Gibson axes Cakewalk /Sonar

[lingyai]

Crikey. Anyone who says "Hey, we're talking IT, what could possibly go wrong" is just not worth listening to

[SJ_Digriz]

Crikey. Anyone who says "Hey, we're talking IT, what could possibly go wrong" is just not worth listening to

Yep that’s exactly what I said. Thanks for being an internet moron.

[ghettosynth]

Peace dude, you are half making my point ... I’m just saying that all the gloom and doom over support is over blown. If you want it to work for a long time, it will.

There is something to that, but, with C/R, this is always going to be an issue. Even if you can find the parts to fix that old machine, will the software still work after you change those parts?

If software is not C/R, then as long as you can keep that old machine running, then you can almost treat it like a piece of hardware.

This is EXACTLY the scenario that people talk about with C/R software. Here you have a larger-ish vendor that many people have been dependent on going belly up. It's bad enough that they are going out of business and ending support, but now you have to have faith that the company that employed C/R is going to be thoughtful enough to keep those servers running?

I bet not.

As an aside, I still remember my first C/R shock. I had never heard of such a thing when I purchase Sonic Foundry's Acid Pro 3.0 on blowout from GC. I had to actually call the company to get the software working. Several years later I tried to install it and it didn't work because Sony had axed the servers. They did eventually fix it so that you could install it and I did eventually upgrade after Magix took over, but, the sting remains.

Anyway, I'm ranting, f**k C/R!

[ATN69]

People can get lucky and their old software can work for years ..or not. Software is always software and there is no such thing as a 100% bug free software. Most software are even released with known bugs. Some bugs might be very unlikely to show up and is therefore not considered as a blocker for release. Some times they release in order to meet a dead line, while they in parallel work on a maintenance release that will be released shortly after the main release. Point is that no software is 100% bug free and all though it might work fine for years, it might just bug out one day.

This is why the thought of buying and relying on a software that you already know is going off market is a calculated risk. If you are not dependent on that particular software it might not be such a big deal, like if you buy Spectral from LinPlug or something like that, but if you get a DAW like Sonar and plan to use it as your main DAW then IMHO it's a different story. A DAW is not easily replaceable and transferring projects from one DAW to another is just painful.

[lingyai]

Crikey. Anyone who says "Hey, we're talking IT, what could possibly go wrong" is just not worth listening to

Yep that’s exactly what I said. Thanks for being an internet moron.

Making friends and changing minds left and right, I see.

I read what you wrote.
Grow up. Don't hurl insults, improve your argument. Because right now you're talking nonsense and then trying to disown it. Most unpersuasive.

[SJ_Digriz]

Crikey. Anyone who says "Hey, we're talking IT, what could possibly go wrong" is just not worth listening to

Yep that’s exactly what I said. Thanks for being an internet moron.

Making friends and changing minds left and right, I see.

I read what you wrote.
Grow up. Don't hurl insults, improve your argument. Because right now you're talking nonsense and then trying to disown it. Most unpersuasive.

Actually you completely derailed what I said. ATN69 actually supported what I was saying in his argument against. If I grow up anymore there will be a eulogy involved, so no thanks.

[Zombie Queen]

Good luck to the winner, in trying to actually download and activate it...

Actually, it is possible at the moment.

I could not imagine to start up some serious projects in a DAW I knew was on it's way to the waste bin.

Still, it may be a bargain for people who don't do serious projects. When you think about it, that may be... the majority of DAW users? Personally, since I'm ####ed-up anyway (every project I ever done is saved in Sonar), I wouldn't mind getting a free platinum.
Overloud did come forward and are offering a version of TH3 (that was bundled with platinum) that will work in any DAW for Sonar refugees, so it's not completely worthless.
What's left of Cakewalk promises that users will be able to run Sonar even if the servers go off, read remove C/R or offer offline alternative. So it all boils down to if they keep that promise. I wouldn't bet my breakfast on it, but I can wait and see. My machine runs on W7 (10 is just too much PITA for me), so I'm not quite vulnerable (ironically) to updates.

