backwoods
John, you're like a drunk guy walking around with his head in a sack if you think the current method is as good as it gets.

I have been doing the DAW thing for a decade now and have a full set of high class plugins. I don't need addictive drums or dim pro or any cake plugs apart from pro channel and channel tools. I don't need demos and manifold superfluous loops and one-hits.

Make the core program available ( like reaper, as a tiny download), and make all the extras available as optional downloads.

Please....

Did I say anything about "it is as good as it will get"? All I was doing was placing myself with what the other posters were saying. Is there room for improvement. Of course there is. Do I want to see an NI or XLN type file updater? No. I use a lot of third party VSTis too. I still opt for the Producer version perhaps you may fine the base version more to your liking. So far when you DL Sonar X3 Producer you have 12 different files to DL. Some of those you may not need.

I don't see it changing from how it is now

Anderton

deswind
Does Sonar work on other planets?  Just trying to plan.

It works on Mars...not sure about the other planets. However, download before leaving earth...the internet goes out just about every time there's a dust storm.

Ha - not just us who does songs about Mars then...we just did an entire album about Mars (and all in SONAR of course)!

Perhaps I'm spoiled with my high speed/broadband connection but I've never EVER had a problem with dl'ing stuff from Cake. It's just getting the darned links and codes to show up in my account in a timely fashion that's the problem.
 
I use Firefox though which has a built in download manager so I think that helps. I have no idea why people still use IE. It's better these days but still a mess comparatively.
 
I don't think some wacky dedicated download tool would help those with slow/sketchy connections though. Seems what most people want is to be able to just be able to download the core program without anything else like synths, presets, content, manual, VSTs or whatever. The downloads are definitely separated to a certain extent but the main ones to get Sonar working do have a lot of potentially unnecessary stuff thus making them larger. If someone already has a bunch of previously installed stuff from Cake and/or third party stuff then they may just want the actual DAW to save download times or avoid maxing out their bandwidth caps which is understandable.

I actually find NI's Service Manager helpful. Initially the implementation was seriously dreadful, but it's definitely improved over time. I appreciate that it can tell you what updates are available, tracks them, and makes it easy to re-authorize everything if your hard disk crashes. And of course, no dongle is a plus.

LA2A
 the quote functions seem a bit elusive to me, although i haven't tried very hard, i still can't figure it out!!!!!

Clicking on "quote" of the post you want to quote hasn't occured to you yet then ? ;)

Beepster
Perhaps I'm spoiled with my high speed/broadband connection but I've never EVER had a problem with dl'ing stuff from Cake. It's just getting the darned links and codes to show up in my account in a timely fashion that's the problem.
 
I use Firefox though which has a built in download manager so I think that helps. I have no idea why people still use IE. It's better these days but still a mess comparatively.
 
I don't think some wacky dedicated download tool would help those with slow/sketchy connections though. Seems what most people want is to be able to just be able to download the core program without anything else like synths, presets, content, manual, VSTs or whatever. The downloads are definitely separated to a certain extent but the main ones to get Sonar working do have a lot of potentially unnecessary stuff thus making them larger. If someone already has a bunch of previously installed stuff from Cake and/or third party stuff then they may just want the actual DAW to save download times or avoid maxing out their bandwidth caps which is understandable.

Same here.. and I was slower. I just upgraded to a faster modem and a Nighthawk router. I had no problem with DLs before but now... man, I didn't know what I was missing. I can stream 1080p on WIFI with now spinning beach balls... me like!
 
J
 

Anderton
I actually find NI's Service Manager helpful. Initially the implementation was seriously dreadful, but it's definitely improved over time. I appreciate that it can tell you what updates are available, tracks them, and makes it easy to re-authorize everything if your hard disk crashes. And of course, no dongle is a plus.

I think the best path would be to allow folks to have a choice between the current method and having an optional tool people can download to do the things you describe. I definitely see the value of something like you describe for a quick set up in case of crashes and I definitely like the idea of automatically checking for potential updates but for me it's the type of thing I'd like to be able to install and use if I felt the need to then be able to scrap when I'm done.
 
