SGodfrey
This looks like very bad news for me.  The only way I've been able to afford Sonar upgrades is to wait roughly a year until they're about to release a new version and then take advantage of the final discount price.
 
Now I'm stuck on X2 Producer with no way to upgrade since I can't justify the non-discounted price and it looks like X3 is no longer available now.  Feeling pretty deflated right now!

Some brick and mortar stores (maybe Amazon, too) will still have boxed X3s. You should get it if you can.

SGodfrey
This looks like very bad news for me.  The only way I've been able to afford Sonar upgrades is to wait roughly a year until they're about to release a new version and then take advantage of the final discount price.
 
Now I'm stuck on X2 Producer with no way to upgrade since I can't justify the non-discounted price and it looks like X3 is no longer available now.  Feeling pretty deflated right now!

Not sure which version(s) you have been looking at. How about stepping down to "Artist" ($49 or $4.99/month) from your X2 Producer?

https://www.cakewalk.com/Products/SONAR/Versions

If I upgraded to X3 producer last month do I have a year membership? Or do I only get 12 months support and no updates?
 
Devon

dbolt@busyhands.biz
If I upgraded to X3 producer last month do I have a year membership? Or do I only get 12 months support and no updates?

Sorry, but you get nothing.  You bought at the end of the X3 window which is now closed.
 
You have nothing to lose by calling Cakewalk, though...
 
 

Kylotan
I don't begrudge Cakewalk making good money, nor would I demand that they lower their prices. I'm a software engineer myself and I know users tend to demand everything for free with the assumption you'll get your revenue from somewhere else, and it's not the case. But here, I've just put forward the honest truth, which is that I don't get $200 worth of value out of the software each year, so won't be subscribing full-time. What they choose to do with this information is up to them. :)

I often wonder how well CW is doing given how little they actually charge for an application as complex as SONAR. I know CW is a pretty big operation (actually I'm not sure - just guessing), but how many customers do they really have? I'm also a software engineer and would love to work on music software instead of the generic stuff I work on now (all my home software pet projects are music related stuff). But when I looked around, those kinds of jobs paid about 1/2 what I'm getting now so I guess it will have to be a fantasy.
 
But what you say is true... People more and more feel that they are entitled to free software. To me the current SONAR price is a very good deal. As others have said, it would have cost you a fortune to do all this without this kind of software.

FastBikerBoy

SGodfrey
This looks like very bad news for me.  The only way I've been able to afford Sonar upgrades is to wait roughly a year until they're about to release a new version and then take advantage of the final discount price.
 
Now I'm stuck on X2 Producer with no way to upgrade since I can't justify the non-discounted price and it looks like X3 is no longer available now.  Feeling pretty deflated right now!

Is a monthly payment not an option for you?

Thanks for the thought Karl, but no, it's still full price in the end.  I'm just a hobbyist, with more enthusiasm than talent, not much time to play and shallow pockets!

Paul P

dbolt@busyhands.biz
If I upgraded to X3 producer last month do I have a year membership? Or do I only get 12 months support and no updates?

Sorry, but you get nothing.  You bought at the end of the X3 window which is now closed.
 
You have nothing to lose by calling Cakewalk, though...
 
 

Not true. He gets all the patches released this past year (X3e) and a year's worth of tech support starting after he registers.
 
He does NOT get the new version/membership though BUT he does get access to the X3 upgrade discounts.
 
He bought X3 so he gets EVERYTHING that comes with X3. He does not just get the initial release and a lump of coal. He probably got it at a ridiculous discount too.

TabSel
If X3 ever was so successful as you said Craig, why change? Why discontinue the success, have happy loyal customers and build upon and grow your good reputation and gain new customers by that, In contrast to upsetting loyal und scare potential new customers?

Don't get it...

If you had a really successful album, wouldn't you want your next album to be even better? Be more adventurous? Reach out in new directions? Take some chances? Gain a wider audience? 
 
"He not busy being born is busy dying." - Bob Dylan
 
(P.S. The number of scared customers seems to be in a minority. Multiple identities created by one troll don't count as multiple people.)

I'd gladly pay $400 to have all bugs in 8.53 fixed.  I have no need for newly added half-baked features that need even more fixes.  I got off the Sonar submarine when Cakewalk laid the X1 egg.  My co-writer friend has the current Sonar X release and he has all sorts of oddball issues.

I've kept 8.53 for legacy projects but most of my new projects are Reaper based.  It's been unbelievably rock-solid and they focus their time on fixing the issues on their software rather than cramming it with new bloatware to find a reason to sell the product once again.