Thank you for bring to me some hope,
 
Well if I have been 6 years Cakewalk customer is because the company have been great to me. Maybe I just pass for a difficult time and the only way that I got to communication is thru the forum.
 
 
Best regards,

Only question that I have in regards to Splatlifetime. Is melodyne an add on? Since its made by a third party it could be considered non core.. but its features are quite integrated into the core program. Can anyone clarify this?

Cubarecords2014
Hello guys,
 
Very sad for me after 6 years  with Cakewalk I had purchased the  Lifetime Updates for $ 229  and 3 day later they sent to me an email offer of $136 so I contact customer support to try to get back $93 from my credit card and no anwser after 3 day. I really feel very bad about it.
 
Thanks

I never received an email offer of $136 for lifetime updates? Is that for Platinum?

Gee. I take a month's holiday riding my bike around this great country, and come back to some big changes and this awesome thread  Well, I would have already signed up for my extra $99, but I needed more beer money while I've been away, so I thank Cakewalk for the courtesy of a couple months to cough up my moolah.
 
Seriously, a big thanks, because I not only see this as a great offer and investment, but because there has been some good will gone into this as well. Sure, I understand the business case, but I win too. And when the announcement for Mac hit, well, it all made sense, but that's OK too. More future, more development, better product. Can't really argue with that. Not too many DAWS really moving ahead in my view. Well done Cake. I'm in, just in a couple more pays

Anderton

Brian Walton

Elffin
Only question that I have in regards to Splatlifetime. Is melodyne an add on? Since its made by a third party it could be considered non core.. but its features are quite integrated into the core program. Can anyone clarify this?

Well it comes with it now but as far as update for life (i.e. core vs non-core), I think it is reasonable to assume that there is not guarantee that 15 years from now when Celemony makes another update that the Essential version may or may not get the "free upgrade."  It is 100% a separate company, simple as that.  

 
While I don't think anyone knows the answer for sure, from a business standpoint it could make good sense for Celemony to continue to offer upgrades. Although Essentials is powerful, it's also the best advertisement possible to convince people to upgrade to a higher version - after seeing what Melodyne does with monophonic audio, the possibilities of processing polyphonic audio look pretty alluring.
 
I would not have upgraded to Studio if I hadn't played with Essentials, but am very glad I did. I suspect I'm not an isolated case.
 

Because they included it in X3 and had the upgrade to Editor for $150, I jumped on it.  When they offered the upgrade from Editor 2 to Studio 4 for about the same, I also did that because of the integration with Sonar and the tempo mapping.  
 
So they got about $300 from me in 2 years, and I wouldn't have given them a Dime if it wasn't for the initial inclusion in Sonar.  
 
I actually haven't used it for pitch correction on a single project so far.  
 
Audio to Midi, Tempo Mapping + the Sound Editor tools will get some use though.

Brian Walton

Anderton 
I would not have upgraded to Studio if I hadn't played with Essentials, but am very glad I did. I suspect I'm not an isolated case.

Because they included it in X3 and had the upgrade to Editor for $150, I jumped on it.  When they offered the upgrade from Editor 2 to Studio 4 for about the same, I also did that because of the integration with Sonar and the tempo mapping.  
 
So they got about $300 from me in 2 years, and I wouldn't have given them a Dime if it wasn't for the initial inclusion in Sonar.  
 
I actually haven't used it for pitch correction on a single project so far.  
 
Audio to Midi, Tempo Mapping + the Sound Editor tools will get some use though.

Same here, except that I have in fact got some decent use out of it. Not much, mind you, that I couldn't have done with just Essential, but it's nice to have options...

Hi,
 
I just read Mr Bourthwick's open letter to all of us. I wholeheartedly support Rolling updates and am very happy to subscribe to them. What makes me nervous as a user is the limited nature of the lifetime offer and the pricing behind it. I do want to see CW thrive and survive, but having recently upgraded to Platinum, I am disturbed to be asked to pay to upgrade again with only a couple of months of my existing "upgrade" fee utilised. I know its a one off offer, but we have a saying in the UK about "throwing good money after bad" and I would like to have some comment made on this by CW.
(I apologise if this has bean dealt with in pages 11 - 14 of this thread, but I was loosing the will to live with all of the people telling me its "gonna be alright"). Is it though?
 
Best Regards (and in the hope that CW CTO reads this thread)
 
marko burrows

bapu
 
Not to be snarky ....

Man, I love their tuners.  
 
I agree, Ed, for those so very afraid of going with the Lifetime membership....just continue to pay monthly.  No, big deal.  