One of the things almost all Cake fans seem to agree on is that choice is a good thing... even if some prefer more seemingly outdated or potentially problematic options. Like my desire to have access to some of the wonkier older plugs that have been removed over the years just so I can play with them or other people's desire for the old pre X color options.
 
If a download/authentication/update tool/scheme is provided allowing us to use the old method(s) would certainly cut down on the inevitable angst and potential for revolt if it were thrust upon us.
 
Now if  you went the dongle/always online setup some high end programs use... hooboy. That would not end well. lol

I agree that the NI Service Center used to be a nightmare - but of late I have enjoyed the way all of the maintenance seems to be working.
 
I have Komplete 8 Ultimate, and have been at it with NI since Komplete 3.
 
I have to say that as much as I would welcome some breaking up of the download files for Sonar a bit, it really doesn't come into play anywhere near frequently enough for me to be seriously bothered by it.
 
I would MUCH rather have Sonar development address some of the long-standing things lots of folks gripe about.  For me, that would be a sincere hope that they would provide the means of having Step Sequencer accept and work with a meter base OTHER than a quarter note - (I would LOVE the ability to have it work with an eighth-note in the meter base, for us prog-rockers).
 
Other folks have been clamoring for some attention to colors, and others to staff view, and since the main gripe about the download process is its size - it IS working, how about devoting some dev-time to some of those items?  (I have been waiting and hoping for well over 10 YEARS for the meter base in step sequencer accepting eighth notes).
 
If there WERE changes to the download process, it might really help out to:
 
1.  Split out effects and any content associated with any effect into its own file/files.  This way, folks wouldn't have to keep downloading effects that were already installed and hadn't changed in forever.
 
2.  Same for any bundled synths and any associated content for those, such as Dim Pro, Rapture, Session Drummer, expansion packs, etc.
 
3.  Allow specification of downloading only 32-bit or 64-bit separately, rather than downloading both unconditionally.  I no longer have ANY 32-bit 3rd-party plugins in use, so I will never likely choose to install a 32-bit version of Sonar, moving forward.
 
Regardless of any other changes to the download process, I would think Cakewalk would save MASSIVE amounts of bandwidth by all of the existing customers that wouldn't always have to download a bunch of things that they already had installed.
 
Bob Bone
 

A big +1 to the previous post:
Actually, IMO this makes the most sense to me, why hasn't Cakewalk done it this way all along? A bit negligent in my mind, why? Because these DAW companies have access to unlimited data connections and almost arrogantly assume we do or else expect us to, instead of a bit of empathy relating to many users' different internet scenarios, they throw us all in the same bracket and well basically say "Stiff titty buddy! Get a bigger data plan!" Well, here in Australia data is not cheap, this country is now being run by greed, and they make us pay big-time.
Anyway, for example, why not allow us separate downloads of the 32bit or 64bit version to minimize data wastage? I reckon that's a good way to do things, along with the right to choose which packs and plugins and soundbanks are installed from a user-account, this makes sense, but of course also have the whole package available as one download too, can't be that hard can it Cakewalk?
 
Get this, i use the wireless hotspot on my Android phone for all my internet access, and that simply draws from the data provided with my prepaid plan. These plans provide a piddly 500mbs of data with normal monthly phone calls for $29, plans providing 2 or 3 gig of data are around $70, i need 7gig a month for my internet needs, so guess what that would cost? Dig me?
 
Couldn't agree more with the previous post. Cakewalk, please follow the example of Presonus, i showed you what the downloads section for Studio One looks like. However, even Presonus provide only one download for both the 32bit and 64bit version, there is no way to get them separately.
Other plugin companies do something similar, but not all. I have also hounded Izotope about this same issue, because it uses-up internet data needlessly. Separate installers might be a 'minor' inconvenience for say, Cakewalk, but it's a big inconvenience for those on limited internet data plans, every mb counts in my books. Even If i had unlimited internet data, i would still vouch for this idea simply because it's considerate of those with low-data plans.