FanCake
I question though the priority and resources put into this. The idea that Cakewalk doesn't know what to do with it's product is perplexing when you read the forums, there are clearly large gaping holes that need to be plugged within it's existing day to day use, the shortcomings are more than clear and have been stated in these forums again and again.

 
Hi fancake, others already replied to your other points so I won't repeat the explanation.
 
Regarding priority, analytics has been on our do list for several years. We actually had an old school non web enabled variant of this called "Usage logger" which was in the help menu from at least SONAR 8 all the way upto X3. Look in your help menu. Usage logger essentially logged some similar data that analytics, albeit it was completely offline and required the user to manually submit the data - so pretty useless for doing any analysis. As far back as 2000 I think, I had implemented the "Cakewalk problem reporter" which logged some metrics about the project and system state as well. So we've been doing stuff like this for about 15 years! Whats new is this is a more modern and realtime way of accessing similar information. 
Our analytics SDK was developed early last year and used and tested in another product. We've had it sitting on our todo list for about 10 months now to wire it into SONAR. It makes a lot of sense to do it now since we have just started up on a new year of updates and we want to make sure that we are prioritizing the right things and find out which of the new features users are actually making use of. In terms of actual resources it was very easy to inject into SONAR since we had already done this earlier. The first cut of this is super simple and lightweight.

FanCake
It is possible to design features that are simple to use everyday, which have hidden layers of complexity for others who need to tweak, and still have great workflow that suits everybody (simple but not dumbed down either!). It should not be about X customer profile vs Y customer profile think, that mindset worries me to be honest as it is straight out of a marketing handbook, marketing tends to show distorted realities.
 
Again still saying metrics has it's place, not against it, it is useful. I'm just surprised it became such a priority for a small development team. Bit of a waste of time post, thanks for listening anyway.

The italicized text is EXACTLY what we intend to do. Not sure what was said that made you infer otherwise, but if so you can assume the above is our intent.

ampfixer
Most, if not all, the major software packages I have include a check box during the install. It says "would you like to help xxx improve the quality of the product". If you check it then it turns on analytics. I think Cakewalk would be better off if they did this rather than make a huge announcement to say it's coming. The same goes for the LANDR export. Had they just said "hey, now you can directly export to LANDR if you want to use their service", I believe it would have floated by as a non-issue.
 
They seem to delight in bringing the heat upon themselves by advertising new features that really should be non-issues. Analytics, a new export option, a new menu. These are relatively minor changes that Cakewalk turns into major issues. They must like getting kicked every morning. 

You might just be right :) Analytics may be a minor change but unlike many other companies in our space, at Cakewalk we try and engage our users and be upfront about what we do. That is the spirit of the rolling updates program. 

I appreciate the advance notice and will be glad to test all three options. If "Cakewalk Account Connected" is more useful I have no problem with that setting. It might even help to eliminate my odd SONAR use from messing with your analysis.

Paul P
On a legal note, say I kill my wife and then lie that I was at a local bar when it happened.  After a bit of research, the autorities take me in and say they have proof I was at home at the time because Cakewalk analytics recorded that I clicked the Insert Track button shortly before the neighbours called 911.

 
Just participate anonymously. There's no way CW can tie data back to you if you do that. To know who you are, you have to opt in to connect your user account to your activity.
 

I see a couple of issues at play here. In my mind the folks at Cakewalk have done the right thing on several levels, including:

• The have outlined what data they intend to collect. Unlike other software developers who tried to keep their data collection secret, Cakewalk has been open and honest. That speaks well of the company and the developers behind it.
• Users have the option to submit the data anonymously, or to completely shut it off. Again, Cakewalk appears to recognize that the software is yours unlike some other other software companies who collect data whether you want them to or not. With some other companies the only way to prevent them from collecting data is to disconnect from the net. Cakewalk is showing respect to its users, giving them options to control their data submissions; from identifying the user to anonymous collection through no data collection at all.
• There is an old adage that if you are not collecting data on what you are doing, you don't know how well you are doing it. This is nothing new. In medicine we collect data all the time, on everything. Things we thought we knew, we found out later have been wrong, only because we collected the data. While recording software is typically not a 'life or death' product, the concept is the same. Data collection will help them see where they are, and that can lead to improvement.
• There is little doubt that the folks who post on this board are some of the more impassioned users of the software. However, they are likely not only the minority of the users of the board (I would guess that the majority of the users on the board simply read the various forums and never sign up, much less post). They are most definitely in the minority of total Sonar users. It makes little sense for Cakewalk not to work on methods that will help them learn how the largest part of their user base utilizes the software.

