Upgrade from Sonar 4 to Sonar 5, or wait for 6?

[MDesigner]

I'm considering upgrading to Sonar 5.. from version 4 (Studio edition). But it doesn't seem like there are really any major new features, are there? I noticed a couple MIDI editing things that are nice. Cakewalk is pretty aggressive with new releases as far as timelines go.. anyone know if Sonar 6 is due out any time soon?

Sorry, I didn't know where to post this. They got rid of the "Software" forum.

[mal7]

I believe v6 is due out in a few weeks, but better to go here to ask the qustion
http://forum.cakewalk.com/tt.asp?forumid=5

My personal advice would be to upgrade from v4 to Pro Tools 7.1. I recently went from Sonar 5 to pro Tools and couldn't be happier :-)

Mal

[Jaspo]

I know I am waiting for 6. There are some nice advantages to 5, but I cannot justify the cost, for those enhancements.

Keep in mind ...

Last year, about this time Cakewalk offered a promo upgrade to the next version for free, you have to purchase the current version. Before you purchase, make sure you call and ask about their current promotion. Last time I called (early July) Believe it is currently $30 off with free shipping for the Producer Edition. I have no affiliation with cakewalk, so I don't know how or if the promotion is current.

The promotion seems to change every month. Their email marketing is totally sporked, with many users not recieving any newsletters with the promotional code. My advice is to call.

EDIT: When I called them they said it would be late Sept / early Oct for the sonar release.

Once the free upgrade path is offered (Pay for Sonar 5 and get the Sonar 6 upgrade for free), I will upgrade.

[aplanchard]

Their new releases are typically around September or October I believe.

[MDesigner]

I'll wait for 6 then.. v4 is working out for me just fine.

Thanks for the advice!

[Ouch that hurts]

I'm on Sonar 4 and see no reason to upgrade to 5. It just doesn't have any major new features, at least not ones I need or want.

I stayed on Sonar 2 for ages which worked great, and only finally upgraded to 4 specifically to get folder tracks, as I could see that being useful for the way I work.

Cakewalk bring out their upgrades pretty often - some would say too often, given that they're not cheap. Sonar's a great program but you could easily go broke taking every upgrade for the hell of it.

I'm not sure what's coming up in Sonar 6. Any ideas?

[wes37]

I upgraded to 5 and wish I hadn't. It's less stable than 4, loads slower, and the new features are not really that big a deal.

[Ouch that hurts]

I'm pretty sure that's cause the VST is now built in.

Oh, I didn't know that. Does this mean you don't have to run the VST adapter any more?

[Ouch that hurts]

I just had a look on the Cakewalk forum and it would appear that is not in fact the case. So are you just referring to the fact that the VST adapter is Cakewalk-branded rather than Fxpansion-branded?

In which case that is so with version 4 too.

[karmacomposer]

I agree - I bought the full version of Sonar 5 PE and it works pretty darn great. Very few crashes (usually due to a bad vst instrument).

I have done tons of successful projects with it - it's awesome!

So how much will the 5 -> 6 upgrade be?

I didn't even hear about v6 coming around?

Mike

[kitekrazy]

I'm considering upgrading to Sonar 5.. from version 4 (Studio edition).

I went for it since the upgrade from 4PE to 5PE was $129. Of course that broke my rule of upgrading on even numbers.

[kitekrazy]

Last year, about this time Cakewalk offered a promo upgrade to the next version for free, you have to purchase the current version.
Once the free upgrade path is offered (Pay for Sonar 5 and get the Sonar 6 upgrade for free), I will upgrade.

I thought about that too. When you think about it you are getting 2 versions of software that eventually you'll stop using one of them.

[Steve_Karl]

<rant>
I'm staying with 4.0.2 and nothing will make me upgrade unless they fix the things that:
1) haven't been fixed in 4
2) Haven't been fixed in 5
3) Realize that more bells and whistles doesn't make up for the fact that Sonar is still lacking elegance and sophistication in the way it's basic functionality works.
4) Pay some attention to the things that have been buggy since 3.0 in DOS.

4.0.2 does every thing I want and better and with more effeciency
(CPU usage) than 4.0.3 or anything newer.

4.0.2 is the end of the product line as far as I'm conscerned unless there are some major major changes in the development plan at the bakery.

New features are just "cute extras" in my book.
Improve how effecient it is and then I might pay attention.

As I see it they're intentionally sacrificing effeciency for the sake of new bells and whistles. No sale!

More icing doesn't make up for a still some what flakey cake!
</rant>

[Jaspo]

"There is no more VST wrapper. All VST support is internal now."

I believe it is still a wrapper. It is just built into the program rather than an external program. VST are "wrapped" into a DXI. So there still is not any native VST support.

