noynekker
While I generally like some of the new features provided in the recent updates, I'm just not a fan of the over abundance of content stuff. I just want new features and fixes, though I know it must take more resources to develop these type of things.

 
One more time...content development and features/bug fixes have nothing to do with one another. The content I create is for my own use and it's contributed to the updates. No bug fixes (or kittens) were killed in the making of the content.
 

I find myself downloading content things and never using them.

 
The content is the icing on the Cake. Some will appeal to some people but not others. Some will appeal to almost everybody and some will appeal to almost nobody. But look at the content that's been included already -- loops, an instrument, FX chains, and ProChannel presets; additional types are coming in the future.
 

Anything that's really new and interesting, such as Rapture Pro, and David Bendeth plugin, you just have to buy, they aren't included as "surprising" new features.

 
The Membership program is for SONAR, not other Cakewalk products although I suspect some of the "membership mentality" will work its way into other products as well.
 

I'll also add that I haven't been overly enthusiastic about much that's been added to Sonar Platinum.

The community made it clear that a substantial number of users prioritized "under the hood" fixes and enhancements to improve workflow and stability. If you look over the fixes and enhancements over the past 90 days as well as the delta from X3 to Platinum, I think you'll see that the wishes of the community have been both respected and answered. The fact that I've had Platinum crash once in three months, and that was due to deleting a file that REmatrix Solo needed in a project, is something I certainly appreciate.
 
We're only 16% through the first year of membership. I think a lot has been accomplished in that time. There's 84% more to go.

Anderton

CoteRotie
Green sounds 20-40% better.

Orange amps will be very disappointed to hear that 
 

FCCfirstclass
I prefer a Sky Blue.

The pedalboards in the picture are all presets derived from two basic pedalboard types, Clean and Crunchy. I actually had a 9th pedalboard for surf music, and it had a blue background. But it uses a different set of modules and I didn't want to release a pedalboard with just one preset. I'm thinking of making a "60s" pedalboard, and Surf would be one of the presets. If people like these I'll probably do more.
 
Of course, just because I have some finalized content and am posting a picture here that was used in the 24-page eZine would not mean that an update is forthcoming. No, not at all. Just move along. There's nothing to see here...

Craig, I am all in for Surf music, using Sky Blue of course, if you get that far.  
 
You are the Jedi Master.

mudgel
Sonar is only just now been out for 3 months. We've been told about the drum replacer (yet to come), virtual keyboard (already here) something else I can't remember (yet to come) and also talk of a surprise. Give it some time.

Under the old model we would have Sonar 2015 and working with that while we wait a full release cycle before new stuff.

The content is Guitar centric because Craig is providing it, but it's made by using the tools available in Sonar. Craig's answer to, can we know how it was created, was not yet and I suspect the last instalment of this particular content will be how he did it, any way that's what I hope for. I really don't need more guitar stuff as I have more than I could ever use already but that doesn't mean it's not interesting to check out.
I'm sure that at the end of the first year the new release model will have been a positive experience.

It's already been positive. Updates, fixes and free stuff every month. Once we get through May and the "E" update we will be in new territory. There was no X3h.

I had to comment on this heading. We went from everyone talking about updates, but no updates coming, to--updates coming frequently and nobody discussing. Just a little irony here. I gotta say, I like the way things are going now. Bug fixes can be had sooner.
 
With that said, I encourage CW to go back through the Feature Requests in the Feedback loop and review many of them. Some are probably great ideas that will be lost if not pocketed and reviewed to see if they fit better today.

Anderton

noynekker
While I generally like some of the new features provided in the recent updates, I'm just not a fan of the over abundance of content stuff. I just want new features and fixes, though I know it must take more resources to develop these type of things.

 
One more time...content development and features/bug fixes have nothing to do with one another. The content I create is for my own use and it's contributed to the updates. No bug fixes (or kittens) were killed in the making of the content.
 

I find myself downloading content things and never using them.

 
The content is the icing on the Cake. Some will appeal to some people but not others. Some will appeal to almost everybody and some will appeal to almost nobody. But look at the content that's been included already -- loops, an instrument, FX chains, and ProChannel presets; additional types are coming in the future.
 

Anything that's really new and interesting, such as Rapture Pro, and David Bendeth plugin, you just have to buy, they aren't included as "surprising" new features.

