# Gibson ceasing Cakewalk development and production



## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

A bunch of people were let go as well apparently. Any Cakewalk users out there that care to chime in? I've just recently upgraded to Sonar Pro from Artist, so I'm really unhappy at this point in time. I've only invested about $250 all in so far though, so I'm but a blip compared to some people who have been using this professionally for years. I want to wish anyone who works (ed) at Cakewalk all the best in their future endeavors.

I've become extremely disenchanted with the Gibson brand, after being a fanboy for almost my entire musical life and career.

GIBSON BRANDS ANNOUCEMENT REGARDING CAKEWALK, INC.


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## ezcomes (Jul 28, 2008)

Sad to hear it go...was my first DAW...way way back

But..i didnt know gibson owned it...

Seems like a waste of money more than bad business...theyve had it for only a short time, to cancel it now seems like a waste...
So..gibson cuts it to re-align
A big DAW goes under 'just because'


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## gtrguy (Jul 6, 2006)

Another in the long line of brands Gibson buys and then mothballs. Bummer.


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## Guest (Nov 22, 2017)

This shows you can't have your cake and eat it too...


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

I'm not holding my breathe for anything to happen, so I might have to take on a different DAW at some point. Possibly sooner than later. I don't want to waste my time with a soon to be defunct piece of software. I'm new enough at it that I'm not completely screwed if I move to something else at this point. The guy on RecordingRevolution said he figures newbs should consider using the DAW that came packaged with their AI. I have a Steinberg UR22 so maybe I'll start digging around Cubase so some options remain open.

Any suggestions for a PC user of Windows?


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

Cubase is solid and advanced and the upgrade price from the version that comes with the interface to the Artist version is usually 49 dollars.


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## hammerstein (Oct 17, 2017)

Dorian2 said:


> Any suggestions for a PC user of Windows?


I’m a big fan of reaper.. I’m about as far from a pro as it can get, but it’s got a lot of praise from folks who know what they’re doing.

What appealed to me is the low priced license for people who aren’t making a pile of money off their music. It’s updated frequently, comes with some really great plugins, it’s highly customizable...


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## bolero (Oct 11, 2006)

+1 for Reaper


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

Dorian2 said:


> A bunch of people were let go as well apparently. Any Cakewalk users out there that care to chime in? I've just recently upgraded to Sonar Pro from Artist, so I'm really unhappy at this point in time. I've only invested about $250 all in so far though, so I'm but a blip compared to some people who have been using this professionally for years. I want to wish anyone who works (ed) at Cakewalk all the best in their future endeavors.
> 
> I've become extremely disenchanted with the Gibson brand, after being a fanboy for almost my entire musical life and career.
> 
> GIBSON BRANDS ANNOUCEMENT REGARDING CAKEWALK, INC.


I've been using Cakewalk on my desktop PC for many years and recently bought Sonar Home Studio, which I like very much, to run on my laptop. It was $50US. I'm not worried about this announcement as their products are very stable and in all the years I've used Cakewalk, I've never seen one bug in the product I'm using.

I'm guessing that they are stopping development of their products but will still offer them for sale. Yes, this will result in loss of jobs but developers should have no problems finding new jobs these day as they are in demand. Personally, I'll continue to use Cakewalk for many years to come.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

Dorian2 said:


> I'm not holding my breathe for anything to happen, so I might have to take on a different DAW at some point. Possibly sooner than later. I don't want to waste my time with a soon to be defunct piece of software. I'm new enough at it that I'm not completely screwed if I move to something else at this point. The guy on RecordingRevolution said he figures newbs should consider using the DAW that came packaged with their AI. I have a Steinberg UR22 so maybe I'll start digging around Cubase so some options remain open.
> 
> Any suggestions for a PC user of Windows?


I quite like Studio One from Presonus. They keep it regularly updated and it’s pretty easy to use. They have videos for pretty much every feature.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Thanks for the suggestions guys. @Guitar101 , I've been milling the idea of just hanging with Sonar as is as well. But unlike yourself, I'm not quite as familiar with the program as you are. I don't plan on turfing it outright, as a number of the features I've run into so far are so rock solid. Having said that, I'm a bit concerned with any changes from Microsoft (or updates) that might lead to an issue with the Sonar family of software. I've found that if development of certain products is discontinued, that is followed shortly by discontinued support for the product from both the main software provider and 3rd party providers as well. That's my take from being a Network Admin. for 15 years, so it can differ product to product. We'll see what happens.


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## Guest (Nov 22, 2017)

I found Sonar clunky and hard to learn. In a few weeks with Studio One I was so far ahead of Sonar.


