What is the deal with Sonar and Next

[DescendingIntoVertigo]

Hello Cakewalk Team,

I’ve been a loyal Cakewalk user since 1997 (starting with Pro Audio 5) and even purchased the “Upgrades for Life” plan under Gibson. I stuck around through every iteration, and I remain extremely satisfied with Cakewalk by BandLab—its workflow, GUI aesthetic, and rock-solid stability have allowed me to create and manage hundreds of projects without a hitch.

That’s why I’m baffled—and frankly irritated—by the new Sonar and Next releases. After purchasing the BandLab annual subscription last year to be given the opportunity to test drive the new offering. 

The redesigned GUI feels janky, cluttered, and unintuitive compared to Cakewalk by BandLab. Both Sonar and Next programs are less stable than the Cakewalk by Bandlab offering on both my desktop and gaming laptop running Windows 11. The overall user experience is no where close to the feel of the Cakewalk by Bandlab offering. I understand these both of these programs are in their infancy and can't be expected to perform along side a program that has been refined over decades.

Which brings me to my biggest complaint. Why would you completely overhaul a perfectly good interface only to ship an inferior product? What is the point of the NEXT offering? Why should a user waste time creating a project in NEXT when you can create it in Sonar instead and have greater track count and more advanced features later on as the project evolves. 

I have come to rely on the themes and color coding of the tracks and instrument folders as part of my work flow. Dropping back to the monochromatic 2D feel of the new SONAR and NEXT is completely unappealing to me and significantly impacts my workflow. 

On a related note, I remember reading in this forum about a plan for a perpetual license key that would allow Cakewalk by BandLab users to continue using the platform after the retirement date. I'm assuming this no longer an option. I would gladly pay to continue using Cakewalk by Bandlab even if it meant no future updates or bug fixes in the future. Being able to open my existing projects in a format and work flow that I'm already familiar with give me some peace of mind in the future. I can't say that I feel the same way about NEXT and SONAR. They seem like a huge step backwards.

Finally, I’m struggling to see the point of NEXT? Who is this application target toward. It feels kind of like the new Sonar with fewer bells and whistles. Sort of like Cakewalk Studio was to Sonar or Platinum. How does it fit into the long-term roadmap? Just curious did anyone bother asking the end users what we wanted (or needed) from you?  

I do appreciate all the hard work that goes into building these tools for us. I’m simply hoping for more clarity and guidance on the future vision for the product and for a reprieve from having to completely start over with a new workflow.  Looking forward to your thoughts.

[Alan Tubbs]

Next works on both Mac and pc and there are translation tools between the two.  If you use a Mac you may find it useful or have somebody you work with uses apple a sub opens up easy co operation.

[John Vere]

@DescendingIntoVertigo

I think a lot of Cakewalk users will totally agree with your evaluation of the new releases. And yes it’s mostly the unfinished product that is missing a way to customize the graphics. 
 

I think Next was created specifically to finally have a cross platform Cakewalk product. I think it was targeted at the Bandlab App users. Judging by the almost zero activity on the sub forum seems like a bit of a looser in the Daw community. 
 It almost seems like only one person is in its development. It has a potential but there’s way too many other Daw’s that are either free or low cost. 
Removing the instruments from the free version made no sense to me. I won’t bother installing it again. Sad because I like it in strange way. 

I wish them luck. 
 

Sonar was not quickly adopted by Cakewalk users and now they have to decide whether they want to stay on the bus.  

Edited Sunday at 02:52 PM by John Vere

[AB99]

Here is what ChatGPT says about the change to Vector Graphics and maybe it addresses some of the "baffling.".  See below.  I would add one can record with lower latency with the new Sonar than CBB.  That is worth something.

Here is the ChatGPT:
Sonar switched to using vector graphics for several reasons, primarily to enhance the user interface and improve the user experience: 
Scalability and resolution independence: Vector graphics, unlike raster (pixel-based) graphics, are resolution-independent and can be scaled infinitely without losing quality or becoming pixelated. This is crucial for adapting to a variety of screen resolutions and sizes, especially with the prevalence of high-resolution displays (like 4K). Vector graphics ensure that the interface remains crisp and sharp regardless of how users scale the application or elements within it.
Clean and modern look: Vector graphics allow for a cleaner and more streamlined user interface design, which aligns with modern UI trends.
Enhanced readability: DPI awareness and clearer rendering of fonts and graphics contribute to a more comfortable and readable interface, particularly on high-resolution displays where text might otherwise appear blurry.
Flexibility and future development: Using a vector-based framework provides greater flexibility for future UI enhancements and cross-platform compatibility, making it easier to evolve and adapt the software. 
While some users might initially find the change in appearance jarring or prefer the older look, the shift to vector graphics ultimately aims to provide a more modern, scalable, and visually consistent user experience for Sonar users. 

[Wookiee]

Grand total of three posts since 27th of July 2020 when you joined all rants about product.

Regarding you lifetime licence go talk to the company that sold it to you Gibson. They still own Cakewalk Inc. SONAR Platinum, Professional and Studio by Gibson. Bandlab Technologies did not purchase the company or any of its commitments. They only purchased the intellectual property rights, big difference. 

If you don't like the new Sonar or Next products there is a simple solution don't use them, there is plenty of other DAW's out there.

