Cakewalk: "Big announcements coming June 1st, 2016"

[AROSSA [Cakewalk]]

There aren't two classes of SONAR Platinum. With Membership you get rolling updates for 12 months, with Lifetime updates, you get every future rolling update we put out. While customers in general have really loved the rolling updates, some customers didn't like the time restriction so we gave them a chance to just remove it.

The updates themselves are the same for Membership and Lifetime.
No need to misquote me to try and make a point. What I was trying to point out was that after 8/31 new users will not have a chance to get lifetime updates as that offer will no longer exist. From the info provided so far at the website, and if we assume things go back to normal, then all new users after 8/31 will only have to option of purchasing the Platinum (or whatever its called after that) edition without lifetime updates. Thus creating two classes of users.

So let me ask the question in a more direct manner. Will Mac users have the option to upgrade to a lifetime of free upgrades if and when a Sonar on the OSX platform materializes in a commercial product?

Actually, wasn't trying to misquote you at all. There been a question that has popped up quite a bit and is in the FAQ so I thought that's what you were asking about. It was in regard to if there was a difference between membership and lifetimes. To answer that one, there is no real difference between SONAR Platinum membership or lifetime except in terms of how we develop it and put out updates. The rolling updates will be identical for each group. The only big difference is that membership has a flag that tells it to stop delivering rolling updates after a year,whereas lifetime has no such flag. I guess if you want to consider that two classes (good and better) then ok. But we are giving customers the chance to buy lifetimes for the next three months. Let's see how it goes.
Ok, we'll do this your way. You say there is no difference between lifetime and membership versions correct? Except there is, see lifetime folk don't have to shell out any more cash. See the difference? So, if I am not not a Sonar and I am not, (even though I do have a cakewalk account and product) and I plan to purchase later on after there is a commercial product on my platform of choice then I am in another class of platinum user. I am in the class that has to continually shell out money to stay up-to-date. Before you answer, if you answer, please keep in mind I am on a Mac and do not as of this time have a license for Sonar.

If there is no way to address that question at this time I understand.

Yes, that's true. I can't tell you what will happen in the future in terms of promos. We are trying this out and so far it's been pretty successful. I certaintly wouldn't tell you to buy it for a OS that is not available yet. Wait for the Alpha first. It will be free.

And yes, you are right about the difference in payments. Again, when I read it I thought it was related to another question about whether there was a difference between updates for active members and lieftime. That's how I interpreted classes.

[AROSSA [Cakewalk]]

Yeah but the Alpha won't be out till after the offer expires. So will Mac users get another shot at it?

Can't say for sure at this point. The Alpha will come out and is free. I want to caution that we are in the early stages of Mac OS X.

[aMUSEd]

Yeah but the Alpha won't be out till after the offer expires. So will Mac users get another shot at it?

Can't say for sure at this point. The Alpha will come out and is free. I want to caution that we are in the early stages of Mac OS X.

I do understand that but this is something that needs clarifying because a) I don't want to pay for the lifetime update and then find the Mac version doesn't materialise, keeps getting put off or is just a bugfest (ala ImageLine) or b) miss the deadline for the lifetime update, get the Mac version only to be told there is never going to be another chance at getting a lifetime license.

[dredd i knight]

Why should they give that offer to a set of people (mac owners) that have not been with Sonar for any length of time? Sonar has been around for years, and this offer has only just come to the current long term users.
Why not wait until the product is actually out, and they have an idea of sales, and then seeing if such an offer is warranted?

[aMUSEd]

Why should they give that offer to a set of people (mac owners) that have not been with Sonar for any length of time? Sonar has been around for years, and this offer has only just come to the current long term users.
Why not wait until the product is actually out, and they have an idea of sales, and then seeing if such an offer is warranted?

I have been a Sonar owner for many years, probably far longer than many Windows users who will take up the offer. Anyway, it doesn't seem open just to longtime users but anyone.

[Aloysius]

See later ...

[LawrenceF]

That's a fair question given the timing of the two announcements.

Some Mac users might want to take a chance that the full featured Mac version will be something they'll actually want, whenever it gets there, and might want to hedge their bets about that now while the lifetime offer is currently on the table, thereby saving money later on.

You'd assume if the license is (or later will be) universal for both platforms that it would cover either version, even much later in the future, whenever there is a full commercial release Mac version, that anyone buying the lifetime license now would always be able to get the full commercial Mac version also later.

[glokraw]

In one day, we addressed all three and shared our plans for Mac, gave people the opportunity to bypass membership, and showed them our product roadmap for the next several months.

I honestly don't know what else you expect from a company. We are actively listening and sharing our thoughts. Sometimes at KVR, I feel like this is a lose-lose proposition, no matter what we do.

The trick to positive outcomes in a forum where conflicting views are allowed,
is to remain positive. Don't feel sorry for yourself, and don't diminish the opinions
of strangers who care enough to post, many of whom are expert in various fields,
and some who are smarter than you, whose suggestions should be heeded.
Explain your positions with good cheer, and take the suggestions
to your supervisors.

Discussions where everyone agrees, are often fruitless.
The best gardens have adequate amounts of _hit worked in to the soil,
and more added to keep things growing .

[SJ_Digriz]

I think the main complaint is the marketing approach with massive letdown.

Lifetime subscription is a really big deal. Thank You!

Mac Support. Limited whoopee. It's probably more internal good news than to the user community. And of course us Windows guys don't give two craps, other than to be skeptical that it won't drain resources and cause crap influence on the windows side like happened to the horrible new interface for Cubase.

the "4u" bit is totally not a 3rd thing. You've been announcing timeline content, and pipeline stuff since you started the subscription model. You guys have been on the "we're listening" thing for over a year. Putting a hashtag in front of it doesn't make it news nor make it an announcement other than the fact you are admitting there are going to be new features in upcoming releases. That shouldn't qualify as news. I'm not knocking you guys for providing the info on the dev timeline. I like that. I'm knocking the marketing bull-shit that this somehow is on a par with the previous two bits of this announcement..

[Robert Randolph]

"We'll only be selling lifetime updates for SONAR Platinum during this period. It's a better value and will reduce confusion over which version to buy. We want customers to have the best experience."

Point is: when that period is over they'll probably use the concept which counted before the period. So very little has changed. They promised SMac, big deal. It's just about a temporary injection of cash flow. My 2c.

We've heard about three topics consistently for the past few years.

1) When is SONAR coming to the Mac

2) I don't like this idea of membership, I don't want to pay for fixes, etc.

3) I want you to focus on improving core features and less on shiny new things I don't need

In one day, we addressed all three and shared our plans for Mac, gave people the opportunity to bypass membership, and showed them our product roadmap for the next several months.

I honestly don't know what else you expect from a company. We are actively listening and sharing our thoughts. Sometimes at KVR, I feel like this is a lose-lose proposition, no matter what we do.

FWIW, I'm very happy with the announcement. I think you guys have been doing some awesome stuff and I'm excited to see it coming for mac.

If you manage to bring what you have now, plus your rolling updates, to mac, then I'd happily jump on the train full price.

[vespesian]

. Sometimes at KVR, I feel like this is a lose-lose proposition, no matter what we do.

So here are a few suggestions, respectfully submitted, from a consumer's, not a marketer's, point of view:

1. Don't make announcements about announcements about things which haven't happened yet - it's the worst form of hype. Remember people have become (understandably) wary of DAW/Plugin hype, and take it as either a) an insult to their intelligence, or b) with a certain amount of suspicion. IF you feel you absolutely have to build pre-product drama, perhaps look to how Fxpansion teased its recent Geist2 for over a year (via soundclips, screenshots) or Steinberg with its Dorico app (via videos, dedicated forum mod'ed by developer, future pricing). Better yet, do as Tokyo Dawn Labs does - and just drop the frickin' product and get on with it.

2. Make sure your infrastructure is working. I perused a number forums, both Cakewalk's and elsewhere, and noticed that the preponderance of posts were of the "why didn't I get the discount email!?!" variety, which doesn't help to dispel the impression, of many reasonable people, that Cakewalk is a bit of a hot mess, true or otherwise.

3. It does a-b-s-o-l-u-t-e-l-y no good, to anyone, to become irritated with potential paying customers, no matter how irritating you find their questions/responses, in a public forum, ever.

I hope Cakewalk succeeds with this strategy - but it needs to get 'out of its own way' first.

[Numanoid]

. Sometimes at KVR, I feel like this is a lose-lose proposition, no matter what we do.

KVR is tough but rather fair

Benefit?:

If you can make it a KVR you can make it anywhere

[mellotronaut]

first i was quite happy, when i read, there would be a Sonar for mac soon and i even thought about a lifetime upgrade. the last version, i used, before my former windose pc gave up and i migrated to mac, was Producer 8. before that i used v.2, 5, 6 and 7. i have licenses for Project 5 v.2, which never got a multicore support) and Rapture too. Rapture does even work on El Capitán (from Lion on it was not supported, but there was a workaround).
today i tried to log into my old account and i couldn't. no surprise, because in the past it happened every few months, Cakewalk didn't accept my password and i had to renew it, but this time they didn't even know my formerly used email. imagine, you have bought licenses and several upgrades and now you don't have access to your account, because it doesn't even exist. fortunately i have this tiny Sonar 8 box with a serial.
they never sent an email to tell me, they would change their account settings and i'd have to make a new one.
so i'm strongly biased. i loved to work in Sonar as long as i used a pc, but i didn't like Cakewalk support and how they abandoned Project 5 and how they neglected Rapture on mac for years. should i jump on the bandwaggon and try to reregister Sonar 8 producer and buy a lifetime upgrade in case it is possible to reregister an already registered, several years old license?

[NothanUmber]

As a longtime Sonar user that was still on version 8 this gave me the final incentive to upgrade.

The about box of the lifetime version mentions: Membership: valid until 2037-12-25

So - only 21 years left until apocalypse? Or does each user get an individual... prediction?

[Resonant- Serpent]

first i was quite happy, when i read, there would be a Sonar for mac soon and i even thought about a lifetime upgrade. the last version, i used, before my former windose pc gave up and i migrated to mac, was Producer 8. before that i used v.2, 5, 6 and 7. i have licenses for Project 5 v.2, which never got a multicore support) and Rapture too. Rapture does even work on El Capitán (from Lion on it was not supported, but there was a workaround).
today i tried to log into my old account and i couldn't. no surprise, because in the past it happened every few months, Cakewalk didn't accept my password and i had to renew it, but this time they didn't even know my formerly used email. imagine, you have bought licenses and several upgrades and now you don't have access to your account, because it doesn't even exist. fortunately i have this tiny Sonar 8 box with a serial.
they never sent an email to tell me, they would change their account settings and i'd have to make a new one.
so i'm strongly biased. i loved to work in Sonar as long as i used a pc, but i didn't like Cakewalk support and how they abandoned Project 5 and how they neglected Rapture on mac for years. should i jump on the bandwaggon and try to reregister Sonar 8 producer and buy a lifetime upgrade in case it is possible to reregister an already registered, several years old license?

The sent out emails back when they migrated everyone's account, but that was a while back. None of my licenses were found, but I was able to contact support, and they put all my information in one account.