JohnoL
A few people have asked this general question and I have the same question.
I think the faq needs more clarification.
 

If I let my Membership expire after 12 months, can I renew it again later?

                    Yes, you can come back any time and pay the Renewal rate.
Will the renewal rate be the same after 3 months, after 6months, 1 or 2 years? 
I am talking more about paying the full 12 months in advance. Do you pay extra to "catch up?"
 
 
For the last 3 years I have gotten the new version but I usually wait 3 to 6 months when they repeat the
introductory offer and/or offer a free video with it.
 

ChazEd 
Example:
 
I pay $149 to upgrade my X3 Producer to Platinum now (January/February, 2015), the I get all Platinum current and future features for 12 months. Ok.
 
Then, in January/February, 2016, for reasons unknown (no cash, too much beer , etc), I can't renewal my Platinum Membership.
 
Then say 6 months (or 1 year, or 2 year, I don't know what will happen in the future) later I want to renewal my Platinum membership.
 
Will I have to pay full price again or just the current (2016/2017...) upgrade price?
 
Will I loose my Platinum membership and go to square one (like a new sonar user status) if I let it expire?
 

 
Sorry to quote myself again, but the faq is not clear about above situations.
 
Can someone help?

clintmartin

Bflat5
So, no more simply downloading the uprade? Sorry to be a naysayer, but I don't see an upside to renting software on the customer end.
 
Maybe I'm seeing it wrong, but when you purchase software you can continue using it until the OS will no longer support it. Pay a premium price to rent it and once your subscription is up you are forced to renew and can longer use it until you do?
 
Is that correct?

No that's not correct at all. Upgrade for $149 and it's yours forever. If you want more upgrades after a year...then you pay again.

NOPE! lol you need to look at it again... 149 for 12 months! its a subscription DAW service... You keep paying them or you have NO DAW! good luck in mid project and you have to convert ALL your projects to ProTools and have no way to do it!

Anderton

TabSel
If you buy product that doesn't work as documented, the seller is in charge to repair/exchange/refund, of course, the buyer entitled to damages, if any.

 
That is not true. All commercial, and even most free, software has an end user license agreement (EULA). You agree to it when you install the software. Read it to find out what your rights are. I have NEVER seen software where a company assumed responsibility for consequential damages, and most software is sold "as is." Cakewalk's EULA is generally about the same as every other software company's.

That's how Microsoft covers it's ass with those Windows updates.

Dave__lol

Ryan Munnis [Cakewalk]

Dave__lol
I called Cakewalk sales today... the guy picked up right way.... that's the 1st sign that this subscription DAW won't work... and the fact that he sounded "in my opinion" that I had woken him or he lives in Colorado.... ;)

I know all the guys in support. There all great guys and real people. Some of them are loud and some of them are quiet. They don't have agendas or predefined scripts. You're judging a person and making a tasteless joke that this means our new model won't work.

Well look at it this way.... how many DAWs use subscriptions as apposed to buying their DAWs? you can and will have to offer both options for it to work... Being an American as I am... this is just a cheap sales gimmick that won't fly to old or new uses. I could list the reasons why but I'm an old guy and its hard for me to breath ;) but I could ask my daughter as she is in her 3rd year of marketing at one of the top business collages to explain it better to you if you like.... 

Instead of doing that, you should go read our FAQ on Membership and our pricing structure so you can realize this isn't subscription and you CAN buy the software. It doesn't seem like you've read or attempted to understand our messaging here based on what you're saying.

"you can and will have to offer both options for it to work.."
 
Buy a twelve month subscription and keep the software for free. Or alternatively buy the software and get a 12 month subscription for free. The choice is yours ;) Or alternatively pay in installments and get it 12 months later.
 
This has been answered a zillion times in this thread now...

Dave__lol

clintmartin

Bflat5
So, no more simply downloading the uprade? Sorry to be a naysayer, but I don't see an upside to renting software on the customer end.
 
