Sure, the situation could change but it would appear there are no plans to charge for the program ever. See http://forum.cakewalk.com/FindPost/3745236
 

Brian Walton

vladasyn

Euthymia

vladasyn
I cant take freeware seriously. Can you?  

Absolutely.
 
Without Linux and Apache running most of the sites on the www, and LibreOffice, Audacity, MusicBee, Voxengo SPAN, Meldaproduction Free Bundle, ffmpeg, libflac, Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer, iZotope Imager, iZotope Vinyl, Sonalksis FreeG, VLC, MediaHuman Audio Converter, MP3Tag, and now Cakewalk (among many, many others) on my desktop computer, I could not do what I do without the existence of and my personal use of freeware. It's in my critical path daily.
 
What I can't take seriously is the inability take freeware seriously. You can't be serious.

Except Melda Production and IE, I never heard of any of the software you listed. I do not install any free software, never install any trials. I have Melda Creative bundle, I would not install Free bundle. 

Why do you use "wix" for your web site?  Is it not free and completely unprofessional?  And this is something your client actually sees, not some random software you use on your computer.  

Ha good point, and hard to argue with. Having a free website with the host's name in the URL isn't exactly professional - a bit like using an AOL email account to communicate with your customers. That's one situation where free most certainly DOES give your customers a negative impression. 

vladasyn
 Having basic software for free and then offer paid features is different from having everything for free. I do not expect serious growth and development of the free software. The fact that thousands of immature will use this software will change the focus of development and make it surface deep. Why would they create professional features if immature will never use it AND they will not make any money selling it. Social networking platform hardly requires pro level features such as comping and MIDI automatization.   

Meng wrote, that the core software will be free, the next rapture pro will not. Bandlab has simple software already, but when I discovered Bandlab, I realized, there are really good musicians out there. Why not give them a professional tool to collaborate.? Why do you think, they will not use professional features? Do you think, all users of a paid version are professionals? I don't think so. The intention of Mr.Meng makes sense IMHO. 
 
Cheers 

Let's delete this thread already and move on.. Talk about counter productive to the cause.
Plus, it's probably time to have a new forum for Cakewalk by BandLab anyway..
Then this original forum can be heavily tidied up, loved and locked down for reference.

I just hope they are big enough to solve my password problem.  The 2nd time I try to log on it forgets who I am.  I still have not downloaded the BandLab version.  Could anyone give me some advice here.  I am getting frustrated with this.  At the onset it looks to be a simple thing, but alas it is not happening.  I now have BandLab App on my desktop but it won't let me in either.  Damn.

mudgel

Songroom
The fact is that BandLab are not giving away the full product, new users get the core program which is akin to the original 'Artist' version. When I opted for the former flagship release my decision was based on the wealth of additional extras it included and I can still use the majority of these with CbB. I have pretty much what I paid for with the added bonus of continued development.  
 
Base versions of other software titles (including MS Visual Studio and Unity) are also available for free. This doesn't seem to have a detrimental affect on their popularity.
 

This is incorrect information that you are spreading.

The core program is what was previously called Sonar Platinum. The additional content is what was included with the Artist version.
The plugins and instruments will be made available and further developed for sale at some point in the future. For those people that already had Platinum their plugins will just be picked up by Cakewalk by BandLab. For those folks who have never owned Platinum before or Sonar in general they will get an opportunity to purchase whichever plugins and content will be put in the online store once it gets back online.

Seeing as this has happened in period of little more than a month ie from purchase of the Intellectual Property and assets to release of the first version it seems unreasonable to expect that could have done more. As it is CbB includes a few features that were to be included in the November release last year when development ceased.

The principle is that Cakewalk will remain free and additional cost tent will be sold. This is the same idea that didn’t quite get time to flourish under Cakewalk by Gibson because Gibson didn’t have the vision let alone the funds to back it up. BandLab does.

I think you may have misunderstood my use of the word 'akin' (of similar or comparable character) which was intended to refer to the availability of additional content. I fully appreciate that there is now a single core version, I was simply addressing the misconception that new users were able to obtain the full Platinum package for free.

Brian Walton

vladasyn

Euthymia

vladasyn
I cant take freeware seriously. Can you?  

Absolutely.
 
Without Linux and Apache running most of the sites on the www, and LibreOffice, Audacity, MusicBee, Voxengo SPAN, Meldaproduction Free Bundle, ffmpeg, libflac, Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer, iZotope Imager, iZotope Vinyl, Sonalksis FreeG, VLC, MediaHuman Audio Converter, MP3Tag, and now Cakewalk (among many, many others) on my desktop computer, I could not do what I do without the existence of and my personal use of freeware. It's in my critical path daily.
 
What I can't take seriously is the inability take freeware seriously. You can't be serious.

Except Melda Production and IE, I never heard of any of the software you listed. I do not install any free software, never install any trials. I have Melda Creative bundle, I would not install Free bundle. 

Why do you use "wix" for your web site?  Is it not free and completely unprofessional?  And this is something your client actually sees, not some random software you use on your computer.  

WIX is Unprofessional ????................. NNNNOOOOOoooooooooooooo!!!!!!!
HECK.............................I was just about to sign up!!!
After months of blinken comparability Research too.
Never Mind......OK.........I  can take it............Don't hold back........I'm Just Stupid I Guess :(
"Hey Google !......
Google: "YES".....
"Find another economical website Host........not starting with 'W'."

MandolinPicker
How about Android - ever heard of it? Unless you have an iPhone, the phone you are using is based on the free Android operating system, which is based on Linux. Linux which is also free and operates the majority of the web servers. Oh, by the way the MacOS - based on FreeBSD. 

