New FREE version/tier of the venerable Cakewalk Sonar

[Doug Steinschneider]

14 hours ago, Noel Borthwick said:

Completely incorrect information here. There is no way the program will switch from an activated state to a non active state mid session. The OP ignored the warning on opening the app and continued to work and saved much later.

Wow, good catch, I didn't think of that. This particular user has done things like that right in front of me. That is probably what happened.

EDIT - I went back over the whole thread and have to credit @Amberwolf for making that call immediately after I posted!

Edited Saturday at 02:10 PM by Doug Steinschneider

[Mr No Name]

isn't it a ballache to have to keep activating a software ?

[CSistine]

3 hours ago, Mr No Name said:

isn't it a ballache to have to keep activating a software ?

This is exactly the point that many don't understand! Especially re-activation is a PITA! I've had a lot of software turning suddenly to non-authorized, even if I did not install any new hardware!

I am a fan of the old authorization way (like Sonar X3) as some probably have understood. 😆 IMHO it's the only fair way to the customer.

But nowadays there are many companies that try to enslave their users using some kind of obscure, murky online authorization and installation to manipulate them, to snatch their money and to force them updates. This is even true for so called "free" software. Just look how many don't clarify on their sites how authorization is managed, nor what is going on behind the scene! This is also the reason why I prefer iLok over online authorization, it is definitely more transparent and clearly only used for authorization!

[Amberwolf]

22 hours ago, Jacques Boileau said:

He didn't like your post, he gave it a thumb down. If you click on the icon it will reveal who gave the likes and who gave the thumb down.

Ah, thanks for pointing that out.  I had the icons themselves hidden by the browser (so I can enlarge all the text to be able to read it without making all the graphics gigantic too), so I didn't see them; just the numbers of reactions).   Sorry about that.

[Jeremy Oakes]

On 7/19/2025 at 8:50 PM, CSistine said:

This is exactly the point that many don't understand! Especially re-activation is a PITA! I've had a lot of software turning suddenly to non-authorized, even if I did not install any new hardware!

I am a fan of the old authorization way (like Sonar X3) as some probably have understood. 😆 IMHO it's the only fair way to the customer.

But nowadays there are many companies that try to enslave their users using some kind of obscure, murky online authorization and installation to manipulate them, to snatch their money and to force them updates. This is even true for so called "free" software. Just look how many don't clarify on their sites how authorization is managed, nor what is going on behind the scene! This is also the reason why I prefer iLok over online authorization, it is definitely more transparent and clearly only used for authorization!

Oooh  the theories - I’ll get my tin hat then…….

FYI once Sonar, be it free or sub, is installed, it will phone home and be authorised in the back ground. (Note those two words). 99 times out of 100 you will have no need to intervene. And It cannot suddenly « de-authorise » itself. 

BTW iLoks can get damaged and lost, not for me.

Fair to the customer, hmmm, there are two sides to that coin. The side i don’t think you’ve grasped is that subs help pay the Devs for future updates, fixes etc - whether we like them or not, subs are a way to invest in a company and are here to stay. YMMV of course.

[chris.r]

On 7/19/2025 at 7:50 PM, CSistine said:

This is exactly the point that many don't understand! Especially re-activation is a PITA! I've had a lot of software turning suddenly to non-authorized, even if I did not install any new hardware!

Yup, happened to me. After some time of not using, I opened a virtual instrument just to find out that it suddenly gone deauthorized only because developer decided to update their authorization system. Glad it didn't happen straight before the gig. I turned back to buying hardware.

[Mr No Name]

8 hours ago, Jeremy Oakes said:

Oooh  the theories - I’ll get my tin hat then…….

FYI once Sonar, be it free or sub, is installed, it will phone home and be authorised in the back ground. (Note those two words). 99 times out of 100 you will have no need to intervene. And It cannot suddenly « de-authorise » itself. 

BTW iLoks can get damaged and lost, not for me.