In my mind as long as Cakewalk has been honest and upfront with me (as well as everyone on this forum) about how they intend to use my data. They are providing methods that allow me to control it (including having the option to turn it off). As such they will continue to receive my business.

Could it be that many people don't like analystics because they feel that they are being judged? Could you be one of the people that use 3 clicks to accomplish something that could be done with 1 or 2 clicks. Loser. 
 
Nobody likes to think they are being observed and judged, but we can get over it. No single person is that important and each of us is a puzzle piece. There's no picture unless you get enough pieces, and a single piece is of little use.
 
Measure me if you want, I'm a size 11 triple E in a recreational shoe.

Something that concerns me: There are certain features in Platinum that I am hoping fervently will be improved/unmuddled in time, and I try to await these improvements as patiently as possible, realizing that my particular wishes aren't necessarily high priority items.
 
In the meantime, though, I tend to avoid using those features that frustrate me because they, well, frustrate me and get me out of the flow of getting things done as pleasantly as possible. It seems to be that the very features that are very meaningful to me can frustrate me the most (hmmm.... seems like a relationship song is lurking in there somewhere).
 
The day they are improved, though, I will begin to wear those features out with overuse.
 
Analytics would show that skinnybones rarely uses, say, Staff View or Take Lanes or Audio Snap, but not why. It might be logical to conclude that if Staff View isn't being used, it's proof that nobody wants it. The truth might be that I'm dying to use it much much more, but am waiting for the day that it is given a facelift (I'm only using Staff View as an example; I know there have been some improvements made to it recently).  
 
I have seen statistics used by important people in the forums as arguments to justify not updating certain features - I don't want to unwittingly contribute to statistics against the very features I'm hoping will someday be improved.
 
I am not against Analytics per se, but something about it makes me a little uneasy. Thanks for wading through this.
 
LJ
 
 
 

Anderton
Just participate anonymously. There's no way CW can tie data back to you if you do that. To know who you are, you have to opt in to connect your user account to your activity.

 
Unfortunately, the age of trusting what someone claims is long gone and we all know who's to blame for that.  I have nothing in particular against Cakewalk, only that they are promoting their participation in a trend that rubs me the wrong way.  I'm sure I'm not the only one that doesn't like being tracked in any way, shape or form and I feel obliged to voice my opinion, which was solicited.

Paul P
I'm sure I'm not the only one that doesn't like being tracked in any way, shape or form and I feel obliged to voice my opinion, which was solicited.

Well as I said, I turn off location services on my phone. But that's because I'm uniquely identified with that phone. If you choose the anonymous option, Cakewalk won't be tracking you, they'll be tracking program usage. For all they know, a cat somewhere in Iceland is running up and down the keyboard .

 
We might as well just lie down and let someone else take care of our lives.
 

AllanH
I hope you'll think through the analytics data you get. Other vendors have done the same thing, and the general conclusion (from my experience), that Analytics is excellent to understand usage, but is useless to determine features.
 
I few specifics: I wish notation worked well. I gave up on Sonar's notation a while ago and have switched to the PRV. Analytics would indicate that I don't use Notation and that it should not be enhanced. This is exactly the wrong conclusion.
 
I've seen other vendors switch to a voting system where user-proposals for enhancements are documented and voted on. I think I saw a note about something like that in an eZine a few months back.
 
I would suggest you focus on what your customers would like instead of what they do currently.

This is my concern. It's been raised a few times in this thread. I am also disappointed by the lack of movement with Staff View, and I also use PRV in general. Some of the ideas I have for using Staff View just don't happen. So Cakewalk will see that I don't use it, when it and more compositional tools such as some chord tool are exactly what I want Cake to invest time in.
 
I can only hope that as they pick up new customers that come to use staff, they will be able to see they struggle, that it's not intuitive, and in some cases give up. But for the existing users that have given up already, I can't see how it will know what areas they may have given up on already and in some cases use alternatives outside of Sonar to make up for the failing.
 
I would like to see more communication regards the feature request section of the forum, especially as so little seems to come to anything, that it makes me wonder why bother contributing.
 

"Paranoia, the destroyer." ~The Kinks

John T
It's just like Orwell predicted. One day, UI enhancements, the next, fascism. Follows like night follows day.

True, for as long as there are loyal soldiers like you, willing to kill and be killed for a cause they trust, but can never understand.

irvin

John T
It's just like Orwell predicted. One day, UI enhancements, the next, fascism. Follows like night follows day.

True, for as long as there are loyal soldiers like you, willing to kill and be killed for a cause they trust, but can never understand.

And you do?