an odd choice of something to suddenly make premium, especially since it has been a part of Sonar for 20 years.

That's why I said that if the option is available in Cakewalk, in the latest free version, it should remain free in the free version of SONAR.

I think it's fair that new innovations are charged for and, who knows, maybe in the future, released for the free version. This is the successful strategy that REAPER applies.

[Wookiee]

@Magic Russ historically SONAR cost between 60 to 450 to buy. The high valued versions came with a licenses, which you paid for in the cost, for a number of products. The Power dithering and Audio stretching algorithms being a couple of them. They were not free.

Though they very generously did so for CbB, it is apparent they feel they can't no longer pay that licence fee for a product they are now providing free. 

[Canopus]

I think it’s even simpler than that. If you make too much available in the free version, there isn’t much incentive to pay for the full-fledged Sonar. Some functions that most users would want simply have to be left out. Also, I guess that the functional gap between these two versions will increase over time.

[Milton Sica]

4 hours ago, Canopus said:

I think it’s even simpler than that. If you make too much available in the free version, there isn’t much incentive to pay for the full-fledged Sonar. Some functions that most users would want simply have to be left out. Also, I guess that the functional gap between these two versions will increase over time.

I reiterate my opinion that it is not about making innovations made in the SONAR version free, but keeping what is in CAKEWALK free. I am absolutely certain that, if this were the case, CAKEWALK would no longer have far fewer users than it has today, like me!

[Milton Sica]

20 hours ago, msmcleod said:

You should only get the message if you try to access a setting that is only available in the premium version... and this should be clearly indicated by the crown icon.

If you're seeing it when doing other things, please provide us with the exact steps that led to the message appearing.

Before releasing, we did see an issue when selecting an export preset  (in this case the preset was set to use POWR dithering). We fixed this one, but it's possible there could be other loopholes.

Please let us know all the detail if this is the case.
 

_06202025_083621.dmp

[Terry Kelley]

So, in other words ...

[Marcos Kleine]

 

Posted yesterday at 09:21 AM

On the latest version is an update to the ProChannel modules.

Tried to install but the message about the update keeps showing on product updates on Sonar.

Tried to install trought cakewalk products center, same thing.

 

[Rickddd]

I tried to upgrade my 2025.05 to the new .06.  The error message I immediately get is "Requires Cakewalk Sonar Version 2025.05". But that is the one I have.

On thing that may have initiated this is I saw a 11MB prochannel update that I installed first. Maybe that screwed things up. 

Help.

 

 

[504 lover lover]

so does the new free version disable things that were available in cbb? how does it handle that? backwards compatibility etc

[Jonathan Sasor]

48 minutes ago, Rickddd said:

I tried to upgrade my 2025.05 to the new .06.  The error message I immediately get is "Requires Cakewalk Sonar Version 2025.05". But that is the one I have.

On thing that may have initiated this is I saw a 11MB prochannel update that I installed first. Maybe that screwed things up. 

Help.

 

Do you have the same error if you try downloading via Cakewalk Product Center?

[Jonathan Sasor]

46 minutes ago, 504 lover lover said:

so does the new free version disable things that were available in cbb? how does it handle that? backwards compatibility etc

Backward compatibility works the same way it always has, you'll get a missing features notification, and the file will open in the older version. Any features that were in CbB projects that are not available in the free tier (and it's not much) will load, but with those functions disabled. If you were using Elastique Pro stretching for example, that would open in the free tier of Sonar to use Elastique Efficient instead.

[Rickddd]

52 minutes ago, Jonathan Sasor said:

Do you have the same error if you try downloading via Cakewalk Product Center?

Thank you for weighing in because I was able to install .06 that way.   There's still a follow-on issue - the 11MB prochannel won't install.  No error message, just never installs.  I did try to install it as well from the CPC.

But I got that new .06 version and that is great. THANKS!

[Marcos Kleine]

15 minutes ago, Rickddd said:

Thank you for weighing in because I was able to install .06 that way.   There's still a follow-on issue - the 11MB prochannel won't install.  No error message, just never installs.  I did try to install it as well from the CPC.

But I got that new .06 version and that is great. THANKS!

Same here

[Shaan]

@Jonathan Sasor

What changes are there on the prochannel update?

is it only this?

• Crash on playback with prochannel plugins on surround bus