 
The Membership program is for SONAR, not other Cakewalk products although I suspect some of the "membership mentality" will work its way into other products as well.
 

I'll also add that I haven't been overly enthusiastic about much that's been added to Sonar Platinum.

The community made it clear that a substantial number of users prioritized "under the hood" fixes and enhancements to improve workflow and stability. If you look over the fixes and enhancements over the past 90 days as well as the delta from X3 to Platinum, I think you'll see that the wishes of the community have been both respected and answered. The fact that I've had Platinum crash once in three months, and that was due to deleting a file that REmatrix Solo needed in a project, is something I certainly appreciate.
 
We're only 16% through the first year of membership. I think a lot has been accomplished in that time. There's 84% more to go.

Craig . . . I don't like the way you have responded to my post here, chopping and editing it into pieces, and the points you make don't not actually offer a very good counter argument. You come across here as the ultimate Cakewalk defender, while throwing in a flippant joke about no kittens were killed in the making of your content.
 
When you say "content development and features/bug fixes have nothing to do with one another. The content I create is for my own use and it's contributed to the updates." . . . are you perhaps assuming that we all want your own personal version of added content ? Yeah, we don't have to download and install it, but it waters down the updates to the software that are actually happening here, making it seem like we're getting so much more than we actually are.
I'm glad you've had only one Platinum crash in three months, for me, crashing has never been the issue.
Yes, Sonar Platinum is stable, but I'm starting to lose faith in the intent of the upcoming program feature improvements . . . they aren't fulfilling my needs as a composer / producer of music.
 
One point I was trying to make in my previous post is that we have been baited with a promise of a "surprise" since January, and now I can't even find that page on the Cakewalk website . . . again, did I miss the surprise ?

noynekker
 
Craig . . . I don't like the way you have responded to my post here, chopping and editing it into pieces

 
I didn't edit anything, those are direct quotes and presented sequentially except I didn't include the first line:
 
"At the beginning of the membership push in January, there was a promise about a 'surprise' yet to come."
 
...which I didn't answer because I'm not privy to what any surprise might be so I don't have any comment, and the last two lines:
 
"The only feature improvements that I have really used extensively in my workflow are the REmatrix PC Reverb, and Control Bar updates . . . now that was great . . . but then it got broken for this last month.
Did I miss the surprise ?"
 
...because I didn't see any of it requiring a response. Okay, there are some things you like, and I wasn't going to argue that the control bar isn't really broken (i.e., unuseable) but simply that you couldn't lock the order of the shortcut buttons, and besides, a fix is forthcoming so the point is moot. But if it's "broken" to you, then you think it's broken and that's okay with me. Just like it's okay with me you don't like the content. But, that doesn't mean it should be removed - it's clear a lot of people DO like the content, and in some cases, they like it a lot.
 

and the points you make don't not actually offer a very good counter argument. You come across here as the ultimate Cakewalk defender, while throwing in a flippant joke about no kittens were killed in the making of your content.

 
The kitten thing was continuing in the same light vein as my comments in post 2, 15, 16, 18, and 24, which were all not very serious. Hell, even posting the pedalboard picture was just a fun thing I did on the spur of the moment. The whole thread was pretty light, and arguably silly in some spots, until your post. 
 

When you say "content development and features/bug fixes have nothing to do with one another. The content I create is for my own use and it's contributed to the updates." . . . are you perhaps assuming that we all want your own personal version of added content ?

 
No, I'm assuming your comment about features requiring more resources reflected the same thinking as [several] others who have posted here, and assume there's a relationship regarding resources between amount of content and amount of features. I've answered this time and time again but if your reference to resources wasn't motivated by the same thinking, then my response wasn't relevant.
 
As to whether or not people want my own personal version of content, it's obvious a lot of them do but it's also obvious I can't contribute someone else's content because I'm not someone else. If other people want to contribute content to the updates, they should feel free to submit it like Brian Hardgroove did...the more, the merrier. I put a lot of time into creating all that content and it's gratifying so many people find it useful, at least based on the forum comments and user surveys Cakewalk has done. But I know it's subjective. As one extreme example if all someone does is classical music, they're not going to find pedalboards or hip-hop bass loops useful.
 