Funny how this stuff works.   You know, from a "human nature" perspective. 

So, I think there's a cultural thing here. I got this in my email this morning. Remember I am British, 1000 years of saying sorry when we step on people's toes, reserved, and overly aggressive when confronted. Maybe we see things differently from our American cousins.
 
To answer Bapu, I'm sorry Mate but you are being "Snarky". I'm looking for reassurance, the "good money after bad comment" was made to explain my anxiety. I don't know what your circumstances are, but I do know what mine are and I make decisions coloured by circumstances.
 
Let me put the same question as if I were an "American" (Which of course I am not so apologies in advance)
 
By telling us (the customer base) why CW have decided on the limited nature of the offer they may allay the anxiety of the customer base, who like me, are anxious about the offer and make even more money from their limited offer.
 
So, I am looking for further explanation.
 
Oh, and by the way, I do think you would laugh at me in three years time. I can't "kick myself in the Arse" because despite being British, my legs don't bend that way; And you have a CA address but you use "Arse" rather than "Ass". Do you have links with Britan.
 
Kind Regards
 
Marko
 

bapu
Marko,
 
Not to be snarky but what kind of comment do you want from Noel?
 
That you actually ARE throwing good money after bad? Or that you are making an investment in yours and CWs future?
 
Which do you think he will actually make?
 
BTW, no one is forcing you to go with lifetime support. It's optional.
 
If you're afraid, don't do it.
 
Then in three years of (probably) paying renewal fees you'll probably kick yourself in the arse. But I will not laugh at you then. I promise.

Dear Lord Tim,
 
Sorry, I don't think I'll ever get used to these Aliases...
 
Thank you for a carefully thought out and measured response. It hadn't occurred to me that anyone would be offended by my question and to those I have inadvertently offended I apologise...unreservedly. Thank you, Lord Tim, for pointing out my error.
 
It is clear that my question to CW is being misunderstood by many. I am not criticising you, Bapu or anybody else for the buying decisions you have made. I am sure they are correct. I really appreciate you commenting on my question as you have taken the time to explain your buying decision and your admiration of the Cakewalk brand and the people who work there in order to allay my anxiety. You obviously think I don't share your opinion of the People at CW, in fact I do, and in the past it has been a great company, and I am sure it will be a great one in the future - even with the involvement of Gibson. A company that I have a poor opinion (but that is my own and I will keep it to myself). The people at CW have always been great, if not a little US centric (I regularly remind people in the US that the exchange rate between £ and $ is not 1:1) ☺
 
Mr Borthwick, the CTO of CW, sent me (and admittedly others) an open letter into our email inboxes. Despite my best efforts (Which are not always adequate), I could not find a response mechanism to ask for further clarification. So I put a response in this forum in the hope that a CW employee would bring it to his attention and he would respond to my query. Now it's nice of you to respond to me, and I am sure Bapu feels he is helping, but I was hoping to gain Me Borthwick's attention and garner a response.
 
You and Babu have decided that the lifetime updates are for you. That's great. But I would suggest that Mr Borthwick did not send that email to attract you to take advantage of CW's offer a second time (after all under the terms of the offer that would be impossible), I humbly suggest to you that the email was sent by CW to attract the late adopters into taking the offer. People like me...
 
So, I saw my question was an opportunity for CW to convince me to scrap 10 months of investment and drop them a bit more cash - early - just by telling me (and the rest of the customer base) why the offer was limited. They don't have to do so, and as Bapu so succinctly pointed out. I don't have to take up CW's offer. For me, rewarding the customer base is a little hard to accept because they are in business. In all models of business, you make an offer to a target group of potential buyers and they take it up in a contract - or they do not.
 
That is why I really liked your TV analogy. Indeed, in retail you often see offers where items are marked down as a loss leader to get customers into the store and they return to a higher price at a later date. But to be attractive to the customer base you need to appeal to people who want to by a TV - and if you are not in the market - you don't notice the offer. (you know another one will come around eventually). That is why your analogy is so great. It sums up the whole discussion. No one is trying to disparage CW. No-one is having a go at those who have taken the offer up. Its just some of us need a little more nudging to convince us we "need" the offer and we are inviting CW to expand the information they have offered.
 
But, (and I know it's bad grammar to start a sentence with But - however, I have little or no education and I am just trying to communicate), But - it seems that I have failed in my objective for clarification and have attracted Babu's ridicule and wasted your time by encouraging you to encourage me to purchase the offer. I apologise to you Sir, and I thank you again for taking your valuable time in an effort to help me.
 
