• SONAR
  • thinking about switching to cakewalk..important questions
2016/12/09 14:28:22
jjvibes
hi folks, 
i was so thankful for my last post-i am getting close to making a purchase, but know i am going to need help and i am wondering about support?  i don't want to be completely blind if i can't figure something out.
 
i know daw's are intense and will be patient to learn but hope support is good..
 
i might be able to get the highend sonar if that helps with communication in regards to support.
 
thanks!
jj
2016/12/09 14:59:03
Vastman
Do yourself a favor and get Platinum, preferably for life...
Our forum is extremely helpful... probably the best there is...
I can't imagine how some folks are able to spend so much time helping...
 
but they do.
 
It's an amazing platform... 
2016/12/09 15:05:47
Anderton
It depends on what your expectations are with free support. Cakewalk prioritizes issues that prevent people from working with SONAR, whether it's a store issue or a recurring crash. However quite a few people expect support to answer questions like "how to I get a good vocal sound" or "should I use the Sonitus compressor or the ProChannel compressor for bass." These go to the end of the line.
 
Cakewalk had support issues earlier this year, then had a complete meltdown when the Lifetime Updates appeared and added a ton of new users on top of the more modest amount of new users that had happened up to that point. The company got behind by thousands of support tickets, but hired additional people and now the backlog is pretty much cleaned up.
 
However...I use a lot of software programs and have lots of questions, but I've found that using social media and forums (particularly this one) get answers faster. Of course the forum can't answer "How come Cleverbridge declined my credit card" but if the question involves SONAR itself, there are extremely knowledgeable people here who are eager and willing to help. Every time I've had a question, the forum has always come through for me, and usually within 24 hours.
 
 
2016/12/09 15:42:25
John
I agree with Vastman. I believe you will get quick and accurate support right here on this forum. There are some fantastic members here including Vastman and Craig that help in any way they can. Heck Mr. Anderton wrote the book on helpful tips. 
 
As to CW support.  In the past I have dealt with them once or twice and I was always satisfied with their help. Lately CW has had to hire more support personnel to handle the huge number of new users. I don't know how good support is now. I do know that it is improving greatly.
 
 
In a real sense there isn't much this forum can't handle. So my advice is come here first and let us help. If we can't solve the problem we'll tell you you need to contact support.  Often times CW will monitor a thread and offer direct help. 
 
Really You have come to very best place for Sonar support there is. And let me welcome you JJ to this forum.  I also suggest you drop by even if you don't need help but want to learn about Sonar.  
 
2016/12/09 17:05:42
slartabartfast
If the question is: "Is Cakewalk support more responsive to users of the Platinum than to the Artist or Professional edition?," I have never seen any policy or user report this to be the case. It may be the case that support is/was not offered for some free version bundled with hardware, but you should expect the same level of support from any full version. The caveat is that support is not guaranteed for any version in which your active membership has lapsed. So the advantage of getting Platinum now (before 12/31/2016) is that your membership will presumably stay active. Unless something changes that should include support as well as updates. "Lifetime" updates is only available for Platinum as far as I can tell. 
2016/12/09 17:10:44
Anderton
I'll add one more thing to what John said. In some ways the forum is great for support not because it's necessarily filled with thousands of MENSA members, but because the problems are often variations on a theme. 
 
The majority of SONAR issues deal with third-party plug-ins, audio interface drivers, and Windows. Over time the associated issues have become well known, to the point where if someone says "Hey, I'm having problem [x]" it will likely have the "scent" of a problem that's happened before. As a result people will start by offering recommendations of what worked in the past, and most of the time this does the job. Also, conscientious forumites indicate threads as [Solved] in the header if their question is answered, so if you scan the forum and see "[Solved] All of a Sudden Huge Latency," you can read it to see what solved the problem. This way if something happens to you or someone else in the future, you at least know where to start.
 
In the case of true SONAR issues like a bug, once it's identified it's fairly common that someone from Cakewalk comes in and acknowledges it so we can stop scratching our heads. 
 
Another way the forum excels is when someone does ask a question like "which compressor should I use on bass." That's something that Cakewalk support should not prioritize, but you'll get all kinds of useful opinions in the forum. 
2016/12/09 17:13:41
eph221
SPLAT has very complex yet useful features compared to other DAWS.  What this means is that occasionally you will have headaches (at least it's been my experience.) but 1.  This forum will address it quickly and get you out of the hole and 2.  Having so many useful (but complex) tools at your hands is worth it.
2016/12/09 17:39:35
Anderton
eph221
Having so many useful (but complex) tools at your hands is worth it.



 
Even better, you can do perverse things with them that were never intended 
2016/12/09 17:40:31
jjvibes
thank you all!  i guess i am so new to forum i didn't expect this kind of response! (only from other forums.)
and yes i don't someone to teach me to "listen" more about tech stuff..like is this a bug or am i doing it wrong!
 
i did hear about the meltdown which makes a bit nervous..only before posting.
thank you and happy holidays!
jj
2016/12/09 18:00:06
Anderton
slartabartfast
 "Lifetime" updates is only available for Platinum as far as I can tell. 



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