Click HERE for the story.

BTW, It’s SONAR PLATINUM and it runs FREE in windows for Everyone.

Now the question is WHY would you waste money on any other DAW when you can get the best for no cost.

Free is my favorite price.

I like that you won't have to go through all the authorization processes we currently have to do. This is good news. I suspect future updates will not be free, but who knows.

I did a lot of reading on this. Apparently they want all of us to download and use this new version. I've condensed a few key thoughts from the threads:

Cakewalk by BandLab – a free, streamlined version of SONAR Platinum

No matter what plug-ins or bundles you’ve bought in the past – anything that worked with SONAR before will work with Cakewalk by BandLab and should integrate seamlessly.

We have removed certain 3rd party plug-ins and content that we felt were unnecessary and/or not feasible to be released in this first version. Updates will come and more features and content will be available in the core pack.

You have to download and install via BandLab assistant.

Does this mean they have ported PLATINUM to Mac??? No, the Mac version of BandLab assistant allows access to the loop content and of course the BandLab Mix editor today.

The license expires in six months. You need to read this long thread to learn more: http://forum.cakewalk.com/Cakewalk-By-BandLab-is-here-Free-Available-for-Windows-now-442018-m3743935-p4.aspx

The date in the license/about us is just an arbitrary 6 month date set for authorization checks. It’s a holdover from the old SONAR authorization and is going to be removed when the programming is further updated. It's NOT an expiration date per Meng.

Very cool. A couple of things caught my eye, Bluetooth MIDI and touch. I've seen enough vids about using touchscreens with DAW's and for notation that I'm going to pick up a 24" touchscreen monitor, just haven't decided which one yet. I know that Biab/RB are not enabled for this and some other DAW's are not as well. This could be a nice addition to the toolbox.

Box

More facts. Runs on 64 bit Windows 7 and higher. 32 bit plug-ins are not supported. A 32 bit version of Cakewalk by Bandlab will not be released.

Jim, are you sure about the 32 bit plug-in statement. I used to run 32 bit plug-ins through jBridge in Sonar Platinum. I can also do that in my current Studio One Pro DAW.

Mario,

Nope. I'm not sure about the 32 bit plug-ins. Other users reported 32 bit plug-ins are not reported during the VST scan and do not work. There have been several emphatic responses from both Noel and Meng that there will be no 32 bit edition and no 32 bit support.

Will it work with jBridge? I don't know. Sonar by Cakewalk used a native bit bridge.

I downloaded but am in demo mode and can't save anything. It has a blue box that says go to bandlab assistant to update activation status but I am in bandlab assistant and I see know way to activate it, from there or the bandlab assistant, to which I am signed in, with my account.

Any ideas?

How do you activate this thing and get out of demo mode.

I can't find the switch.

This is from a now "outsider" remember I gave up on Sonar a year before Gibson dumped it.

this thought is badly stated (in a rush):

Before this news flash I signed up on Bandlabs site (I was lifetime SPLAT "owner") but it looked like Bandlab's handling or approach is would 75% social ("sharing and caring - community music") and 25% nose to the grind stone DAW/MUSIC WORK

But best wishes to those that try it and work with it

Larry

I found out that the 32-bit software that didn't work with bit bridge most of the time worked with jBridge. I just wonder if that has been changed.

A number of DAWs are now only 64 bit. That is the wave of the future.

HI ALL

Well I have just downloaded and installed ,and must say all went smoothly and worked first time.
I kept my old Sona 8.3 just in case and they both exist side by side .
What a refreshing cool interface this is from Sona 8.3..
Works like a charm and as I let it import my preferences from my existing version all my old projects get up and go including many that have Kontakt on multiple tracks and other plug ins like Amber piano and various synths that came with 8,3 like tts1, Z3TA, Rapture 4le, etc and my Mini Moog!
So well pleased
Maybe I should have had an upgrade to Producer before . but then Hey this one is FREE.
Have fun
Mike

I got mine installed as well. It went smoothly (slthough there were no installation options that I saw in terms of what to install and where, although I did select just the base product, since I had all the add-ons from my previous Sonar Platinum install), and it picked up my previous settings, as well as keeping content on my E: drive where I had it for Sonar Platinum.

Now I'll have to play with it more to make sure all is good. My Sonar Platinum is still installed side-by-side, but as time progresses and updates happen, I'll probably remove Sonar and stick with this new Cakewalk.

Add to that recently getting Samplitude, Studio One, and Harrison MixBus (as well as RealBand, PowerTracks, Reaper, n-Track, Tracktion, MultiTrack Studio Pro Plus, and MixCraft Pro Studio), I think I'm pretty well set DAW-wise for a long time to come.

Dang, that's crazy, isn't it?

David,

I don't have an answer for you. I haven't read of anyone else ending up in Demo mode and I'm pretty much a novice myself. I still use Music Creator 6 as my main DAW and have been getting familiar with Home Studio when this news hit.

MC6 is 32 bit. I'm running HS in 32 bit mode so the tools that ship with it, such as Studio Instruments VSTi, will be compatible with PG Music products. Home Studio 64 bit mode is available by clicking one checkbox.

