Introducing the new SONAR: New lineup, new features, plus membership

[xphen0m]

The Cakewalk forum admins are getting testy at criticisms at the topic on their forum.

[werp]

and that's US dollars too...
I've already paid for the top level sonar once, and now it's middle bracket....I'm not doing it again
Talk about moving the goal posts...
Rsoles.

[Breval]

Don't forget the $149.00 isn't written in stone. Expect that rate to increase as time goes on as well. Remember the $79.00 upgrades of the past?

[Rajah]

Don't seem too Gestapo-ish...
$149 is the average upgrade cost for Sonar anyway...

[hibidy]

The Cakewalk forum admins are getting testy at criticisms at the topic on their forum.

So, business as usual?

[hibidy]

Don't seem too Gestapo-ish...
$149 is the average upgrade cost for Sonar anyway...

It comes and goes. It was like 99 bucks when I jumped on X1 and I think less than that for X2 (both times an early adapter....color me sucker) but I do remember many updates cost much more. They've also charged much more though.

[LawrenceF]

What I read from the web page is..

- $149 (intro offer) for the new release, to upgrade the top version.

- $199 (or $19 a month) to maintain / renew the membership after every 12 months.

So $200 a year, or $228 a year if you pay month by month.

Not a fortune I guess. We'll see how most users feel about it all when the dust settles. Doesn't seem that bad. I mean, if you stop paying you can still jump back on at any time but you only actually own the new stuff if you pay fully up front ($200) or make the 12 consecutive monthly payments.

That's my take on it anyway. Seems better than AVID's, what I grasp about AVID's anyway.

https://www.cakewalk.com/Products/SONAR/Versions

[ezelkow1]

Don't seem too Gestapo-ish...
$149 is the average upgrade cost for Sonar anyway...

It comes and goes. It was like 99 bucks when I jumped on X1 and I think less than that for X2 (both times an early adapter....color me sucker) but I do remember many updates cost much more. They've also charged much more though.

I seem to remember it being alot lot less during sales as well. I bought X1 LE for 20$ during some sale, then a year or two later they had an upgrade sale for 50$ to go from any LE version to full X3. So for 70$ you got a full fledged x3. Somehow with upgrade plans I dont see things like that coming back around too often

[budweiser]

This vocal sync thing alone is worth the price, imo. This is frankly what i call a usefull feature, and vocalign from synchro arts is something like 400 euros. Hope this will find its way to cubase !

[arkmabat]

It has vocalign?!?!?

Oh. Something similar. Well Studio One 2 has had a feature like that for around 5 years if I recall correctly.

[budweiser]

^^ Really ? I own studio one and don't remember something like that.

[declan32001]

What I read from the web page is..

- $149 (intro offer) for the new release, to upgrade the top version.

- $199 (or $19 a month) to maintain / renew the membership after every 12 months.

So $200 a year, or $228 a year if you pay month by month.

Not a fortune I guess. We'll see how most users feel about it all when the dust settles. Doesn't seem that bad. I mean, if you stop paying you can still jump back on at any time but you only actually own the new stuff if you pay fully up front ($200) or make the 12 consecutive monthly payments.

That's my take on it anyway. Seems better than AVID's, what I grasp about AVID's anyway.

https://www.cakewalk.com/Products/SONAR/Versions

It just depends if you're talking about the DAW itself or the "Producer" add-ons.

I'm very happy with X3Pe and didn't bite on the XLN AD2 upgrade only because I didn't need the enhancements. I did need the frikkin' drum packs that were around $79 each, and now I can get my choice of 3 of them, and the update to Sonar for $149.

I really do like the concepts of the Sonar enhancements, but I won't know until I buy, or pay to try.

In my particular case this makes sense because I love Addictive Drums.

But in all honesty, I'm not happy about this. I'm one of those that would have been much better off if I'd waited to go from 8.5 to X3.

Yet the world is changing, so I'm happy for CW being innovative & viable.

At the same time the only truly subscription model I'd pay for would be for some other company that's going to be at NAMM.

It will be a relief to stop saying I'm on Sonar X(x), but that's going to particularly suck for X1 users, believe me.

[flugel45]

...
I've already paid for the top level sonar once, and now it's middle bracket....I'm not doing it again
Talk about moving the goal posts...
Rsoles.

Huh?

The tiers haven't changed, except for the names. If you own "Producer", then you can upgrade from the Top level (or not, seems you already have your mind made up).

[shadoe42]

Did we get answered about does stuff quit working if we do not go to a comparable upgrade? Prochannel..so can I go for the bottom update for updates to the engine but not loose any of X3 stuff? One would think not but weirder things have happened

[Hewitt Huntwork]

I was a 12 Tone Systems / Cakewalk / SONAR customer for 20+ years, up until 2014. Glad I got out before they went membership-based, my opinion of which is expressed below: