If they hire the same people responsible for Sonar it would work.   Otherwise there is no shortage of DAWs on this planet.  Sonar had one of the friendliest authorizations and EULA.  I have it on every machine in the house. If that changes I don't need it.  Once one gets past the fanboyism Sonar is not in the same league as most subscription apps and that is also outside the DAW world.

kitekrazy1
If they hire the same people responsible for Sonar it would work.   Otherwise there is no shortage of DAWs on this planet.  Sonar had one of the friendliest authorizations and EULA.  I have it on every machine in the house. If that changes I don't need it.  Once one gets past the fanboyism Sonar is not in the same league as most subscription apps and that is also outside the DAW world.

I bought S1 now and i have tried to make the same project as i had in Cakewalk Sonar now. And i have to say. S1 doesn't sound as good as Sonar. I dont know why, but Cakewalk sound better in my ears. Its like S1 is in mp3 format compared to Sonar.

aidanodr
jokingly thinking MS SONAR 365 .Perpetual Sub based like Office 365 with Home, Business and Premium editions,

SONAR is pretty far removed from the stuff that Microsoft would put in the Office 365 suite or any other mass market offering for that matter.  Microsoft wants products that have a MINIMUM user base of 10 million or more for consumer products and hundreds of thousands for Enterprise products. 
 
Microsoft would have ZERO interest in competing with Steinberg or Presonus.  I could see Microsoft liking the Momentum product, as something to throw in Apple's face.
 
I could see Microsoft backing a DAW company that would develop a whole new user interface, similar to Microsoft's infatuation with StaffPad.  But SONAR is more like Sibelius or Finale , and nothing like Staffpad.  It seems like a very long shot that somebody would want to buy the Cakewalk code only to produce a cutesy imitation of a modern DAW.

I think the question is, could Microsoft come up with something that competes with Logic and Garage Band.  No MS has no interest in competing with Steinberg/Avid, but they are interested in Musicians using their Surface line of products.
 
At this point, buying the code without buying the developers is a lost cause.  MS does seem to be trying to develop something though. We'll see what it is.

denverdrummer
MS does seem to be trying to develop something though. We'll see what it is.

If they do anything, it will be something very, very low end.  Simplistic and superficial, targeted at children and gamers.  The bar is quite high for a new DAW.  Microsoft doesn't get into any market that deeply.
 
But I do think they are desperate to show off their wheel thingie.  They are probably disappointed that SONAR is not going to be a showcase for that, but they aren't going to spend tens of millions of dollars to prop up SONAR tech and staff just to make a marketing point about the wheel.

Nobody else will buy a PC only product.   Microsoft is the only hope.

gprokap
Nobody else will buy a PC only product.

I think that is probably true.  It is not just about Mac.  Android is quickly becoming a necessity, and that's an area where Presonus is weak.  I'm not saying it is necessary to port a full-function DAW to Android, but I think the future of DAWs involves a lot of convergence and interoperability:

• Go-anywhere, any device collection/development of ideas -- Momentum was probably on the right track here.
• Multiple control modes.  Not just a mouse, but traditional control surfaces, pad devices, touch screens, voice commands, you name it.  AN open architecture is better
• More AI, useful wizards that can quickly lead to good results
• Seamless integration of the notation, MIDI composition, and audio tracking worlds -- StudioOne+Notion has taken a few baby steps here, and Cubase + Dorico will evolve.
• New intuitive, highly graphical ways of visualizing the mix, finally moving away from the 1970s "racks of gear" UI paradigm

Android can play a key role in several of those areas.  I don't think many people would take a "Microsoft DAW" very seriously.

cparmerlee

denverdrummer
MS does seem to be trying to develop something though. We'll see what it is.

If they do anything, it will be something very, very low end.  Simplistic and superficial, targeted at children and gamers.  The bar is quite high for a new DAW.  Microsoft doesn't get into any market that deeply.
 
But I do think they are desperate to show off their wheel thingie.  They are probably disappointed that SONAR is not going to be a showcase for that, but they aren't going to spend tens of millions of dollars to prop up SONAR tech and staff just to make a marketing point about the wheel.

Given how late MS Dial compatibility was added, I would bet that it was done well after the powers that be knew CW was already on Gibson's chopping block.  If you buy into that theory, one could deduce that Dial compatibility was added in order to set Cakewalk up for a sale to Microsoft.  Why else would MS Dial compatibility be added during the death gasp of Cakewalk?
 
Bill.

BRuys
Why else would MS Dial compatibility be added during the death gasp of Cakewalk?

I don't have any inside knowledge of Gibson/Cakewalk.  It seems to me that, while everybody was well aware of the precarious financials, the Bakers had grown accustomed to keep driving forward.  Key personnel leaving in recent weeks indicated a strain, but that happened simultaneously with the Momentum initiative..
 
That tells me the decision to shut it down came rather abruptly, and probably was related to Gibson finances more than Cakewalk finances.  They probably made some quick calls to see if there were any likely buyers, but being such a crowded field, there weren't any takers.  While one of those calls might have been to Microsoft, I doubt there were any serious discussions ant he M&A level.  Please understand that the Microsoft people pushing Windows apps and the Wheel are far away (organizationally) from the M&A levels of the corporation.
 
If anybody thought there was a potential buyer, the announcement would have read very differently. 

35mm
Yes, a lot of people have been suggesting MS buy it and how great that would be. I'm not sure it would be so great. Sonar had personality and character. I wonder if they may have also bought the name 'Microsoft Cakewalk'.

Hmm.... MicroCake?! MSCake?! Mmmmm-Cake?!
 
Then again, if the crew does get dispersed among the remaining DAW entities, it will be interesting to see how that affects the future offerings of each one.