Okay... I want to make clear what I was saying because I think I've been lumped in with some of the more... uh, colorful opinions about LANDR.
 
I have essentially NO opinion on the service. Until yesterday I had never heard of it.
 
My problem with this (and it's something that's been brought up quite a few times but is being ignored or dismissed as LANDR "hate"/mastering snobbery) is that it seems to have been surreptitiously crammed in with the main installer download.
 
Strip the client out of the main download and most of these posts complaining will become entirely moot (and all but the most unreasonable folks satisfied).
 
That is it. That is all. It is a third party client. I don't know (therefore do not trust) the company. I've had crummy experiences and performance issues with similar uploader clients in the past (by them merely being on my system). I do not even want the exe file on my system (from what I'm seeing said it has to omitted during an advanced install so the package has to be unpacked at the very least).
 
Everyone here should know I am a big fan of Sonar and Cakewalk but I'd like to think I've retained some objectivity. It doesn't matter if LANDR is the greatest doohicky in the history of doohickeys. It is how it is being distributed and although I am loathe to say it's "bloatware" it really does strike me as the type of thing that gets jammed into downloads from CNET or loaded onto preconfigured store bought computers designed solely to sell something.
 
It is product placement right inside our most crucial piece of software. Get it out of there so we can decide for ourselves. Many of the other additions to the Sonar package are separate downloads so there is no reason this client needs to be any different.
 
There have been a few other seemingly frivolous actions/liberties Cake has taken recently that have also raised my eyebrows as to the direction things are going. As much as I dislike posting less than glowing approval (because then I get walloped from both sides) if the more rational users don't say anything then Cake won't hear the concerns and the program may go down the wrong path.
 
As for LANDR... it does seem quite gimmicky and definitely expensive (considering there are quality mastering tools with presets that could likely do the same thing or better AND are tweakable) BUT that doesn't mean I think it's crap or I'm not willing to give it a try. I probably will... just not directly from the DAW. It will get used the way I use all these other types of cloud services. I will go to their website and manually upload. If for some reason the ONLY way to use it is to install a client... then no, I will absolutely not try it because that's just sketchy.
 
Best of luck to them either way.
 
As far as all the "mastering" stuff I was prattling on about... that was in no way an admonishment of LANDR or any other such service/tool. I was merely pointing out that a) many of us would prefer to do this type of thing on our own inside Sonar and b) we have been told for YEARS that Sonar includes tools good enough to create quality masters. So if acquiring new tools isn't possible at this point then templates, FX Chains and Sonar specific educational materials that are created by those who DO know how to make it work in such a capacity would be a welcome (and IMO more useful) addition.
 
If LANDR is essentially just using algorithms for analysis and fx presets for the end result then surely an ever evolving library of genre specific Sonar templates and presets could be conjured up. Then the USER becomes the algorithm in the equation.
 
This is no diss to Craig, LANDR or any of the people who like this new thingie. It is just my opinion on how this has been foisted upon us and some general blatherings about other, semi related things that would be extremely useful to my little setup.
 
PS: I actually DID read the eZine blurb on this before even entering the thread. I read/download the eZines every month and keep them with my manuals.
 
tl;dr
 
Make the LANDR thingie a separate download/installer and I'll be more than fine with it.
 
A criticism of the distribution method is NOT a criticism of the product, people who use/like it nor a statement about "mastering"... small m, BIG M or otherwise. If something works for you use it.
 
Not here to argue, bash or be bashed. Just voicing my concerns about this particular aspect of this particular update.
 
Peace.