That explains why it suck. 

Anderton

michaelhanson
Honestly, if I have learned anything over the last several months and the unexpected events of Sonar; I would rather put my money into plug ins that I can use in any DAW, than to pay for add-on's that are limited to one DAW.

Historically, Cakewalk has been very good about creating plug-ins that work in other programs. The ones that were locked were usually from third-party companies (e.g., Blue Tubes, AAS, Overloud, etc.). Open up any program other than Sonar, make sure you're pointing at the right directory, and you'll find pretty much all the Cakewalk plug-ins. Even the DX and DXi ones can work in other programs that don't support DX.
 
As someone who uses multiple programs, this is something I've always appreciated about Sonar. It would seem silly not to continue in this vein. That way BandLab could pick up additional sales by selling these plug-ins to users of other DAWs.

Hey Craig,
Yes, having been around since the early days, I get what you are saying.  I pretty much stopped using the DX and DXi plugs years ago when I went to only 64bit.  I jumped on the license offers by Overloud, mostly for TH3, but also got one for Breverb.
 
Mainly, what I was referencing was all of the ProChannel FX’s that I had grown to love.  I am a huge Prochannel fan. The ProChannel compressors, the EQ, Concrete Limiter, and Console Emulator had all become my favorite work horses and I had gotten to know them real well.  Adaptive Limiter was becoming a go to as well.  So when the rug got pulled out from underneath my beloved Sonar and I was forced to start looking at other options, such as Studio One, I was disappointed that I couldn’t use my favorite tools that had become second nature.  I am not a fan of the Console Emulator in Studio One, the EQ is OK, but not much of a fan of the compressors that come with S1 either.  Maybe its just that I loved my ProChannel FX.
 
Luckily, 3-4 years ago, I started buying 3^rd party FX, such as PSP Xenon, Valhalla reverbs, some of the Waves plugs…so I wasn’t completely without familiar tools.  The biggest hole was left by the Console Emulation, for me.  I remember all of the threads for years on the Yay’s and Nay’s on console emulation.  Well for me, I could always hear the CE working and loved what it did for my mixes.  So without one of my favorite tools, it sent me on the search for a replacement.  The Wave Redd, their new Omni, etc.  Anyway, it made me realize that the plugs I really use a lot of and are my go too’s, it may not be such a bad thing if they are not tied to a particular DAW.   
 
So now CbB is alive again.  I have my ProChannel back.  However, there was a bit of a lesson learned.  Now if I had the tool box of Bapu, this would all be a mute point. 

If you are referencing me, brundlefly, that’s just a mear sandbox that my Jeep plays in on most weekends.

michaelhanson
Now if I had the tool box of Bapu, this would all be a mute point. 

michaelhanson
Yes, having been around since the early days, I get what you are saying.  I pretty much stopped using the DX and DXi plugs years ago when I went to only 64bit.

 
FWIW the Sonitus plug-ins work in 64-bit systems, I believe without bridging. They weren't recoded for VST, but I do believe they were transformed into true 64-bit plug-ins.
 

Mainly, what I was referencing was all of the ProChannel FX’s that I had grown to love.  I am a huge Prochannel fan. The ProChannel compressors, the EQ, Concrete Limiter, and Console Emulator had all become my favorite work horses and I had gotten to know them real well.  Adaptive Limiter was becoming a go to as well.  So when the rug got pulled out from underneath my beloved Sonar and I was forced to start looking at other options, such as Studio One, I was disappointed that I couldn’t use my favorite tools that had become second nature.

 
Ah yes, I see exactly what you're saying. I also think the ProChannel plug-ins are great. IMHO the QuadCurve EQ is incredibly underrated because it comes "free" with the program. The CA-2A is fabulous but luckily that was ported to VST so we can still use it. I haven't found anything quite like the Concrete Limiter, and I agree there's something special about the Cakewalk Console Emulators. "Losing them" is not an issue with ReWire clients, but the only programs that appeal to me as ReWire clients are Live and Reason. 
 
Opinion time...I don't think it would be hard to turn the ProChannel modules into VSTs. I'm one of those people who likes the ProChannel format, so if they were available in both formats, I'd use them in Sonar with the ProChannel. Softube offered some plug-ins in ProChannel and standard VST format, not just Cakewalk, so it's possible. 
 
Cakewalk didn't really know how to market plug-ins so in the company's previous incarnation, it was decided not to bother trying to sell to users of other DAWs. There were also concerns about support because not all programs follow the VST spec rigorously. Finally, management believed that if the plug-ins were proprietary to Sonar and given away with the program, then more people would buy Sonar. It didn't turn out that way for the reason you stated - people could buy similar plugs for their own DAWs, so they didn't have to buy Sonar. 
 
Maybe with new ownership, the subject of making plug-ins available beyond Sonar will be re-visited at some point. If Cakewalk got a reputation for making great plug-ins, maybe that would pique peoples' interest in Sonar more than making the plug-ins proprietary.

Hey Vlada,
I'll Give You This.
3.5 K Views ...............HECK....
You certainly fired up the Ole Gang.
10 Marks for stirring up the team.
Healthy , Robust discussion is always healthy.
I reckon we ( Sonarians) are going through the same level of  concerns those who suddenly faced the 'Horseless Carriage' went through all those years ago.
So Much Uncertainty.
 
PS: How the heck did our Cakewalk colleagues determine you had a WIX web site ?........( not that I have looked for it OR found it). :)
Cheers .....Frank H