If we get a buy/sell forum I'm putting NagBap V1.0 up for sale.
 

Just my two cents but I am one who finds the Software forum to be an integral part of Sonar for me. The products that we discuss here have direct bearing on my total Sonar experience. I have gotten great advice from a ton of very helpful people. It is wicked nice to have everything in one place and not have to go to 27 different forums (none of which I find as helpful or as civil as the Sonar forums) to get plugin and software information. 
 
Many of the absolute go-to plugins that I use I picked up on recommendations from folks in the Software Forum. I hope it stays!

Another vote for retention of the software forum here. I can understand the reason for considering it's demise, but from the user perspective it's very helpful. I don't really see any evidence of an advertising free for all, it's mostly forum members posting about some great deals they have seen/heard about. It can also give the user poignant information on how that software runs within sonar which is also an important consideration when making a purchase.
I agree that pointless bickering should be eliminated and the potential for reckless advertising squashed but that can be taken care of by a moderator. The suggestion of migrating to KVR for software info means that your customers will spend more time away from the cake family and the eyes and ears of the users that help make this forum what it is could become somewhat fragmented and as a result just take a little bit of magic away from the friendliest forum on the net.
Not only that but quite a few software searches turn up results for cakewalk so visitor traffic must be good for business?

Southpaw,

I attempted to say something similar above, but I think you said it much better than I did. I agree.

wizard71
I agree that pointless bickering should be eliminated and the potential for reckless advertising squashed but that can be taken care of by a moderator. 

This is probably a good example of a forum that would benefit from moderation.

Please keep the Software forum; it is the best source for updates.  Moderate it, yes, but don't loose it.

ShellstaX

I frequent 2 threads - Sonar X3 and Gear>Software.
 
I disagree with the 'Smelly Spam BB' comment.
 
I suggest 'deal' posts are not excessive (~10 a day) and mostly from an individual rather than Vendors. Regardless, they assist me and appear to be from a wider source than just KVR. They also either prompt or start out as discussion wrt pertinence with Cakewalk product - that'd be lost by sending people over to KVR. Furthermore, sifting deals from discussion is simple.
 
Some people appear to have an issue with the individual. No problems my end - keep up your efforts.
 
I've seen one incident of a blowout / callout of a vendor troll. I chose to ignore.
 
Moderation should handle any issues but I'm a +1 for deals to remain.

I fully agree! +1

Number one - my time is precious. I would prefer to keep efficient and only frequent one forum - the Cakewalk forum. I don't want to be sent off elsewhere because of a forum reorg.

Number two - I especially value the Sonar X Series forum because that's my core audio engineering product and I value learning from the experienced folks and passing on info to newer Sonar users needing help.

Number three - I probably visit the Cakewalk forum more than I should in a given day because the Gear / Hardware and Software forums have news and dialog about very interesting things that end up enhancing and strengthening my Sonar experience and satisfaction. Plus the people on those forums tend to share a lot of humor.

Bottom line -- I expect I would dramatically drop my visit count to the Cakewalk forum if either of those two sections were removed. I'm referring to the Sonar X Series section and to the Gear / Software section.

wizard71
The suggestion of migrating to KVR for software info means that your customers will spend more time away from the cake family and the eyes and ears of the users that help make this forum what it is could become somewhat fragmented and as a result just take a little bit of magic away from the friendliest forum on the net.
Not only that but quite a few software searches turn up results for cakewalk so visitor traffic must be good for business?

+1. The thing is, Sonar for me is a complete immersion. I spend every day working with it for my job and with  an array of software and plugins (as we all do). The Software forum (and folks like cclarry, rain, eddietx, et al) make my job easier and more productive by providing information about other pieces of software that work within the Sonar world. I really do not want to search all over the web to find out about upgrades, new plugins or get real user information. I don't post too much but I do spend a lot of time in the X forum and the software forum. I don't want to lose that.

Please keep the Coffee House exactly as it is (without dumping trash threads there).
 
Without it I would lead a sad existence of a life.
 
 
 
Oh wait........
With it I lead a sad existence of a life but I have a lot of friends there.

RE: Software forum: keep it as it is. 
 
Yes, it does get cluttered. Sometimes I think I'm reading directly from Larry's email In-Box. But I'm OK with that, because within all that volume there are occasional gems.
 
Don't ban vendors. Yes, sometimes they just add clutter, too (get yer beatz makin' iOS app here, all the big producers use it!) but the majority are of interest to at least some forum readers. Example: Greg Schlaepfer's current thread re a free timbale lib. Sure, it's a gimmick to drive people to his website and generate buzz. I don't have a problem with that. Everybody thanked him in the thread. That's how you know it isn't spam.