New Cakewalk Next and Sonar

[chk071]

Looks like I even was wrong thinking it is free:

Next is not going to be free.
There will be a very cut down version of one or the other available for free, but both Sonar and Next are to be paid.

[DNnX]

<- SONAR Platinum perpetual update licensee with a dubious expression (current Cakewalk user)

[flugel45]

How did you take a look at it when not even the new features have been announced yet?

The website for Next says there's access through a beta program, so it's possible.

[Teksonik]

Judging solely on the vague screenshots, Next seems like solid competition for Magix Music Maker. But who knows, we'll just have to wait and see features, cost, etc when the new products are (finally) released. Maybe they will be game changers but my gut tells me that's not likely. If CW was not a financial success back when there was less competition then the new products are really going to have to step things up to make a splash these days.

I'm sure we all knew in our hearts that CW by Bandlab would not be free forever and I seem to remember people back then saying "it will go subscription, it's just a matter of time". That didn't happen but we knew the kid would get tired of paying people and getting nothing for the bottom line in return.

So for that reason I never let myself get too dependant on Cakewalk. I was a paying customer until Sonar X3 but jumped ship when they started the "not a subscription" plan.

I don't know how many employees the old CW had or how much they were getting paid but if a piece of software that's sold worldwide can't cover the costs then that says something either about the software or the company behind it. Perhaps the company was top heavy with useless and over paid executives.

Sure I appreciate BL making CW free for quite some time but if the DAW is going to be abandoned then it was all pretty much for nothing. I feel for people who may have become heavily invested in CWbBL.

But like I said we'll just have to wait and see what products are released and at what price point before coming to any final conclusions.

I'm set for DAWs now but if the new products are appealing at a fair price point I may give them a good look. If there is any form of subscription plan then I'm out and sadly Cakewalk will join Orion in the "DAWs I used to love until they were abandoned" club. Too many other choices out there to hitch your wagon to something that is no longer under active development.

[jonljacobi]

Again, I like the Next interface, but the program is feature-challenged for a lot of us. As I said, no audio editing, no warping, only a single time signature. And it's simple and appealing now because they haven't had time to overload it with crap. Seems pretty tightly coded and agile though. It's also object-oriented (select, apply command) like Ableton, not tool-based like Cubase et al.

You can find the Next user's guide here. https://bandlab.github.io/cakewalk/docs ... Manual.pdf

I'm pretty sure they're going to apply that look to Cakewalk Sonar, albeit slowly. At least I would hope so. Cakewalk Sonar still has a lot of dated-looking sections and old-fashioned tightly packed menus.

[jens]

How did you take a look at it when not even the new features have been announced yet?

The website for Next says there's access through a beta program, so it's possible.

Sonar is a completely different application, so nope.

[jclosed]

Hmm... I have mixed feelings about this. I have "jumped ship" to Cubase in the late X3 day's. There where things in X3 (especially MIDI related) where really a PITA to use, and after trying Cubase a bit I dropped X3 and never looked back. Especially since I added Bitwig to the picture (yep - the Project 5 nostalgia is pretty high here) I have a solid "workbench".

I am curious to see at what level Sonar will be. I never tried to work with the Bandlab version, so I am "out of the loop" for a very long time now. I will keep an eye on this development. I cannot say anything about Next, because I simply have not seen enough of it. Nevertheless it's an interesting development...

[lfm]

I am still running Sonar Artist 2015, last updated feb 2016.
- if to renew maintenance I think it were $49 or something.

But over new year just before they had campaign 50% off renewing now.
- so $20 or so to renew
- I did not go for it

I felt kind of sad, why do they have to give excuses for their existens by discounts down to almost nothing?
- it's an incredible product

I don't think any vendor has been as agile in updating, every month, fixes and new features and stuff. It would be Reaper to compare IMO.

Some refer to these updates as subscriptions which I think is really unfair.
- it never stopped working for anybody, unless they went for monthy rent a year to own
- if you bought an annual maintenance from start it's all yours for ever to use

Subscriptions model stop working the moment you stop paying.

