Please read the linked resources here..
 
https://cakewalk.bandlab.com/
 
Press release
https://blog.bandlab.com/cakewalk-press-release/
 
FAQ
https://blog.bandlab.com/cakewalk-announcement-faq/
 
 
This thread will be left open for now for comments.
PLEASE keep it relevant and civil....
 

Great news for you Sonar users (i'm mainly a Cubase user).
 
I wish us all the best that Sonar take off :)

Copied from the FAQ link above:

[[ I’m an existing or old SONAR user and have questions about my old account or subscription or want a refund.

BandLab Technologies did not acquire the operating company of Cakewalk Inc., only the complete set of intellectual property, patents, trademarks and certain assets necessary or related to the entire Cakewalk product suite.

For users of Cakewalk from before 21st February 2018 – please refer to the original Gibson/Cakewalk announcement FAQ ]]

Does this mean that anyone who bought into lifetime updates before 21st Feb 2018 will now have to pay again to get the "BandLab" version when it appears?

So reading the last question and answer in the FAQ, they don't have any obligation nor intend to provide support to any previous owners of Sonar. Ouch. I guess they're starting from a clean slate.

Sir William
Copied from the FAQ link above:

[[ I’m an existing or old SONAR user and have questions about my old account or subscription or want a refund.

BandLab Technologies did not acquire the operating company of Cakewalk Inc., only the complete set of intellectual property, patents, trademarks and certain assets necessary or related to the entire Cakewalk product suite.

For users of Cakewalk from before 21st February 2018 – please refer to the original Gibson/Cakewalk announcement FAQ ]]

Does this mean that anyone who bought into lifetime updates before 21st Feb 2018 will now have to pay again to get the "BandLab" version when it appears?

 
That's how I read it.

Sir William
Copied from the FAQ link above:

[[ I’m an existing or old SONAR user and have questions about my old account or subscription or want a refund.

BandLab Technologies did not acquire the operating company of Cakewalk Inc., only the complete set of intellectual property, patents, trademarks and certain assets necessary or related to the entire Cakewalk product suite.

For users of Cakewalk from before 21st February 2018 – please refer to the original Gibson/Cakewalk announcement FAQ ]]

Does this mean that anyone who bought into lifetime updates before 21st Feb 2018 will now have to pay again to get the "BandLab" version when it appears?

OK .. So here is what I reckon. Bandlab are as aware of old Cakewalk userbase drift as everyone else here?
 
They will possibly run VERY QUICKLY with what would have been the next big monthly update to Sonar before the November event. I wonder was there such an update in the cooker already that did not get released at the time?
 
Email all Sonar users saying its available at the Command center FREE.
 
Then from there once they have the initial goodwill gesture sorted .. they start offering upgrades and other pathways going forward?

Interesting. Maybe that's why GC and Musician's friend had advertisements a week ago(although it's been since taken down) I've never heard of Bandlab but it looks like their into portable recording and have their own interfaces.

 
OK .. So here is what I reckon. Bandlab are as aware of old Cakewalk userbase drift as everyone else here?
 
They will possibly run VERY QUICKLY with what would have been the next big monthly update to Sonar before the November event. I wonder was there such an update in the cooker already that did not get released at the time?
 
Email all Sonar users saying its available at the Command center FREE.
 
Then from there once they have the initial goodwill gesture sorted .. they start offering upgrades and other pathways going forward?

I think there's a near zero chance that they will honour the lifetime updates. However, on the other hand, I cannot imagine them starting from a clean slate as in : everyone will have to buy a new full license. I would think that their existing customer base is too important for the success of this acquisition to pull off something like that. Question then of course is how they will support that existing customer base given that it might be that they don't even have the records from Gibson to know who the existing base is.
Anyway, time will tell, but if all of a sudden I would have to buy the full new-user price for a new version of Sonar, I'm not so sure I will do that given the unstable past of the company/product.

This news is fantastic!
With the lifetime we have saved a lot to have Sonar the important thing is that they resume the development of this wonderful daw.
I understood even better how Sonar is professional when I tried others.
Greetings