Reviewed By prodigal_sounds [all]
October 24th, 2020
Version reviewed: 2020.09 on Windows
I've been using Cakewalk since 1994 so it would be hard for me to be unbiased. I can't really comment on how great the workflow is compared to other DAWs, because I recognize that most of the comfort is "mental muscle memory". But when the future of SONAR was thrown into uncertainty in November 2017, I tried both Studio One and Reaper, and I found neither of them sufficiently better or easier to work with to warrant switching to.
In April 2018, SONAR was re-launched as Cakewalk By Bandlab, a free - yes free - download. It contains essentially everything that was included in the product that would have cost ~$400 the previous year. It's really hard to argue with that value proposition.
What I like about SONAR/Cakewalk is the development cycle - regular updates, limited in scope, focused on features. The devs have walked a fine line of either delivering massive features ahead of the curve (e.g. 64-bit and multi-core processor support), or holding back and delivering well-considered and thoroughly designed features after they've appeared in other DAWs (for example, Arrangements, or the soon-to-be-released Articulation Lane feature).
It's a free product. It's not a simple product. There's a learning curve, but the complexity and depth is there and will reward the effort required to become proficient.
Oh, and did I mention the user forum? One of the best supported and friendly communities in the business.
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It's so great to have the new Cakewalk visible here at KVR. As an example of the team's hands-on engagement with the user base, this listing itself was created by a BandLab/Cakewalk senior engineer, an active musician himself.
For in-depth discussion and assistance, the official Cakewalk Forum is the place to go. See you there.
The one star review up there. This guy bought a software license a decade ago from a company that went out of business 5 years ago. He lost his install discs (remember when software came on physical discs?). There is now a company called BandLab that has a product with the same name as the company that he bought the license from (the product has the same name, the company is 5 years gone). Since BandLab can't help someone with no proof of purchase get a copy of this old synthesizer plug-in that he bought from a company who BandLab bought some code and trademarks from, he gave their product a one star review.
As a courtesy, BandLab has kept the old Cakewalk company's web server online so that Cakewalk Inc. customers can still have access to their software, but that requires the customer to have created an account and registered their serial numbers before Cakewalk Inc. closed its doors. In order for this guy to get what he wants, BandLab would have to be able to generate new user accounts on the old server and new serial numbers for a defunct company's discontinued product.
Let it serve as a warning: if you bought software in 2012 from the 5 years gone Cakewalk Inc. company and lost your install media and never set up an account with Cakewalk Inc. and expect the company who makes Cakewalk the program to do something about it in 2022, you will be disappointed. Probably by many things.
I have a more general question, Groove synth, Z3ta1, TTS-1, Dimension, Cakewalk Rapture, RgcAudio Pentagon, are they free ? where can I download them?
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