Sonar now free, renamed "Cakewalk by BandLab"

[rdiazhin]

Great news, sonar is back and free. I just downloaded and it is really full version of Sonar Platinum for Free.

https://www.soundonsound.com/news/sonar-now-free-renamed-cakewalk-bandlab

[Joe H]

This is a bunch of BS.  I went from link to link to link and ended up with a download for Google Chrome but no Cakewalk.

Joe H

[rdiazhin]

I went directly to the bandlab page and clicked the "Get Early Access Now" button. Register or sing in if you have bandlab account. Download and install. No more keys, activation, license. It just finish installing and run it.

https://www.bandlab.com/products/cakewalk

[SeaGtGruff]

According to the announcement from BandLab that I read, it is not the same as SONAR Platinum, but is a stripped-down version. SONAR Platinum is still SONAR Platinum. My understanding is that the free program doesn't support third-party plug-ins, but I don't know what other differences there might be. Usually a free edition of a commercial DAW has limitations compared to the paid editions, such as being able to use fewer inputs and tracks, fewer plug-ins being included, etc. Regardless of whatever its limitations might be, it's a smart move to have a free edition, because that's what a lot of other DAW makers have done to help get their feet in the doors of potential buyers.

[Joe H]

I went directly to the bandlab page and clicked the "Get Early Access Now" button. Register or sing in if you have bandlab account. Download and install. No more keys, activation, license. It just finish installing and run it.

https://www.bandlab.com/products/cakewalk

It's a very convoluted path to the link.  I have an older version of Sonar, so maybe I'll just stick with that.  I'm only interested in the MIDI side of any DAW anyway.

Joe H

[Dusan]

I went directly to the bandlab page and clicked the "Get Early Access Now" button. Register or sing in if you have bandlab account. Download and install. No more keys, activation, license. It just finish installing and run it.

https://www.bandlab.com/products/cakewalk

That is only Demo version .Save function is disabled...Unusefool...

[Taffinator]

Mine seems to save.

[zofman]

This is a qoute from te Bandlab blog:

Note to Editor

Cakewalk by BandLab is a streamlined version of SONAR Platinum – and certain third party products and content bundles will no longer be included. Existing users who have already purchased bundles or individual third party products and plug-ins can still use those products with Cakewalk by BandLab.

    The new installation of Cakewalk by BandLab via BandLab Assistant will not affect previous installations of SONAR.
    All users can download Cakewalk by BandLab and access the full feature set for free, without access limitations.
    Any bundled or independently purchased plug-ins or add-ons that worked with SONAR will integrate with Cakewalk by BandLab.

More detail on the feature offering can be found at https://cakewalk.bandlab.com.


Jan

[SeaGtGruff]

Okay, so it sounds like the use of third-party plug-ins is still supported, but third-party plug-ins which were included with previous versions of SONAR are no longer being included. Thank you-- that's an important distinction!

[SandeepSaxena]

I'm new to DAW's. Have been exploring Cakewalk by Bandlab for a week now.
For being free its pretty good.  This free version by bandlab
allows you to do quite a bit. Has built in VST's which seem to be fairly good.
At least for a novice like myself, it has been a great experience so far with this particular product.
I'm definitely looking forward to future updates and capabilities to this software.

[beykock]

I do not see any reason to delete my " old " version and replace it by a trial prog.

Hopefully updates will follow regulary ( like before ).

Babette

[SeaGtGruff]

I would keep your old version if it's doing everything you need and want. But if you have room on your computer's hard drive-- or a spare computer or laptop-- it might be interesting to install the new free version separately from the old one so you can see what (if any) changes have been made to the user interface and feature functions. That way you can familiarize yourself with the changes ahead of time before anything happens to your older version that forces you to switch to the newest version.

If you do install it alongside your current version, you might want to first check with their support-- or with other users-- to make sure having two versions installed on the same computer won't cause any conflicts. I do that a lot with other DAWs and rarely run into issues, but one never knows.

Actually, a lot of DAW companies keep archives of the older versions of their programs in case anyone needs to download and install them again.

[beykock]

As far as I am informed the free version seems to be a trial version. Correct ?

Why install a trial prog if the " old Sonar Platinum " works well and my VST collection as well ?

I prefer to wait to see what will happen in the near future.
The trial version is not a real update or upgrade, one said before. True ?

Why shoot a winning horse ?

Best wishes, Babette

[zofman]

Cakewalk by Bandlab is a fully functional DAW.
It is not a trail.
If you are satisfied with your Sonar. Please keep it.
For somebody who is searching for a new free DAW :
Cakewalk by bandlab is a good choice

[Del]

Well using a DAW is new territory for me, I have downloaded it and will take a look at some stage, thanks for the link