Hello fellow Cakewalk users... sorry for the late reply on this topic...

Hello fellow Cakewalk users... sorry for the late reply on this topic, but I've been very busy these days. Many of you have been asking me various questions about the recent closing of Cakewalk, so to make this response less convoluted, I'll put it in the form of a Q&A. Keep in mind that I am not a Cakewalk employee and I have never worked for Cakewalk, so the information provided here is not any kind of official announcement from the company.

1. Will you still be using and covering SONAR? Yes, I still plan to create some video tutorials for SONAR on my various YouTube channels (listed below) and as long as they get enough views, I'll continue to produce them. YouTube channels here...
* https://www.youtube.com/S...gus?sub_confirmation=1
* https://www.youtube.com/D...deo?sub_confirmation=1
* https://www.youtube.com/N...deo?sub_confirmation=1

2. Will you be using and covering other DAWs? Yes, I've had access to a number of other DAWs for some time and I plan to create some learning materials for those as well... that includes tutorials on the YouTube channels listed above. At the moment, I have access to Ableton Live, Acoustica Mixcraft, Harrison Mixbus, FL Studio, PreSonus Studio One, and Propellerhead Reason.

3. Should I stop using SONAR and get another DAW? Which one? No, there's currently no reason for you to stop using SONAR. It works fine now and it should continue working fine for quite some time into the future. However, it's always a good idea to have a plan for moving forward, and learning a new DAW can also help you generate new musical ideas. I've already mentioned the DAWs that I plan to use and cover. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, so I can't tell you which one you should get. Most, if not all of them, have demo versions that you can try. Feel free to let me know which DAW you're thinking about in the comments below.

4. Are you sure SONAR won't stop working? Of course, there's no way I can guarantee that. Sometime in the future, there could be a change to Windows 10 that "breaks" SONAR, but the fact that some people are still running SONAR X3 (which hasn't received updates in years) bodes well for current SONAR users. If you're worried about this eventuality, you can use drive imaging to create a perfect copy of your system drive in its current state. If something goes wrong, you can image the drive back, disconnect the PC from the Internet and keep SONAR running for as long as the PC survives.

5. What about my SONAR license? To the best of my knowledge, all users who purchased SONAR (by either paying in full or paying monthly) are now being given a perpetual license that will allow you to keep using SONAR for as long as you like. You can check this by opening SONAR and using the Help > About menu to see if your status is listed as "Owned".

6. What about future SONAR installations? Yes, activation is the one issue that could eventually cause problems. However, Gibson/Cakewalk has stated that the activation servers will continue to operate (although no end date has been given) and Noel Borthwick has stated that if the servers go down, users will be given a method to install SONAR without the need for activation (ie. copy protection will be removed). You can see his statement at: http://forum.cakewalk.com...uncement-m3687511.aspx

7. What happens if/when the Cakewalk site is closed? Where can I go for info? There have actually been a number of places available for Cakewalk users for quite some time. I have a Cakewalk tutorials page available on Facebook that is open to anyone: https://www.facebook.com/CakewalkSonarTraining/ SONAR user Bob Bergen administers a very popular Cakewalk group on Facebook in which I participate: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sonarusergroup/ And DigiFreq - The Music Recording Resource is still around (there is a forum there as well): http://www.digifreq.com/

8. Is there anything else I should do to prepare for the possible Cakewalk site closure? Yes, the main thing you should do is go to the Cakewalk site, access your account and download all your current products so that you have backup copies, just in case. Also be sure to make note of any serial numbers, which you'll need for any future software installations.

It's definitely a sad time, but I want to say thank you to all the wonderful people at Cakewalk who made SONAR a possibility and allowed us to make music with one of the best music applications on the market. I also want to thank all the Cakewalk users out there for being a part of one of the best music communities around. Is there any chance that Cakewalk will return? I personally think there may be a slight chance for that possibility, but I honestly don't know.

All my best to everyone!
Scott
--
Scott R. Garrigus - http://www.garrigus.com
* Cakewalk SONAR Video Tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/u...gus?sub_confirmation=1
* Author of the Cakewalk Sonar and Sony Sound Forge Power book series: http://garrigus.com/?PowerBooks
* Publisher of the DigiFreq music recording newsletter: http://www.digifreq.com/
* Publisher of the NewTechReview consumer tech newsletter: http://www.newtechreview.com/
 

Thank you for the information and advice.

Thanks Scott

Thanks Scott.

Thanks. Let us know when you publish a SOP power user guide.  The Sonar ones were great (at least until the page size changed, at which point the book just didn't fit well in the hand - or the bookshelf!).

What will happen if the servers go down. DO I lose my products and will it need a serial number to kick start it. With no server I'm guessing you are stuck with software that will sit there staring at you asking for registration and activation codes. That would be a sad day knowing that this could happen at any moment means a quick transfer of all song to a DAW that is alive and kicking not one that has floated down the river Thames, developers and servers never to be seen again. Did I really own Sonar or was it just a figment of my imagination.

mudgel
Thanks Scott. For your added info.

The Sonar Software thread. Utilities and Resources will continue while ever the forum remains live. The current data will also be available through CakewalkCommunity.com (formerly Sonarmods.com) in the near future so that should the current forum be switched off there will immediately be a place for that info to be accessed.

Thanks for the info, Mike! I'll check out the new forum.

