Yes
I've been absent from this forum for a while. For those of you that don't remember, I was the SONAR reviewer from versions SONAR Pro V4 thru 8.5 for Recording Mag. I left Recording's coverage of SONAR after the Roland buy-out because of my political position on the Japanese cetacean extermination policy, and Japan's reluctance to halt the destructive "fishing" of porpoises. Things got a little better, although they still have not met with my advocacy in this respect. So, when Gibson bought Cakewalk from Roland, I renewed my interest, again, and I subscribed to the Platinum lifetime upgrade policy of SONAR pro, and have not been dissatisfied. When I read Gibson's press release, I, again, became deeply saddened. I have maintained, throughout my coverage of SONAR and my most recent experiences with the application, that SONAR is the most technologically advanced DAW available (on any platform). To see it die as a result of corporate greed saddens me greatly. As for the Microsoft possibility, I just look at it as another big 'giant' taking control of a rather small part of their corporate interest. What SONAR needs is another Greg Hendershott. who can steer the company back to a successful path. I, seriously, think that an alternative should be proposed. I'm not sure how deep the SONAR collective pockets may be, but I think that the formation of some "Cakewalk Company" through croud founding may be the best avenue to keep our favorite DAW alive. I'm not a wealthy individual, but I'd gladly put up at least $1000 to get this thing off thi ground.
John