And for the faint of heart (who DO NOT venture into the Deals forum)
 
Willy's response to those who purchased a NEW full year plan (a little too early)
http://forum.cakewalk.com/FindPost/3348064
 

I think you have to determine the value of the monthly fee vs the product provided...as of the end of this month I will "own" SPLAT but beyond that I cannot see a monthly fee as being worth it for the content provided, the Craig Anderton stuff I would never have purchased as well as some of the other "upgrades", it does not suite my work methods...frankly once I get it working I cannot see the point in a monthly fee for semi-useful upgrades...this gets a little questionable to me when "upgrades" are in the performance and under-the-hood enhancements, that seems like that should be part of the code you purchase, as far as the eye candy and gadgets that come every month, I can live without them.

Psychobillybob
I think you have to determine the value of the monthly fee vs the product provided...as of the end of this month I will "own" SPLAT but beyond that I cannot see a monthly fee as being worth it for the content provided, the Craig Anderton stuff I would never have purchased as well as some of the other "upgrades", it does not suite my work methods...frankly once I get it working I cannot see the point in a monthly fee for semi-useful upgrades...this gets a little questionable to me when "upgrades" are in the performance and under-the-hood enhancements, that seems like that should be part of the code you purchase, as far as the eye candy and gadgets that come every month, I can live without them.

So in two or three years time you'll be a dinosaur like those who stick to 8.5.3?
 
I keed. I keed.
 
To each his own. You can always jump back on board anytime you see that some breakthrough that suits you has happened. 
 
Wow, I just realized that's just like every verison of SONAR and Pro Audio et.al. 
 
Again, I keed. I keed.

Psychobillybob
I think you have to determine the value of the monthly fee vs the product provided...as of the end of this month I will "own" SPLAT but beyond that I cannot see a monthly fee as being worth it for the content provided, the Craig Anderton stuff I would never have purchased...

 
I really don't know how many times I have to say that no Cakewalk dev time is spent on content and you are getting it as a bonus, but clearly I need to say it once more. It is all material I develop for my own needs and use in projects for me or various clients, which I am happy to share with the Cakewalk community.
 
It's obvious from reactions in the forum that many people find the content an extremely useful addition, whether it's something that makes it easier to mix music on headphones, an amp sim that guitarists find better than commercial alternatives, a percussion loop library to fill out a song, tools to make acoustic guitar recordings sound much better, etc. etc. I don't care if you don't need any of that; I care about the people who do.

Psychobillybob
this gets a little questionable to me when "upgrades" are in the performance and under-the-hood enhancements, that seems like that should be part of the code you purchase

 
People get better at what they do. It's why bands release more than one album, authors write more than one book, new cars come out every year, and software doesn't stay on version 1.0 forever. If you expect a constant flow of free updates, then the initial price of software has to be adjusted upward accordingly; the price of software pays for what got it to the point of release, not for what it might become in the future.
 

,,,as well as some of the other "upgrades", it does not suite my work methods...frankly once I get it working I cannot see the point in a monthly fee for semi-useful upgrades...

 
Patch points, synth recording, upsampling for superior sound quality, additional file import/export options, DSD additions, batch clip export, first Windows 10-compatible DAW, aux tracks, relative video path, drum replacer, virtual keyboard controller, ARA enhancements, VocalSync noise filter, new MIDI engine, added selectivity for Mix Recall...just because your "work methods" don't require these kinds of professional-level tools doesn't diminish their value for those who do.
 

We've had this glitch at the 11th hr. regarding renewals but I bet it won't happen again.
 
The updates in 2015 were outstanding. You could literally see the progress as Sonar matured and glitches melted away. All versions got the rewards from a lot of hard work, it wasn't confined to Platinum. This is now a tool that competes with anything out their. Now more than ever it's the best deal available for me.
 

Anderton

Psychobillybob
I think you have to determine the value of the monthly fee vs the product provided...as of the end of this month I will "own" SPLAT but beyond that I cannot see a monthly fee as being worth it for the content provided, the Craig Anderton stuff I would never have purchased...

 
I really don't know how many times I have to say that no Cakewalk dev time is spent on content and you are getting it as a bonus, but clearly I need to say it once more. It is all material I develop for my own needs and use in projects for me or various clients, which I am happy to share with the Cakewalk community.
 
It's obvious from reactions in the forum that many people find the content an extremely useful addition, whether it's something that makes it easier to mix music on headphones, an amp sim that guitarists find better than commercial alternatives, a percussion loop library to fill out a song, tools to make acoustic guitar recordings sound much better, etc. etc. I don't care if you don't need any of that; I care about the people who do.

You obviously care enough to respond every-time you see a thread mention your stuff...methinks you protest too much.
 
Frankly I tried to use the amp sims and found them simply horrible, but then again I build vintage amps and use S-gear...to each their own...my point is I do not find the need to upgrade on a monthly basis for stuff I will not use and I think that is not an unusual or extreme posture, if Cakewalk is providing a new recording tool every month some might find that useful, honestly I doubt if most people use the the entire package a it is, it is plenty of product out of the box.

Hi-
 
I started with a monthly membership in January and then opted in for an annual membership in March since I liked what I was seeing. I'll sit it out for a while once my membership expires, since most of the rest didn't thrill me, to be honest. The option to opt in at any point is great, whether to "demo" the new monthly offering or convince me to re-up my annual membership.
 
-Susan

I understand people being a little frustrated with the renewal price delays. That said, there have been some good deals floating around and Cakewalk are honouring all of them.
 
I must admit though I am dumbfounded that people have not seen value in the improvements to Sonar this past 12 months. The increase in speed and stability alone have been huge, as well as some of the best new features we have seen in years. In the past I too have been a creature of habit and tended not to explore the new functions of annual releases. Now I get a monthly ezine and can nail it down quickly in bit sized chunks. 
 
I suspect there is a silent majority that are very happy indeed:)

Susan G
Hi-
 
I started with a monthly membership in January and then opted in for an annual membership in March since I liked what I was seeing. I'll sit it out for a while once my membership expires, since most of the rest didn't thrill me, to be honest. The option to opt in at any point is great, whether to "demo" the new monthly offering or convince me to re-up my annual membership.
 
-Susan

I am not sure what you mean by opt-in and demo at any point. Can you clarify so I can clear up any misunderstanding.