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Gibson Brands ceases development on all Cakewalk products

I bought the last Sonar version this week-end specially because their CAL unique feature not found anywhere else. If Sonar would be dying they would not have made a big sale 3 days before this announcement. It would be unethical if not a rip-off.
 
It's both sad and criminal. Sonar was my first DAW, but I never connected well to it and then discovered Reaper, so it doesn't personally affect me. But I know that Cakewalk still has an active and loyal user base. Big corporations shouldn't be allowed to buy out companies and products that people like & use and then kill them. If I were Czar, this would be illegal and CEOs who violated it would go to jail.
 
I bought the last Sonar version this week-end specially because their CAL unique feature not found anywhere else. If Sonar would be dying they would not have made a big sale 3 days before this announcement. It would be unethical if not a rip-off.
If you decide to move away from Sonar, Reaper's scripting can do everything CAL can and more.
 
They don't listen anyways and usually get Ableton to be cool :grin: :mad:

The best Windows analog to Garageband is Acoustica Mixcraft. While Reaper is extremely powerful (and amazingly so for the money), it is not the easiest program to get started with.
 
The best Windows analog to Garageband is Acoustica Mixcraft. While Reaper is extremely powerful (and amazingly so for the money), it is not the easiest program to get started with.

Mixcraft is so underrated and simple to use. My most expensive DAW is Garage Band because it came with a $400 iPad. Never use it. I hate the whole portability thing. Tracktion Waveform is a nice DAW.

Reaper could be easy if you devote yourself to it. Their biggest mistake when they started was lack of documentation.
 
This explains why I haven't seen any Black Friday announcements from Cakewalk.

Here's the Cakewalk forum link for the announcement: https://forum.cakewalk.com/Cakewalk-Announcement-m3687511.aspx
Not much there that isn't present in the OP link, though people are saying that Gibson is in pretty bad financial shape.

This is as black as you can get. Their software was on sale. I think this announcement was a surprise.
 
Maybe Chillbot will acquire it. ;)
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@chillbot
 
Reaper could be easy if you devote yourself to it. Their biggest mistake when they started was lack of documentation.

The documentation from Nicholas is not bad - the real problem is that reaper started out as a small program for the developer, who then shared it around and from that point on it just grew and grew and grew without any coherent design framework. Hence it gets called "the Linux of Daws". Like many others I use it, think it has great power and flexibility, but bemoan the design.
 
What are the alternatives for you guys btw ? Cubase, Reaper, PT, Ableton, and .............. ?

PT is a good program. Avid is a rotten company. I'm a hardcore Sibelius user and I've seen just how poorly Avid thinks of its customers. Regardless, that may (or may not) be the program I'd jump ship to.

Idea for one of the big DAW makers: make a crossgrade offer to Sonar users, or remind them if you currently have one. You'll have your best quarter ever. Reality is starting to set in- not only is Gibson a crappy company but they can't be trusted, so people are probably looking at new DAWs. Cakewalk users were loyal, and having loyal customers flock to a different company has to be valuable.
 
A lot of people have been talking over on the Cakewalk forums about Studio One but I don't know much about the company.

I'm not ready to jump ship at this point. Even if updates stop, it's not going to make the DAW unusable or unstable for a long time coming. I'm comfortable in Sonar and I am willing to wait and see before I jump into a new pond.
 
I think Cubase has a $99 entry level program. I would consider something like that just to get to know a new program after 20 years with Cakewalk. I don't think PT does. I'm more concerned with Windows Creators updates knocking out Sonar than jumping ship.
 
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