Wow,.....just effin wow. I've been using Cakewalk since the early 90's. Didn't see this coming but I guess that firing Craig should have been a clue that something was up. The loss money spent on the "lifetime" updates is a bit annoying too. Gibson will have to make something outta this world in order for me to buy another product from them. 
On another note, thanks to all the Cakewalk employees for their great service over the years and also thanks to everyone who has made this forum such a great learning tool. Hope it stays up a while longer. 
Now, guess I'm off to learning how to use Studio One 3.5 better. 
Best regards to all,
Al

"Sonar now boasts a powerful new line up designed to meet the needs of any musician, regardless of skill level or budget. You always get the latest and greatest version no matter when you make your purchase. In addition, enjoy 12 months of rolling updates and keep everything you received - forever."
 
I enjoyed about 17 months - that's 5 months more than they promised. And I'll keep SPLAT on my desktop 'til my SDD drops dead.

I guess its time to choose a new DAW and bounce all my current projects' audio files, just in case.
 
Thanks, Cakewalk. I recorded and mixed some very nice albums on Sonar (7 to Platinum).

So until today when I opened Sonar it would tell me that I needed to renew my membership or it will go in to Demo Mode. Today it was in 10 days.. I didn't renew though yet as I'm not sure what to do after what is happening. But now I open Sonar and it doesn't prompt me to renew the subscription.. If I go to cakewalk store to try to renew it shows the site is down. 
 
Now.. I go in to Help>About and it shows that it is valid until 6/15/2018.. So that is my deadline to find another DAW if nothing else positive happens with Cakewalk?

Ron2112
 
Yeesh.  You should have read the whole thread.  Sounds like monthly subscribers are getting converted into "lifetime" accounts, with full functionality unlocked.
 
Cakewalk is apparently doing the right thing.  You guys panicking is not helping things at all.  Never seen more misinformation spread as I have in the last couple days.

It isn't that simple. Many people paid quite a bit more for a lifetime subscription. Where are their refunds?

tonyzub999
So does this an I will get a refund on the annual fee I just paid a couple weeks ago on their "sale" . They had to know then that this was coming.

Same here....I hope that they will do the right thing and reimburse us!

Sad news, indeed.
 
I still have Cakewalk 1.0 floppies around here somewhere.
 
Severe Tire Damage, first band on the internet, used Cakewalk/SONAR forever. And on all my professional audio work, too. And I promoted it in my book "Digital Audio". I think there was a demo copy included with the book (this was a long time ago).
 
Thanks Cakewalk!

It would be very nice if just once companies and corporations would consult the CUSTOMERS in addition to the stockholders before making decisions like this.
 
John B.

I just wanted to thank the mods for all their work helping us mortal users get around the correct way to do a task;
John, Steve Cook, Craig and the others.  Without your help and guidance, this would have been ugly.  Us old farts are either stuck in our ways, or hiding under the bed.
 
Hope to see you down the road.
 
Clint
 
 

Well this is very upsetting news as I was really getting the hang of using Sonar. Bummer. I wish all the Cakewalk employees the best. So much for the 30 year specials. This must of been the surprise they were talking about. Was there an email sent to us user that I missed? I just happened to be checking out the forum today and found out. In the mist of also building a new computer to run it. Any suggestions on a new DAW? 
 

To all the diligent folks behind the development of Sonar.... For all the hard work, time and focu that you gave us...Thank you.

What to say,....

First, commiserations and very best wishes to all at Cakewalk. And thanks for building the best Windows DAW, even if it somehow never got the recognition it deserved.

Also commiserations to all who rely on Sonar for their living. I’m sure you can do without the hassle and expense of having to change DAW.

As many probably have noticed, my personal journey with Sonar has gradually wound up over the last year or so having used it for many years. Not because I don’t like Sonar or prefer another DAW, I simply do not like the way Windows has been going since Win8. The only PC we have was the Sonar one, everything else being Apple for some time - and then the PC got increasingly unreliable so the question became “new PC and Win10.... or Mac and Logic?” Apple won that one for all kinds of reasons, none connected with Sonar..

I really hoped the “Sonar for Mac” thing would materialise as a capable DAW. When it didn’t I wasn’t entirely surprised - a new product in that market has to be 100% right from the off to stand a chance, especially if it comes from an established company. So not surprised, but disappointed.

The “lifetime updates” thing did make a few faint warning bells sound - often that kind of thing is done by a company which needs to raise capital very quickly and is willing to forego future sales in exchange for the capital. There can be many reasons for that, not all of them good or reassuring ones.

It was Craig Anderton’s departure from Gibson which got the sirens wailing.

So I’m not entirely surprised at what’s happened, though I’d much prefer it hadn’t. No company is guaranteed succcess or even survival, but that’s no consolation for those on the sharp end as employees or customers.

Thanks also to all the people who’ve made this forum what it is. A rare oasis of (mostly) sanity, tolerance, knowledge and sense and with probably the highest signal to noise ratio of any forum of its kind. I’ve learned a lot from you over the years, so thanks everyone.

Scott Reams

Matron Landslide

dopderbeck
 
I'm a lawyer.  I think there could be a basis for a class action.  

I'm a Psychiatrist. I think there could be a good chance you're delusional.

 
I wouldn't be sure about that. If it could be shown that Gibson knew it would be shutting down Cakewalk before it instituted it's lifetime updates policy, there would be excellent cause for a lawsuit.
 

I'm a gardener I'm going to miss the entertainment value of this forum

Johnbee58
It would be very nice if just once companies and corporations would consult the CUSTOMERS in addition to the stockholders before making decisions like this.
 
John B.

I just think, surely there is still a bunch of customers who would pay money for sonar, even if cakewalk was cut back to one staff member, it just seems like such a waste to completely kill the product......and surely its worth selling

Johnbee58
I was seriously considering upgrading my X3 to Professional, but in lieu of this, I think I'll upgrade my Reason 7.1 to Reason 10.  They allow third party plugins now and they have a much better mixer anyway.
 
John B.

at least this happened before you upgraded.......I was weighing up a year ago whether I should spend "all" my money on studio one, pro tools, reason or just get a mac with garage band etc......I chose sonar, and spent so much money on sonar.........anyway, I have a copy of studio one 3 artist which came with my presonous mixer and sound card