Comments on: BandLab Will Discontinue FREE Cakewalk DAW, Sonar Returning

By: Rob Bolling

Rob Bolling — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 18:02:34 +0000

In reply to MJR. FACT

By: Xere

Xere — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 17:24:06 +0000

In reply to Nonya. Yeah...you sure they r the greedy one?

By: Kevin

Kevin — Thu, 14 Sep 2023 20:12:53 +0000

I’ve been a long time CW/Sonar user (Since Sonar 7). It’s not the only DAW I own, but it is the only DAW I’ve really used. I own Ableton, Reaper and Studio 1 but Sonar is the DAW that fits my mindset recording, mixing and mastering. The Bandlab version is quite good, they’ve done an amazing job killing some long-standing bugs. I don’t mind them giving the paid model a try again for Sonar, if the product is worth it I will pay for it. I hope CW does well with it, it deserves some love. Their other new product, Next, is completely new and reportedly it will run on both Mac and PC. I’ve very interested in where they go with this one. Best of luck to Cake and Bandlab.

By: rm

rm — Sun, 16 Jul 2023 18:37:06 +0000

I think cakewalk/sonar/bandlab or whatever the next form will be –may become a distributor as they have picked up this guy

https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2023/05/kevin-breuner-exits-cd-baby-after-17-years-to-join-bandlab.html

By: just-a-loop

just-a-loop — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 05:39:51 +0000

I’ve been using Cakewalk for my last tunes, and I’m quite content with it. Hopefully it will keep on working and not suddenly be broken. As the support discontinues, reinstalling the software could become a problem?

By: pacmusik

pacmusik — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 18:31:13 +0000

Something about this was suspected, before there were monthly updates and they stopped delivering them months ago. Now, it’s been a while since with the latest version I’m suffering from unexpected shutdowns, at least once a day, does it only happen to me?

By: Nonya

Nonya — Sun, 11 Jun 2023 23:59:04 +0000

I won’t pay for it.. it was hardly worth paying for when it was sonar.. its why i basically stopped using it i knew one day they’d get greedy and if we’re talking about paid DAWs there are far better options its only change was ever to be free and let the community make it into something. now it will die again in a paid model

By: Matt

Matt — Sun, 11 Jun 2023 22:48:08 +0000

will be interesting to see how this plays out. Hopefully not a “subscription” price. We all know how THAT played out… never again.

And probably no chance in hell but I wish they would bring back P5! Now that was a cool little program.

By: Jim Waterman

Jim Waterman — Sat, 10 Jun 2023 16:18:32 +0000

Hmm – gets expensive paying a bunch of former Cakewalk coders. They did a great job with the improvements and continued bug fixes, runs very nicely now. I too was a former Cakewalk/Sonar user since Win 9x. Reading between the lines, I can see ‘Next’ having a free option, a stripped down and simplified CbB, and Sonar being the next release of Cakewalk by Bandlab. Was very happy to have continuation since I have hundreds of mixes on Sonar, but my old X3 version still runs. Thanks BandLab for 5 years of free support, seemed unlikely that it was supportable forever. Please do not replace with a cloud based version.

By: Kevin Lawrence

Kevin Lawrence — Fri, 09 Jun 2023 21:34:25 +0000

In reply to Phil Huston. Well Said. I take it personally when software companies betray us. Yes, Gibson did it. Now BandLab is doing it.I had been a die hard Cakewalk user (since it first arrived in the Jurassic age. I no longer trust that there will be a steady, reliable hand on the cakewalk tiller. I am looking around, something I never felt I had to do previously..

By: Phil Huston

Phil Huston — Fri, 09 Jun 2023 19:58:03 +0000

In reply to Nine. So far they've been reliable and hit their targets, if slow.

By: Phil Huston

Phil Huston — Fri, 09 Jun 2023 19:52:51 +0000

The naming schemes smack directly of Magix, Acid Next, Next Suite, etc. Bandlab is obviously looking for a distribution increase through a one-off pay or portal rent scheme. The whole portal thing is becoming a real pain in the ass. I wonder when we’re all going to go find our spines again and say “Enough. I bought it, it’s mine and I don’t need it to phone home every time I use it!” Even the free stuff has a captive eco system. Labs, Soundpaint, etc. Even the freebies that come with Arturia hardware phone home every day. I say Cakewalk can have that cluttered GUI and dodgy two step loop stretching as, like Studio one, they want to charge for marginal improvements and ten year old plugs and a loop library that’s a 90s time capsule. So…2there are talented people out there and the SDKs are mature, let’s see if anyone has a better idea in the pipeline.