Richard Cranium
That's exactly how I felt, to me it was an open license to release half baked goods, and we have certainly seen evidence of that, Start Screen anyone ? everyone knows the others as well as I do.

 
As referenced above, Steinberg released an update and people complain about all the bugs and issues. People complain about incompatibilities with Native Instruments updates. People complain about bugs in El Capitan and iOS, and those are from a company with $200,000,000,000 cash on hand and virtually unlimited resources. Consider how long it took between updates to Studio One...then check out the issues on the PreSonus forums.
 
So using your logic, one can only conclude that NOT having monthly updates is an open license to release half-baked goods.
 
Frequency of updates and bugs are NOT related. Releasing software and finding that bugs exist in that release ARE related. Whether you release software once a month and have a lesser number of bugs or release yearly and have a greater number of bugs, you'll end up with bugs upon release of software.

Richard Cranium
Start Screen anyone ?

I realize that was intended to be a diss on SONAR and Cakewalk but if you actually think about it, the Start Screen is a perfect example of why the way Cakewalk is doing monthly updates makes sense.
 
When the Start Screen was introduced, it was slow and the length of filenames was truncated. I did not like the Start Screen, so I chose to disable it, and it was like it never existed. Other people chose to use it because they found the value of pinning projects and faster access to templates sufficiently beneficial to outweigh the Start Screen disadvantages. The crucial point you're overlooking is we had a choice. 
 
When I saw in an update that it had been sped up and allowed longer file names, I chose to try it out again. This time, it did exactly what I wanted so I chose to enable it and now I use it as part of my workflow.
 
Or take upsampling. When released, it could only upsample on render. Yet I was mixing an album at the time and the improvement it made in the sound quality justified the time required to see if upsampling made a difference or not on various effects and instruments. A couple months later, Cakewalk introduced upsample on playback. So was the initial release of this feature half-baked? If you choose to see it that way, then go ahead. The way I see it, I had access to a function that improved the quality of sound, and I didn't have to wait for it to be finished and do upsample on playback (which was always part of the plan). I chose to use it, and I'm grateful I had that choice.

Anderton
 
[...] are from a company with $200,000,000,000 cash on hand [...]

I must admit I locked in on $200 billion "cash on hand" like a Tomahawk... I am not familiar with Steinberg, so did a quick search on it, and saw it was acquired by Yamaha (which isn't trending so well). I am curious to both the "$200 billion" and "cash on hand" definitions thrown out here.

Anderton

Richard Cranium
Start Screen anyone ?

I realize that was intended to be a diss on SONAR and Cakewalk but if you actually think about it, the Start Screen is a perfect example of why the way Cakewalk is doing monthly updates makes sense.
 
When the Start Screen was introduced, it was slow and the length of filenames was truncated. I did not like the Start Screen, so I chose to disable it, and it was like it never existed. Other people chose to use it because they found the value of pinning projects and faster access to templates sufficiently beneficial to outweigh the Start Screen disadvantages. The crucial point you're overlooking is we had a choice. 
 

I agree.  A new feature like the Smart Screen being a little slow for a month considered a bug? Oh my, that's about as painful as losing a cable wrapper.
 
I think if folks can't see the value in upgrading, then hold fast until it either fits the budget or the want/need for new features trip the buying trigger. Either way, my hope is all here actually enjoy recording!
 
 

mettelus

Anderton
 
[...] are from a company with $200,000,000,000 cash on hand [...]

I must admit I locked in on $200 billion "cash on hand" like a Tomahawk... I am not familiar with Steinberg, so did a quick search on it, and saw it was acquired by Yamaha (which isn't trending so well). I am curious to both the "$200 billion" and "cash on hand" definitions thrown out here.

That was referring to Apple..."People complain about bugs in El Capitan and iOS, and those are from a company with $200,000,000,000 cash on hand and virtually unlimited resources." There are plenty of online references about Apple's cash on hand.

yes indeed there are a lot of bug fixes each month, however at the same time it seems that there is also the possibility of introduction of new bugs related to new functionality.. the end result of which is that the software can never be viewed as a final stable release...
 
