bitman
I have a sneaking suspicion that they are transitioning from cool bros who drive Audis in Boston and are just as expensive, to overseas support.

 
First, I don't know anyone at Cakewalk who drives an Audi. Most take public transportation to get to the office.
 
Second, if Cakewalk wasn't adamant about having USA-based support and had decided to outsource to overseas support, they could have done so a long time ago.
 

Or they truly have decided we're gonna do it and the old dogs in here will help the new pups for lifetime updates. But they can't say that or there would be mutiny.

 
Read what official Cakewalk staff has said about this. It has been made clear that while they greatly appreciate the peer-to-peer support that occurs in these forums, it's a complement to, not a substitute for, official Cakewalk-based support.
 
Sometimes a series of multiple, unanticipated events occur that when taken in totality, cause problems. I think most people will have encountered a similar phenomenon at some point in their lives, and can relate. If they haven't encountered a similar phenomenon...I'm jealous 

Same here.  I sent an email over a week ago just wanting to know if I can still get the lifetime deal since I let my subscription lapse this month.  No reply yet.  In five years, I haven't had to call or email, so I don't know how the support normally is.

johnduhon27
Same here.  I sent an email over a week ago just wanting to know if I can still get the lifetime deal since I let my subscription lapse this month.  No reply yet.  In five years, I haven't had to call or email, so I don't know how the support normally is.

I think you can go to your account and see if you're eligible, but I don't know for sure.

Anyone purchasing, upgrading or renewing SONAR Platinum through Aug 31 will receive lifetime updates. The price shown in the cart is determined by what is in the users store account.
 
What johnduhon27 does not mention is if they owned a previous version of SONAR Producer or completed 12 consecutive monthly payments before letting their membership lapse in which case they would qualify for the $199 renewal/upgrade
or
they are a first time purchaser and failed to complete 12 consecutive monthly payments in which case they would not qualify for the discounted renewal/upgrade price.

I am constantly amazed at the threads ranting over support, and yet seemingly the OP of such threads seem to have zero interest in actually getting their problems resolved... so what gives?
 
This Forum actually IS unlike others in the MI business.. there is less crap, less inter-user whining and way more help from user to user.. In my case, in 9 years i have never called or emailed Cakewalk for tech support knowing full well that i can get an answer faster right here.. and that is a dozen or more issues, and, even when it has been a CW issue, a thread in this forum has started the attention to the problem bu direct interaction with the CW staff.
 
If all you want to do is rant then i would suggest the moderators make a forum room with soundproofed rooms where you can do just that...and move all of these threads which have zero to do with Sonar.
 

I do think the people who come to the forum for its intended purpose - exchange questions and answers on how to get the most out of SONAR - are losing patience with those who don't. 

Anderton
I do think the people who come to the forum for its intended purpose - exchange questions and answers on how to get the most out of SONAR - are losing patience with those who don't. 

I'm sure some are, but I'd hate for anyone to be driven from the forum just because of a few people who get their kicks ranting and complaining. I've never found it difficult to ignore or quickly gloss over those types of posts and get to the more productive posts. I still find a lot more of the constructive/productive posts here than I do of the useless/ranting variety.

Anderton
I do think the people who come to the forum for its intended purpose - exchange questions and answers on how to get the most out of SONAR - are losing patience with those who don't. 

Naahhh... I don't think so Craig. Honestly, I am always fascinated by the fact that it is the very threads defined by some as "negative" that get the most responses (at times childishly rude to angrily insulting) from the very people complaining about the threads.
The answer to this problem of pervasive thread "negativity" is simple. It's so simple a child can do it. If you think a thread is negative, DON'T RESPOND TO IT!!! I mean seriously, why is it so hard for people to grasp this concept. If no one responded, it would remain a charming soliloquy, soon to vanish into the depths of forum history.
Personally, I can probably count on one hand the number of threads on this forum that I define as negative and useless. Even the "negative" ones have useful information. But, no, quite a few forum members actually LOVE to jump on people, knowing full well there will be others right behind them to "pile it on".
 
