This looks like a good deal for someone starting out.
 
Buy any Roland interface, controller keyboard or synth and get Cakewalk’s SONAR X2 Studio for £59 (RRP £195)

44 views and not one conspiracy theory post yet?

LOL, I was going to respond but backed out. I mean, no good to me cos I'm fully paid up. And it is a great deal for those starting out.

S'pose I should be peeved cos I paid the full hit, many years ago, and I think even when I upgraded to X1, then X2 it cost me way more than £59.

But that's the way things are, or at least that's what I'm saying to myself LOL

As for the conspiracy... What would that be? Further proof that Cakewalk are in trouble perhaps?

Perhaps Roland are in trouble. Bundling Sonar with their kit certainly makes it more attractive, does it not?

Common enough practice - you bundle the cheapest cost item w/ more expensive.  W/ software, it gets them into your market stream.  If you have "free" (or cheap) software you are likely to upgrade in that family, rather than switch to another brand at greater cost (unless the other software companies run a cross-sale - which they do).  It doesn't really "cost" the company anything to provide the software for the likelyhood of future upgrading.

Looking at it from our perspective as Cakewalk users, I would think it signals X3 is coming soon or some kind of paid upgrade (X2.5?).  And that Roland is finally leveraging Cakewalk, which is a good thing too.  If they start bundling appropriate hardware w/ Cakewalk, it makes sense to continue to put money into its development.

One way to look at it, anyway.

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AT

 

One way to look at it, anyway.

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I think you are correct. I did expect someone to jump in with a conspiracy theory though, I probably preempted that with my second post.
 
Its a great deal IMHO.