[digitalboytn]

I have an idea that might just work

Let's see if we can get Henry da Vandal's home number and anytime we have a problem with Sonar,we could just ring him directly - day or night !

Preferably,in the middle of the night

[ATN69]

Good luck to the winner, in trying to actually download and activate it...

Actually, it is possible at the moment.

I could not imagine to start up some serious projects in a DAW I knew was on it's way to the waste bin.

Still, it may be a bargain for people who don't do serious projects. When you think about it, that may be... the majority of DAW users? Personally, since I'm ####ed-up anyway (every project I ever done is saved in Sonar), I wouldn't mind getting a free platinum.
Overloud did come forward and are offering a version of TH3 (that was bundled with platinum) that will work in any DAW for Sonar refugees, so it's not completely worthless.
What's left of Cakewalk promises that users will be able to run Sonar even if the servers go off, read remove C/R or offer offline alternative. So it all boils down to if they keep that promise. I wouldn't bet my breakfast on it, but I can wait and see. My machine runs on W7 (10 is just too much PITA for me), so I'm not quite vulnerable (ironically) to updates.

I sure hope it works out well for you. Switching DAW after learning every detail and gaining experience after >1000 hours working with Sonar is not a quick thing. On the other hand, some people might see it as fun and a challenge to change DAW. Personally I am lazy to jump DAW, all though I recently bought Studio One and Reason. I plan to learn these over a longer period of time. I do hope the CEO of Gibson will end up getting a fat kick in the butt because if he continue to manage the business in this way he will soon find failing figures in the quarterly reports. Reputation is everything in any business.

[ATN69]

I have an idea that might just work

Let's see if we can get Henry da Vandal's home number and anytime we have a problem with Sonar,we could just ring him directly - day or night !

Preferably,in the middle of the night

..sounds like a creative idea!

[digitalboytn]

I have an idea that might just work

Let's see if we can get Henry da Vandal's home number and anytime we have a problem with Sonar,we could just ring him directly - day or night !

Preferably,in the middle of the night

..sounds like a creative idea!

Yeah...Deep night in the deep south

[Zombie Queen]

I do hope the CEO of Gibson will end up getting a fat kick in the butt because if he continue to manage the business in this way he will soon find failing figures in the quarterly reports. Reputation is everything in any business.

That may have happened already, Gibson having money troubles is what pushed closing Cakewalk to begin with. However, axing Cakewalk, may pull them down even more, so far they managed to piss off a large part of the consumer base. But maybe they don't care and they are closing the guitar department next, moving to boom boxes entirely.

[flugel45]

Some of you may not be aware, but Sonar 2015/Platinum is the first version that requires online activation (Even the Offline process requires that you connect with a PC online).

I've seen a number of users arguing that they still use an older Sonar version and many years later, it still works fine -- proof there's nothing to worry about. Well, it's apples and oranges, isn't it? Read the first sentence in this post if you missed the key point.

Bottom line, Sonar Platinum works great, for now. But how long will that be? Two months? Six months?

One day - and that might be sooner than you think - the CW servers will be turned off for good. If the Sonar code isn't rewritten to remove the online activation requirement, then there will be no more activations once the plug is pulled. No more activations means no more reinstalls. It's that simple.

And yes, I'm aware there's been a vague unofficial promise by a CW staffer that when the last day comes, everyone will get a permanent activation code. I'm sure the staffer is sincere in his intentions, but that decision ultimately is not his to make -- it's Gibson's.

So we're supposed to rely on Gibson's good graces... Um, anyone feeling any love from Gibson right now? I sure don't... But if any of you want to put all of your eggs in that basket, good luck to you...

[jens]

. It is when/if it doesn't run well you might need the support.

Or a new hobby, as chances are that in this case the main problem sits in front of the screen...

[aMUSEd]

This 'works for years' argument may apply to Sonar but their plugins, especially on Mac, are already pretty buggy, I don't expect them to survive many OS updates.