Current state of Cakewalk?

[Teksonik]

What is the current state of Bandlab's version of Sonar ? Anybody using it ? Stable, still in development ?

[Paree]

What is the current state of Bandlab's version of Sonar ? Anybody using it ? Stable, still in development ?

They are actively developing it. It was rock solid when i tried it a week ago on my Linux system via WINE so i bet its stable on windows as well.

[Teksonik]

Thanks maybe I'll try it again. I got off the Cakewalk update train at X3 and it still installs and works but I don't like working with dead ended software.

Does Bandlab still require the licensing software to be installed that it did when first released ?

[toonertik]

Thanks maybe I'll try it again. I got off the Cakewalk update train at X3 and it still installs and works but I don't like working with dead ended software.

Does Bandlab still require the licensing software to be installed that it did when first released ?

Yes, I believe you still need that licencing s/w... however they have improved it since first version adding a quit option...
Also, you don't need to run it just to use CW... it's not intrusive.

[zzz00m]

Well some son of a billionaire made CK his 'own product.'

It's free, except for all the people who helped to develop Sonar and its sidekicks.

Corporate business as usual, he just waits until enough people have taken the bait and then - et voilà - things will 'change' again. What else would you use a 'command center' for? To keep them begging for more. That's right, folks!

https://www.cakewalk.com/command-center

The Command Center is only for accessing and installing the legacy Cakewalk (Gibson) products for licensed users. Other than that it is end of life.

Bandlab has it's own download manager now for downloading the free Cakewalk by Bandlab via BandLab Assistant.
https://www.bandlab.com/products/cakewalk

[zzz00m]

I'd like to see Dimension Pro, z3ta+, and the old Rapture
made available for owners to re-register,
based on old purchase records/data. It needn't be free. Paying a $10 fee
per app to get a new account, and use of the good software
would be great. If enough interest exists, the old catalog
could be brought up to 64bits, with scalable gui etc.

I would like to see that too! And so would many others based on feedback at their forum.

But unfortunately there has never been any official commitment or decision made about that, other than they may look into it someday.

However they did commit to continuing development for the Cakewalk DAW, and keeping it free always. Even hired the former CTO and some of the original development team!

[zzz00m]

Yes, I think I actually preferred the original Rapture, but it just straight up didn't work in Windows 10, so I had to get "pro" if I wanted to use it.

That's strange, because I have the classic version of Rapture v1.22 x64 running on the latest version of Windows 10 here. Both the VST2 plugin and standalone work.

[zzz00m]

What is the current state of Bandlab's version of Sonar ? Anybody using it ? Stable, still in development ?

Release notes here. Tons of fixes and enhancements since 2018. New release approx every 2 months... https://www.bandlab.com/products/cakewalk/whats-new

[Zombie Queen]

Does Bandlab still require the licensing software to be installed that it did when first released ?

Sort of, as mentioned you need to have Bandlab Assistant installed and open it some two times a year to keep Sonar active. It works fine and it looks it far from dead, though I'm under impression that they lost the key to very core code many years ago (before Bandlab). Nevertheless it's a good top tier DAW IMO, I've been checking some alternatives recently for second DAW candidate, Studio One, DP, Samplitude... and I think at the moment Sonar is better, disregarding the price. I'm quite surprised it doesn't seem to start dominate the DAW market, being free, it's a no brainer. Must be bad karma from troubled past.

[Teksonik]

Release notes here. Tons of fixes and enhancements since 2018. New release approx every 2 months... https://www.bandlab.com/products/cakewalk/whats-new

Cool, thanks. I'll check the link.

Sort of, as mentioned you need to have Bandlab Assistant installed and open it some two times a year to keep Sonar active.

Ok thanks, I think I'll try installing it on this system again and see how it goes. I remember having issues getting it authorized through the Bandlab assistant when it was first released and after faffing about with it for awhile gave up and uninstalled everything.

I like using Sonar X3 for my guitar stuff but it's a bit buggy and I don't feel comfortable using discontinued software so I'd like to give Cakewalk by Bandlab a go.

[Zombie Queen]

Yes, I remember that initially dealing with Assistant required some persistence. I did the update recently and it was really hassle free, you can then close and forget the Assistant. Until that activation time...

[BlackWinny]

The only differences between Sonar Platinum and Cakewalk by BandLab are:
1 - While Sonar Platinum was very rarely updated to fix the issues, BandLab works extremely seriously on all the issues and release a new update up to 6 times per year.
2 - All the additional plugins which came with the DAW are no longer offered with Cakewalk by BandLab (BandLab has bought only what was made by Cakewalk themselves, not the plugins coming from third parties)

But... If you had kept Sonar Platinum installed on your computer, keep it installed even with Cakewalk freshly installed so that your additional plugins which came with Sonar Platinum will perfectly work in Cakewalk by BandLab !

Cakewalk by BandLab comes with an installer which alerts you each time there is an update. And you just have to accept its proposition to install the update when a new one occurs. No need to manually download again at each new update, this little tool make it all alone (with your agreement, not on its own initiative). The DAW doesnt require to have an online connection. But to make the little survey tool work you must create an account at BandLab (it is free and BandLab doesn't send any spam, within the two last years I received only three or four emails from them and none were spam). There is also another huge positive reason to create this account at BandLab : if you create this account at BandLab with the same email address that you had for your former account at Cakewalk, BandLab will add directly your previous Cakewalk registered plugins the day they will be taken over by BandLab. Because it is in project also at BandLab, but without any scheduled date. Perhaps yet one, two or more years...

[BlackWinny]

Yes, I remember that initially dealing with Assistant required some persistence. I did the update recently and it was really hassle free, you can then close and forget the Assistant. Until that activation time...

Yes. Sometimes the assistant enters in a quiet loop, telling you that the installation or the update is still running.

And in fact it is complete.


The installation (or the update) takes a maximum of... say... ten minutes at the biggest. Generally it is done in 5 minutes. If after that delay of 10 minutes the assistant keeps on telling that the installation is still running, it is probably actually complete. In that case there is just to close it and to launch directly the DAW itself to understand that it is actually totally done.

One or two times I have been constraint to restart my computer to see that the update was actually done (but without any freeze of the computer, no panic, everything else worked perfectly on the computer). It was during the very first months, two years ago. I have never met this situation again later.

[an-electric-heart]

Yes, I think I actually preferred the original Rapture, but it just straight up didn't work in Windows 10, so I had to get "pro" if I wanted to use it.

That's strange, because I have the classic version of Rapture v1.22 x64 running on the latest version of Windows 10 here. Both the VST2 plugin and standalone work.

Maybe it's worth giving it another go (I can see it sitting in "my products"). I think it became extremely unstable, and I couldn't use it without the project crashing, that's in FL.

[glokraw]

I'm quite surprised it doesn't seem to start dominate the DAW market, being free, it's a no brainer. Must be bad karma from troubled past.

Just a guess, but they may consider the free Cakewalk will
encourage a more thriving Asian music scene to grow,
not that it isn't strong now. The family watch demographics
like a hawk, and will know where and when to invest.
I think the english-first daw market may be secondary
in their long term business plan. I installed the latest
version last night, although I've only ever used the drum-swapper.
Quite the long changelog!

I think the Cakewalk gui needs some spacing, even sentences
have spacing, and for good reason. I wouldn't want
a hardware panel that was such a jumble. But I do love
the color scheme. What will 2020 bring?
Cheers