May I suggest you try the +++ Cakewalk forum +++?

OK, everybody knows if it's free, you are not the customer, but you are the product.

So does anyone know how BandLab plans to make money on this?

Just curious.

Insights and incites by Notes

I heard about this a couple days ago elsewhere in my social media scrolling - makes me very curious what this will means for the DAW going forward.

I am in contact with their support team, and they have no answer. I signed up for bandlab, they have my ID and my previous purchases, I downloaded assistant, etc, downloaded product from assistant, still have demo mode.

They cannot offer a fix.

I have no clue until they get back to me.

Probably a bad install. Wipe everything and re-install.


Regards,


Bob

Trying man.

Just can't figure out how to uninstall Bandlab assistant, it should be gone from the uninstall but it keeps magically popping up although my computer says it is no longer there.

Ah, Singapore.

When I installed, I had to do it twice. Apparently an update appeared in the middle of me doing it, but on the second go-round, all worked well. Did you select just the program or the whole package (I selected just the program, since I have all the add-ons from my previous Sonar installation)?

If you have trouble with the uninstall, you might want to try Revo Uninstaller - I use that generally to good success when having trouble installing. You may need to re-install first to make sure the program is there, but Revo will start with a standard uninstall, but then let you scan the registry for registry artifacts and disk folders and files artifacts, which you can delete. I usually reboot after doing the uninstall, just to clear everything out.

So far, Cakewalk by BandLab seems to work like Sonar. I had to make a couple of minor changes soundcard-wise, but all is good now.

My ASSumption would be they would start work on a whole new updated version with new features etc and start charging from that version on. But I've been wrong on more important stuff.

I agree with Steve that this is how they should do it, but who knows with current software models being so different than convention. The free license goes until October, and then we will see.

Seems I am not the only one...

http://forum.cakewalk.com/How-to-get-out-of-Demo-Mode-m3744810-p2.aspx

I have tried everything...

No sure how, but I have no issues. Everything is working with this new bundle of joy.

Like the looks and the workflow. I have Sonar 6, 7 & 8.* .. everything working well.

What's that saying? "If it seems too good to be true..."

Just visited that link and they acknowledged a problem with PowerShell compatibility about 2 hours ago.

Good info. Has anyone got any more news on this as to whether the licence will be extended in an update maybe?

Hi All

Just to let you Know that I updated my Band lab Assistant today to version 3.06
This is great as I can now disable the nag screen with the little gear wheel .
Disable launch at start up
BTW you can check your version in the gearwheel in the old version .

The download of the update arrived on my desktop and my free Avast behaviour shield wanted to quarantine it. So I let it make an exception.
This was a worry moment as the update did not say what it was for and presented itself simply as update exe. Once running it did say what it was installing and from who!

Just a thought if you are one of those folk that managed to stop it running at start up with the original version, or by for example killing it off by quitting from the gear wheel every day to stop it running in the back ground you wont get this update
As such action killed all 3 instances that showed in the Windows task manage processes one of which was for checking for updates. I think.
Have fun its free?
Mike

I don’t know if everyone is ignoring my earlier post on this or it’s just been decided I don’t know what I’m talking about but I’ll try again. If I understood his response to the supposed expiration date, Meng said that it was not an expiration date at all (he put NOT in all caps). He explained that the Bakers had not had time to tinker with all of the parts of the program so they had just picked an arbitrary date to put in there for the activation to occur. Cakewalk is currently looking for a future date in that field to receive authorization to run. Once the program goes through an update they will remove the part of the program that requires the date to authorize and the date will no longer be seen to give folks ulcers worrying about it suddenly not working. Again, my understanding is that the program will not expire, and that after the first update you will no longer see an expiration date and the program will remain free. Craig Anderton suspects (although he didn’t actually know) that BandLab is going to make its money by selling DAW hardware.

Thanks a lot Keith for the in depth post. Really appreciate it.

I did download it to my sons computer as I have windows 7 32 bit only, God knows what he will think of it if he clicks on the Cakewalk icon.

So will save the downloaded exe to run when I do get a 64 bit OS.

I do have the Basic Sonar home which is 32 bit.

Thanks again Keith for that info.

Thank you, Keith.

I downloaded but am in demo mode and can't save anything. It has a blue box that says go to bandlab assistant to update activation status but I am in bandlab assistant and I see know way to activate it, from there or the bandlab assistant, to which I am signed in, with my account.

Any ideas?

Sonar Bandlab in demo mode

Hello David, I had the same problem.
You have to check the correct date in the computer.
Befor you install the software you have to check the date is up-to-date.

bye

Wrong forum, but I didn’t know there was a demo mode of Cakewalk by BandLab or CbB as it is affectionately known on the Cakewalk forum. For me it was simply a matter of downloading the BandLab assistant tool and downloading CbB.

Then again I already owned Cakewalk Platinum which I left in place. The CbB picked up all the plugins etc.

There is now an update (as of about 28/4/18 in Australia or 4/28/18 in the US etc.) that shows the corrected setting on the license. It also has some extra plugins and has addressed a number of other issues.

Tony