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Cakewalk Lives - Acquired by BandLab Technologies


Dendy Jarrett

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Maybe they'll make a Mac port!

 

Well.. wouldn't that be something :). Just as I am preparing for the real possibility I may not be able to afford a new Mac.... oh well. I'll be watching in interest for things like those of us who bought 'lifetime' ownership .... yeah.

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This is good news - just wish it had happened a bit sooner. Most Sonar users I know have already bailed to Reaper or Presonus, etc.

 

If you read through the BandLab postings, note that they make a point that they did not buy the company, only the intellectual property. So, legally, the old Cakewalk subscription accounts are still with the old, defunct company. BandLab will of course do some things to try and retain the user base, but it's all totally at their discretion.

 

I suspect the chunk of change I slapped down for the lifetime updates is lost. But I'm willing to be pleasantly surprised. Can't really blame BandLab if they don't extend the deal to us lifers. And this will be a very different future than Cakewalk envisioned, I'm sure.

 

The big question is - what will they do to the core program? They are heavily into a hybrid social media/sharing/collab sort of vibe - will the (probably older) Sonar customer base take to the new context?

 

Oh, if they can only fix the eternal bugs in Sonar - the disappearing metronome click, the envelopes that get confused, the frozen plugins, the crashes, etc. And the whole cluttered, crammed, clumsy feel of the interface overall.

 

Not that I don't love Sonar - I do :) In spite of.....

 

nat

 

 

 

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Something tells me this wouldn't have happened had the bakers not been working on Momentum. Looking at the BandLab web site, it is clear that they are seeking out the younger generation that lives, plays and does everything through their phone. Momentum (as I understood it) was seeking out the same group, to provide a bridge through Momentum to SONAR.

 

Just have a feeling that this may be the angle BandLab will take. Incorporate code from Momentum into the current BandLab iPhone and Android software that links back to SONAR. While the standard BandLab free software on the phone is good, when these young musicians are ready to go to a more 'Professional' level you can bring SONAR up and pull everything in and work on your music in a professional atmosphere.

 

I would also expect SONAR to start to incorporate some of the social media/collaboration aspect of the current BandLab software. Given what BandLab is already doing, can you imagine a video conference link to the folks you are collaborating with, directly from within SONAR? They hear (and see) what you hear, can discuss how to improve the mix, etc in near real time. They are already looking at changing the Cakewalk forum software to what BandLab is currently using (a good move in my opinion). Incorporating direct links from SONAR to the forum for help and assistance could be another social media aspect. It sounds like BandLab wants to keep as many existing Cakewalk forum users around, as Meng (the owner of BandLab) has been interacting with them on the forum a lot in just the past 48-72 hours. That is a huge knowledge base of users, and most folks on the forum have shown a willingness in the past to help out the new folks.

 

Also I would not be surprised to see direct links to the BandLab online Mastering software from within SONAR. Wouldn't be surprised to see it come with a few more options available only with the 'SONAR Professional' version (the last version of SONAR has links to LANDR Mastering, so I would imagine that will go by the wayside).

 

I can see where having a group of users looking for the 'next step' or the 'next level' would be a prime target to upgrade to SONAR. Providing them an 'easy pathway' is a no-brainer. If this works out, it could place SONAR in a unique position in today's DAW market, and might force others to play catch-up. To me it seems the folks at BandLab are attempting to offer a musical 'cradle to grave' solution - from easy input on the phone, through their own hardware interfaces, collaboration, import into a professional level DAW, provide mastering options and direct uploading to the social media presence. Also wouldn't be surprised if they are looking at another level that helps musicians 'sell' their music, promote their career, etc.

 

That's my 2-cents, and probably not worth that much! :lol::lol::lol:

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Something tells me this wouldn't have happened had the bakers not been working on Momentum. Looking at the BandLab web site, it is clear that they are seeking out the younger generation that lives, plays and does everything through their phone. Momentum (as I understood it) was seeking out the same group, to provide a bridge through Momentum to SONAR.

 

Just have a feeling that this may be the angle BandLab will take. Incorporate code from Momentum into the current BandLab iPhone and Android software that links back to SONAR. While the standard BandLab free software on the phone is good, when these young musicians are ready to go to a more 'Professional' level you can bring SONAR up and pull everything in and work on your music in a professional atmosphere.

 

I would also expect SONAR to start to incorporate some of the social media/collaboration aspect of the current BandLab software. Given what BandLab is already doing, can you imagine a video conference link to the folks you are collaborating with, directly from within SONAR? They hear (and see) what you hear, can discuss how to improve the mix, etc in near real time. They are already looking at changing the Cakewalk forum software to what BandLab is currently using (a good move in my opinion). Incorporating direct links from SONAR to the forum for help and assistance could be another social media aspect. It sounds like BandLab wants to keep as many existing Cakewalk forum users around, as Meng (the owner of BandLab) has been interacting with them on the forum a lot in just the past 48-72 hours. That is a huge knowledge base of users, and most folks on the forum have shown a willingness in the past to help out the new folks.

 

Also I would not be surprised to see direct links to the BandLab online Mastering software from within SONAR. Wouldn't be surprised to see it come with a few more options available only with the 'SONAR Professional' version (the last version of SONAR has links to LANDR Mastering, so I would imagine that will go by the wayside).

 

I can see where having a group of users looking for the 'next step' or the 'next level' would be a prime target to upgrade to SONAR. Providing them an 'easy pathway' is a no-brainer. If this works out, it could place SONAR in a unique position in today's DAW market, and might force others to play catch-up. To me it seems the folks at BandLab are attempting to offer a musical 'cradle to grave' solution - from easy input on the phone, through their own hardware interfaces, collaboration, import into a professional level DAW, provide mastering options and direct uploading to the social media presence. Also wouldn't be surprised if they are looking at another level that helps musicians 'sell' their music, promote their career, etc.

