vmw

jb101
1. If that is the worst case that you can find to accuse Cakewalk of "skulduggery", then it proves my point.

 
 
READ what I wrote "...While that is not skulduggery.....
Calm down and comprehend what is written by people.
I assume the majority of us are going to continue using Sonar - all people are doing in non help requests are expressing concerns, impressions, attitudes - the pros and cons. This forum is gold to cake, marketing and their ultimate owners.

vmw
 

jb101
2.  How do you think Cakewalk profits from this heinous "skulduggery"?  That money does not profit Cakewalk at all, but is passed on to pay for the licence for the MP encoder.

 
 
READ the my last comment in this post and tell me how this license works when you can continue to unlock the MP3 encoder - perhaps that is a lifetime license.
 

jb101My apologies

lfm

Brian Walton
You are completely overlooking the need for any software company to gain new users, not just old ones. 

 
There is nothing like:
a) features(that you really need now)
b) reliability
c) maintenance
d) listen to user feedback(features you want eventually)
e) affordable
that sells a product.
 
When I eventually tested FL Studio they did not have the features part - so no purchase.
I did not care one bit that lifetime updates of something that is not doing the job to start with.
It's enough that one of those rules do not apply to a product/vendor.
 
Even Avid with ProTools thinking they had the market in their palm had to eventually fold to these rules. For a year they thought they could dictate anything - and everybody would have to pay for life.
Not until report after report showed dropping results and stock dropped from $18->$8 were they reacting.
 
Today, not even ProTools is out of pricerange for most people - just about what Platinum costs.
It used to be different.
 

 
Sonar has a long history of rolling out things either before or at the same time as others.  They still plan on monthly updates, so they are clearly focused on remaining relevant.  And sonar offering lifetime updates is clearly a move to get new users and new users are going to be looking for solid/tested and cutting edge.  

History so far has shown very little, if anything at all, of what is top voted on Features & Ideas forum is ever implemented.
 
So why have lifetime updates of something that is never going to implement things that you want down the line.
 
But 2015 was spectacular with Sonar updates, no doubt.
But was anything from topvoted user requests implemented - not that I saw.
 
Maybe my reasoning is different from most and Sonar4Life will be a hit, even in the long run.
I'm sure it's a hit right now just introduced.
And those that sought after a Mac version probably buckle up for life too.
 
Rule d) is what worries me about Sonar....every time topvoted feature request come up for discussion, it's in complete denial from Cakewalk these are fair requests....or doable...or any excuse they can find.
 
So since I'm not signed up for life - my wallet is closed - screaming a statement of discontent.

Noel Borthwick [Cakewalk]

mettelus

Noel Borthwick [Cakewalk]
 
[...] While we are selling lifetime updates the annual option is not available (for platinum). [...]

The wording of this comment is ambiguous. After the life time update period expires, will the annual update option be re-instantiated, or will the monthly payment be the only option left?

There are no plans to exclusively have monthly payments for platinum. Not sure how you inferred that.

Anderton

lfm
History so far has shown very little, if anything at all, of what is top voted on Features & Ideas forum is ever implemented.
 
So why have lifetime updates of something that is never going to implement things that you want down the line.

 
Please remember the multitude of forum requests along the lines of "I don't want new features, I want stability, I want faster operation, and I want fixes." Regardless, while Cakewalk has been taking care of those requests from people, they've also delivered many requested features:
 

• Softube Console 1 support - requested
• Upsampling - requested
• New themes - requested
• Theme editor - requested
• All of the future enhancements like plug-in load balancing, ripple editing, and comping enhancements - requested
• Update to TH3 - requested
• More track color choices - requested
• Melodyne tempo detection - not requested specifically, but the functionality was
• Smart Solo - requested functionality
• Speed improvements and optimizations - requested
• Patch points - requested
• Synth recording - requested 
• Relative video path - requested
• Drum Replacer - requested
• Better mastering tools - requested
• Use same solo and muting on drum maps as instrument tracks - requested
• MIDI engine changes to avoid stuck notes - requested
• Customizable control bar - requested
• The many, many fixes that were based on user requests - requested

 
...as well as features like Mix Recall which may not have specifically been requested, but have ended up being very popular. So I think history has shown that Cakewalk listens to its users. However, I think it also shows that users give less credit when Cakewalk implements what is asked for by a majority of users in multiple places if it doesn't align with their personal priorities. That's just human nature.
 
