Braintree update. A little messy don't you think?

It would be helpful if exclusive content was in a separate installer rather than requiring the user to make special provisions for handling the content. It still can still be done. The content will effectively be gone in the next series of installers but Cakewalk should know who was a member in Feb. It is going to be increasingly difficult to manage reinstalling the product if one cannot rely on a complete set of installers from the manufacturer.

I understand but throwing the onus on the user to keep track of bonus content is a poor choice. Instead of being able to rely on a series of Cakewalk installers to get back to a full version of Platinum the user will be expected to run a series of installers and then use whatever plan they have to get back to a full version of SONAR. Even as jacked up as my account currently is, up until the most recent reorganization in January, I was able to download exclusive content from previous versions of SONAR from my store account. Most of those files were deleted in January. I still see a few but have no expectation they will be available for long. The new SONAR and current account handling reinforces my belief that I cannot rely on my account for anything other than a portal for downloading purchases one time and I must keep track of all files and registration information.

I really don't care where Cakewalk chooses to install their product. I can handle that. I just want to be able to rely on Cakewalk providing the product in a way that I can install it on a new machine a year from now. As it stands, I cannot rely on Cakewalk providing a complete version of Platinum even if I need to install it 2 months from now.

Anderton

scook
I just want to be able to rely on Cakewalk providing the product in a way that I can install it on a new machine a year from now. As it stands, I cannot rely on Cakewalk providing a complete version of Platinum even if I need to install it 2 months from now.

Are you sure that's the case?... You'd miss out on any content that's only available exclusively with a particular past release, but if you created a copy as you went along after downloading, you'd still have it available to install (basically what you would need to do if you downloaded a sample library from Big Fish or whatever).
 

This is the point. Cakewalk shifts the burden to me. Up until last month, I could rely on Cakewalk for copies of content which they provided with previous versions. Now, without notice, that content was removed and now with Brainfree we are not told but figure out that we are expected to keep track of all future content starting today. I don't see Cakewalk as a Big Fish or whatever you choose to call them. It represents an unwelcome change in how Cakewalk is handling their product. I can deal with it but it just complicates what use to be a fairly simple process of going to my account, collecting what constituted SONAR and installing. In quick order, Cakewalk introduces a overly simplistic front end for installing their product and complicates the users life further by requiring them to keep track of parts of the product which will not be in the installers beyond one month.

Anderton
, but if you created a copy as you went along after downloading, you'd still have it available to install (basically what you would need to do if you downloaded a sample library from Big Fish or whatever).

Wouldn't a Big Fish provide their sample library as a zip file or installer and not require the user to create their own from the installed content?

Anderton
 
And I assume you haven't used Bark of Dog if you think it's a "special effect." Try it next time you need to separate kick from bass, or do narration. A very similar plug-in from a different company costs $150

Bark of the Dog has always been free and available as a VST for some time. It is nice to have PC format but not necessary if someone wanted to use the plug-in.

scook
 
It represents an unwelcome change in how Cakewalk is handling their product. I can deal with it but it just complicates what use to be a fairly simple process of going to my account, collecting what constituted SONAR and installing. In quick order, Cakewalk introduces a overly simplistic front end for installing their product and complicates the users life further by requiring them to keep track of parts of the product which will not be in the installers beyond one month.

I definitely understand what you're saying, but I don't think it's going to be as worst-case as you fear. A significant conceptual change is that Cakewalk is now becoming a content provider, and merging that aspect with SONAR. Content was never a big part of Cakewalk's gestalt; the same loops have been in there since the dawn of time. The FX chains I came up with were, I believe, the first FX Chain additions since X1. Ditto the ProChannel presets. Those are probably bad examples because they will be considered part of the program, but you get my drift. Cakewalk has pretty much worked only on features and fixes, so any content came about because of arrangements with third parties (even things like Rapture or Dim Pro presets).
 
In the case of Brian's loops, they were created as a commercial product (by an artist with various contracts and encumbrances regarding his work) to be sold like any other loop library. Fortunately, because he's a SONAR user he was kind enough to let members have them for free, AND convince his business manager it was a cool thing to do, but the caveat was one month only. Piracy for commercially available loop libraries is bad enough without having one available for free in perpetuity. Cakewalk could have said "No, we don't want to give people your loops for free for a month, people will complain they're not a permanent part of the installer and that will look bad." But for better or for worse, they made the loops available. (The only reason the Steinberger Rapture pack is also one month only is because it uses the chromatic samples from the loop library.)
 
So basically, after a month the loop library ceases to exist except as a commercial product. But "early adopters" of the membership program will have gotten it for free. The tradeoff of getting it for free is users have to take the responsibility (at least for now) of backing it up, as they would with commercial loop libraries they download from third-party content providers. 
 
All the official statements from Cakewalk indicate they're going to be pretty liberal about what will be part of the program as opposed to exclusive to one particular release. The reality is that this kind of content simply would not have been in SONAR before, so the company has no experience yet with how best to deal with it. 
 
I believe your issue is concern about the addition, or re-installation, of this content being handled in an inelegant or "user-hostile" manner going forward. However, this is the first membership release and only a little more than a month after a major release. Cakewalk pays attention to these forums and I would be extremely surprised if course corrections weren't made over time to take care of issues that weren't thought out well enough beforehand. But that's the advantage of this system. Changes that respond to user feedback can happen relatively quickly; the bug fix list is a good example.