[Bob Bentley]

Personally, I do understand the moans and groans because I've been a Cakewalk User for many moons now, have Sonar Professional and CbB and find the graphical change to the UI disappointing.  I have used the Mercury theme on all the previous versions, it resembles the real sliders and knobs enough to make the whole process seem natural and comfortable for me.  I was immediately put off by the flat appearance of the new Sonar, I just don't like it - that's just a fact, and a genuine disappointment.   

I now do have a choice to make; whether to try and get my one year fee refunded and go back to either CbB or even Sonar Professional, or just grit my teeth and accept what I've just paid for.

 

[dantarbill]

Oddly enough...I really like the new "flat" interface.  (I can't speak for "Next" though.)  I've been on all the variations since the Cakewalk DOS sequencer just prior to version 2.0.  This one makes me smile the most.

[Mark Morgon-Shaw]

On 7/20/2025 at 8:55 AM, Wookiee said:

If you don't like the new Sonar or Next products there is a simple solution don't use them, there is plenty of other DAW's out there.

Telling people to “just don’t use it” isn’t exactly helpful, especially when folks have sunk years into this ecosystem. 

[Wookiee]

8 hours ago, Mark Morgon-Shaw said:

Telling people to “just don’t use it” isn’t exactly helpful, especially when folks have sunk years into this ecosystem. 

Perfectly valid suggestion to someone who has clearly stated they don't like the way it looks, or did you not read the entire thread, no surprise there. Would you buy a car, or cooker, fridge, boat, guitar, synth, you don't like the look of?

[Sidney Earl Goodroe]

In simple speak, 

IF YOU DON'T THINK THIS NEW LOOK IS HARD ON YOUR EYES,

TRY WORKING ON A PROJECT AND STARING AT THAT SCREEN FOR 5 OR 6 HOURS STRAIGHT!!

NEXT STOP: OPTOMETRIST!!!

[Wookiee]

39 minutes ago, Sidney Earl Goodroe said:

In simple speak, 

IF YOU DON'T THINK THIS NEW LOOK IS HARD ON YOUR EYES,

TRY WORKING ON A PROJECT AND STARING AT THAT SCREEN FOR 5 OR 6 HOURS STRAIGHT!!

NEXT STOP: OPTOMETRIST!!!

I have, I have also worn appropriate glasses for computer work, none of the numerous iterations of Cakewalk's GUI have ever caused me visual problems.

[Sidney Earl Goodroe]

All I am trying to say is ,for me, my job is a lot easier with a little more attention to some eye candy for me to stare at for so many hours a day plus days of the week!

[Helios.G]

10 hours ago, Wookiee said:

I have, I have also worn appropriate glasses for computer work, none of the numerous iterations of Cakewalk's GUI have ever caused me visual problems.

There's been enough complaints brought up about a lack of color customization to make it a reasonable issue to discuss.  I've used sonar since version 3, and when they went with dark waveforms years ago, I was glad to have the them editor, because it allowed me to change waveforms to what was easy for my eyes to see.  I have vision problems, and the black on black is difficult to edit in without ending in migraines eventually.  Telling people to get lost is not exactly a way to grow the user base, which I'm assuming bandlab wants to do with this product.  I get defending it, I love sonar, but there's gotta be a balance between defending the product and working with the user base that's going to evangelize it to everyone if they love it... or not.

[Noel Borthwick]

There is a fine line between expressing personal opinion / usability feedback respectfully and throwing generalizations around which is why some threads are getting locked. 
We all know that some users dislike a flat look. Literally any change to UI is going to be divisive. We went through the same thing when the UI was changed in X1.

It's been explained innumerable times that this decision was made to make the UI scalable on high resolution displays to handle modern high DPI displays. The approach of using bitmaps which is the only feasible way to handle 3d like imagery, like in past versions of Sonar is gone. And before you ask, there are no plans to have both images and vectors - its simply not feasible to do. 
That said there are some legit complaints about improving things for users with vision impairments or special contrast requirements and in time we'll do it. There are also plans to add better color customization that should alleviate most of the concerns about contrast etc.

FWIW. As a counterpoint, I wear glasses and I stare at the Sonar screen for 8-10 hours a day as part of my work. I find Sonar infinitely easier on my eyes than Cbb where I'm always trying to focus past all the graphics clamoring for attention. If anything, that causes more eyestrain for me. I use the dark gray theme fwiw. 

Many if not most users have adjusted to the new theming, some quicker than others.

[Noel Borthwick]

7 hours ago, Sidney Earl Goodroe said:

All I am trying to say is ,for me, my job is a lot easier with a little more attention to some eye candy for me to stare at for so many hours a day plus days of the week!

I get some users want "eye candy" and its a personal preference. OTOH, its actually more fatiguing to stare at a photorealistic screen for some people for many hours in a day because there is too much detail.

[Chaps]

I uninstalled CbBL so I would be more motivated to get used to the new Sonar UI. Am I completely happy with it? No, but then again I'm not paying anything for it. I'm grateful to still have something I am very familiar with on the increasingly infrequent times I work on my music. I realize it is still a work in progress and am confident that it will change over time to become more friendly to more people, because that's a good business model.

[Kevin Walsh]

I use the dark grey screen as well.  Using it is not my job but I do like the new UI better. I hope you get to a point where it's usable for you.

Edited 20 hours ago by Kevin Walsh

[User 905133]

2 hours ago, Noel Borthwick said:

That said there are some legit complaints about improving things for users with vision impairments or special contrast requirements and in time we'll do it. There are also plans to add better color customization that should alleviate most of the concerns about contrast etc.

Thanks!