If you wish to let BandLab know your preferences for licensing Sonar....

[Starship Krupa]

BandLab, the company who saved SONAR from oblivion by turning it into the free Cakewalk by BandLab, have released the successor to Cakewalk by BandLab, known as Cakewalk Sonar (mixed case).

They've also announced that Cakewalk by BandLab will remain available free to use.

Unfortunately (for people who don't wish to license software via subscription), the only way to obtain the license to use Cakewalk Sonar is as part of a BandLab membership that includes use of Cakewalk Next, another completely new cross-platform desktop DAW, and a variety of BandLab services.

Fortunately, a representative of BandLab has informed users that they should make their wishes regarding licensing Cakewalk Sonar known via the form on this page:

https://help.cakewalk.com/hc/en-us/requests/new

So if you, like me, would like to be able to license Cakewalk Sonar via a perpetual license, drop them a message and let them know. Please keep it sane and civil, that kind of communication is more likely to carry weight than ranting.

[Saffran]

I don't get their new monetary attitude?
The 3 day trial need you to put in your credit card info. No way i'm doing that for a trial run. And an extremely short trial run at that.

[eLawnMust]

3 Days?!... Who has that to spare all at once?... Stay coked up for 3 days, don't eat anything no need for distractions like going to the toilet, shirk family responsibilities, accept no phone calls...

What's wrong with OLD Sonar? nothing... Project5, Cakewalk Pro Audio & Plasma, etc....

[dexrow]

I understand the need for them to make cash or maybe merge. I am not sure about there new direction and how it fits into the market place though.

[Starship Krupa]

I suspect that the situation is something along the lines that the person(s) in charge of these decisions has the single mandate to sell more BandLab memberships.

In that scenario, to them Sonar and Next are merely incentives to buy the BandLab membership.

If true, then the person(s) will get approval and likely bonuses based on the number of memberships sold. In that case, perpetual licenses for them are at best off their radar, and at worst, at odds with their mandate.

All we can do is let them know what we want and hope for the best.

[kritikon]

I don't get their new monetary attitude?
The 3 day trial need you to put in your credit card info. No way i'm doing that for a trial run. And an extremely short trial run at that.

Well that's an instant avoid-like-the-plague. Would anyone be dumb enough to give credit card details when not purchasing anything? Seems a bit like instant company suicide, or am I out of step and people really do throw their CC details around like confetti?

[dexrow]

I could see them packaging other peoples services together and then taking a slice of the take so to speak.

[lfm]

For those using Bandlab services maybe $150 annually is not that expensive.
- but just for getting access to Sonar?

They are so inconsistent and wavering behavior that I don't quite trust them.
- "coming soon" it said for a year
- at some point perpetual is there and very reasonable price according to staff
- next they start to ask if people want perpetual and see how many?

So many people referred to the old Cakewalk model as "subscription" which it wasn't
- nothing stopped working after you stopped paying
- you could do monthly down payments for a year, and that stopped usage if before a full year
- but that was about aborting a full payment cycle, not a subscription model
- but many kept saying it was subscription spreading the misconception

Was this why Cakewalk had issues making ends meet and Gibson dropped them?

Something about Bandlab I just don't trust enough to invest in them.
- running CbB 6 months my update license did not work for some reason
- why should it now?

[dexrow]

For those using Bandlab services maybe $150 annually is not that expensive.
- but just for getting access to Sonar?

They are so inconsistent and wavering behavior that I don't quite trust them.
- "coming soon" it said for a year
- at some point perpetual is there and very reasonable price according to staff
- next they start to ask if people want perpetual and see how many?

So many people referred to the old Cakewalk model as "subscription" which it wasn't
- nothing stopped working after you stopped paying
- you could do monthly down payments for a year, and that stopped usage if before a full year
- but that was about aborting a full payment cycle, not a subscription model
- but many kept saying it was subscription spreading the misconception

Was this why Cakewalk had issues making ends meet and Gibson dropped them?

Something about Bandlab I just don't trust enough to invest in them.
- running CbB 6 months my update license did not work for some reason
- why should it now?

Just looking at what other people are doing maybe they would like to be lndr or maybe they would like to be acid pro. acid pro looks like the weaker deal though, but I haven't tested them out fully yet though..


I am looking at acid pro and they are selling sample disks and vst or some special instrument like they are native instrument and so far it's sorta wierd trying to use vst in the platform with them. Midi seems alright though. It's the publishing part where they can sell other products, I don't know that it costs anything to have a project that never updates it maintenence that costs mula.

[flugel45]

Add my vote for perpetual license (or, even better, pay once to own).

Now, having said that...

I doubt Bandlab is listening. They just closed down the second (or was it third) poll about this posted on their forum.

[jonljacobi]

The entire software industry is headed this way. Look at QuickBooks or ACT! Just use a DAW that offers perpetual license and save yourself some grief.

[dexrow]

The entire software industry is headed this way. Look at QuickBooks or ACT! Just use a DAW that offers perpetual license and save yourself some grief.

I see that alot of stuff is free and then you pay for the extra's .... somewhere along the line someone has to come up with some cash.