--
Scott R. Garrigus - http://www.garrigus.com
* Cakewalk SONAR Video Tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/u...gus?sub_confirmation=1
* Author of the Cakewalk Sonar and Sony Sound Forge Power book series: http://garrigus.com/?PowerBooks
* Publisher of the DigiFreq music recording newsletter: http://www.digifreq.com/
* Publisher of the NewTechReview consumer tech newsletter: http://www.newtechreview.com/

Wood67
Thanks. Let us know when you publish a SOP power user guide.  The Sonar ones were great (at least until the page size changed, at which point the book just didn't fit well in the hand - or the bookshelf!).

Thanks, Wood! Will do. In the meantime, I'll be publishing tutorials for a variety of apps (including SONAR, Ableton Live, Acoustica Mixcraft, Harrison Mixbus, FL Studio, PreSonus Studio One, Propellerhead Reason, and more) over on these YouTube channels... you can subscribe to them for free...
* https://www.youtube.com/S...gus?sub_confirmation=1
* https://www.youtube.com/D...deo?sub_confirmation=1
* https://www.youtube.com/NewTechReviewVideo?sub_confirmation=1

--
Scott R. Garrigus - http://www.garrigus.com
* Cakewalk SONAR Video Tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/u...gus?sub_confirmation=1
* Author of the Cakewalk Sonar and Sony Sound Forge Power book series: http://garrigus.com/?PowerBooks
* Publisher of the DigiFreq music recording newsletter: http://www.digifreq.com/
* Publisher of the NewTechReview consumer tech newsletter: http://www.newtechreview.com/

JonD
It's my understanding that Sonar Platinum was the first version to require online activation (during installation).  If that's true, the comparison to X3's "robustness" simply is not valid. 

 
#6 in my previous reply covers this... Noel has said they will provide a way to install SONAR without requiring activation if/when the servers do down.

--
Scott R. Garrigus - http://www.garrigus.com
* Cakewalk SONAR Video Tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/u...gus?sub_confirmation=1
* Author of the Cakewalk Sonar and Sony Sound Forge Power book series: http://garrigus.com/?PowerBooks
* Publisher of the DigiFreq music recording newsletter: http://www.digifreq.com/
* Publisher of the NewTechReview consumer tech newsletter: http://www.newtechreview.com/

panup
Thanks Scott for continuing to make SONAR tutorials. There will be a lot of folks who stick in SONAR for years.

Thanks Panup! Yes, as long as the videos get enough views, I'll continue producing them. It all depends on whether or not users actually spend time watching them. I'll have some new material up shortly.

--
Scott R. Garrigus - http://www.garrigus.com
* Cakewalk SONAR Video Tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/u...gus?sub_confirmation=1
* Author of the Cakewalk Sonar and Sony Sound Forge Power book series: http://garrigus.com/?PowerBooks
* Publisher of the DigiFreq music recording newsletter: http://www.digifreq.com/
* Publisher of the NewTechReview consumer tech newsletter: http://www.newtechreview.com/

garrigus

JonD
It's my understanding that Sonar Platinum was the first version to require online activation (during installation).  If that's true, the comparison to X3's "robustness" simply is not valid. 

 
#6 in my previous reply covers this... Noel has said they will provide a way to install SONAR without requiring activation if/when the servers do down.

Yes, and I don't doubt Noel's intention.  The big question is whether or not it will actually be in his power to make it happen.
 
Many of us are not feeling very trusting of Gibson right now.  Obviously, I hope Noel can deliver -- but at the same time I'm not ready to accept it as fact and leave myself without a safety net.

pentimentosound
Well, I'm sure we'll all feel safer having you around! LOL Thanks for doing this here, too, Scott.
Michael

Thanks, Michael! Good to see you here too. :)

--
Scott R. Garrigus - http://www.garrigus.com
* Cakewalk SONAR Video Tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/u...gus?sub_confirmation=1
* Author of the Cakewalk Sonar and Sony Sound Forge Power book series: http://garrigus.com/?PowerBooks
* Publisher of the DigiFreq music recording newsletter: http://www.digifreq.com/
* Publisher of the NewTechReview consumer tech newsletter: http://www.newtechreview.com/

Nice post Scott. I remember purchasing your SONAR 7 guide back in the day

Thanks for all the useful info on here and YouTube Scott.  Will you be doing a comparison of what's different, ie, advantages and disadvantages between Sonar and the various DAWs?  From my research so far it seems as if the DAWs which have the most similarities to Sonar are Studio One and Mixbus32C.  I say this because I've had a good look at Mixbus and 32C, and if you've been using the ProChannel EQ, the standard Mixbus doesn't compete because its EQ is only 3-band with one filter.
 
Also, I note that Mixbus has certain effects/VSTs built-in to each console strip like Sonar's ProChannel which resembles the workflow I'm used to.
 
One area of confusion so far is that I thought that Studio One doesn't have native MIDI in-built and as I got rid of the demo, I can't remember without re-installing it.  However others have said that Studio One does support MIDI.
 
Can you clarify?
 
Cheers!  :-)

RickJP909
Thanks for all the useful info on here and YouTube Scott.  Will you be doing a comparison of what's different, ie, advantages and disadvantages between Sonar and the various DAWs?  From my research so

Not sure Rick, but I'll add that to my list of possible topics. Thanks!
 
Yes, Studio One has MIDI capabilities.
--
Scott R. Garrigus - http://www.garrigus.com
* Cakewalk SONAR Video Tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/u...gus?sub_confirmation=1
* Author of the Cakewalk Sonar and Sony Sound Forge Power book series: http://garrigus.com/?PowerBooks
* Publisher of the DigiFreq music recording newsletter: http://www.digifreq.com/
* Publisher of the NewTechReview consumer tech newsletter: http://www.newtechreview.com/