Features in my Sonar is enough for me, so will not upgrade to new Sonar. The minor quirks I have I can live with. All based on what I need. Stable and nice in windows 11.

Most stuff in newer daws just have solutions that look for a problem, kind of, in my view.
- and I hate the dark on even darker skins they have now

I have an old Samplitude ProX2 license from 10 years or so, and had a go downloading a demo for ProX8 out now.
- now they started with P3 serial numbers, which require to go online to verify license every month.
- talking to Magix support they said I could get a P2 serial which is not needing to do that

But still they did not have hi dpi anything for the gui. I felt it looked small in 1080p even, how will 4k resolutions work. It was almost ok 1080p but if my monitors break and then 4k is next option not so good probably.

So think this is smart move by Cakewalk having gui updated to vector based drawing being scalable to any resolutions.
- so hope they will do well, and think they will unless they keep this online reactivating feature even for paid versions like Samplitude have by default

[lotus2035]

I never tried to work with the Bandlab version, so I am "out of the loop" for a very long time now. I will keep an eye on this development. I cannot say anything about Next, because I simply have not seen enough of it. Nevertheless it's an interesting development...

I'm an FL Studio user but tried Cakewalk by Bandlab for a little while. I loaded up some audio loops and they would play in and out of sync with the tempo at random. I wouldn't feel confident starting any major projects if it couldn't even handle something so basic. I was hoping updates would fix it but now it doesn't matter obviously.

[JoseC.]

I never tried to work with the Bandlab version, so I am "out of the loop" for a very long time now. I will keep an eye on this development. I cannot say anything about Next, because I simply have not seen enough of it. Nevertheless it's an interesting development...

I'm an FL Studio user but tried Cakewalk by Bandlab for a little while. I loaded up some audio loops and they would play in and out of sync with the tempo at random. I wouldn't feel confident starting any major projects if it couldn't even handle something so basic. I was hoping updates would fix it but now it doesn't matter obviously.

That looks like pilot error. You must set the loops to sync selecting them and hitting CTL + L. If well cut they will sync perfectly. As with all DAWs, if it contains an odd number of beats, you will need to use the loop editor to tell the DAW and make it sync.

As a rule of thumb, if you are trying a well established DAW for the first time, and you find it lacking something basic, most probably what's wrong is you.

[lotus2035]

That looks like pilot error. You must set the loops to sync selecting them and hitting CTL + L. If well cut they will sync perfectly. As with all DAWs, if it contains an odd number of beats, you will need to use the loop editor to tell the DAW and make it sync.

As a rule of thumb, if you are trying a well established DAW for the first time, and you find it lacking something basic, most probably what's wrong is you.

If loops are playing in sync with project tempo in one session and then playing out of sync in another without any settings being changed then that is most defintely a bug.

[jens]

Lol...

[lfm]

'L' in FL Studio stands for Loops, so maybe it is designed from start for loops in particular.
- so easier to do

and don't doubt Sonar had a bug regarding it either.

FLS is most probably better for that workflow.

So different strokes for different folks, I never used a loop or dreamed about using one ever since I started in the 80's....and had Cakewalk Pro 3.0 at the time....having sysex manager already then that StudioOne still does not support sysex even....

So daws focus on a workflow for some users and not everybodys needs.

I tested FLS once, and was stumped over that they later made a version that supported audio recording, that was not there from start. Like on my Cakewalk from the 80's.

Different focus....

[TheMaestro]

That looks like pilot error. You must set the loops to sync selecting them and hitting CTL + L. If well cut they will sync perfectly. As with all DAWs, if it contains an odd number of beats, you will need to use the loop editor to tell the DAW and make it sync.

As a rule of thumb, if you are trying a well established DAW for the first time, and you find it lacking something basic, most probably what's wrong is you.

If loops are playing in sync with project tempo in one session and then playing out of sync in another without any settings being changed then that is most defintely a bug.

But that wasn't what you described.

[TheMaestro]

How did you take a look at it when not even the new features have been announced yet?

As for most serious software. Beta versions exist.