Yeah, we don't have to download and install it, but it waters down the updates to the software that are actually happening here, making it seem like we're getting so much more than we actually are.

 
I think saying "Some will appeal to some people but not others. Some will appeal to almost everybody and some will appeal to almost nobody" is pretty straightforward. I really don't get the logic behind it "watering down" the features. The features are the features, and they're not affected by the content. If I could, I'd provide even more...I just finished a test signal suite with tones, sweeps, and noise so people can test their acoustics and EQs, which is different from the loops, instruments, effects, and presets I've done so far. 
 

Yes, Sonar Platinum is stable, but I'm starting to lose faith in the intent of the upcoming program feature improvements . . . they aren't fulfilling my needs as a composer / producer of music.

 
Well again, to each his own. There was a distinct preference for stability and fixes and it makes sense from a development standpoint to "front load" as many of those as soon as possible to nail down any issues. If you look at the fixes in the past two releases, it's a lot. Those take time and they have been a priority. Still, some people really like Mix Recall and VocalSync, so I'm sure they appreciate the enhancements; the additional file export options were huge for me, as is the QWERTY keyboard when composing on a plane. And the REmatix impulses from Dan were a big hit (and I think the set of impulses I'll be contributing soon are pretty cool, too...).
 
But that's why I felt it was important to give a reality check that 84% of the updates are yet to come. The whole "program feature improvement" thing is only two releases old. I think it's premature to write off the concept based on completing 16% of the program. You don't have to agree, but I think the data I presented about the percentage of the program implemented so far is worth considering. If you don't, and you feel can project what will happen over the year based on the initial 16% and have serious resevations that what will happen in the remaining 84% won't be of value to you, that's fine too. You'll know for sure on Feb 1, 2016.
 

One point I was trying to make in my previous post is that we have been baited with a promise of a "surprise" since January, and now I can't even find that page on the Cakewalk website . . . again, did I miss the surprise ?

 
You'll have to ask Cakewalk. I don't know for sure what's in future updates until I get told what to write up for the eZine so for me, most of it is a surprise  (well, except for the Drum Replacer, which I know is forthcoming). In fact for the April release I had the eZine finished and submitted, and then was told there was another feature being added so I had to add that in...definitely a surprise. Even with my content, a lot of it gets shifted around to complement a particular release. I have a bunch of EDM stuff but Cakewalk felt it would be more appropriate in a release that had a related feature.
 

Anderton
In fact for the April release I had the eZine finished and submitted, and then was told there was another feature being added so I had to add that in...definitely a surprise.

 
Well . . . Spill the beans . . . We wont tell
 

Well it was a surprise to me, but this one particular feature is going to matter only to people who do dialog to picture...though I suspect it will matter to them a lot.
 
But you know, noynekker got me to re-think this whole content thing...I do all this stuff on nights and weekends because it's not part of my Gibson gig and it's a commitment I made to the membership program. Besides, it's gratifying when people dig it. But if I can get a groundswell of people who don't want content, I could go to movies, eat dinner out, take walks in the park...maybe even get a cat...yeah, that's the ticket!
 
For the May release, content will consist of a harpsichord preset for Pentagon. That should be enough

lol
 
I think a large number of people would like and appreciate what ever it is you put out. And of that large number I don't think there would be to many who would begrudge your taking time out for whatever you choose . . . cats are good therapy, and at times I'm pretty sure a few around here might find that therapy useful, I think the demand for cats may have risen a little in the last few hours come to think of it 
 
I think that what ever comes out this round will have a bit of a tough time, and maybe little overshadowed by Rapture Pro.
 
Remember the old song, "You can't please everyone, so you got to please yourself" makes a lot of sense, plus it's huge a bonus when pleasing yourself also pleases others

noynekker
 
While I generally like some of the new features provided in the recent updates, I'm just not a fan of the over abundance of content stuff. I just want new features and fixes, though I know it must take more resources to develop these type of things. I find myself downloading content things and never using them. Anything that's really new and interesting, such as Rapture Pro, and David Bendeth plugin, you just have to buy, they aren't included as "surprising" new features.
 

I think it's safe to say that we all have very different angles to what is important fixes and new features.
 
The way things happend is through Features & Ideas forum - and we are voting and put wishes for Cakewalk to read.
 
Cakewalk are not mindreaders.