I get the fact that this is human nature. It's just stupid.
 
If someone wants to rant about the fact that the sun is blue and ice cold, let him!! It's nothing if not entertaining..... 

Anderton

The Grim

noynekker
 
 Uncle Craig had mentioned in another thread that they're probably just training some new tech support people and there's a backlog to get caught up with, but I'm starting to wonder

i have seen it mentioned quite a few times that the 'excuse' for the poor support of late was because of the influx of new users with the introduction of the 'lifetime updates' and over time others jump on the same band wagon using the same 'excuse'. 

As has been pointed out multiple times in these forums, that is only one of many factors that unfortunately all hit at the same time, including a changeover in how support is being done, trying to implement chat, existing support people leaving, new ones needing to be hired and trained, etc.
 
To further muddy the waters, several people have come up with theories that have no bearing on this, like the upcoming Mac alpha being the reason.


Rather than speculate, it makes more sense to read the replies from Ryan Munnis, Noel Borthwick, and Keith Albright, all of whom are official Cakewalk people, and have stated what's going on accurately and transparently. 
 
There's absolutely no denying that support is a problem right now. However people who say there's "no" support are wrong; there is support (just not enough), and Cakewalk is working to correct the problem. See the other posts in related threads from professionals who understand the difficult in hiring qualified people during a period where demand exceeds supply of both support needs, and people who can provide same.

I think the reason I have responded to this thread is that the concept of "software support" is a bit of a sore spot with me right now . . . since I've recently spent a lot of money obtaining some new software from another (unnamed) company, only to find out that their support for the software is totally non-existent . . . their response to a detailed support inquiry was to send a "Frequently Asked Questions" link, and then mark the case as solved.
(Great way to piss off new customers, who will never purchase from you again, not a sustainable business model)
 
Contrast this to Cakewalk . . . I have a long history with this company, and therefore trust that the current blip in customer support will get remedied soon enough.
 
Uncle Craig has this way of quoting and responding to the previous posts that kind of annoys me, by commenting only on specific details without including the whole quote, and missing some important details about the point that was trying to be made. Therefore my original contribution about my concern for new users not getting the support they need when starting out with a new company has possibly been glossed over. We suddenly have all these new users, and they can't get help ?
 
I get it now that support currently has some issues, and I don't think anyone here on the forum reads every single thread, so we may have missed the fact that Cakewalk have personally responded here on the forum regarding this current support issue. Meanwhile, everyone here on the forum can help out by just trying to help the newbies with their issues, until the amazing new support system is in place.

noynekker
Uncle Craig has this way of quoting and responding to the previous posts that kind of annoys me, by commenting only on specific details without including the whole quote, and missing some important details about the point that was trying to be made. Therefore my original contribution about my concern for new users not getting the support they need when starting out with a new company has possibly been glossed over. 

I don't feel compelled to comment on everything (be thankful for small favors ). Also I only comment on things I know about (if I'm speculating, I make that clear). So consider what you said about it being too bad new users will have a hard time getting support. For all I know, new users are prioritized in the queue. Or maybe not. I simply don't know so I don't say anything.
 
Most of why I come in here is to solve problems or offer tips. In threads like this, I post to correct things I know to be incorrect. For example, the theory of "Cakewalk is putting their resources into a Mac version, that's why support is down" is simply not true. I know how much Cakewalk has spent so far on Mac development. It's petty change compared to the cost of support and has zero impact. Or the theories that "The lack of support must mean Cakewalk isn't doing well," which is a real head-scratcher given that Cakewalk has hired more people and is reaching out to hire more. The money to do so didn't come from bake sales and selling old copies of 8.5 on Reverb.com 
 
I'm also aware that mobile is an increasing common way to experience forums. Quoting posts+replies to the post+replies to the replies etc. is painful on a smart phone. So I quote the parts about which I can comment, make my comment, and move on.