Well we got a new forum which is a start....we've been asking for this for a long time. It is my hope that X (insert whatever) will be improved as well. I'm interested in seeing what the next chapter has in store for us. Worst case scenario, I have versions of Sonar that I'm happy with that suit my needs. I'd still like to see where the new team takes things. Let's hope for the best as I personally don't like to see any company or individual, fail. :)
 
-Danny

To those who feared the death of Sonar is near, the new forum would tend to contradict that - unless a new Cakewalk DAW is around the corner, or Cakewalk is going to focus on instruments and effects. 

^ +1

Yes if CakeWalk make a professional programs with interesting new ideas also will update old plug-ins. If they make the new browser (as at Reaper). If they make a new plug-in Manager. If they make a new Track Viewer. If they make something that isn't present at others DAW. :)

Nope, jumping ship to Ableton.
 
I'm sure Sonar is a great DAW for non-electronic artists or "real" hardware folks. It isn't completely unusable, no. But for a young industrial-powernoise artist, Ableton fits like a glove for me.
 
I only started with Sonar X1, now on X2a. Hardly any change or improvements.
What's with the load of crappy VSTs? [Boost11, Beatscape, pre-'05 plugins, etc.?]
ACT is a pain. Sorry. Sending MIDI CC to instrument/effects and automating on-the-fly in Ableton is fecking FUN.
Loop sequencing and recording is fast. Sidebar tutorial was perfect and THERE for me. [No YouTube videos, manual reading, etc.] The built-in effects sound SOLID.
The marketing/community/whatever seems very alive!
 
I'm using the month-long demo and honestly, its the workflow I TRIED make happen with Sonar's step sequencer/matrix view. Ableton's clip view/launcher is great.
Finally my Akai controller's control banks map all the way across the DAW. Hard to explain, but Sonar only let you map 1 set...and then let you virtually switch blindly in ACT's banks...ugh.

pbognar
To those who feared the death of Sonar is near, the new forum would tend to contradict that - unless a new Cakewalk DAW is around the corner, or Cakewalk is going to focus on instruments and effects. 

I'm not sure that we fear the death of SONAR (well not me anyway). I have no information about cakewalk's financial standing as a viable cog in the larger Roland wheel.
I think people are reacting to the change in Cakewalk staff presence on the forums and the feeling of being in the dark that has gradually crept into the former relationship we had with Cakewalk staffers via the forum. When those who were the public face of Cakewalk on the forums and trade shows are no longer with the company (transferred to Roland like Robin Kelly and Brandon Ryan or sacked like Seth Perlstein) then without identified replacements It would seem obvious why some of us feel a little twitchy.
Add to that, in recent years we've seen Cakewalk move from an annual release to a shifting development cycle and everyone is speculating.
SONAR 8.5 to SONAR X1 was about 15 months then nearly 2 years between SONAR X1 and X2; now we've already had 6 months since the X2a release and still no update or word of one. Just food for thought and if there's one thing we do well on this forum, is we speculate more with a decrease in information.

dorism
Touch is a gimmick - how did this even make the list?

remember the people who said midi was a gimmick?

...and if there's one thing we do well...is we speculate more with a decrease in information...
 
I love this!
 
Hey Mike, can I give you my Mother in law's email address so you can send this to her? 
 
It's word for word on how she 'works' on my reputation within the family. 
 
I'd send it myself, but if you do it, she won't be able to 'find you'. 
 
At least - I don't think 'she'll find you'! 

PTheory
I don't believe Roland / Cakewalk have the market share to justify that investment and have given up on Sonar.  

IIRC, roland is still the world's second largest mfr of musical instruments and gear only behind yamaha.  given Roland's  history with incubating the advance of midi thanks to folks at the company like  Ikutaru Kakehashi - they had the second midi-enabled device to market, and made the first "demonstrated" midi connection ever - they were the first company to introduce dedicated midi controllers... the list goes on. 
 
it's a wonder that they did not ever develop their own world-class daw.  from this standpoint i think their decision to acquire cakewalk speaks volumes about both companies and the direction they are taking.  roland has full resources to develop their own daw, but they chose to invest more fully in cake.  you don't throw away millions of dollars to acquire a company and kill their products unless you have a competing one on the market. 
 
just my 2c.

jimusic
...and if there's one thing we do well...is we speculate more with a decrease in information...
 
I love this!
 
Hey Mike, can I give you my Mother in law's email address so you can send this to her? 
 
It's word for word on how she 'works' on my reputation within the family. 
 
I'd send it myself, but if you do it, she won't be able to 'find you'. 
 
At least - I don't think 'she'll find you'! 

Not sure I want to play that game at all.
 
I just find it strange. Cakewalk sets up a forum on the basis:
1. that its a user (peer to peer) forum
2. we are not to expect that Cakewalk will answer our questions through this medium;
3. they set up other channels where we can communicate eg email or phone support, feature requests, problem reporter.
4. cakewalk staffers continually interact with us via the peer to peer user forum
5. they build an expectation that they are there to listen and help and generally keep us in the loop
6. they all but disappear
7. we speculate to fill the gaps