CW would do much better to release functional improvements on a less than monthly cycle, to allow for maintenance updates..
 

bapu

xwaveform
....the only constant change is a new update every month that never quite fixes anything. 

That's bold statement that's nigh on impossible for me to reconcile with the list of bug fixes published each month.
 
I get that you may well be frustrated. I've been taught that when I am angry it's in my best interest to take a twenty four hour breather before espousing my frustration and say things that can sometimes be irrational.

I don't know a lot but... I think the best things I have done to improve everything are two:
 
1: I got a Studiocat computer and a Cakewalk approved Planar monitor and use an good interface. I use an Octa-Capture, I'm sure that now there are better interfaces but it works for me. I use NO anti-virus software, I got (finally, but in time) a USB3 docking station and HD to clone the C drive and backup the others. I do go online with it but never to a forum, I have no email on it, no social media. I only go to Cakewalk via CCC and sites like IK or ToonTrack for downloads or updates... no problems there.
 
2: Move to all (almost all) 64bit. I really try to not use any 32bit plugins. Someone said a couple of years ago... 64bit! It matters!
I forget now who said it but I agree. It was in their signature I think.. who was that?
 
If I were doing audio and video I would buy a separate computer for video and either import the video to the audio machine or the audio to the video machine. That is still a HUGE bargain compared to what one had to spend about 15 years ago to simply record good audio. 15 years may seem like an eternity to some younger users but trust me, it isn't. 15 years ago, I could not afford what I needed to do what I wanted and everything was simply frustrating all the time. Things are SO much better now. Not perfect but so much better. Wait another 15 years... will we have virtual session players? Who can possibly imagine the future, I can hardly grasp the present.
 
J

I find this an interesting and informative discussion. The Kingston update was the first since X1 that caused me any trouble. I don't think Cakewalk has ever tried to sell software that is defective or half baked and I didn't go nuts with my update glitch. For some reason I'm not getting the same file package that Cakewalk thought I was getting. They don't know why, but I'm sure they're looking into it and I'm up and running so, meh.
 
Others may find this an unacceptable state and would obsessively badger the forums trying to find out why, while accusing Cakewalk of not knowing what they're doing. All of this software development and distribution is more complicated than the computer systems that sent men to the moon. So many interrelated systems and variables to be considered.
 
In a way we are testing the product as it's released. I don't think it's Cakewalks' fault that there are issues with each release. I think it's the price we have to pay for flexibility. If there was only 1 way to do each task it would be a breeze to test, however, we have a bunch of different options for almost any task and then there's the order of operations, or work flow.
 
It is not realistic to think that the coders and testers can get it right for everyone, every time. Hardware variables, software variables, order of operations and desired actions, must generate millions of combinations and permutations. And to top it all off, they change it all every month. The more we get, the more variation that must be dealt with.
 
People are going to get frustrated and vent from time to time, it's only natural. I think they get even more aggravated when the fan boys jump in and try to act as the defenders of Cakewalk. They can defend themselves and don't need your help. We're all here because we bought this product and we all want it for different reasons. People use this as a tools to support their families, while others use it for relaxation and fun. That's a pretty broad spectrum to cover.
 
If you think that there's a better option for you to accomplish your goals then go for it. If you just want something to pick at and nag others about, then go away because you are taking away from the user experience.
 
If you want to really use the product then there's no better place to go then right here. Best forums on the net and a massive brain trust waiting to be tapped.
 
Sorry for the long post.

ampfixer
It is not realistic to think that the coders and testers can get it right for everyone, every time.

Maybe not, but Cakewalk shouldn't release something that they haven't even tried out, or if they did, saw it was broken and released it anyway.  The new version of z3ta+2 is a prime example.  Sound Center is probably another one.  It happens too often in my opinion.
 
 

Personally, I like the monthly updates.  Leaves the choice up to me.  If I want to install, I do.  If not, I don't.  
Can't get much simpler than that.
 
I usually wait a while and keep an eye on the forum to see what the consensus of a particular update is, then act accordingly.