I feel cheated.

Contact Cakewalk sales. I heard there were a lot more people like you.

With X3... Update X2->X3 had originally AD1 included. Those who have registered it at "lucky time" have got AD2 upgrade for free, other could get it with great discount while most of early adopters had to pay full upgrade price (and they have payed more for X3 originally). All that was a matter of weeks. It is just "bad luck"....
 
I think one of the reasons for the new model is to avoid such frustration in the future. While I doubt there is going to be 70% sales, whenever you upgrade/extend membership you are sure next 12 month goodies are yours. 

I feel exactly the same way. This is the third time this happens. Every time there is a good upgrade email offer is because a new version is coming next week! I always pay to upgrade to an outdated version. Despite all investment I've made on Sonar I am seriously considering switching to a different DAW that does not make me feel like an idiot twice a year.

If something cost $150, why you expect you get it for $70 without some "dark side" of the deal?
 
Also note, that in case you do X1/2->X3 and then X3->Platinum, you first get AD2 and then another 3 adPacks for it. In case of direct upgrade X1->Platinum, you have less content in AD2 in total.

This is not a bunch of old cars they have to get rid off for pennies. It is software for download. There is no stock whatsoever. IMHO, marketing would be better off keeping their customers happy by giving a good deal on the new version on release, than doing a sale of an old version they are just about to replace and then the next week offering one more deal. From the previous posts I am sure there was a lot of customers that felt cheated. Actually I wanted to start a thread about it, but guess what? I entered the Forum and figured other people felt the same way: the thread was here, already. 
I am not so sure I was not ripped off. I definitely feel like I was. I will keep using Sonar, but the next time a good crossgrade offer comes by, I will definitely take it instead of upgrading to New Sonar. I would like to know how another professional DAW compares, and especially how their marketing strategy compares. I have spent more money on IK Multimedia plugins than on all Sonar versions combined, and I never felt cheated by them. Not even once.
Oh darn! I challenged myself that I would not complain about anything for a week... back to zero on my challenge.

Paul P

mbarsott
I feel exactly the same way. This is the third time this happens. Every time there is a good upgrade email offer is because a new version is coming next week!

Why else would there be a sale ?  People who wait(ed) till the end of the version get a good price, but the new version always comes out shortly after.  I upgraded before the very end on a lesser sale just to be sure.  I still got a great price but I could have saved another 15$ if I'd waited some more.  Or I could have lost everything.  It's always a gamble, and was kind of fun to play.
 
You didn't get ripped off.  You got a great price on X3.
 

There are many reasons why there are sales. Accounting may need more revenue so the number in the books look better at the end of a quarter, for example. They may want to reduce costs of support by migrating as many users they can to newer versions. If I assume the company is always offering a deal because there is always a catch 22, I definitely should look for another provider I trust.

Karyn
Everyone who upgraded X1 - X2 - X3 - Platinum  (and didn't deliberately update late to out of date versions) paid way more than you.  Why exactly do you feel cheated?

I would not call using an older version for some time a deliberate update to out of date versions. Why would someone do such a thing? The reason I did not update to X3 right away, is because I had just spent money upgrading to X2. And the reason I did upgraded to X2 late is because when it was released I had just spent money updating to X1.

Karyn

mbarsott
I am not so sure I was not ripped off. I definitely feel like I was. I will keep using Sonar, but the next time a good crossgrade offer comes by, I will definitely take it instead of upgrading to New Sonar.

So when <insert DAW company here> releases a shiny new version 2 weeks after you cross-graded will you be trolling their forum with complaints about being cheated?
 

You are absolutely right. I am a troll and since you discovered my secret identity there is no point I keep this discussion. I have other forums to troll.  I have to bug naive people that try to use reasonable arguments while I keep writing absurd thing like the ones I wrote above.
 
Never forget the first rule of forums: do not feed the trolls.

bluzdog

Karyn
Everyone who upgraded X1 - X2 - X3 - Platinum  (and didn't deliberately update late to out of date versions) paid way more than you.  Why exactly do you feel cheated?

He clearly explained why he feels cheated. Early adopters paid more for each upgrade but had each version for over a year. His upgrade stayed current for 2 weeks. How can do you know his choice was deliberate?
 
Rocky

Thank you for sympahizing.

mbarsott

Karyn
Everyone who upgraded X1 - X2 - X3 - Platinum  (and didn't deliberately update late to out of date versions) paid way more than you.  Why exactly do you feel cheated?

I would not call using an older version for some time a deliberate update to out of date versions.

So as soon as X2 was released you upgraded to it to get the latest? or you waited until it was near end of life before upgrading?

mbarsott
Why would someone do such a thing?

Because it's cheaper...

mbarsott
The reason I did not update to X3 right away, is because I had just spent money upgrading to X2. And the reason I did upgraded to X2 late is because when it was released I had just spent money updating to X1.

So you got the same software as everyone else but paid less for it...  So why do you feel cheated??

mbarsott

bluzdog

Karyn
Everyone who upgraded X1 - X2 - X3 - Platinum  (and didn't deliberately update late to out of date versions) paid way more than you.  Why exactly do you feel cheated?

He clearly explained why he feels cheated. Early adopters paid more for each upgrade but had each version for over a year. His upgrade stayed current for 2 weeks. How can do you know his choice was deliberate?
 
Rocky

Thank you for sympahizing.

You're welcome. I believe you make a valid point and Cakewalk is a great company. They will most likely treat you fairly if you contact them. I'm not sure why people are treating you badly here but it's not usually like this.
 
Rocky

Karyn

mbarsott

Karyn
Everyone who upgraded X1 - X2 - X3 - Platinum  (and didn't deliberately update late to out of date versions) paid way more than you.  Why exactly do you feel cheated?

I would not call using an older version for some time a deliberate update to out of date versions.

So as soon as X2 was released you upgraded to it to get the latest? or you waited until it was near end of life before upgrading?

mbarsott
Why would someone do such a thing?

Because it's cheaper...

mbarsott
The reason I did not update to X3 right away, is because I had just spent money upgrading to X2. And the reason I did upgraded to X2 late is because when it was released I had just spent money updating to X1.

So you got the same software as everyone else but paid less for it...  So why do you feel cheated??

Why are continuing to argue? I thought hosts were here to keep things civil.
 
Rocky

 
I don't think we're treating you badly (I could be wrong ).  Perhaps you could do a bit more research on a product before buying.  Browse this forum, for example.  Make informed choices.  Keep up to date on the evolution of the products you own.  Is that patronizing ?  Maybe !
 

mbarsott
You are telling me you know when a new release is about to come. Where is this information published?

There were countless "When is X4 coming out" threads here for the last few months.  Cakewalk was always tight-lipped on the matter, but old-timers could read between the lines.  There was actually quite an emotional buildup near the end of a cycle.  I guess that fun is now over and gone for good.
 

The biggest clue that Cakewalk are about to bring out a new version is that they start having a sale where Sonar figures prominently. If you always update late in the cycle there's that risk of getting caught out. If you buy early you usually have a bit of beta testing to do. Not so much this time round. It's a pretty solid release except for the Melodyne bug which Cakewalk was onto on the first day it was mentioned on the forum by someone who got the pre release.
I always buy early but then I get the longest use out of the version. In the past after 6 months there haven't been any more bug fixes so that was the optimum time to buy.

Now I think going early is the way to go for everyone.