Tell me this is not true - Cakewalk throwing in the towel?

http://blog.cakewalk.com/cakewalk-announcement/
 
Shutting down Sonar?  No new development?  No new monthly updates?  

Damn...this is not good.....I was hoping when the writing was on the walls, they would find another partner to help fund cakewalk.....
now I'm definitely going to have to upgrade my version of cakewalk since I'm 2 years behind on the latest version...

on gibson's website.  looks like this came out Friday.  
http://www.cakewalk.com/Gibson-Announcement
 
November 17, 2017

GIBSON BRANDS ANNOUCEMENT REGARDING CAKEWALK, INC.

Gibson Brands announced today that it is ceasing active development and production of Cakewalk branded products. The decision was made to better align with the company’s acquisition strategy that is heavily focused on growth in the global consumer electronics audio business under the Philips brand. (note - Philips ??? I never saw that one!)
Cakewalk has been an industry leader in music software for over 25 years by fusing cutting-edge technology with creative approaches to tools that create, edit, mix, and publish music for professional and amateur musicians. Gibson Brands acquired Cakewalk in 2013.
Gibson Brands, a growing company in the music and sound industries, was founded in 1894 and is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Gibson Brands is a global leader in musical instruments, consumer electronics, and professional audio, and is dedicated to bringing the finest experiences to consumers by offering exceptional products with world- recognized brands.

No.
 
I've been using Cakewalk/SONAR since version 1 for DOS. This is unbelievable.

in 20 years of music making, I've only ever seriously used Cakewalk products (dabbled with others, but always kept coming back to Cakewalk), and I remain convinced it is the best DAW, period. Jeez, this is dispiriting news...

Been thinking about this, and a few things are sinking in.
 
First, thanks to all the Cakewalk staff for so many years of fine work, going back to Gregg Hendershott. They have always been innovative and helpful. Best wishes for whatever is next for you.
 
Second, some self-pitying musings...
 
I'll have to switch to another DAW sooner or later. I can keep using Platinum for years, but things move on, and it won't make sense to never get any more updates. Plus, with the best will in the world, I can't believe that it will be possible to authorize SONAR and Cakewalk products after some point; maybe one year, maybe two, maybe five, but no one is going to keep that service going forever just as a courtesy. And cross-grades aren't that cheap. And the learning curve will be brutal. And I have no idea which of them are good and which aren't.
 
Oh, and the process of converting years and years of work in SONAR into a form that another DAW can read will be interesting, entertaining, and give me something to do for a long time.
 
Good news, VST plugins should be fine on other platforms. Bad news, I'll bet Pro Console plugins will not. 
 
The integration with Melodyne was a beautful thing. I can only hope to find something like that elsewhere.
 
The non-appearance of the Mac-compatible version should have been a tip-off. Arggh. I've owned Gibson guitars more or less continually since I was 17 (and I'll be 65 soon). They make some beautiful instruments. But their marketing instincts have always been wacky. SONAR could have been the leader with Mac compatibility. 

As mentioned in another thread, after a few Windows updates it may be likely that there will be too many issues with Sonar to work thru. Another DAW seems to be in my future. Are there any good BF deals on Studio 1? The other DAW manufacturers should jump on crossgrade specials right now.

fret_man
As mentioned in another thread, after a few Windows updates it may be likely that there will be too many issues with Sonar to work thru. Another DAW seems to be in my future. Are there any good BF deals on Studio 1? The other DAW manufacturers should jump on crossgrade specials right now.

Have a look here in this thread
http://forum.cakewalk.com...lf-Price-m3686773.aspx
You can get it right now Direct from Presonus for about $200 dollars I already checked ....
it's a little cheaper if you go to the vendors a few fellas have mentioned in the thread ...
 
all the best,
 
Kenny

space_cowboy
I've been around since this:

14. Accordian
15. Zither
16. Canon

Thedoccal

space_cowboy
I've been around since this:

14. Accordian
15. Zither
16. Canon

Hah.  I never had that particular arrangment and based on what it says, the zither and canon would have been nice adds,
 
I just remember the (now) ugly purple and black GUI (maybe there should not be a G in GUI here!).  
 
 

Well, it's on to Studio One Pro for me (I'm glad I kept an old license. With the current BF sale, I just snagged the upgrade for $84).
 
That being said, I mostly feel for the talented and dedicated CW staff who will suffer from this new "development" way more than any of us have a right to complain about.

einstein36
I hope the devs are working on rewriting the code for the software to never have to connect back to their servers to register and authentic Sonar...
and also a place where we can always have access to our older software to download, etc. for when we need to wipe our computers and re-download the software since there is no more physical dvds, etc...
thanks guys...loved you since the dos days of your software...
 

If you take certain steps now, you shouldn't have to worry about the servers being offline to activate the software. Most of the software that was part of SONAR didn't require online activation. According to the Cakewalk knowledge base on the following items required activation:

• Music Creator Pro
• Rapture Pro/Sessions
• SONAR Platinum/Professional/Artist
• Z3TA+ 2
• CA-2A

Cakewalk provides an offline activation. Install the software. Once it is installed, Click on the option for offline activation. It will create a file. Upload this to Cakewalk. It will generate an activation file. Download this file and SAVE IT. This is then used to activate the software. If you save these files, you can always come back and activate the software without the need for internet access or Cakewalk servers to be active.
 
Hope that helps.

I started with Cakewalk 5.0E for DOS and upgraded through the years to Sonar X3. I don't record often enough to be materially hurt by this move but it's still very sad for me to see an "old friend" that has been with me for many years pass into oblivion. Seems to be Gibson could at least make some cash by selling the brand and its assets rather than letting it die a slow death but I don't pretend to understand their business. I love their guitars but this isn't the first bonehead move they've made and it probably won't be the last. 

I've made real friends from some of the folks who hung around the old forums and met a lot of interesting people, all originally brought together by our interest in Cakewalk software. I hope the developers and support staff find other opportunities quickly. This is a lousy time of year to be let go, not that it's a good thing at any other time.  I'll continue to use 8.5 and X3 until MS makes it impossible. I'll also sticki with Win7 on my DAW for as long as possible because I do not like what MS did with the GUI in Win10. I have to use it at work for Windows Server but there's no earthly reason to subject myself to it on my DAW.  I'll probably be buying a Reaper license now.

John T
Sad news. I was sort of expecting a sale to occur, given Gibson's troubles, but this has taken me by surprise. Best wishes for everyone at Cakewalk past and present. I hope that somehow this isn't the end. I've been using some version of Cakewalk / Sonar for well over 20 years, seems inconceivable that that won't continue to be so.

I know just how you feel John:(