Fair to the customer, hmmm, there are two sides to that coin. The side i don’t think you’ve grasped is that subs help pay the Devs for future updates, fixes etc - whether we like them or not, subs are a way to invest in a company and are here to stay. YMMV of course.

if you want to "invest" in a company buy shares in it.

[Jeremy Oakes]

1 hour ago, Mr No Name said:

if you want to "invest" in a company buy shares in it.

No, i’ll do it my way, you do it yours

[CSistine]

9 hours ago, Jeremy Oakes said:

Fair to the customer, hmmm, there are two sides to that coin. The side i don’t think you’ve grasped is that subs help pay the Devs for future updates, fixes etc - whether we like them or not, subs are a way to invest in a company and are here to stay. YMMV of course.

IMHO that's a misconception that subs go to updates and fixes that the users really want. But it is true that it supports the developers, but they are free to use it for whatever they want (fancy ideas), i.e. they don't have to follow the customer demands. It is like with state organisations, mostly it leads to dissipation, they get lazy in this way.

I think it is better if a developer has perpetual major versions and then the customer has to pay again for a next major version. With this concept the customer has the last word whether the new version is worth it, i.e. the developer has to implement asked requirements to get new payments. Also the customers have more control over their budget.

But YMMV.

[CSistine]

10 hours ago, Jeremy Oakes said:

FYI once Sonar, be it free or sub, is installed, it will phone home and be authorised in the back ground.

Note: This is only true if you are always online!

I don't think that the majority of users are always online or can always guarantee that a connection is possible all the time (whether it's on their end, at the internet provider, somewhere in the internet access path or at the provider (BandLab) side).

[dubdisciple]

I have yet to try the free version. After the decision to discontinue Cakewalk by Bandlab without the choice to simply keep what you have without updates  or support, I have little reason to think the same won't eventually occur with this version. My nostalgia and love of Cakewalk from the old days will eventually lead me to try it in hopes of being pleasantly surprised, but right now I feel like we are are getting less than what we had. Hard to complain about a free product, but time is money. I paid for multiple versions of Cakewalk in the past, but subscription is not an option for me so free version it is. It's just hard to put much dedication into a DAW that might pull the plug again. I realize that can occur with any software, but since this is cakewalk forum, we are talking about cakewalk.  I feel like they gave us a lot of what we didn't want and kind of ignored what we did want. I'm not trying to disrespect the bakers. I have always appreciated them and I know they don't make these policies.  I'm not even trying to be negative. Just expressing an honest concern.

[Jeremy Oakes]

1 hour ago, CSistine said:

Note: This is only true if you are always online!

I don't think that the majority of users are always online or can always guarantee that a connection is possible all the time (whether it's on their end, at the internet provider, somewhere in the internet access path or at the provider (BandLab) side).

In the real world today, most people are on line 24/7.

[Brian Walton]

17 hours ago, Jeremy Oakes said:

 

Fair to the customer, hmmm, there are two sides to that coin. The side i don’t think you’ve grasped is that subs help pay the Devs for future updates, fixes etc - whether we like them or not, subs are a way to invest in a company and are here to stay. YMMV of course.

Fair to the customer is a single sided coin.  You legitimately pay for the software you should be able to use it on your personally owned computers without any real hinderances.  Anything other than that is putting a burden on the customer who paid good money for a product.

We had software for decades literally that did not need subscriptions.  There are ways to generate revenue and continue to build a product without them.  New customers and making the product better and charging for perpetual seats to get the new features.  The only reason subscriptions became mainstream is companies forcing on customers and was a byproduct of effectively stagnant software updates.    I knew professionals that continued to use Photoshop CS6 for more than a decade instead of "upgrading" to CC.  It wasn't until the last couple years that Photoshop made any real changes to the software.  

 

The free version of Sonar is pretty good, overall but my concern is I'm running to show stopping repeatable bugs that were not in CbB and that is a problem

 

[Brian Walton]

5 hours ago, Jeremy Oakes said:

In the real world today, most people are on line 24/7.

"Most" people also do not create terabytes of unique copyrighted material / files they should protect from the outside world like us "creatives" do.    Anyone really serious about their work should not be creating and storing said data locally on a 24/7 online machine.  This is a very niche market and need.  

