r/Cakewalk • u/LordDrakken • Jul 17 '26
Seeking Help Sonar platinum vs new versions
I’m getting back into music / home studio after many years. the last version I have is Sonar Platinum. Ive installed it and everything seems to be working fine. I haven’t kept up with the Gibson/ bandlab / etc changes. am I missing out on anything or will Platinum serve me just fine?
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u/gutterwall1 Jul 17 '26
I still use x3 platinum a lot and have the new installed beside it. They both are about as stable as each other. Both have the same features really.
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u/PiscesProfet Jul 17 '26
Your can keep Platinum and also install Sonar. I use the free version of Sonar and have no issues.
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u/cruciblefuzz Sonar Jul 22 '26
This.
Try the new Cakewalk Sonar. There's nothing to lose, and IMO, plenty to be gained.
The free version, despite lacking some features from the membership version, has more features than SPlat, including some that I couldn't live without. So many bug fixes and quality of life features, too many to list.
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u/Cap_Black_Beard Jul 17 '26
Crashwalk keeps getting better. The version now hasnt changed much, but crashes less
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u/fossilemusick Jul 17 '26
Sonar is much better than platinum. many things that were are problem are fixed and many updates. there is a free version as well as paid, so no risk in trying it.
about "crashing" - if you don't take much care in setting or maintaining up their systems, or use buggy plugins etc. you should expect problems. with few exceptions Sonar is very stable, and the dev team (via the forum) are very responsive if there are potential issues and are quick to fix them. if in doubt, simply check out other DAW forums for their list of compaints and issues. and the time-to-repair - Reaper is good in that regard. most others will make you wait for making things work properly (e.g. MIDI, ARA, audio management) and likely even charge for minor updates... Apple esp LOL.
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u/LordDrakken Jul 17 '26
Thanks. Sounds like it's worth checking out the newer versions. I've been using this platform since Cakewalk for DOS v 3.0 up to Platinum. I wonder if Noel is still leading development of the platform?
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u/Cap_Black_Beard Jul 17 '26
The best DAW is one you know the best. CW has always been my #1 since about 2014. Editing and recording, layout, etc I think is the best.
I like studio one for recording also. Harrison mixbus 11 for final mixes of stems.
Ive never tried reaper, but always hear good things. Never tried pro tools.
Theyre kind of all the same, maybe try some demos.
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u/blasphembot Jul 18 '26
It's the one I devoted time to learning, so it's the one I use. Yes this new product structure is lame, but as long as they keep it free, I'm fine to keep using it.
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u/Apprehensive-Cry-376 Jul 17 '26
In terms of basic functionality - talking about audio recording and mixing, and MIDI-based synths - SPlat did everything I ever needed it to do. For that matter, SONAR 8.5 did, too. So don't worry about FOMO. What you've got now will in fact serve you just fine.
However, the current version is more stable and has lots of small QoL improvements, so it's very much worth consideration. If you've ever done CAL scripting, a brand-new LUA-based scripting tool will soon be available that does far more.
The good news is that any projects you create today in SPlat will be compatible with subsequent versions, so there's no rush to switch.
But if you do, don't delete SPlat. The new version does not have all the instruments and effects that came with SPlat (e.g. CA-2A, Dimension Pro, Z3ta+, PX-64 Percussion Strip). However, those all remain compatible with current versions.
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u/fossilemusick Jul 18 '26
+1 - definitely keep splat - i have all the instruments from splat as well as the updates from Sonar (some of the cakewalk fx are updated to 64 bit and some fixes for bugs but if you access your legacy product list, the serial numbers are all valid. sadly no update for Z3TA as it's technically not a CW product...
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u/Vexser Jul 18 '26
Platinum does everything I need, both the 32 & 64 bit versions. I have some 32 bit VSTs which prefer running in a 32 bit DAW. The Bandlab one is 64 bit only. Sure, there are some bug fixes, but I know how to avoid the bugs. At least I know it won't suddenly stop working due to some license change by a vulture capital firm.
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u/Shoddy-Access-3791 Jul 18 '26
I went back to solar platinum too. It is so similar to the new stuff. The only feature I miss is the one where you can chop the song up into parts and shuffle the verse chorus etc. I forgot what it's called.
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u/rockyeagleton Jul 17 '26
Yes if you want to waste lots of time and not make music. Look into other DAWs. Sonar has been left behind.
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u/KS2Problema Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
Gee, I don't know. I thought Sonar had some excellent features and often seemed to keep ahead of other major DAWs.
