Scoot
My quandary now is, Plat or Prof? Vocal align looks interesting, but not alone enough, and the drum re placer being I don't use live drums is not expected to be of value to me.  What will happen if I go for Prof, and latter a Plat only development makes the upgrade from one to the other worth while. Will it be $50, will that jump entitle me to a XLN Artists 2 pak offer, as I'd already of had 1 AddPak with x4Prof.
 
It seems that Producer upgrades to new version of Producer have had a financial benefit making investing in the fully fledge version worth it in the long run, when the next big step occurs. 

I get your quandry Scoot. I've been around since CW7, always had Producer Versions until X3, as I already had AD and Melodyne and didn't feel like paying up for stuff I had. However....
 
Studio version is missing some Pro Channel features and is missing the fly-out EQ function. I thought it was a bit sneaky of CW to withhold (what I saw as) basic features in the lower line Studio version. That was my bad for not reading the small print. Look closely before you downgrade, there might be some things you've grown fond of that won't be there.
I've learned my lesson..I won't cheap out again. Wasn't worth it :)
 
For the record, this software has been good for me and my business and will continue to support their evolution regardless of what model they choose. My "Producer to Studio" downgrade was a mere bump in an otherwise happy road.
 

You're not paying upfront. When you pay now you're getting all the development that has gone into the release which we would call X4. As well as 12 months member ship during which time you'll get smaller releases as they're ready. Beginning in 2016, 12 months from now, you'll pay again. For annual upgrades, jogging has changed payment wise.
You just have the option that you can pay annually or make monthly payments that will cost some interest.

I think perhaps from that same thread that Cakewalk are more hoping the payment option will draw people in that don't have the full price at once. It was mentioned that having people opt in and out again at some stage, wasn't really their vision.

mudgel
You're not paying upfront. When you pay now you're getting all the development that has gone into the release which we would call X4. As well as 12 months member ship during which time you'll get smaller releases as they're ready. Beginning in 2016, 12 months from now, you'll pay again. For annual upgrades, jogging has changed payment wise.
You just have the option that you can pay annually or make monthly payments that will cost some interest.

Correct. The annual membership is equivalent to making a one time payment for the full version at which time you now own the product outright. This is vs paying for the product in installments month to month over a 12 month period. The one time payment option is exactly the same as what we had before - the month to month option is new.
In addition we are throwing in updates as part of the membership at no extra cost. So its not like you are paying for updates you don't know about. The value here to a customer is huge compared to the previous model.

see my answer in your thread http://forum.cakewalk.com/FindPost/3147255

I'm planning on upgrading to Platinum from X3 Studio. The initial cost is $299 but what is the annual renewal fee after that?

First time hearing of this' So if I decide not to upgrade and stay w/my X3 Producer, I will no longer be able to get phone support for my DAW? Is that what I'm understanding?Is this a version of CAKE-WUP? I thought when I purchased Sonar there was always support available.
What happens to my DAW if I don't upgrade will it no longer operate???
LOOK OUT REAPER HERE I COME!!!!!

Yes but without phone support now' unless they get my money monthly correct?
Sounds like were moving towards a WAVE plan

And....you also have the forums :) .

WallyG

Teds_Studio
And....you also have the forums :) .

Indeed! 

You may have the forums "Indeed" where you will learn that there is a patch for your problem which you can't have access to unless you pay for another full year. You can start a subscription and get the fix but if you don't complete 12 months your software will roll back to a point at which the fix is not patched. I would not like to see something like this happen, but nobody from Cakewalk has contradicted what I am saying despite intimations that there may be some accommodation from tech support. They are just intimations, but absolutely nothing in the declaration of the subscription policy.
 
I did the 12 month lump sum subscription, but I might receive an update in the 11th month that creates a problem that is not fixed by my 12 month end date. Unless I continue my subscription, I would be stuck with a version of Platinum containing a bug of potential significance. My ability to revert might mean I can go back to a version before the bug inducing patch, but perhaps I would have to return to X3. There has been no statement about having the ability to step back a patch at a time if you have reached a 12 month marker, but are no longer subscribing.
 
Just raising some ideas which probably won't be addressed until someone encounters them. The subscription idea raises many more issues than can be addressed in the initial statements of CW's intent.
 

dwardzala
Actually, it has been stated that you can step back a patch at a time.  Its in the membership announcement thread and I think in the FAQ.
 
 

 
Yes, you can step back a patch at a time, but it is not clear if that feature will work for you if you are no longer a subscriber.  I would hope you can do so because being allowed to step back after your subscription has ended would reduce a serious drawback.

bvideo
If you pay for 13 consecutive months (or any consecutive months 12 or greater), you get to keep everything, as seen here.

Ah cool, I thought it was in 12 month segments. I did not know that once you did 12, you could keep each month thereafter as your fall back point until you stopped subscribing. Of course, if you lapse then you have to do a full 12 months from the time you rejoin, but that sounds ok to me.