"I'm staying with 4.0.2 and nothing will make me upgrade unless they fix the things that"

I am at 4.0.2, for the same reasons you listed, but I think will upgrade. I don't mind paying $179 every 2 years for a decent application and I generally don't see the problems others seem to get (with any applications).

[kitekrazy]

I don't mind paying $179 every 2 years for a decent application and I generally don't see the problems others seem to get (with any applications).

Some still use Sonar 2.2. There was a break between S1 and S2. When 3 came out is when they started the Finale model.

[Ian Dorsch]

Yeah, it's still a wrapper, even if its integration is somewhat smoother than it used to be.

I love Sonar, but Sonar 5 is insanely unstable for me. I'm talking 5+ BSOD crashes an hour. I finally switched to SX3, which has not crashed in more than a month of heavy usage.

My suspicion is that the issue mostly has to do with the crap drivers for my Tascam interface, but the whole experience has left a bad taste in my mouth. I mean, Cubase runs without a hitch...

[jeffn1]

I am still using 3.1.1 Producer. I held off on Sonar 5 because it did not offer me much, since I already have Pristine Space Light and I do not do vocals.

I will probably pick up Sonar 6 at some point, depending upon what is offered.

jeffn1

[Jaspo]

I thought about that too. When you think about it you are getting 2 versions of software that eventually you'll stop using one of them.
One of the key advantages of getting both 5 and 6, is that Sonar often drops plugins on the next version and adds new ones. You would be getting both sets.

[Will Roget]

Sorry if I'm out of the loop but, is there somewhere where they've posted information on Sonar 6? I didn't see anything on the site

Thanks!

[kbaccki]

Sorry if I'm out of the loop but, is there somewhere where they've posted information on Sonar 6?

No... they usually break out the marketing material mid to late August to get people speculating and let all the "why-can't-they-fix-the-current-version-before-releasing-a-new-version" forum chaff die down, then release the product early to mid October. At least that's what it's been for the last couple of releases....

[MDesigner]

OK, I just got a strange offer via email from Cakewalk: upgrade to Sonar 5 now, and get Sonar 6 for free when it comes out.

Hmmm.

What's the catch? Why would they offer something like this? Why not just wait to upgrade to Sonar 6 when it's out? Will it cost more to upgrade from 4 to 6 when 6 is brand spankin' new?

[Sean Beeson]

I would stick with 4 for now. From my experiences with Sonar 1, 2, 3, and 4, I can say that even if Sonar 6 is great, there will be so many issues with it upon release that you might as well wait until the dust clears and you know they have a solid product.

I think the best upgrade was from Sonar 2 - 3, and I haven't seen anything incredbile beyond Sonar 4 yet.

Beeson

[wst3ae]

TOO MANY TOOLS, TOO MANY UPGRADES!!!!

That said (and yes, I do feel better now thank you), Sonar 5 was a remarkably smooth upgrade for me. I've been using Sonar since V3, and I have skipped a few upgrades, but I've bought most of them... with mixed results.

Sonar 5 was almost a pass for me.

I don't use auto-tune because I prefer to coax a good performance out of the artist so V-Vocal or whatever it is called, didn't interest me at all. However, I have found it quite usefule for sound design.

I also do a lot with MIDI, but I start in Finale as often as not, so the Piano Roll View integrated into the main screen was another huge time saver for me. I didn't expect it to be, but it was.

On the other hand there were two new features that got my attention...

The track templates are a boon to me because I do a number of different types of projects, but they aren't similar enough that I can get away with project templates. And if you've loaded and configured GPO or JABB more than twice you will love track templates.

And while I generally try to avoid comp'ing tracks, I love the multiple tracks in a track thing, where you can have multiple layers visible... it is quite cool.

And while I do seem to be luckier than some, there are a handful of bugs that are growing very grey that I wish they'd fix. But even I have to concede that new customers are probably more important to a company than returning customers, and as such companies have to attract them with new bells and whistles.

It shouldn't be that way, and I think Cakewalk does an above average job of taking good care of their customers, but dang, would it be so awfully much work to get the program to re-read a config file on the fly????

But that's me...

I don't have anymore insider info than the next person, but historically they have released new version in the fall, and if I were still using V4 I'd wait.

The free upgrade deal is tempting, and if you like the freebies perhaps it could be worth it, but think about this... if you buy V5 today that means two major installs, with all the fun associated with them, in just a short few months window. I'd wait.

I do hope Sonar 6 is as easy a transitition as S5 was. S4 was a bit ragged, I wish I'd have skipped that one!

Anyone want to start a pool on what the next new major cool feature will be? Perhaps a instant talent plugin?

