Vas
Please forgive me if these questions have already been answered. 
 
When does the Intro Offer expire?
https://www.cakewalk.com/Products/SONAR/Versions
is there a Free demo version to help me decide if I should move to Sonar 2015 (AKA X4) from my Current X3.
 
Is there a user’s manual for Sonar 2015?

The end date of the promo is not set, CW staff have indicated it will be good through January, possibly February.
There may not be a demo on day 1 but they are trying to get it out ASAP.
The manual will be online when the product goes on sale.

Am I missing something? I don't see an upgrade price or path from X3 Pro. Shouldn't that be an option? How about a free upgrade for 20+ year Cakewalk users?!!!!

see pricing section here https://www.cakewalk.com/Products/SONAR/Versions

I see this (feature or bug?) almost a month... Should I expect good monthly updates of SONAR then?

azslow3

Beepster
Really the more I look at this I'm kind of thinking Cake have somewhat shorted THEMSELVES. Not the customers.

++
That is exactly my worry... With current statements they cut the possibility to define "sale" prices

 
I don't know what plans are for sales, but Cakewalk has always done sales in the past.
 

they are forced to introduce new features on regular basis

 
Cakewalk is already forced to introduce new features on a regular basis - that's what the yearly updates were about. The only difference is that now you get them when they're ready instead of getting them all at once.
 

They are forced to support at least installation of many versions.

 
Not really. If members update their versions, then there will be fewer variations floating around. Also, the modular installer concept is huge in terms of being able to handle modular installations and rollbacks.
 

And most probably they will be forced to be backward compatible (just think about reverting to the version you "own" after you created a project in newer version).

 
Cakewalk is backwards compatible now. I can open projects created in X3 in X1, for example. It probably goes back further than that, although of course, if a feature didn't exist in a previous version it won't be present.
 

I cross my fingers for them and hope they survive (but I am not going to pay for that, sorry).

Cakewalk has been picking up a lot of new users in the past year and has a parent company that's totally committed to the company's success. The "We're Hiring" on the home page should give a clue about what's going on.
 
I understand some people are reluctant to "bet" $149 on what would have been in X4 and what's planned for what would have been X5. I'm sure there will be glitches along the way; with a change this massive on so many levels, from IT to retail to everything in between, it would be a miracle if there weren't. But Gibson is making a multi-million dollar bet on Cakewalk, and both companies have every intention of winning it by the devilishly sneaky plan of creating tons of happy customers.

nzpaul
I really don't understand the problem with this great offer. If the bakers had just offered all the new features as X4 with nothing further being added everyone would be quiet, but we're getting effective an X4 and an X5!
 
One question I do have though. Say I decide to upgrade in 6 months time, obviously the price reverts to $199, but is there anything else you lose out on that you would have got if you upgraded straight away? 
 
Apart from actually using the new software straight away of course :)

 
I believe the content (presets, loops, videos, tutorials, etc.) will be optional downloads as opposed to part of the program. So you would lose any content that occurred during that time. I've asked if maybe there's some way people could pay for it if they missed it and wanted it, or buy back content if they become new users.
 
For example, right now I'm collaborating on a bass loop library with an A-list bass player who has a very impressive resume. His stuff is great. Haven't quite decided what to do with it yet, but I've suggested selling it as a loop library with REX and Acidized files (not everyone uses SONAR, and it would work with other DAWs) but also including the loops as part of the membership program. In that scenario members would get the loops for free, but new users could buy the library if they wanted those loops.
 

Beepster
I think for the skeptics (which I am) it would be a matter of paying for this year's membership/full upgrade, letting it lapse to see what comes down the pipe in the first few months to see what tickles our fancy and if we think the next upgrade is worth it then hop on.

 
What you're forgetting is that Cakewalk can now be more open about what's coming up in the future, because everything happens more quickly - there's less lead time for competitors to catch up to a new feature. I gave the analogy of magazines with their "Coming up in next month's issue: Interview with Jack White, and Wah pedal shootout!" promos.
 

I truly get the impression that the Bakers themselves do this for the love of the product first and the paycheck (perhaps a very close) second. They want us to like it and want us to have a good product... which then ultimately would result in a larger paycheck too so hey, we get artistic AND free market principles working for us.

 
I've told this story before, but when Gibson acquired Cakewalk, the first employee question wasn't "So what are the health benefits?" It was "So when do the employee discounts kick in?" Poor Andrew, he brought a J-45 just before all this went down.
 

It's the boys at the top saying yay or nay to their development efforts that worries me. Considering it is Gibson though and the fact that Craig has their ear I think we are in good hands.

 
Do not underestimate how much Henry J is into this. When the CEO and Chairman is behind something, that's pretty much all you need. I don't really need to have anyone's ear, but I do help in as many ways as I can, given that I have many other obligations at Gibson...have I mentioned how well Neat Microphones went over at CES?   That's my other "baby," and they are going to shake up the world of mics.
 
Good times. Stay tuned.
 

azslow3
I see this (feature or bug?) almost a month... Should I expect good monthly updates of SONAR then?

That's my concern too...

nzpaul
If the bakers had just offered all the new features as X4 with nothing further being added everyone would be quiet...

It's a safe bet that that would never ever EVER happen...

nzpaul
I really don't understand the problem with this great offer. If the bakers had just offered all the new features as X4 with nothing further being added everyone would be quiet, but we're getting effective an X4 and an X5!

You only get X5 with no patches to fix its major bugs, so in effect it's not X5.  Imagine if something (like the console emulator, or the sustain pedal) breaks everything just when your 12 months are up.  You'll have to lose everything that was also included with the bad update.
 
I wish people, especially Cakewalk/Gibson people, would stop using this false comparison.  It just confuses things to no useful purpose.