Cakewalk By Bandlab No Longer Free??

By cakewalk. I left Protools because of subscription.

Typical, reel em in before charging. I've been a fan of Cakewalk since 2001 but luckily there are brilliant free alternatives these days. Personally I've been running Reaper free for the last 2yrs and it's awesome

Any update

Switching to Cubase makes sense now.

I was a Cakewalk Sonar user for many years. I tried the Bandlab free version, which did improve stability and performance but that was still not enough for me. how many times I was working on a project and suddenly the app crashed and I lost some of my work. the problem with Cakewalk by Bandlab is that it still uses the same core than Sonar, which is not really stable on modern hardware/OS (maybe because 32 bits modules?) . compare it to Studio One for ex, which was build from scratch few years ago and is way more stable. I love Sonar, but it became too frustrating to use it, because of all the random crashes or some VST suddenly stop working, so I switched to Cubase instead.
if they are planning to build a new Sonar/Cakewalk from scratch, a sold modern version with a similar UI and core features than Sonar X2, and charge 300/400USD for it, then I'd give it a try.

I used to use Sonar/Cakewalk until they stopped developing it then moved to Studio One which is very close to Cakewalk. I miss some things from there like layers within tracks, easy routing, midi fx, groove clips and others. They were also working on audio tempo tracking before Gibson canned Sonar.

If will be a subscription only I will not get it

How will this affect projects I've already started?

thank you!

I won't be buying it.

i never really had any luck with cakewalk ,so no big deal to me , cept im sure this is going to be a big letdown for first-timers

I don't get involved with renting my software. Thanks Adobe for kicking that off, I think they were one of the first.

Reaper seems to get a lot of praise, might look at that.

I'm early days with DAWs and Cakewalk seems a bit overcomplex
Will see what the prices are, may consider a one off purchase is reasonabe.

So to make it clear, will i be able to continue to use the current Cakewalk forever?
What is the meaning of "No longer supported"?
Will there just be no more upgrades and update, or will it expire on my PC and no longer usable, even if my PC is not connected to internet?

I'll pay for it it's great. It's my favourite daw by far.

Will the free version I have still work?

Ive been looking at this as a beginner, as an alternative to garage band , but if i have to pay for it, ill stick to garageband and use the money to buy another macbook .

a good alternative will be tracktion waveform free

its fine to me if you already own cbb before getting discontinued, you're still allowed to use cakewalk by bandlab legally even new paid one released
but it would be shit if they restrict like using outdated free version as 'non-commercial only' or something but thank god it will never happen

i personally main lmms but it cant export midi with patches and vst3 usage is complicated(needs vst plugin called element) so i have cbb as sub daw(if i was adult and able to pay something online then i might have chance to buy reaper but i can't now so)

Why replace or upgrade if it works?
I've been using Cakwalk since early 90's, last purchase was Sonar Pro only to get enough recording tracks and the ProChannel Console Strip, rest that is included isn't installed, and only went Bandlab since it added some bugfixes to the existing code.
Think I update it with the incomming last fix and just stick to it.

As I understand it, there will be a subscription based model, so in case there is no purchase option available and I really need to update I just go for something more simple and faster, which most probably will be a Reaper license, seems to be one of the stable DAW's out there without to much stuff included.
Most DAW's are kinda overkill for my use anyway, I just need plenty of tracks and busses, VST3 support for external plugins and VI midi support so I can use the 2 virtual instruments I got a license for, iZotope's Iris Synth and SD3 for when I need a quick drum track.
Video support, loads of included plugins, included virtual instruments and what else they manage to stuff in I really don't need in my DAW, for video editing I prefer Sony Vegas and DaVinci Resolve anyway.

If they go the subscription route, they get the usual f*** off from me.

Love sonar, been using it from way back when it was called pro audio 9.
I won't have a problem paying a one- time license. But this monthly rent
Subscription thing. Nah, time to migrate.

Sonar has a studio based, great workflow.

i meet this free daw but no loger free ? 😢i need choose a another daw

if we already have cakewalk in stalled are we going to still be able to use it ( i know no more updates or bug fixes). i dont mind that, but if it "stops working" then ill have to find a alternative of course. what about the bandlab app? i have a few collaborations going on in there, hate to lose that or the ability to share songs that way

Better not making it cloud based, cloud is slow n doesn't support ASIO tool for interface, we've been requesting pc app with kinda same design as bandlab, I'm glad we getting it 🔥

can't you just keep your current version and not update it?

Time to switch to Reaper guys.

I absolutely despise subscription software and all that that implies ;)

If it is subscription I am done with Cakewalk

Bye, bye Cakewalk. Hello Waveform. Hello Reaper.

Waveform free wins. Everyone just switch over to waveform. Completely free still. Way better DAW. Way more modern and intuitive.

I mean, if you can use VSTs, then it must be a desktop software.

I'm going to use Sonar unless it becomes subsucription

I think cakewalk should do what waveform does, continue to offer the free version and offer a paid version with more advanced features.

Honestly, If they are adding prices to these new products, I think they should not exaggerate like other DAWs by putting the price tag above the average consumer. Let’s be clear, there are many people in this world who can’t afford such a price to make music. I believe everyone should have the opportunity to start music production and have a wide variety of features like cakewalk to explore without having to pay so much. In my opinion, they should have the same price range as Reaper, that’s why that DAW is still around after so much time!

I agree with your point regarding the UI, so I'm actually more interested in Cakewalk Next than Sonar. I hope it's a full fledged DAW and not just some web based DAW like Bandlab is.

If I have to pay for it....they better at least have a matrix view that is just as good or better than Abletons loop style and adding live looping abilities.

This I even had as a forum post for cakewalk by bandlab but now....seeing they are gonna get rid of it now....

There's no point now. 😢

What if you had paid for Sonar x3, can it still be for free?

As a hobbyist I'm switching to Waveform, I was going to anyway, looks cool)

I still have the installer folder I wonder if it will still load post era, as I need to clean reset my p.c???

I don't want the demo version to have only 8 tracks supported or to disable saving projects made in Cakewalk Next 😢

I might agree to pay a one-time fee but subscriptions are usually not the way to go. If the subscription price is more than $5 per month I will be looking for an alternative. If like me, you plan to use the program for years to come those monthly fees rack up. When you can obtain a free DAW with the purchase of so many hardware items it just doesn't make sense to spend a lot of money.

other bad news davinci resolve free is no longer free !!!!!!!! rip the free version
boot up you must remove and shut down and you have to buy studio

I just downloaded cakewalk, not impressed but it's free.

I hope they don't change a thing on the new Sonar version. It is perfect.

Free Cakewalk version will continue to be free but with final last update.

Couple things, Lyric view has always been there it just didn't always work correctly. Secondly, I don't blame them for wanting to keep the foundation as it is. The last time they rolled out a new UI was the X series. X1 to be exact. The amount of complaints we had for changes done (where's my save button/it's now a keyboard shortcut) was massive.

Lol!!! This was the plan all along, eh. Fuk Cakewalk. Go Reaper!!! Only 60 bux.