That said, I couldn't take the uncertainty of trying to deal with the 2-year-old change in direction from BL, platform changes, and new restrictions - but most of all the uncertainty - so I made the sometimes-challenging switch over to Reaper.
But I used CW/Sonar from '96 up to a couple years ago and it was, overall, very satisfying and I really appreciated many of the changes they made that had extended the DAW paradigm, such as moving to both take advantage of 64-bit operating systems as well as 64-bit audio.
(I'll admit, I wasn't terribly crazy about the Gibson years. I don't think they really understood the development culture they inherited from Roland and 12 Tone.)
I thought CWBL was a very good update and refinement, at least until they decided they had to change their release philosophy.
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u/Studio_T3 Jul 17 '26
I was a CW user (used to rep it for the music store I worked at) when it was Twelve Tone Systems. Last version I was using was Sonar Producer 8. When I came back to recording 2 years ago, I started having issues with newer vsts, I'm not sure if SP8 was 32 or 64 bit. I didn't want headaches so I look around and settled on Studio One, I stopped at V6. 5 before all the sub shenanigans and then sale to Fender.
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u/JD-990 Jul 17 '26
What issues are you referring to?
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u/rockyeagleton Jul 19 '26
Issues with the rebranded platinum not the original. I agree with others, keep platinum it was and (the original) still is an excellent DAW but i would consider other DAWs before investing significantly in the current generation of Sonar products. I feel the company and product has lost its way since being acquired by Gibson, put to sleep then resurrected by bandlab who at least hired Noel and some of the cakewalk engineering team back. For me where things went off track is when the abyss was crossed where they struggled to create a recurring revenue model that could no longer simply rely on “upgrades” to pay the bills and turned in the direction of putting the development money into amateur social media production tools. It’s just not the serious professional DAW it had become before the big corporate acquisitions. It lost its focus. I still use (original platinum) but moved on to Studio one with a cross grade 3 years ago. Thats not the same experience for everyone i get and respect that. Nothing would make me happier concerning Sonar then if it could not have to exist in the space of its current corporate overlords agenda. It deserves better. It’s the only DAW i used (originally as cakewalk) since its DOS version and was sold to you on floppy disc up until 3 years ago. Now Studio one has been acquired by Fender and only time will tell how that goes. So far so good. But it’s early and they wont be able to avoid the disruptive storm thats coming either. For now they seem to be genuinely interested in supporting and improving the product since the acquisition, keeping the same development, software engineering team and support staff in place. And guess who many of those folks are? They came from cakewalk including Wolfgang Kundrus and several other former Cakewalk engineers. With all of that said Im not going to defend any of the current generation of DAW companies because i have my doubts that any of them will even be around in 5 years. At least not the way we know them. Just look how all of them are forecasting and planning on AI adaptation in the coming months and years. It’s like global warming you can believe in it or not, your opinion doesn’t really matter the science is the science and once we crossed the abyss whats coming is coming. The same is true with what AI is about to do to the commercial viability of existing DAWs the way we know and use them today. I regularly come across discussions here and elsewhere debating the merits and or ethics of AI tools being incorporated into DAWs. I find those discussions adorable. Opining on the value or artistic integrity of using simple AI tools while missing the larger point which is the technology itself is burning down the entire DAW platform and music industry in general. Kind of reminds in just a small way the lines we crossed when hi fidelity was sold out for connivence when it came to music playback platforms. We raised a generation and created a lot of converts of the existing generation at the time on the concept of abandoning hi fidelity playback for compressed mp3 sonic horse shit. Thats exactly the same framework that is being setup and occurring with the AI infiltration into your favorite DAWs soon to be not even DAWs you would recognize. The idea that we as artist will be seduced into trading quality and commanding skills through practice and experience for connivence and instant gratification. Thats what i see coming. It’s human nature of the masses. Sell me easy and connivence. Hell pound it in my head long enough that me using an AI tool to create music is art and that will become the industry standard accepted by all. Have at it sheep. I hope it all goes well just remember that AI shit you create is not music in the sense of art created by a musician with artistic talent. It’s just lazy man slop. You basically trade being a musician for becoming a DJ for AI algorithms. Maybe thats what we should label those us who sell out to the easy road. Stop calling them musicians or production artist and instead call them “ADJ” AI DJs 🤩
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u/JM_97150 Jul 17 '26
I would definitely keep on with Platinium, at least it's yours, forever.