Also, please remember that there was a backlog of fixes that needed to be made. IIRC the Features and Ideas forum is less than two years old. As just one example, it took over a year to do the Drum Replacer. I don't think Cakewalk introduced Features and Ideas as a way for people to benchmark "See?!? It's been several months and Cakewalk hasn't implemented what I asked for!!" but to collect and then prioritize ideas for future roadmaps, which are becoming more relevant now as backlogs of long-standing fixes and enhancements are being targeted and in the process of being dispatched.
 
People still harp on things like "Well EVERYONE wants better notation! Therefore Cakewalk isn't listening!" First, not everyone (by a long shot) wants better notation, and the user surveys - which are statistically far more valid than cursory analysis of forum posts - bear that out. But second, and much more importantly, Cakewalk is always open to solutions for better notation capabilities. Just because they haven't found something suitable yet doesn't mean that they've stopped looking. Remember, it was said unequivocally in these forums that there would never be any fixes to staff view and that it was a dead issue to Cakewalk. Obviously the first was not true and I can tell you that the second one is not true either. But the company is going to wait until any staff view improvements can be done right, not cause the price to balloon, and cause minimal disruption to the rest of the program and its stability...which is not trivial. Maybe it's doable, maybe not. We'll see. Just because Cakewalk wants to do something doesn't mean they're comfortable with promising, or even hinting, that they will or can.
 
If it's any consolation I'm pushing for improved notation handling so SONAR can earn its rightful place as the DAW of choice in educational institutions. But I don't say they're not listening to me. They're listening. They just haven't found the right solution. I understand.
 

So since I'm not signed up for life - my wallet is closed - screaming a statement of discontent.

 
If Cakewalk's priorities are not in alignment with yours, there are many other options. I say that not in the spirit of "if you don't like it, leave." The only reason I'm using SONAR was because the programs I'd used prior to it were not in alignment with my priorities. I didn't scream a "statement of discontent" in their forums, I switched to SONAR because it was the tool that matched my priorities most closely, and then got on with making music. There are still plenty of people using the programs I used, which is fine with me...and I'm sure with them 
 
Finding the tool that matches my priorities most closely is MY responsibility. It is not Cakewalk's responsibility to create a tool that matches MY priorities. It is their responsibility to strike a balance that will satisfy, and hopefully delight, the majority of SONAR users.
 
The day SONAR doesn't match my priorities more closely than something else, I'll switch from SONAR as easily as I switched to SONAR. 
 
Life is too short not to do whatever it takes for you to be creative, so that you can exercise that creativity. 

rmfegley
I would like for someone (from Cakewalk or anyone else who is knowledgeable about this issue) to address my question. 

Brian Walton

lfm

Anderton
It seems to me that paying $50 - $100 annually for, say, 10 years ($500 - $1,000) is less expensive than updating Platinum for 10 years ($199).

 
But you don't have the most powerful statement towards a vendor - your annual payment saying you are happy with how things are.
 
If it happends to 10 000 users not renewing - vendor start asking themselves, what did we do wrong?
There is potential risk a vendor never do that - if all is lifetime updates anyway.
 
ImageLine was about 6 years after Sonar with 64-bit version - was this due to their lifetime policy?
 
I'm not saying that is Cakewalk policy - probably people I trust more than many others with my money.
But unless there is something of need for my own use - I do not open wallet - and that is a statement lost, if signing up for life.
 
I hope Mac version turns out really well in all venues of audio industry. Probably very smart move.
 

You are completely overlooking the need for any software company to gain new users, not just old ones.  ImageLine waiting 6 years for 64bit just shows they were not cutting edge trying to get new users.
 
Sonar has a long history of rolling out things either before or at the same time as others.  They still plan on monthly updates, so they are clearly focused on remaining relevant.  ImageLine did not have that same model.  And sonar offering lifetime updates is clearly a move to get new users and new users are going to be looking for solid/tested and cutting edge.  

Anderton
...Statistics is a science, which is why surveys give a margin of error...

stickman393
I don't understand how people go from this:


>For a limited time, you can get Lifetime Updates for SONAR Platinum
 
To this:
 
> The future of Sonar Core will be interesting to watch.  With no direct revenue stream the Core may indeed be a vehicle for sales of their own extensions or third party extensions. 
 
It's not like any of this is a mystery. September 1 can't come soon enough.