Resonant Serpent
I'd rather the resources be put into fixing issues with Sonar than designing a new system.

The people working on the Bakery are not the same people who work on SONAR. I also suspect that like these forums, the Bakery software is modified off-the-shelf software. 
 
Everyone is acting like the Bakery is at 100% of its intended functionality, and the forums will disappear tomorrow. That's simply not the case. Like it or not, the approach the Bakery is taking is becoming prevalent as forums overall continue their slow decline - check out the sites for Ableton and Propellerheads. I suspect that once the Bakery has undergone its tweaks and provides useful functionality, there will be more of a crossfade between the Bakery and the forum than a hard stop. If it was up to me, which it isn't, I would maintain the forums for community and the Bakery for FAQ-style support, feature requests, and tracking. Then each would do what it does best.
 
This reminds me of the Start Screen. When it first appeared, I hated it and was vocal about my disapproval in these forums. I turned it off within a couple days of trying it. A few months later there had been enough updates that I gave it a second chance. Now I use it literally all the time. In fact I wish there was an option for it to pop up automatically after closing a project. Hmmm...guess I'll pop over to the Bakery and enter that as a request.
 

Anderton
 
 In fact I wish there was an option for it to pop up automatically after closing a project. Hmmm...guess I'll pop over to the Bakery and enter that as a request.
 

i think that is already coming in november ?
 
 
 

I hope you're right, but I think it shows up with no project open only when starting SONAR. I want it to show up after closing a project with SONAR already running.

Anderton

Resonant Serpent
I'd rather the resources be put into fixing issues with Sonar than designing a new system.

The people working on the Bakery are not the same people who work on SONAR. I also suspect that like these forums, the Bakery software is modified off-the-shelf software. 
 
Everyone is acting like the Bakery is at 100% of its intended functionality, and the forums will disappear tomorrow. That's simply not the case. Like it or not, the approach the Bakery is taking is becoming prevalent as forums overall continue their slow decline - check out the sites for Ableton and Propellerheads. I suspect that once the Bakery has undergone its tweaks and provides useful functionality, there will be more of a crossfade between the Bakery and the forum than a hard stop. If it was up to me, which it isn't, I would maintain the forums for community and the Bakery for FAQ-style support, feature requests, and tracking. Then each would do what it does best.
 
This reminds me of the Start Screen. When it first appeared, I hated it and was vocal about my disapproval in these forums. I turned it off within a couple days of trying it. A few months later there had been enough updates that I gave it a second chance. Now I use it literally all the time. In fact I wish there was an option for it to pop up automatically after closing a project. Hmmm...guess I'll pop over to the Bakery and enter that as a request.
 

Agree 100%. The new format looks perfect for the issues you've identified. I feel this could be an optimal solution.

 
The new Home Studio version has some features not yet added to the BIG 3. 
The start screen does appear when you close a project. 
 
http://forum.cakewalk.com/HOME-STUDIO-m3518151-p2.aspx
 
 

Anderton
I hope you're right, but I think it shows up with no project open only when starting SONAR. I want it to show up after closing a project with SONAR already running.

hmmm, perhaps you are right, I re read what it said and i may have been hopefully misunderstanding. i do recall remembering something about it in the past, maybe it was just users wanting that behavior, i think it would be good myself. if memory serves, wasn't the behavior like that at the release of the start page?, it would open when you closed a project, but at that time there was an issue with the speed of the start  page opening, resulting in users not liking it, so it was changed? could be wrong, but something tells me that's how it was. the option to have both behaviors would be the ticket 

 
 
"Perks and rewards"?
 
"Don't be a dick"?
 
Dare I say I find this all rather childish and patronising.
 
Cakewalk, I'm 54 years old, not 14.
 
All of a sudden I'm getting the feeling that I'm not in the generation Cakewalk are reaching out to.
 
Why mend something that isn't broken?
 
What exactly is wrong with the current forums?
 
I appreciate it's early days yet, but the Bakery feels so cold and sterile. Not somewhere I would enjoy spending any time.
 
And "The Bakery" - - - - - really? It's a bit like a crap in-joke that gets repeated for the sake of it.
 
 
 
 
 
 

SteveStrummerUK
 
 
"Perks and rewards"?
 
"Don't be a dick"?
 
Dare I say I find this all rather childish and patronising.
 
Cakewalk, I'm 54 years old, not 14.
 
All of a sudden I'm getting the feeling that I'm not in the generation Cakewalk are reaching out to.
 
 

 
yet at the same time they quoting a film from 2 decades ago, who I imagine most of the generation they want, won't have heard of

If the perks or rewards are a Cakewalk Coffee Mug I'll abandon the forums immediately and start a posting frenzy in The Bakery.
(or would I?)
 

Regarding "perks and rewards"...as I said, I suspect the Bakery is modified off-the-shelf software and the rewards thing is where most remaining forums are going. I've obviously done a lot of studies of forums over the 20+ years I've been running my Sound, Studio, and Stage forum, and moving it up to better hosts over the years. 
 
There's a phenomenon known in the industry as "super users" and we have several of them here. A small percentage of forumites post the majority of posts. Most forums with "rewards" use them to identify super users and vet posters for the benefit of newcomers. For example there have been many times when a beginner has come in here, asked a question, and scook provided his usual terse, accurate, and helpful response. Sometimes a newbie is reluctant to follow his advice so I go in and post something to the effect that scook knows what he's talking about, give it a try. 
 
It's important to understand that anything on the web is a work in progress. However it cannot be a work in progress if no one allows it to progress. I say give the Bakery a shot, and see what happens. It's too early to have any valid data on what people like or don't like about it. Once there is data, changes can be made.