 

That's my 2-cents, and probably not worth that much! :lol::lol::lol:

 

 

You make very interesting and compelling point:

 

But from my side of the street, I think most of Cakewalk software user based are not people looking for drastic change, it's like a child who lives with his parents and never leaves home or the person who has never left his country.

 

Unless BandLab is looking to entice new customers, the current customer base are too polarized when it comes to change.

 

When Cakewalk/Sonar was initially disbanded, people freaked out as if the world was ending, the reaction appeared to me as if people were just informed they will no longer be allowed to make music.

 

Assuming a person loves Cakewalk to death, I begun to asked myself, are people freaking out because they love Cakewalk or because they are too afraid to try other systems?

 

Personally I wont be going back to Cakewalk unless the software is moved from the Project Musician methodology to the mainstream. 1 in every 10 musicians I have asked do not use Cakewalk/Sonar.

 

Personally, I was really hoping a company like RME, Presonous or Focusrite would have acquired Cakewalk. Imagine what would happened if Sonar becomes integrated with RME or Focusrite.

 

Until Cakewalk/Sonar abandoned the Project musician mentality it will always be like the great musician who has never made a hit song.

 

I guarantee no one is going to miss me or care but I wont be going back. I stayed with Cakewalk because I was lazy, I did not want to leave my comfort zone, and I did not have the time to master other systems.

 

The entire Gibson/Cakewalk saga was a blessing because it forced me to move on to other things, and while Sonar is great in it's own right, deep down I always felt it was not a serious progressive platforms, and most NOT ALL of it's users were highly emotionally charged with pubescent like reactionary behavior.

 

I'll say Cakewalk is like Apple, Apple started in a Garage but moved out. Cakewalk Started as the same level but never really departed from the Stigma.

 

Hopefully ,this is the turning point and greater things are yet to come.

 

 

 

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This is good news - just wish it had happened a bit sooner. Most Sonar users I know have already bailed to Reaper or Presonus, etc.

 

If you read through the BandLab postings, note that they make a point that they did not buy the company, only the intellectual property. So, legally, the old Cakewalk subscription accounts are still with the old, defunct company. BandLab will of course do some things to try and retain the user base, but it's all totally at their discretion.

 

I suspect the chunk of change I slapped down for the lifetime updates is lost. But I'm willing to be pleasantly surprised. Can't really blame BandLab if they don't extend the deal to us lifers. And this will be a very different future than Cakewalk envisioned, I'm sure.

 

The big question is - what will they do to the core program? They are heavily into a hybrid social media/sharing/collab sort of vibe - will the (probably older) Sonar customer base take to the new context?

 

Oh, if they can only fix the eternal bugs in Sonar - the disappearing metronome click, the envelopes that get confused, the frozen plugins, the crashes, etc. And the whole cluttered, crammed, clumsy feel of the interface overall.

 

Not that I don't love Sonar - I do :) In spite of.....

 

nat

 

 

 

I was really hoping a player Like Focusrite or RME would acquired Cakewalk.

I see a transformation coming but in a new direction.

 

 

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I've always used multiple programs. Sonar did what I needed it to do better than any other program, but it had "holes" that Live and Studio One filled.

 

I believe programs are going to diverge even further in the years ahead, and it will be worth becoming proficient on more than one of them. I am very, very glad Sonar will continue to exist. However, in the future I have no doubt that I'll be starting projects in Studio One, Sonar, and Live, depending on the nature of the project.

 

Interesting comment - what types of projects go with which program in your own productions?

 

nat

 

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As just some examples, Sonar is the only program other than Acid Pro that can generate Acidized files for loop libraries. And until the last version of Mixcraft appeared, it was the only one that integrated a Matrix View like Ableton Live. That meant I didn't have to rewire Live with Sonar, which I had to do prior to the appearance of Sonar's Matrix View.

 

For a while, Studio One was the only program with ARA integration until Sonar added it. That made a huge difference with using Melodyne. Studio One also makes arranging much easier than Sonar, so if I'm in more of a "I think I'll just put stuff down and see what happens" mode, Studio One is great for that. I find Sonar very friendly for "I have a song and want to record it."

 

Live is fantastic for live performance because the only way to get its audio engine to quit is by dropping your laptop from 10 feet onto a concrete floor. The interface is also stellar for Live performance, and its warping is second to none.

 

Pro Tools is best when you need to tell people you have Pro Tools :)

 

 

Thx for the insights, Craig. I'm really attracted to Live since its approach is so very different than the old more linear, traditional-studio emulation of Sonar. But learning just one DAW is such a huge undertaking...maybe the way to incorporate more than one is to have a primary and a specialty DAW.

 

I'l tell you what I've wanted to do for years and years but I've never been able to implement it. I want a couple of controllers like a BCR and a Push set up to trigger MIDI controller "streams". Like I have a MIdi track on the DAW that has a reverse saw pattern, destination volume. I'm playing a melody on a synth, I hit the particular Push button and the reverse saw pattern is applied to whatever I'm playing - and it toggles back off when I hit the button again.

 

I want to create a whole bunch of loopable midi controller patterns that each apply some sort of midi effect to whatever I'm playing - toggle off and on. Then I could improvise, using the toggle off/on buttons and/or rotaries to effect whatever I'm playing realtime.

 

It's sort of like Steven Kay's program that he did for Korg, but not as fancy or difficult to control.

 

Any hints? Any DAW already incorporate this sort of idea?

 

nat

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