On November 17, 2017, Gibson Brands announced the end of development and production of Cakewalk SONAR. It will not become unusable right away: the servers will keep running, but monthly updates will stop. This article covers the file formats such as OMF and SMF that SONAR users need to know when moving songs to other DAWs such as Cubase or Studio One, as well as the 50% off crossgrade campaigns offered by both companies, providing practical and economical information for users considering switching from SONAR.
End of Future Development and Production of SONAR Announced
On November 17, 2017, Gibson Brands announced that it would end future development and production of Cakewalk SONAR, a DAW that is popular in Japan as well.
http://www.cakewalk.com/Gibson-Announcement
We had rarely covered SONAR, and we never imagined we would end up covering it like this.
It is a shame, especially since it boasted one of the largest user bases in Japan.
The comment from Cakewalk CTO Noel Borthwick, published on Synthtopia, is as follows.
"Cakewalk's servers will continue to operate, you will still have access to everything, and the software will continue to work normally. A dedicated team has been established during this transition period to continue to serve the Cakewalk community. However, monthly updates to Cakewalk SONAR will cease during this time."
Cakewalk CTO Noel Borthwick says that “Cakewalk’s servers will continue to operate, you will still have access to all of your online assets, and your software will continue to work normally. A dedicated team has been established during this transition period to continue to serve the Cakewalk community. Monthly updates to SONAR from Cakewalk will however cease during this time.
Source: SYNTHTOPIA
Moving Audio and MIDI to Another DAW
SONAR will not become unusable right away, so don't worry.
Here, we explain "OMF" and "SMF," which are worth knowing when moving songs to another DAW, along with how to migrate to Cubase and Studio One.
How to Migrate to Cubase/Studio One (Added December 30, 2017)
About SMF (Standard MIDI File)
Steinberg Launches Special Offer Letting SONAR Users Buy Cubase Pro 9.5 at Half Price (Added November 28, 2017)
Following the recent announcement of the end of development and production of SONAR, Steinberg launched a special offer that lets SONAR users buy Cubase Pro 9.5 at half price.
From November 28 to December 31, 2017, SONAR users could buy Cubase Pro 9.5 for "30,780 yen (tax included)."
Note that for switching to Cubase, only the following editions appear to be eligible for the campaign.
- Cakewalk SONAR Platinum
- Cakewalk SONAR Professional
For details, see the link below.
Special Offer Announced Letting SONAR Users Buy Studio One 3 Professional at Half Price (Added November 28, 2017)
PreSonus also announced that it would offer Cakewalk (SONAR) users the crossgrade version of Studio One 3 Professional (the top edition) at "50% OFF" until December 31, 2017.
It appears that a coupon code was provided for buying the Japanese download crossgrade version of Studio One 3 Professional for "16,400 yen (tax included)."
All versions, including SONAR X/Producer/Studio/Essential/Platinum/Professional/Artist, are eligible for the discount.
A demo version that lets you try Studio One 3 Professional for 30 days is also available.
For details, see the link below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Can I keep using SONAR after its development ends?
Yes. Cakewalk's servers will continue to operate, and existing project files will continue to work normally. However, since monthly updates will stop, long-term use is expected to carry increasing security risks.
Q2. Can I move songs made in SONAR to another DAW?
Yes. By using file formats such as OMF (an audio standard) and SMF (a MIDI standard), you can migrate to major DAWs such as Cubase and Studio One.
Q3. Are there discount campaigns for SONAR users?
Yes. Steinberg offered Cubase Pro 9.5 for 30,780 yen (tax included) and PreSonus offered Studio One 3 Professional for 16,400 yen (tax included) in 50% off campaigns. These campaigns have ended.
Q4. Which SONAR versions are eligible for the discount?
For Studio One, all versions, including SONAR X, Producer, Studio, Essential, Platinum, Professional and Artist, are eligible. For Cubase, Platinum and Professional are eligible.
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