 

Overall protection is much better than it was in the past, but the bad actors attacking end user via phishing campaigns that target individual users (not hackers into corporate systems) is truly mind numbing.  If you haven't done much research in the current IT security landscape, I would imagine the reality of the world we live in would shock you.

[Jeremy Oakes]

6 hours ago, Brian Walton said:

Fair to the customer is a single sided coin.  You legitimately pay for the software you should be able to use it on your personally owned computers without any real hinderances.  Anything other than that is putting a burden on the customer who paid good money for a product.

We had software for decades literally that did not need subscriptions.  There are ways to generate revenue and continue to build a product without them.  New customers and making the product better and charging for perpetual seats to get the new features.  The only reason subscriptions became mainstream is companies forcing on customers and was a byproduct of effectively stagnant software updates.    I knew professionals that continued to use Photoshop CS6 for more than a decade instead of "upgrading" to CC.  It wasn't until the last couple years that Photoshop made any real changes to the software.  

 

The free version of Sonar is pretty good, overall but my concern is I'm running to show stopping repeatable bugs that were not in CbB and that is a problem

 

Well, as i said, there are two ways of looking at things. 

BTW, Me, i would trouble shoot your system. Been using Sonar for over a year, no issues.

CbB is older code, Sonar newer, one software works the other doesn’t - what do they have in common - their OS.

Lets agree to disagree on this, there will be no winners.

[Jeremy Oakes]

6 hours ago, Brian Walton said:

"Most" people also do not create terabytes of unique copyrighted material / files they should protect from the outside world like us "creatives" do.    Anyone really serious about their work should not be creating and storing said data locally on a 24/7 online machine.  This is a very niche market and need.  

 

Overall protection is much better than it was in the past, but the bad actors attacking end user via phishing campaigns that target individual users (not hackers into corporate systems) is truly mind numbing.  If you haven't done much research in the current IT security landscape, I would imagine the reality of the world we live in would shock you.

No, us non professionals who can’t afford multiple machines then we have no choice. Look at it that way. There are a few simple rules to follow re safety on line of which i’m very strict about. 

I live in the real world and no it doesn’t shock me. Your sort of rigid reaction does though.

[Xoo]

6 hours ago, Brian Walton said:

"Most" people also do not create terabytes of unique copyrighted material / files they should protect from the outside world like us "creatives" do.    Anyone really serious about their work should not be creating and storing said data locally on a 24/7 online machine.  This is a very niche market and need.  

I don't buy this argument: graphic designers, say, are in the same boat and are online (I work with some).

[Wookiee]

@CSistine apparently you don't need to be online once activated, but your activation will still expire as it, the countdown,  is internal not external. This was explained in the main forum a couple of weeks ago by a senior staff member. 

[Brian Walton]

3 hours ago, Xoo said:

I don't buy this argument: graphic designers, say, are in the same boat and are online (I work with some).

I've done professional work across a number of the major fields.  Photography, Audio Production, Video Production, Design Work, etc.

I've also been in charge of IT security for companies that work with some of the largest companies in the world.  I've seen other companies experience massive data loss and security breaches every year.  Just because people "stay online," doesn't mean it is a good idea.   Every single loss I've seen wouldn't have happened if they were offline.

Graphic Designers also deal with small files that are easily backed up in a variety of places compared to these other fields, so that is a poor example.

[Brian Walton]

3 hours ago, Jeremy Oakes said:

No, us non professionals who can’t afford multiple machines then we have no choice. Look at it that way. There are a few simple rules to follow re safety on line of which i’m very strict about. 

I live in the real world and no it doesn’t shock me. Your sort of rigid reaction does though.

To surf the internet you can get a computer that costs $150.  I'm betting your phone was a few hundred dollars.  Assuming you live in America, the options for having an extra computer that just needs enough resources to surf and download things is very minimal.   This isn't 1988.  People donate/recycle perfectly usable computers literally daily all over the country and there are businesses that are in business simply to accept, process, redistribute or recycle these machines.