I'm Confused! I just purchased a "Pay One Time" for $149.00 for Sonar Platinum
Did I just buy the Lifetime Sonar Platinum? Or am I only good for another year?

Hoenerbr
I'm Confused! I just purchased a "Pay One Time" for $149.00 for Sonar Platinum
Did I just buy the Lifetime Sonar Platinum? Or am I only good for another year?

Contact Cleverbridge tomorrow for a refund and wait till June 1st. You bought the renewal. I think I mentioned this to you before. 

Hoenerbr
I'm Confused! I just purchased a "Pay One Time" for $149.00 for Sonar Platinum
Did I just buy the Lifetime Sonar Platinum? Or am I only good for another year?

Depends on which link you clicked to initiate the purchase.  Looks like you paid for another annual membership. 

I think the best way to tell is log on to your "My products" Sonar page https://www.cakewalk.com/My-Account/Product/CSPT100 and see when your membership expires. 

I made the purchase for SONAR Platinum (with Lifetime Updates) and it states: This change was immediate

"This is a membership product, your membership ends on December 25, 2037."

I am lead to believe that the date on the "About" screen on Sonar Platinum itself will advance on the next rolling update

You can also check your Cleverbridge page for your most recent purchase.  Mine states "SONAR Platinum (with Lifetime Updates)"

Carl Posz

Andrew Rossa [Cakewalk]

Rocsee70

streckfus
IF lifetime membership meant core functionality (aux tracks, fixes, etc.) but NO add-ons (Vocal Sync, Drum Replacer, etc.) unless you bought them individually as needed, I'd probably be more inclined to stick with the current annual renewal model. Although I don't use all of those bundled features day-in and day-out, they're still nice to have. And depending on how much those would cost on their own ($99? $149? More?) things could get real expensive, real quick.

This is exactly why I don't believe they won't also change the regular monthly/yearly subscriptions to the core functionality and stop providing extras. Otherwise you're leaving your customers a lot of guessing work whether they are better off with a lifetime or monthly/yearly subscription. Plus, they would also piss off a lot of customers that are now jumping on the Lifetime deal, and then afterwards realize they are missing out on whatever extras Cakewalk would throw in the regular subscriptions. I really don't see that happening.
So my guess is that after June 1 (or maybe even on) they will also significantly lower the monthly price.

I think our approach to development would be the same for lifetime updates as it would for membership. The difference is there is no cut off for lifetime updates. We'll still deliver new features for SONAR, in fact we have some cool ones planned. We say core features to distinguish between features that are core to the program and other products we develop at Cakewalk. For example. we develop Z3TA+ 2 and that's not included in SONAR. Any future products including effects and plugins may not be included in SONAR (like Rapture Pro, Expansion Packs). And this certainly will allow us to focus on core improvements and enhancements, which honestly is what people have asked us to do. 

Andrew, in the current model, Cakewalk has given us entry level versions of those products, Like Z3TA +2 or the likes. I would hope that this would continue.

I would guess it depends on the focus moving forward, which will likely come from talking to customers, industry research, and great ideas that come from our own minds. I've seen a lot of suggestions on what we need to be working on. Lite versions of our instruments was not one of them :)
 

Brian Walton
3)  Plat is about $500 to start (i.e you bought one of the top of the line previous Sonar versions in that price range)
+ $150 upgrade to Plat + $100 renewal $100 lfetime
 
Thats $850 if you bought X3 Producer about 2 years ago.  That is quite expensive, IMO.  Seriously something to think about.

 
Platinum is pro level software, so the cost reflects that. I think most pros make enough over the course of a couple years to justify spending $35 a month (based on your figures) for their main tool. If not, there are lower-priced versions. 
 
As to Logic Pro's $200 price tag, until Emagic was purchased by Apple (and subsidized by a company with $80 billion in cash reserves), IIRC Logic 5 was selling for $999 . That's much closer to the true value of the software. 
 

And the details are still unclear to a degree.  What are "core features?"  I have a feeling quite a few will disagree over what features are core.

