drathbun Posted January 6, 2018 Share Posted January 6, 2018 I have been a supporter of the Gibson company since I bought my Songwriter Deluxe in 2006. I know the company has been shifting its corporate image for a while, moving towards being a "consumer electronics" company rather than a guitar company. However, I have continued to support the Gibson acoustic division since Bozeman has been continuing to make excellent products and been excellent at customer support. I have been recording with Cakewalk products since Cakewalk PA9 (2006). I have upgraded consistently through the Sonar products to Sonar Platinum. In 2013, Gibson acquired Roland which owned Cakewalk/Sonar. At that time Gibson/Roland started moving the software to a "rental" mode where you paid monthly for the use of the software. In 2015, Cakewalk offered users the option of a "lifetime subscription" to Sonar Platinum. For close to $200 one-time, you could own Platinum and receive lifetime updates for free. A lot of users on the forum smelled a skunk, but Gibson/Cakewalk assured users they were sincere and the software was not going anywhere. I bit, and bought the lifetime subscription. Fast forward to November 2017 and this: Cakewalk Announcement After 30 years of Cakewalk's long and illustrious history, I am saddened to announce that we ceased new product development and reduced overall operations this past Friday. You can read the formal announcement from Gibson here, which states that this decision was made in order to align with the company’s acquisition strategy, focused on growth in the global consumer electronics audio business. Working at Cakewalk has been an incredibly positive experience for all of us who worked here. This can largely be attributed to the incredible people who worked here, past and present. I've been at Cakewalk 19 years and I've never come across a more dedicated and talented group of people. Our greatest motivation was the joy in producing software for an astonishingly passionate base of artists, musicians and producers who used our software to create music on a daily basis. So what does this mean for you, our loyal customers who've been with us all these years? 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. We will continue to post notifications to keep you informed with any relevant developments. A sincere thank you to everyone in the Cakewalk community. Sincerely, Noel Borthwick, CTO, Cakewalk Here is the statement from Gibson: November 17, 2017 GIBSON BRANDS ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING CAKEWALK, INC. Gibson Brands announced today that it is ceasing active development and production of Cakewalk branded products. The decision was made to better align with the company’s acquisition strategy that is heavily focused on growth in the global consumer electronics audio business under the Philips brand. Cakewalk has been an industry leader in music software for over 25 years by fusing cutting-edge technology with creative approaches to tools that create, edit, mix, and publish music for professional and amateur musicians. Gibson Brands acquired Cakewalk in 2013. Gibson Brands, a growing company in the music and sound industries, was founded in 1894 and is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Gibson Brands is a global leader in musical instruments, consumer electronics, and professional audio, and is dedicated to bringing the finest experiences to consumers by offering exceptional products with world-recognized brands. Knowing that major corporations work on multi-year plans, I cannot help but think that Gibson had the idea of mothballing Sonar in 2015 when they offered users a $200 "lifetime subscription" in order to squeeze users, for which they had no loyalty, for some last minute cash revenue. As I said, I have been a Gibson fan and cheerleader since 2006. During 2014-2016 I sold their products and extolled their virtues as a salesperson with Long & McQuade Canada. Even in the face of idiotic corporate decisions like the 2016 Les Paul and trying to end-run CITIES laws in procuring dubiously sourced ebony, I continued to speak well of the brand. That stops now. I'm glad I have my 2012 Golden-Age SJ200 but I will no longer be praising Henry's bone-headed corporation. Case closed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted January 6, 2018 Share Posted January 6, 2018 Really guys ? Have a cup of tea and calm down Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted January 7, 2018 Share Posted January 7, 2018 I agree with blindboygrunt. You need to take a deep breath and step back from the edge. Nobody likes Henry J. and from what I gather especially those who work for him. Say what you will about Henry J., if it had not been for him, Gibson would have gone the way of Kay and Harmony and just been a name slapped on some guitar built by an offshore company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvi Posted January 7, 2018 Share Posted January 7, 2018 Gibson is a company NOT a person- it is NOT a sin to dislike