Full steam ahead!  It is snapier too!

Rimshot

I think Cakewalk (by Roland) have a real stable platform with X1d now to go forward from here now. It's going to be fascinating to see where this product (set) goes over the next few years. 

There seem to be permanent requests for certain features, this is where I think 64-bit rewire is going to become more and more significant. As an example, some users want significant improvements to the staff view. Now if Cakewalk were to do this, the core product code just becomes larger again and only a relatively small percentage of users will take advantage. However, the strategic purchase of a business or product specialising in that area, could then be developed and marketed as a 64-bit Rewire Cakewalk add-on to the users that really require it, plus they have the whole of the rest of the DAW market to go after too.

daryl1968

The Kiosk Project


I think Cakewalk (by Roland) have a real stable platform with X1d now to go forward from here now. It's going to be fascinating to see where this product (set) goes over the next few years. 

There seem to be permanent requests for certain features, this is where I think 64-bit rewire is going to become more and more significant. As an example, some users want significant improvements to the staff view. Now if Cakewalk were to do this, the core product code just becomes larger again and only a relatively small percentage of users will take advantage. However, the strategic purchase of a business or product specialising in that area, could then be developed and marketed as a 64-bit Rewire Cakewalk add-on to the users that really require it, plus they have the whole of the rest of the DAW market to go after too.

+1 I have been thinking the same thing

Yup, strategic thinking Daryl. I think that the people at Roland know a thing or two about that. Who's to say this hasn't been the strategy all along since they committed to the redesign of Sonar with X1. Keep the core product lean and efficient, and compile a whole suite of value added products around the core, targetted not only at the user base at a preferential rate, but with the rest of the market to go after too. The preferential pricing for the X1 implementations then also makes X1 (or X2, X3 etc) more competitive in the market place too.

This strategy could be deployed to developing or probably acquiring best in breed apps like Staff notation / MIDI editors, mastering suites of varying levels, plug-ins, audio editing and CD burning products. All variants could be developed to have similar look / feel as X1, to enhance the usability to the user base. 


If I was on the board this would be my way of thinking, it's a win / win all round, allows for growth of revenues by acquisition, rather than more and more development sunk into a single product. In fact, if you look at the Pro Channel offerings, and the X1 Expanded strategy, it points more and more to the fact that this actually is the strategy, not that anyone from Cakewalk / Roland would be at liberty to admit to it.



Interesting times in the DAW marketplace, but then, it always was.... I must say thought, that I feel more comfortable selecting Sonar as my DAW of choice than I have at any time...