What are the options for 30+ year users?

[Tim Godfrey]

I've been using Cakewalk since it was a DOS program from Twelve Tone Systems. 

I purchased the "lifetime updates" for Sonar before Cakewalk went under. 

Now it appears that I am losing the right to keep using CWB in its current form.  I'm fine with offering "extras" for a price, but taking away what has been paid for by many of is is totally unacceptable. 

I am not interested in subscription software. Period.  I'll pay for upgrade when they make sense, but I expect to be able to use software I purchase for as long as I wish.

If there is no option for perpetual license for the new Sonar, I suppose I'll have to uninstall CWB and go back to my original Sonar Platinum. That has all the features I need. 

Are there any other options? 

 

[Glenn Stanton]

check the numerous other threads but basically you bought DAW software from Gibson. Gibson terminated the product line. Bandlab purchased a bunch of the rights for the software. Bandlab then released a free version, and now under the Cakewalk moniker, two new products Sonar and Next. 

i purchased the lifetime updates from Gibson as well. yes, you can use Gibson Sonar Platinum for as long as your OS will support it. 

fwiw -- after using CbB for 5 years, i opted to drop 2 Starbucks coffees per month to fund a premium version of Sonar and Next.

There is a free version of Sonar and Next via a free Bandlab membership. There is also a Bandlab paid membership (annual fee) which provides you access to the "premium" versions of Sonar and Next (and bunch of other stuff which may or may not be interesting to you).

 

[Byron Dickens]

1 hour ago, Tim Godfrey said:

I've been using Cakewalk since it was a DOS program from Twelve Tone Systems. 

I purchased the "lifetime updates" for Sonar before Cakewalk went under. 

Now it appears that I am losing the right to keep using CWB in its current form.  I'm fine with offering "extras" for a price, but taking away what has been paid for by many of is is totally unacceptable. 

I am not interested in subscription software. Period.  I'll pay for upgrade when they make sense, but I expect to be able to use software I purchase for as long as I wish.

If there is no option for perpetual license for the new Sonar, I suppose I'll have to uninstall CWB and go back to my original Sonar Platinum. That has all the features I need. 

Are there any other options? 

 

There's only about 852,693 threads on this. 

[Bass Guitar]

You can still use the Software you paid . It’s called Sonar Platinum. 
Cakewalk is based on Platinum but it is a totally different company than Gibson the people that sold you Platinum. It was given away free for a while as bait and switch. So to answer your question you do have 3 options. 

1. Pay rent on Sonar full version 

2. Use the Free version 

3. Use Sonar Platinum ( my favourite option) 

[57Gregy]

55 minutes ago, Bass Guitar said:

bait and switch

I object to your language, John. This term implies a shady business practice, and I don't think that's the case here.
Anyone who thought it would remain free forever was deluding themself.

[Bass Guitar]

It wasn’t me who made this up. Get out there on the internet and see what all the people who once were here are saying. 
This forum has become heavily censored so if this is your only information about Bandlab you need to think outside the box. 
I love Sonar and Im super happy that Platinum is actually way better than I remember it being. 
Hopefully over time things will change and this bad faze will be behind us and we can laugh about it and say “ do you remember back when?”