This has been a fun couple of weeks as I explored the new programs and possibilities at Cakewalk. Cakewalk is where I started back around 2007 and I've bought so many different programs I can't even remember them all.
 
I was having some trouble with my other DAW and on a lark I decided to download whatever the latest Cakewalk had to offer and just see if it would run on this laptop that I use all the time. Lo and behold, it did. That was a game changer.
 
There were more stars that lined up with me and Cakewalk, and more glitches and hindrances with the other DAW and its company. When I realized that I could get free upgrades for life by upgrading to Platinum there really was no other choice to make.
 
I spent a couple of weeks trying the trial version of Platinum. A fellow SONAR friend came over and we loaded up some old songs and everything went without a hitch. I even imported some tracks made on the other DAW, and again it worked fine.
 
The last thing was trying to find and use Session Drummer, and more importantly, my Superior Drummer. I accomplished both, and then couldn't think of any other test to try. Everything that I use works fine with Platinum on this HP Windows 10 Home, i7, 2.6 ghz, 16 gb, 64 bit laptop. So, the last thing to do was buy it, which I did. I'm running the full and purchased version and am ready to start recording and mixing and saving and using the MP3 encoder.
 
Thanks Cakewalk for making such a good product, offering such a great deal, and providing such a great forum. All three were important factors in my decision.
 
DS

...Bravo!...the right decision!

Welcome back.  I also took a couple of year break, returning at the end of X3e.  X3e was a pleasure to use, then came Platinum which has gotten a little sweeter with every release.

I've always liked SONAR and have never been without one form of Cakewalk, starting with Guitar Tracks 3. But like a lot of people, I also had another brand and it is fine for what it does. However, it got to be such a hassle that after this recent glitch I finally just said "Enough is enough."
 
One thing I always wanted, but couldn't get to work, was SONAR on a Windows Laptop. I have three Apple computers, including MacBooks that run another DAW, and I have run Apples for years, but Apple is just not my territory. When the free trial of Platinum ran so well on my main everyday Windows laptop, that pretty much cinched the deal. When I found out about the free lifetime upgrades with the purchase of Platinum, that made it (as someone said in another recent thread I started here) a "no-brainer."
 
Thanks again SONAR for a great product, a great deal, and a great forum. All three contributed to me being back on board.
DS

Glad to see a "former" Sonar user once again become a "current" Sonar user.
Welcome back!

I've been using Cakewalk products all the way back to SONAR Platinum. 
 
Their long history on Windows (and, I presume, DOS before that), this forum, their attention to their customers (!) and their regular updates are what caused me to call SONAR 'Home'. I was happy with their subscription model and monthly updates, and when Cakewalk proposed marriage (for a small fee, of course ), I said 'Yes'!
 
I'm also impressed with their roadmap for a Mac version. Conservative risk. Good management at work there. And I, as an existing Windows customer, don't feel like I'm being abandoned while they chase a new market (PreSonus, anyone? ). It's only the troubling comments about the current state of customer support that cause me any concern.
 
Happy to be here...and happy to make your online acquaintance!