 
The CCC has a download for the "core" version and separate downloads for add-ons. The core download has what Cakewalk considers core features, so you can look to that for an indication of how things will be handled in the future.
 

daryl1968

Andrew Rossa [Cakewalk]

maximumpower
The lifetime option is very inexpensive and a no brainer (for me). However, why purchase it now? Isn't the offer good for awhile? That is, what do you get now that you won't get later? Am I missing something?
 
Thanks

Nope, not missing a thing. You can buy whenever you want up to August 31st

daryl1968
I still don't have an email Baps - I guess I'll be off to the Hamster Groomers Forum - they like me over there.....

You got it now.

Got it and paid - thanks Andrew - you're a superstar

And I am what, chopped liver?

Anderton
As to Logic Pro's $200 price tag, until Emagic was purchased by Apple (and subsidized by a company with $80 billion in cash reserves), IIRC Logic 5 was selling for $999 . That's much closer to the true value of the software. 

 
Also something to be careful with Apple's software is they can change their mind on that **** any time. I mean yes, any firm can, but Apple is pretty famous for just changing direction at the drop of a hat. Like Shake, anyone remember that? High end compositor. Suddenly, with no warning, EOL'd. No extended support, no wind down, just gone. Same deal with the XServes. One day you could get them, next day you had no way of continuing to support setups using them.
 
So while Logic is moderately cheap, in terms of the program itself (though it needs expensive hardware) you have to look at it as somewhat like a mobile app: Could vanish at any time. Apple could decide that pro audio bores them and just stop supporting it. That factors in to the cost of things, at least in my mind.

Andrew Rossa [Cakewalk]
I've seen a lot of suggestions on what we need to be working on. Lite versions of our instruments was not one of them :)

 
No, can't say that' anything I have the slightest interest in.

SilkTone
~400 posts in 24 hours. Is that a thread record?

Half of them are Andrew's posts :D

Noel Borthwick [Cakewalk]

lfm
I think Gibson is buying Softube and will incorporate Console 1 fully into Sonar prochannel...would be a good move.
 
That kind of hardware to directly position on any track really quick, and get your work done what you had in mind for that track.
And since hardware is so simple and idea is so brilliant it will be industry standard.
You don't need 24-32 motorized faders, it's just expensive.

We're not buying Softube but we've got full Console 1 integration coming. And thats not even part of the announcement :)

Thanks for explaining, really good - but I see room for improvement.
 
a) I think it's overpriced for what hardware is and what a plugin like SSL emulation cost.
I got Waves SSL4000 for about $325 as I recall, and think it's been even cheaper since then.
$200 for hardware as it is - and $500 total would be half price and make it nobrainer and extend market.
 
It started at $1100 and went to $849 and now is campaign $649 so it's getting there maybe.
 
b) some hesitation over how popuped strips may cause main process loose focus, and you might have to make soundcard exclusive for daw not to loose contact while editing. So SSL emulation should be all within PC - just check a box if to use it and make it visible.
 
c) I think hardware could improve having direct select of maybe 80-100 tracks or more. As I recall there is two pages of 20 now.
 
Biggest competitor now is probably Avid Artist Mix - which is about $1200 - and is not thought out to expand in a smooth way. I read it fails to keep order of units all if now powering up in the correct order.
 
Mackie Universal also real expensive in this sense, even though nicely expandable to 32 tracks at least.
But really space consuming compared to Console 1 brilliant solution.
 
d) I think one motorized fader or touch strip of some sort would be useful - a bit like Presonus Faderport.
 
e) knowhow and really good analog emulation available for many new plugins to floor everything else.
Heard really things about Cakes modules, but still - Softube are some nothes hotter is my estimate, they built the company solely on this knowhow. An extra resource to develop plugins compatible with PC and extend the concept(and they already do this PC stuff).
 
f) you can drop need for PACE iLok software on machine - a real downer needing that even without usb key.
I kept my main machine clean from this utterly awful and intrusive software.
One reason ProTools was only evaluated on a separate machine by me.
 
If hardware present, you open SSL stuff and maybe other stuff too - no need for other drivers.
Or standard for Platinum anyway.
 
Just wild ideas of course....they probably won't sell....