Question on project files

I'm not sure about the backward compatibility, but my guess is that it can be done.

Beagle


cakewalk has always been designed to be forwards and backwards compatible according to Noel the CTO of cake. 

there are instances where it doesn't work correctly, and, as you already know, you can't open FX and synths that the person using MC4 or MC5 doesn't have or visa versa. 

also, I'd advise using PER PROJECT FOLDERS and zipping up the project folder instead of using BUNDLES.  Bundles seem to be less stable lately.

I hesitate to say that you're gonna be OK backwards - in my experience it's not been the case.  Up until a couple weeks ago when I redid my DAW with Win 7 64-bit, I was running both MC5 and Sonar 8.5 alongside.  It's still the setup I'd like to get back to, but I have to resolve some 64-bit issues first....  but what I DID find was, even if I tried to strip out all my FX from a Sonar 8.5 project, when I brought it up into MC5 it popped up a screen saying that this project was saved in a newer version and some features may not work properly.... all well and good, I usually could work on the file in MC5 and do what I wanted; resaving it.  But next time I brought it up into MC5 to continue, I often got errors that were corruption in some kind of format, I believe it related to SoundCenter issues in MC5 going into Sonar 8.5.  It was not consistent, it was hit or miss.  But I totally trashed a couple projects going back and forth so I learned to be very careful.
 
As Beagle recommends, I also suggest using copies of project folders, and not do bundle files.  Also, I began to keep a second set of project folders - one for MC5 format, the other for Sonar projects.  And I was careful to not go BACK to MC5 once I began in MC5 then went into Sonar, I stayed with Sonar.
 
However, all that being said -  it sounds like your main objective is training and if you try to keep a version totally stripped of any FX that's not present in both formats, you should be OK.  Bottom line is, I'd just be sure to keep a clean backup of the entire project in its original platform, if it's anything important.  In other words, be prepared in CASE you wind up with a corruption of file format.  I did have it happen, more than once.    But you may be fine for what you're trying to do!  Good luck!  

Yeah I think it should work just fine.....

Back in the early days here, Janet & I collaborated on a few tunes and she sent me her project as a bundle file..... I think she was on Sonar or something higher than MC4.... I opened it up just fine. I had to reassign the synths and plugs since we didn't have the same ones. Once that was done it ran fine.

I have even opened some of the files from my old Cakewalk pro 8 days. The ones that the files were not corrupted. They open and ran fine too.....even showed the channel strips of the old DAW. Once I tried to click the controls in the strip, they grayed out but the project ran OK otherwise.

I once opened a bottle of Blackberry wheat beer, i tipped it backwards and forewards and all was well until it was empty!!

Hey we gotta go with Priorities Herbie!

back off topic to reply to herb:  I would consider that a very "unbusiness like" attitude for an interview regarding Taxi's main guy to be drinking shots while talking about mixing.

I have thought highly of you and your success with Taxi and have considered using it in the future, but I think seeing the head of Taxi taking tequilla shots on air during an interview would really turn me off of the company based solely on his business ethic that he is portraying in the video. 

and this is not having anything to do with morals at all - I would feel the same way about any company broadcasting an interview about an expert subject while the interviewee was taking shots of tequilla during the broadcast.  very poor taste, IMO.

that's still a little "too informal" for my taste tho.  it makes a statement about their business and that statement is not positive IMO.

I would say the same thing about someone discussing a technical expert subject if he were smoking a cigarette.  it justs sends the wrong business message.

What the heck is Taxi TV?  

Thanks Herb, i will definately check it out.