I hope part of what we "don't know" about involves expanding Sonar from the DAW idea (recording/mixing/mastering as main focus) to being an engine that better supports the breadth of music creation at a more fundamental level. Computers are powerful enough to provide a variety of artificial intelligence supports for music creation. Maybe Gibson could acquire Cognitone (music "prototyping" software) and make better use of the embedded ideas. There is a boatload of discretionary money out there for companies willing to break out of current conceptual boxes. I am confident Gibson has an innovative strategic path in mind, and I'll be very interested to see (eventually) what Craig is working on.

I love SONAR, even more now than I did in 1993 when I first started using Cakewalk for Windows 3.1, (after struggling with Master Tracks Pro).  Synced with my 8-track and then my TASCAM DA-88 (using some little weird gray box/interface), it was a dream come true after years of cramming "live" Ensoniq MIDI sequences and audio onto Sony "Sound-on-Sound" stereo reel-to-reels and cassette Porta-studios.  Then came the advent of recording digital audio with Cakewalk Pro Audio 4 on my Costco computer using my brand new stereo duplex (yes - 2 full tracks simultaneous playback and record) "Card D+."  And at that time I was blown away with the possibilities.
 
Now, ho hum, almost everybody's got an opinion on how and why and what Cakewalk should be doing.   But guess what -- IT IS MAGIC.  The current state of SONAR Platinum (I just paid less than a hundred bucks for a lifetime of it) is nothing short of astounding and I am very grateful to have this tool (and all the included mini-tools within it) at my disposal day and night for all my musical whims and fantasies.
 
A sincere 2+ decades of thanks to Mr. Hendershott and the whole TwelveTones/Cakewalk team, past and present, for the gift of their geek brain efforts.  My only complaint is that "Dan and Joey's Excellent June 1 Adventure" will probably never have a sequel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z34jFoCQCvg&feature=youtu.be&_bta_tid=3.TPY.CDxNig.CLbS.APKMIA..Ayyjmg.b..s.ASPJ.n...AnNu1A&_bta_c=eaznqkct7hlsol9h6iba6uj8et5g2
 
Aloha,
Bill

BRainbow, I also got on board at the Cakewalk for Windows 3.1, loved your history and gear lineup you detailed, although mine was a bit different. Used CW on a Packard Bell computer I bought at Lechemere;s in Boston (both company and department store are long gone). The world was so different then. I connected to Compuserve and shared music files for the first time, etc., even wound up with a large, commissioned music project because of that collaboration, all done with Cakewalk for Windows. Throught the years of upgrading it's been fascinating to see how much progress has been made. That being said, I have also gravitated to the Apple universe in recent years, mostly due to iPhones and iPads, but now I even have a little Mac Mini for non-music use. I would love to augment my rig with a Macbook Pro or Macbook Air, and be able to use it on gigs with projects developed on Cakewalk. I also use my iPad for live performance, scratch pad composing, and I see this as the future (and already here). To have CW join the Apple universe and with cross-platform compatibility (and one user license for both versions!) I think this is a win-win. 
My only problem is that in a year or so I will be in the market to finally upgrade my DAW computer (custom built), and while I'm still leaning towards sticking with a PC for this due to the value, I very well might change my mind. Really I'm only using my PC in my studio, for everything else now, I use my mac and my i-devices. I'm thrilled at the possibliities for the future. I understand some folks might have been expecting something different, but believe me, people have been crying for years about having CW on a MAC. It will put Cakewalk in the same league (by reputation) with other Mac-centric studios, and I also think it will convert some Pro Tools, Logic, and other users to Cakewalk.
Good times.

Anderton
Peace out. I need to work on some things you don't know about 

 
I'm working on an anti-mortality potion! I'm getting my money's worth from my new lifetime subscription :-D

Thank you, Craig. Well said.

Anderton
 
Peace out. I need to work on some things you don't know about 

I hope it's a flamed desert burst LP Custom with gold Sonar logo fretboard inlays!!

I love SONAR and what Cakewalk is doing currently. SONAR is already a superb music tool for music creation but Bakers can still make improvements month after month - not just bug fixes but also workflow improvements such as the new swipe thing, static console view bottom area etc. I have noticed improvements in the core functioning, too: now SONAR lets me edit clips on the fly without audio distortion or drop outs. Enhancement in export audio dialog was also very welcome for me ("follow source" thing).
 
And now there's that lifetime update offer which is almost too good to be true. Competition on the DAW market must be hard! I hope Cakewalk gets new customers by the Mac version. They deserve it.
 
Cakewalk rocks!
 
-Panu
 

Tangent - what does "follow source" do? I only noticed it a couple of days ago, and can't find any documentation on it.
 

Good post Craig.  I do find it amusing that people can have pages and pages of discussion and heated debates over topics which they have no clue what they're talking about, such as the financial health of Cakewalk's business.
 
I'm interested to see how the "lifetime update" concept works out.  I was not a big fan of the yearly subscription model, and I also tend to not like micro-transactions.  I tend to like a more traditional setup where you buy a program and know exactly what you're getting, and then they next year or two is just updates that are free. EDIT: I realize that the subscription model has nothing to do with microtransactions. :)

But I'm just a hobby user and don't use a lot of the fancy features anyway.  Anyway, I wish Cakewalk the best of luck with this new model.  I think striking the right balance between "base" features and "add-on" features will be critical. 
 
One thing that will help by going to Mac OS is that the bigger the user pool, the lower the add-on prices can be.  If the Prochannel pack was $79 instead of $179 for example, I'd be more interested in purchasing it.
 

John T
Tangent - what does "follow source" do? I only noticed it a couple of days ago, and can't find any documentation on it.
 

It's used to export tracks: target format is mono, stereo or follow source.