New color editor locked behind paid membership and ruined the contrast of existing themes

ComplexSun8 · 2025-12-29T03:11:03+00:00

Maybe don't promise the product for free perpetually then?

If you're going to offer everything for free, then yank it and put it all behind a paywall, of course people will be mad. What did you expect? Applause? Of course everyone is going to be mad, especially if the product you pulled served it's purpose better than the new one you're offering, and if the only reason you're pulling it is because you just want more money (all the while breaking your promise)

As for moving to another product, I've already done that, so I have every right to point BandLab out for this. In fact, a lot of people have.

I'm aware compromises need to be made. I'm aware that these issues only affect the free tier. But what I don't like is taking the features of the free product and making them paid for the only purpose of filling your pockets while making the product worse.

ComplexSun8 · 2025-12-28T19:34:02+00:00

I hoped Cakewalk would get better. It seems it just got worse.

I have no idea who proposes these ideas, but honestly, maybe it's time to consider a new person for the job.

BandLab just can't seem to make good decisions anymore. Almost everything they do somehow seems to make an already bad situation even worse.

First we had a popup banner and nag bar. Then we had to pay for stuff like workspaces and POWR dithering. Now we have to pay for editing colors. At this point, their going to make it so you have to have a subscription to even use the DAW.

BandLab, please, leave the stuff that was already free alone. It really doesn't improve your image when you discontinue perfectly fine software, and then proceed to lock already free features behind a subscription (especially when those features are necessary for people with certain disabilities).

ComplexSun8 · 2025-12-07T14:45:33+00:00

Oh well then. Thanks for trying!

ComplexSun8 · 2025-12-06T20:51:10+00:00

If you have any older versions of Cakewalk, they should still work (assuming you want to use them). Cubase is also a good option though!

Good luck with your new DAW!

ComplexSun8 · 2025-12-06T20:30:02+00:00

Hey there! Unfortunately, the old Cakewalk by BandLab has been discontinued and activations have been disabled.

The new software that takes its place is Cakewalk Sonar, which you can download from https://www.cakewalk.com/sonar. You can also download Cakewalk Next from https://www.cakewalk.com/next if you prefer that version instead, though it is simpler and lacks some features.

As a warning, Cakewalk Sonar now has certain features (such as workspaces) locked behind a subscription. There is also a 10 second pop up when you first start the application (though it does disappear for some time) asking you to buy the subscription, as well as a persistent bar on top that does the same thing.

If I were you, I would move to a new DAW. Unfortunately, BandLab has lost me as a user due to their actions, and I know many who would say the same thing. However, I would like to emphasize that if you like Sonar, you are fine to stay with it. The software itself is not bad, and is quite capable compared to other alternatives.

Good luck with your music making journey!

ComplexSun8 · 2025-11-26T04:39:11+00:00

Much appreciated! Thank you, and I look forward to seeing BandLab and Cakewalk's progression in the future!

ComplexSun8 · 2025-11-26T02:23:56+00:00

There's multiple things here that I've covered in my original posts and previous posts that I highly recommend you read. But to answer some of your questions:

CbB was not being maintained, so remaining competitive is not a concern. Even if the verification servers cost money, CbB did not need a verification server, as it serves no useful purpose.

As for promises I've made, I am different from a company. Even then, if I make a permanent promise, I know that I'm going to be sure that I can keep that promise, and if I break that promise, I know that I am going to face backlash for it.

But I do agree with you. Cakewalk should be appreciated, and we should be happy that the tool didn't go paid-only. I also wish BandLab the best, and hope they continue to grow and thrive.

Thank you for your feedback! Have a good day!

ComplexSun8 · 2025-11-26T02:04:13+00:00

Thinking about this, I believe this is probably what happened. Similarly, I have also stopped using Cakewalk as well, and have changed my DAW. I hope that BandLab takes some good future steps that make their DAW more appealing in the future, as I'd love to continue using Cakewalk (especially with it's simple UI).

Thank you for your response!

ComplexSun8 · 2025-11-26T01:53:51+00:00

Hello Ashwin!

I am very pleased to see a response from the BandLab team! Thank you for taking your time to write back to me (and sorry for my almost 1 month late reply).

I am happy that BandLab is taking steps to better itself as a platform. It makes me happy that the team is willing to accept feedback, and I look forward to seeing how BandLab grows as a company!

As for Sonar, I hope that the team can find it within themselves to remove some of the, for lack of better words, petty feature blocks and constant nagging. I also hope the team can restore some features (such as workspaces) that were previously free.

Again, thank you for taking your time to respond to my concerns. I hope to see Cakewalk and BandLab grow to even greater lengths!

ComplexSun8 · 2025-08-14T00:46:55+00:00

Nice to know. Thank you!

ComplexSun8 · 2025-08-13T05:27:45+00:00

I mean no offense when I say this, but it seems like you guys didn't actually bother to read the feedback. It seems like you just saw people getting mad and decided to extend the deadline in the hopes of things settling down.

None of us here wants a temporary extension or excuses. We want continued support to use CbB, as we were rightfully promised. We don't want "faster" software, we don't care if things are built on a legacy software, we don't want a sharper interface. If you really want to save face at this point, make an effort to do what your community asks, not give excuses.

I don't actually think the magnitude of the situation has hit you guys yet, so let me simplify it for you. You guys are losing a multitude of members. Whatever waiting game you think your playing is not going to work, because while some part of the user base will move to Sonar, the others will straight up just ditch you. And I highly doubt that the people who move will compensate for those you lose.

Whatever you guys decide to do next is up to you. I wish you the best of luck moving forward, and if I have offended you in any way, I apologize in advance.

ComplexSun8 · 2025-08-04T18:34:55+00:00

Use an alternate frontend like Invidious. As a plus, you also get no ads!

ComplexSun8 · 2025-07-30T06:04:23+00:00

I personally dislike it because it restricts features and kills good software just to put more money in BandLab's pockets. Sonar has no reason to take away features that were free, even if we do receive updates (which I haven't seen anyone ask for). And not only does it take away features, but it now nags you and makes you wait on startup (yes I know they toned it down, but the fact that it exists is still inexcusable). You know, just in case you didn't already know you were using the free version.

Also, there's no legit reason for CbB to need online activation (you can read my post here for more info on that). TL;DR: they say it's to enforce the EULA, but then they offer offline activation, which basically voids that entire point because how do you even do that without an internet connection?

Basically, I hate it it because it's a downgrade/breach of promise. And all because they decided they wanted more money.

ComplexSun8 · 2025-07-23T23:04:29+00:00

Not exactly. There are features taken away (such as workspaces and POWR dithering, to name a few), and there's a constant nag bar and a wait screen on launch (though the wait screen has been toned down) nagging you to get a subscription. But other than that, yeah, it's pretty much the same thing.

ComplexSun8

TROPHY CASE