I have to admit the OSX announcement was a bit of a letdown for me, although I pretty much thought that's what the big news was going to be.
 
If it makes Cakewalk a stronger company with more resources because of a larger user base, that's good with me.
 
I suppose there's a chance they would go the way of Logic and drop Windows support. But it doesn't seem likely, since it would mean dropping most of their user base. Still, I'm not switching to Apple.

Is this a big announcement ? Yes, definitely.
Do I care ?   Not really.
Yet I am much surprised by all the critics, what have you expected bakers to say in a first place: " Big announcement coming ! (not relevant for PC users) " ?

vanceen
 
I suppose there's a chance they would go the way of Logic and drop Windows support. 

There is also a chance that hell might freeze over sometime :)

Jari

Andrew Rossa [Cakewalk]All purchases from Sweetwater will be fine. They are all set. I am hoping JRR will fix soon. We like them too but they have the wrong SKU up. Might be a time difference thing.

Is AudioDeluxe ok?

Audio Deluxe is ok. JRR Shop is all set now. They fixed it earlier this afternoon. 

The sky isn't falling.
 
I am (and always was) one of the more bitter skeptics of many things Cakewalk does. With the benefit of some years behind me, it's safe to say, many of the things I was skeptical about are starting to pan out nicely.
 
* I was skeptical about the rolling update model, but it worked.
* I was furious about the unreliability and bugginess of the DAW, but much of that is in the past now.
* I was disappointed with the ergonomics of the DAW, but with some tweaking, it's actually well ahead of the competition. And oh yeah, the performance still kills it.
 
So, what do the lifetime updates mean from a cynic's perspective? The DAW is becoming more and more commoditized and more and more serves as a marketplace for other commercial products. LANDR, Soundcloud, Gobbler are already being sold through SONAR and other DAWs in addition to all the instruments and effects. I expect more will come.
 
Thus, a user who keeps using Sonar and never pays for another update offers far more revenue than a user who buys Sonar and never uses it again, even though they have paid the same number of dollars out of pocket. 
 
This suggests a couple of probable outcomes: while lifetime upgrades are currently being offered only for Platinum, this is likely a push to sell upgrades rather than a true limitation. I suspect we'll see lifetime updates for other editions in a while. Also, while the lifetime updates are likely marketed as a limited-time offer, I think it's likely that they will either not disappear or eventually reappear. Because Cakewalk has an incentive to keep its customers up to date if only so that they can provide the next built-in integration with a commercial third party service.
 
(Edit: grammar)

I'm happy for Cakewalk who apparently ported this sucker to OS X.
 

ampfixer

Andrew Rossa [Cakewalk]

ampfixer
I'm just wondering if the multi-version bugs we work around will be built into the MAC version. Seriously.
 
I was hoping for an announcement about a ground up rebuild of Sonar PC that got rid of the legacy code that has caused issues in eliminating bugs. Other than the lifetime upgrade issue there is nothing immediate, everything is prefaced by we will, we can, we plan, stay tuned.

Part of the announcement is to dig and improve some certain core areas. I think it's called a Commitment to Awesomeness :)
 

 

Is awesome Overused?

Many object to the use of awesome to describe something (such as a sandwich) that does not literally elicit feelings of awe. Yet the same people who insist that awesome should be used only of weighty subjects (Niagara Falls, man landing on the moon) will happily use the word awful in reference to something (such as a mess) that falls distinctly short of being “full of awe.” This weakened sense was once considered improper – in fact, complaints about it persisted through the early decades of the 20th century.
The change in meaning that awesome is undergoing may be more recent than that of awful, but both words are treading the same path. For evidence that such change is normal, we need look no further than awe, which originally meant “terror” and now carries the weaker sense “wonder.”

What an awesome post. 

I'm thrilled with the direction Cakewalk is going. Developing a Mac version shows us that they have a vested interest in the evolution and longevity of Sonar as a product. Ensuring that projects are cross-platform compatible means that they will not be able to favor Mac over Windows or Windows over Mac, as that would cause all sorts of issues when opening projects on the opposing platform. 

Regarding the future updates/enhancements: I would take improvement being made to the core functions of the DAW over bundled extras like loops and VIs any day. The decision to offer lifetime updates to SPlat coupled with making non-core feature additions a la carte is, in my opinion, a very smart decision and has the users' best interests at heart. I'd rather pay the lifetime membership price once, receive all of the essential updates to the core DAW, and then choose which non-essential add-ons I'd like to purchase, if any at all. 

Most of all, I think that the Cakewalk team is proving that they are committed to growing Sonar and proving to the pro and hobby audio community that they are a force to be reckoned with, with a DAW that is comparable to, if not leagues ahead of, any of the competing DAWs out there. Those of us who have been with Cakewalk for decades already know this; I hope that Cake is successful in this endeavor and the rest of the world comes to understand this too. 

Edited: spelling error

Chris... you are always such a beacon of clarity!  
 
As to posts questioning whether Sonar can compete with apple's logic... I have a couple logic user friends who've stated more than once they wish Sonar worked on the Mac.  I think this is a brilliant move.
 
So much blather... I really don't understand why some of you haven't gone elsewhere... then again, I'm sure there are people on all the other DAW forums bloviating just like U... semitrolls are everywhere!
 
I need to use the block function more often... it's always the same people... stuck on sucks... declutter!  Will start tonight!!!
 
Love the announcement!  Love the platform! Look forward to all the ideas we've shared for improving it! Will go lifetime with my next check!!!
 
 

I look at the bright side of this. When I really get pissed off at MS Windows and had enough of it I now have an alternative OS I can switch to and still have Sonar.