I'll grant you that the interface, navigation and workflow changed, but to be fair, that wasn't just on a whim. They tested it with users before rolling it out. (And I think we can all agree it wasn't as bad as Windows 8's interface redesign/debacle.)JoseC. wrote: ↑Sat Oct 13, 2018 3:40 pmHyperbole, maybe. But the change from Sonar 8.5 to X1, IMHO, was cataclysmic in the sense that the inteface, navigation and workflow changed completely. It was like changing DAWs altogether. It was a brave decision, but, yes, it was horrible for many users. Maybe not for you, if you were one.planetearth wrote: ↑Sat Oct 13, 2018 3:16 am "Horrible"? "Cataclysmic"? Hyperbole, much?
Roland didn't start courting bankruptcy lawyers after selling off Cakewalk (and many of the other things they bought and didn't know how to market). That was Gibson. And they're still not in the clear. On the other hand, Roland is doing just fine (thankyouverymuch) and came out with the plug-in versions of their classic synths that many musicians have been clamoring for for years.
Gibson ousted their CEO, sold off (or is in the process of selling off) many of the other music-related companies they bought (and couldn't figure out what to do with), and will hopefully be able to recover from all the missteps they've made over the years.
Again, I am no Cakewalk/SONAR fanboi. In fact, I haven't said much to defend SONAR in a couple of years, despite the attacks from people who just couldn't be bothered to try to learn it. But when people go over the top with their "horrible, cataclysmic" stories, well...I'm sorry. But no.
Steve
About Roland, they bought a controlling part of the company, and some time after that Greg Hendershott, the founder, sold the rest and left. The product got no love from Roland, and it showed that they were a hardware company. During those times I had to complain because Roland Iberia did not even sell upgrades in Spain, but Roland made impossible to buy them online. I sent a personal email to Greg Hendershott, who kindly replied within two hours, with copy to Roland Japan.
What followed was a little corporate shitstorm in a teacup, with top managers of Roland Iberia apologizing to me (cc Roland Japan) and the upgrade finally showing up. Shortly after, the online shop was up again and I did not have to deal with Roland again. Anyway, Roland did not seem to be very interested in selling the product, and when Hendershott left the company things got even worse, until they finally sold the company to Gibson.
OTOH Gibson did fine with the product, but their own financial troubles made then stop development. Very different situations.
It's too bad you had to go through that situation with Roland Iberia, but I think it's pretty cool that you contacted Gregg, he responded quickly, and he got them to do what they should have been doing in the first place. I'll agree that Roland didn't seem interested in doing much with Cakewalk. The prevailing assumption at the time was that Roland bought Cakewalk to get a foothold (and some IP) in the software/VSTi market, much like Yamaha's relationship with Steinberg. At the time, Roland had nothing, really.
And yes, GIbson's situation was quite different. It'll just be a matter of time before they sell off Tascam and some of the other stuff they bought, too. Glad I'm not still looking for the next PortaStudio....
Steve