Bill

[wst3ae]

timing is everything!!!

I just read the post on the Sonar forum that announces the free update to S6, so I guess the update is in the works.

Bill

[MDesigner]

I'll be waiting for a feature list before I consider upgrading to Sonar 6.

[dewdman42]

Starting yesterday, you can upgrade to Sonar5 during the month of August and Sonar6 will be free when it comes out. Cakewalk likes to upgrade once a year and personally I think their annual upgrade price is a little steep. So I do it every other year. This year is my year, so I just got Sonar5 and will get automatic free upgrade to Sonar6 when it comes out.

[Jaspo]

Same here, I upgrade with this special deal every other year. My order is in.

[kitekrazy]

TOO MANY TOOLS, TOO MANY UPGRADES!!!!
Bill

6 words of wisdom. I need to frame this slogan and put it as wall paper for all of my computers.

I seen NI's Komplete for $699. I thought about buying it but I realized even for a great deal it had so much stuff I would not really use or would have to spend time learning to use. That means less time making music.

It seems like those who create the most do it with less.


I've also have become a plugin junkie.


signed:

Plugin Junkie

[Hermitage59]

It seems like those who create the most do it with less.


Never a truer quote. You'd be surprised how adaptive one becomes when some creative tool or 'latest release' either isn't available, or doesn't seem to offer anything beyond what you have and use. And you know a lot more about the tools you already have too.

Alex.

[NeoDavinci]

Actually, I got an e-mail from Cakewalk this week that says:

"It's true, SONAR 6 will be arriving later this year! We’re pleased to announce that Cakewalk customers that buy SONAR 5 in August will receive a free upgrade to SONAR 6. This offer applies to both SONAR 5 Studio Edition and SONAR 5 Producer Edition."

So there's no point in waiting.

[MDesigner]

I have to confirm this, but a Cakewalk rep said that the pricing structure is different now.. it's more expensive to upgrade from Sonar 4 to Sonar 6, than it is to upgrade from Sonar 5 to Sonar 6. That's the incentive here. I find this kind of crappy, since ANY Sonar user (1,2,3,4) could upgrade to 5 for $99. I challenged them on this and am awaiting a reply.

One thing's for sure, I'm not making a move at all until I see Sonar 6's feature list.

[dewdman42]

Actually, what Cakewalk has done in the past and is currently still doing, is that the last TWO versions can upgrade to the new version for the same price. So as of now, both Sonar3 and Sonar4 can upgrade to Sonar5 for $179. Then there is a sliding scale of more expensive upgrade options as you go back in time with the version you have.

I personally think $179 a year is a bit steep, so I am doing it every other year.

The month of August has a great deal if you are like me and you've been skipping Sonar5, waiting for Sonar6. During August you can go ahead and upgrade to Sonar5 now...and start using it right away...then Sonar6 will come when it comes and you'll get it automatically. So for me...even though I am kinda skipping Sonar5....well now I can get Sonar5 and use it a while...and frankly I don't plan to really use Sonar6 until several maintence updates later when it is more solid....so that is probably 6 months out from now...but I don't have to keep using Sonar4 until then...I can go ahead and use 5 now.

Regarding the features... Sonar5 really only has a few advantages over 4. They are nice little features and I will use them, but I would not justify $179 just for these features. We don't even know what's in 6 yet. Maybe that won't justify the upgrade price either, but I am just being kind of structured about upgrading every other year to keep up with the technology. There is nothing wrong with using an older version if it works well for you.

[kitekrazy]

I know many are sticking with Sonar 5.

I would like to see if a majority of their sales are coming from upgrades or new users. Would the results show more loyal Sonar users getting irritated with the annual upgrades?

WHen you install Cakewalk products you have an option of submitting a survey and that may be an opportunity to let them know you are sick of annual upgrades.

[dewdman42]

A very common trend seems to be people upgrading every other year, since their $179 annual upgrade price is a bit high... There have been many suggestions that they should switch to a $99 annual upgrade price (which I would probably do if they did that), but they seem to be sticking with their $179 price...and there are still enough people that upgrade each year that Cakewalk seems to be happy with this arrangment. In any case, if you search all the forums, you'll find a very common thread that every-other-year is the way to go.

[MDesigner]

Actually, what Cakewalk has done in the past and is currently still doing, is that the last TWO versions can upgrade to the new version for the same price. So as of now, both Sonar3 and Sonar4 can upgrade to Sonar5 for $179. Then there is a sliding scale of more expensive upgrade options as you go back in time with the version you have.

I personally think $179 a year is a bit steep, so I am doing it every other year.

Just to clarify for others.. the $179 upgrade price is for Producer Edition. Studio Edition upgrades are $99.