Actually, Cubase will happily let you run 32-bit plugins in the 64-bit DAW. And it works just fine. I used to do that with SampleTank-based instruments until ST3 came out. And you know what, it's been perfectly stable that way. IPC isn't great for keeping the latency low, but it worked swimmingly, both in Cubase and in Sonar.
 
And ProChannel is one of the things with which I experienced weirdness in X3. I've had the entire chain mute itself occasionally for no reason until I restarted Sonar or disabled ProChannel. I've also had EQ parameters magically change. I know, I know. Nobody else has seen these kinds of things. What can I say, I'm a bug magnet! Except in Cubase. :)

Anderton

yevster
And speaking of competition, with Cubase 8 pro selling in GuitarCenter and Musician's Friend for $400 with an included MIDI controller, perhaps the $499 intro price tag is counterproductive.

Well...not quite. They're selling off old stock of Cubase 7.5 for $399, with an upgrade to 8 when it comes out in February. But if someone buys SONAR in February for $499, they not only get the software that's current in February, they get updates and content for the next year culminating in the next "version" of SONAR. A more comparable analogy would be if you could buy Cubase 8 in February, and when you purchased it, get an update to Cubase 9 locked in at the same time for an extra $99, with the Cubase 9 features being downloadable as soon as they're ready.

Nope. Cubase 8 Pro has been out for a month and has already been updated to 8.05.

I understand the current upfront "intro price" for X3 Producer users to upgrade to Sonar Platinum is about the same as what we've been paying (which is $149).  That's really good.
 
I'm wondering though. Will users that purchase the use of Sonar Platinum this year, have to pay the full upfront price ($499) for the following year or will there also be a renewal price for existing Sonar Platinum users that's in line with the $149 we're used to paying?
 
Thanks,
Paul

I will subscribe for $149, just to make that clear at the outset. I will upgrade from X3e to Platinum.
 
My personal wishes for the next version seem not to be included (colour flexibility, varispeed, improved staff view). Also, the new features happen not to particularly interest me, simply because they don't address my own needs and I already own practically everything else offered (Dim Pro, Rapture,  etc., etc.).
 
This being said, I do believe in supporting and going forward in Sonar as I have since the 12 Tone days. I believe in the sincerity of the Bakers and am sure I will appreciate any solidity improvements they have included here. That brings me to this:
 
I would really like to see an exhaustive list of bug fixes and other smaller improvements. Making an informed decision to spend (for me) quite a bit of money would feel better if I knew that the stability of the platform in general had been improved.
 
So, please give with the details (hoping there are some) and best of luck for a smooth and painless transition to the new model to all of the staff at Cakewalk!
 
Thank you!
lj

So, when will the product be available for download?   

kellerpj
 Will users that purchase the use of Sonar Platinum this year, have to pay the full upfront price ($499) for the following year or will there also be a renewal price for existing Sonar Platinum users that's in line with the $149 we're used to paying?
 

They can pay for a renewal, see pricing info here http://www.cakewalk.com/P...SONAR/Versions#pricing

Ahh yes... I missed that.
 
Thanks for pointing that out,
Paul

alewgro
So, when will the product be available for download?   

Do you have reason to believe the new version is not available for download now?  They are certainly offering to sell it now.  It would be pretty sleazy to take your money and then say, "Oh by the way, it will be another 30 days."  It looks to me like you can download immediately.

Incidentally, Sweetwater already seems to be accepting orders, including for the boxed version.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SonarPltUpBx
 
And if I understand this scheme correctly, if one isn't sure that Sonar currently has enough features to justify the upgrade price, what is to stop one from buying the boxed version and waiting to activate it until Sonar has enough features to warrant the upgrade?
 
Edit: fixing the link

cparmerlee

alewgro
So, when will the product be available for download?   

Do you have reason to believe the new version is not available for download now?  They are certainly offering to sell it now.  It would be pretty sleazy to take your money and then say, "Oh by the way, it will be another 30 days."  It looks to me like you can download immediately.

Money quote from the Sweetwater download page:
 

SONAR Professional, part of the newest SONAR lineup, will be released on January 21st, but you can go ahead and order your upgrade from Sweetwater today with the benefit of a myriad of payment options, and we'll deliver your download code to you on release day, complete with Sweetwater's stellar after-the-sale support.

 
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SonarPltUp