Maybe I'm seeing it wrong, but when you purchase software you can continue using it until the OS will no longer support it. Pay a premium price to rent it and once your subscription is up you are forced to renew and can longer use it until you do?
 
Is that correct?

No that's not correct at all. Upgrade for $149 and it's yours forever. If you want more upgrades after a year...then you pay again.

NOPE! lol you need to look at it again... 149 for 12 months! its a subscription DAW service... You keep paying them or you have NO DAW! good luck in mid project and you have to convert ALL your projects to ProTools and have no way to do it!

That's not correct, Dave. If you pay the upgrade price, the DAW is yours to keep.

Dave__lol

clintmartin

Bflat5
So, no more simply downloading the uprade? Sorry to be a naysayer, but I don't see an upside to renting software on the customer end.
 
Maybe I'm seeing it wrong, but when you purchase software you can continue using it until the OS will no longer support it. Pay a premium price to rent it and once your subscription is up you are forced to renew and can longer use it until you do?
 
Is that correct?

No that's not correct at all. Upgrade for $149 and it's yours forever. If you want more upgrades after a year...then you pay again.

NOPE! lol you need to look at it again... 149 for 12 months! its a subscription DAW service... You keep paying them or you have NO DAW! good luck in mid project and you have to convert ALL your projects to ProTools and have no way to do it!

Again you're wrong. I'll remind you that spreading false Information, intentionally, is trolling.

kitekrazy1

YouDontHasToCallMeJohnson
Anyone complaining about spending $149 for this version is just plain stupid.
 
That you can opt to pay monthly is an amazing offer.
 
$149 does not reflect inflation for the past 10 years. Neither did $179, and $189, and $199.
 
Sonar has been underpriced almost from the git.
 
If this software was being imported my China it would qualify as "Dumping." And sanctions and tariffs would be applied.
 
A Hundred and fifty bucs for a year of goodness and you guys are publically spewing dumbness before you use your frontal lobes for a minute of thought?
 
I say, "Go buy a different product and complain in the appropriate forums."

Said no intelligent developer ever........
 
Fanboyism concerning software should be a mental illness. I'll go back to the Props forum to read the same thing with Reason 8 upgrade and REs.
 
 

 
Don't have to be a fan boi of the software to understand the value of the sales proposal.
 
 
 
 

forkol
Also, tbh, what I have seen (so far) in the initial release is a lot of cosmetic or small features, and not stuff that really gets my blood pumping. 

 
I dunno. Mix Recall is extremely useful, it's a feature from the early days of automated digital consoles that I thought was never coming back. And VocalSync isn't just for dialog to picture - it's great for doubled vocals and harmonies - and the cheapest equivalent I've seen costs $140 more than the complete Platinum upgrade by itself. The customizable Control Bar is fantastic, the MIDI timing drag feature means goodbye Fit Time...I posted my first thoughts on the new features in this post. But don't forget you'll also get the new features that come out in the next 12 months, like Drum Replacement (which has already been mentioned).
 

It will be interesting to see if other DAW providers try it.

 
It puts them in a difficult position in some ways. For those who have been planning to go to a subscription/rental model, that now looks kind of selfish compared to a model that lets users keep what they buy. And if Cakewalk's model is successful, it will provide the resources needed by the company to really pour into SONAR.
 

kitekrazy1

Anderton

TabSel
If you buy product that doesn't work as documented, the seller is in charge to repair/exchange/refund, of course, the buyer entitled to damages, if any.

 
That is not true. All commercial, and even most free, software has an end user license agreement (EULA). You agree to it when you install the software. Read it to find out what your rights are. I have NEVER seen software where a company assumed responsibility for consequential damages, and most software is sold "as is." Cakewalk's is generally about the same as every other software company's.

That's how Microsoft covers it's ass with those Windows updates.

Yes, I have pushed and got all cash back for software like from waves for instance... but in todays world children are brought up to be sucker and believe they have no rights.... and we don't! look to the future and how this will turn out! humans are fools! and the rich get richer.... lol