a corporation ( they may think so) -you MAY even like the product and still not be a fan of the entity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted January 7, 2018 Share Posted January 7, 2018 Gibson is a company NOT a person- it is NOT a sin to dislike a corporation ( they may think so) -you MAY even like the product and still not be a fan of the entity Yeah I get that , but geez , we can’t sit on our sofas and question business decisions that we know nothing about Sh1t happens. ... all the time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted January 7, 2018 Share Posted January 7, 2018 Sort of funny how 2 guys who own one Gibson Acoustic between them spew venom about the guy who saved Gibson from complete bankruptcy and dissolution with his own money because he pulled the plug on a hi-tech music software division. Sort of like squirting little mayonnaise packets on the statue of Ronald McDonald because you think breakfast menu hours are too short. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted January 7, 2018 Share Posted January 7, 2018 You can get breakfast at Micky D's all day now. Not here ya can’t Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted January 7, 2018 Share Posted January 7, 2018 You can get breakfast at Micky D's all day now. That was my point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted January 7, 2018 Share Posted January 7, 2018 You can get breakfast at Micky D's all day now. We have a limited choice here. So, as the song goes, you can't always get what you want. The again, the only place to buy clothes is the hardware store, absolutely nothing is open past 10:00 pm on a Saturday night, you cannot buy a bottle of vodka, and the biggest restaurant in town is closed Wednesdays because the Amish used to go to church that day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted January 7, 2018 Share Posted January 7, 2018 What seems odd to me is all of the Martin players hanging out in the Gibson Acoustic Forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted January 7, 2018 Share Posted January 7, 2018 What seems odd to me is all of the Martin players hanging out in the Gibson Acoustic Forum. 😥 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drathbun Posted January 7, 2018 Author Share Posted January 7, 2018 Sort of funny how 2 guys who own one Gibson Acoustic between them spew venom about the guy who saved Gibson from complete bankruptcy and dissolution with his own money because he pulled the plug on a hi-tech music software division. Sort of like squirting little mayonnaise packets on the statue of Ronald McDonald because you think breakfast menu hours are too short. I've owned four Gibson acoustics; '77 Hummingbird, '06 Songwriter Deluxe, '10 J200 Standard, '12 Golden Age SJ200. I've sold hundreds of Gibsons, dealt with Gibson directly on behalf of customers, had a personal tour of the Bozeman factory and have had first-hand experience with Gibson guitars since 1977. My point is, I have been a champion of the brand for years and pushed back against a lot of the hatred against the Gibson corporation that is out there either online or face to face with customers. I will no longer push back against those criticisms. How many Gibsons do you have to own before your opinion is valid 40 years? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted January 8, 2018 Share Posted January 8, 2018 I owned a Corvette, Monte Carlo and Suburban in the previous century but I don't use that as justification for calling the CEO of GM a sleaze bag because he made a business decision I don't like. I was a big fan of Scotch, and toured a Scotch Whiskey distillery once back in the day. I prefer tequila now - but don't bash Scotland, Scotch (or even Irish) Whisky. While I respect your right to voice an opinion here on this business decision - I don't have to agree with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted January 8, 2018 Share Posted January 8, 2018 I owned a Corvette, Monte Carlo and Suburban in the previous century but I don't use that as justification for calling the CEO of GM a sleaze bag because he made a business decision I don't like. I was a big fan of Scotch, and toured a Scotch Whiskey distillery once back in the day. I prefer tequila now - but don't bash Scotland, Scotch (or even Irish) Whisky. While I respect your right to voice an opinion here on this business decision - I don't have to agree with it. Couple of us beating up the Scots up in the lounge right now. Good times. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted January 8, 2018 Share Posted January 8, 2018 Pippy don't scare me none. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted January 8, 2018 Share Posted January 8, 2018 Longstocking? [laugh] [laugh] [laugh] Need ksdaddy to move this to the Lounge. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeman Posted January 8, 2018 Share Posted January 8, 2018 I didn't even know cakewalk as still around...much less owned by Gibson. Everyone uses protools and garage band now anyways. I doubt that line of business was making any money. Perhaps they offered that lifetime offer to help keep that software afloat in hopes that it would come back around for them. It sucks that you spent that money, and i'd be upset too, but frankly if it were profitable they wouldn't be making this decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Where are we? rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Farnsbarns Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Whilst I imagine I'd be as annoyed as the OP in his shoes this is the reality as I see it. Firstly, I have no doubt they are compliant with the contract they entered with you in that they will continue to make the software available to you in line with your subscription. Secondly, I'd say Gibson just took a step back towards being a guitar company again by dropping the cakewalk business. As an aside, I wonder if the cakewalk project could be bought. Hmmmm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryUK Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 What a dirty trick. I was watching some factory videos last night and when you look at Gibson. All they have is a name and a shape. Kiesel, Knaggs, Goodall etc. All far superior build compared to Gibson. Just like Apple. Milking their customers. The Kiesel necks have two carbon rods and a carbon two way truss rod. I doubt they have many broken necks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY5fqe_rDao Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drathbun Posted April 5, 2018 Author Share Posted April 5, 2018 Whilst I imagine I'd be as annoyed as the OP in his shoes this is the reality as I see it. Firstly, I have no doubt they are compliant with the contract they entered with you in that they will continue to make the software available to you in line with your subscription. Secondly, I'd say Gibson just took a step back towards being a guitar company again by dropping the cakewalk business. As an aside, I wonder if the cakewalk project could be bought. Hmmmm. Looks like it didn't take that long. Sonar is now Cakewalk again and FREE with free membership to BandLab. Apparently, BandLab has purchased Sonar along with some of the senior programmers involved with Sonar. If you are a previous owner/subscriber to Sonar, your bundled plugins like Melodyne will work automatically with the new Cakewalk. New users will not have those items bundled with Sonar Platinum like Rapture and Melodyne. Interesting quote from Microsoft about the new Cakewalk: “We’re thrilled that Cakewalk has found a new home with a company that understands the musician community, and that cares sincerely about digital audio production” I guess that implicit in that statement is a dig at Gibson for NOT being a company that "understands the musician community". Cakewalk SONAR DAW is back for Windows Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dReit1 Posted April 6, 2018 Share Posted April 6, 2018 "Cakewalk SONAR DAW is back for Windows" So I did the download. Then I got this... Google Chrome logo Fully Compatible With Chrome This page is not compatible yet with your web browser. Please switch to Google Chrome to enjoy the BandLab experience. Download Google Chrome I wouldn't care if BandLab hadn't said it would work on my PC before I downloaded it. Maybe I'll try again after they get a little further along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pin Posted April 6, 2018 Share Posted April 6, 2018 Better off with Cubase anyway! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Farnsbarns Posted April 6, 2018 Share Posted April 6, 2018 You may be waiting a while. Web standards were introduced 15 years ago and so far, chrome is the only standards complient browser. A lot of "highly functional" web sites are now insisting you view them in chrome. There's no point in them saying a "standards compliant browser" at the moment because Chrome is the only one. Why not just use Chrome? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pin Posted April 6, 2018 Share Posted April 6, 2018 You may be waiting a while. Web standards were introduced 15 years ago and so far, chrome is the only standards complient browser. A lot of "highly functional" web sites are now insisting you view them in chrome. There's no point in them saying a "standards compliant browser" at the moment because Chrome is the only one. Why not just use Chrome? I can certainly tell you why I don't use Chrome and won't use it Farns. Chrome imported my "favourites" ok from IE but didn't put them in the order I favour. But what is much worse and what I find completely unacceptable is it puts the favourites bar almost slap bang in the middle of the screen and I can't seem to move it to the left side (which I prefer). MS Edge is almost as bad although it "sorted" the favourites out much better but insists on placing the bar to the right (which I hate) and insists on me using Bing (useless) as a search engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.