I shall now retire from this thread - hurt, bloodied and humbled.
 
Kind regards
 
Marko
Entertaining the few since 1962
Remember "Reprehensible behaviour" s always Reprehensible and Perception IS reality.

markoburrows
Mr Borthwick, the CTO of CW, sent me (and admittedly others) an open letter into our email inboxes. Despite my best efforts (Which are not always adequate), I could not find a response mechanism to ask for further clarification. So I put a response in this forum in the hope that a CW employee would bring it to his attention and he would respond to my query. Now it's nice of you to respond to me, and I am sure Bapu feels he is helping, but I was hoping to gain Me Borthwick's attention and garner a response.
 
So, I saw my question was an opportunity for CW to convince me to scrap 10 months of investment and drop them a bit more cash - early - just by telling me (and the rest of the customer base) why the offer was limited. They don't have to do so, and as Bapu so succinctly pointed out. I don't have to take up CW's offer. For me, rewarding the customer base is a little hard to accept because they are in business. In all models of business, you make an offer to a target group of potential buyers and they take it up in a contract - or they do not.
 

 
Hi Mark,
 
Thanks for your message. The purpose of my letter was not so much for marketing but to bring some clarity into the underlying reasons why we adopted rolling updates and lifetime updates. Any change brings many questions from people and its often difficult to address them all even though the FAQ at the top of this forum clarifies some of them. 
 
Anyway I'm puzzled why you consider us offering lifetime updates is equivalent to "convince me to scrap 10 months of investment and drop them a bit more cash". Are you paying monthly?
 
Keep in mind that the monthly payment option is solely there for two reasons:
- to have an affordable way to make non consecutive payments. i.e. for user who don't necessarily want to plunk down money to own the product
- to allow users who want to own the product a way to make incremental payments. i.e. like lease to own.
 
If you are in the above category then you implicitly do not own Platinum yet since you have not completed 12 consecutive months of payment. As such if you need lifetime membership you pay the standard price. 
On the other hand, users who purchased an annual membership upfront this year, get discounted pricing on a lifetime update.
 
We're offering lifetime updates for users who have committed to using SONAR for a long time. i.e. if you even use it two years you have covered the extra cost. If you plan on using SONAR for a year or more its an attractive option to go with lifetime updates since you never need to worry about keeping the software up to date. If on the other hand you prefer going month to month for any reason then you can keep doing so.
 
Not sure if I answered your question but hope this clarifies things a bit.

Dear Mr Borthwick,
 
Thank you so much for responding to my submission to your forum. I had decided to let this go, but Cowboydan (Still struggle with these aliases) sent such a nice comment I wanted to mark it as useful.
 
Both Cowboydan and yourself have convinced me that I am indeed an idiot and unable to communicate clearly. I did say "to convince me to scrap 10 months of investment" by which I mean, I upgraded to the Annual Platinum two months ago and therefore have 10 months to run. In my simple mind that means that if I upgrade again now - I will "waste" the 10 months I have yet to run before my subscription has competed. I am sorry for the confusion.
 
Without causing further confusion - (and I understand that as an upgrader of only two months and not having renewed that subscription I am not eligible for any discount - that is not where I am coming from), my concern/anxiety/need for clarification comes from the "limited" nature of the offer. August 31st looms and I am a pessimist.
 
I can understand that you want to offer updates to people who have committed to Sonar for a long time, and I would indeed like to consider myself one of those people, having moved from X3, through Artist, and then Professional and now Platinum. That to me is a commitment. If you had advertised Lifetime updates as a Platinum+ option without a deadline I would have possibly just jumped and paid the money up to you. But there is this deadline; and I wanted to know a little more about it - because my brain creates scenarios. I have imagination and sometimes it is a curse...
 
So, If you see my point and would be good enough to elaborate on the statement you made in your last paragraph to encompass the decision to utilise a deadline I would be very grateful
 
Yours sincerely
 
 
 
Mark Burrows

Hi Mark
The deadline would seem to be the right thing to do as Cakewalk is a business. By that I am saying that Cakewalk cannot give everyone a lifetime update for the price that they are offering now. They would be soon out of business.
As far as the 10 months go, you could see it as trading your 10 months of Sonar for the lifetime update and never have to pay any more for the program. Every year has been $199 per year or you get lucky with a discount at the time to upgrade. For you it would be $199 one time for the rest of Sonar's life. Life expectancy for Sonar software would be at least 10-15 years. Unlike food, you don't have to refrigerate it and it wont go bad.
It is your choice.
 
Danny