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## gtrguy (Jul 6, 2006)

1SweetRide said:


> I quite like Studio One from Presonus. They keep it regularly updated and it’s pretty easy to use. They have videos for pretty much every feature.


I'm also using Studio One and like it.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Player99 said:


> I found Sonar clunky and hard to learn. In a few weeks with Studio One I was so far ahead of Sonar.


Ya, that's another thing that's kinda been rubbing me the wrong way with Sonar. Clunky and hard to learn is a good description. Finding appropriate help that doesn't skip over the basic steps that I need at this point is becoming cumbersome at best. I'm getting a bit tired of F***ing around with the software and trying to learn it. I'm finding Cakewalk's how to video's a good generalization of what you can do, but it seems you need to be a fairly seasoned DAW user to get to the business at hand. I just read a bit ago that Presonus seems to be one of the higher ranked ones, so it's first on my list as alternatives.


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

Cakewalk 6.0 was my first DAW. 9.0 is still my favourite DAW of all time.

The constant and pricey upgrades got to me and I never really clicked with Sonar. Sad to see Gibson do this again.

I now use Reaper but I cannot figure out midi and find editing audio waves difficult and counter intuitive.

Wonder what would happen if I fired up Cakewalk 9.0 on a new machine?!


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## ronmac (Sep 22, 2006)

Orville continues to spin in his grave, I'm sure.


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

Business 2017:

Have your business buy up another business.
Take our several millions in loans from banks on the business you just bought.
Spend those loans on bonuses and perks for the upper echelon of your business.
Default on the loans and put the business you bought into receivership/bankruptcy.
The business you bought folds, high mucky mucks in your company make millions, banks pass on the costs of bad loans as tax write offs, employees and the public get screwed to the benefit of those at the top of the money food chain.

Rinse, repeat.


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## ronmac (Sep 22, 2006)

Jim DaddyO said:


> Business 2017:
> 
> Have your business buy up another business.
> Take our several millions in loans from banks on the business you just bought.
> ...


Right out of the Sears playbook... Here is the beginning of the end of that f'up: U.S. Sears dumps stake in Sears Canada


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

traynor_garnet said:


> Cakewalk 6.0 was my first DAW. 9.0 is still my favourite DAW of all time.
> 
> The constant and pricey upgrades got to me and I never really clicked with Sonar. Sad to see Gibson do this again.
> 
> ...


Gibson would sell your machine. Don't do it.


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## 4345567 (Jun 26, 2008)

__________


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

ronmac said:


> Right out of the Sears playbook... Here is the beginning of the end of that f'up: U.S. Sears dumps stake in Sears Canada


How else would you explain Gibson buying Onkyo? They were always crap stereo systems.


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

Dorian2 said:


> Gibson would sell your machine. Don't do it.


And charge $6499 for it!


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Started in on Studio One yesterday but didn't really get far enough into it to make a reasonable assessment obviously. But many of the comments here and elsewhere about it seem to ring true. It's very apparent that it's much more user friendly and intuitive than Sonar. And that's just after an initial use and setup. Way less clutter on the UI so far. I'm not an advanced enough user of DAW's in general (my previous run in was in 1994 with Cakewalk at Grant Mac College), so that's what I figure led me to try Sonar without really looking at the other options appropriately. My bad of course, not Gibsons. My intention isn't to pummel Gibson with yet more criticism BTW, even though there is way to much to criticize at this point with the way that company is being run......into the ground...basically. Makes me sad.

If anyone here has some good links to some fairly basic recording concepts (detailed is fine as well), and tips and tricks related to Studio One and the recording, mixing, and mastering concepts, it would be appreciated.


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## gtrguy (Jul 6, 2006)

Dorian2 said:


> Started in on Studio One yesterday but didn't really get far enough into it to make a reasonable assessment obviously. But many of the comments here and elsewhere about it seem to ring true. It's very apparent that it's much more user friendly and intuitive than Sonar. And that's just after an initial use and setup. Way less clutter on the UI so far. I'm not an advanced enough user of DAW's in general (my previous run in was in 1994 with Cakewalk at Grant Mac College), so that's what I figure led me to try Sonar without really looking at the other options appropriately. My bad of course, not Gibsons. My intention isn't to pummel Gibson with yet more criticism BTW, even though there is way to much to criticize at this point with the way that company is being run......into the ground...basically. Makes me sad.
> 
> If anyone here has some good links to some fairly basic recording concepts (detailed is fine as well), and tips and tricks related to Studio One and the recording, mixing, and mastering concepts, it would be appreciated.


I think you will find everything you need here:

PreSonus Music Education | Studio One

there are a ton of video tutorials there on basically every aspect of setting up and using Studio One.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

@gtrguy , damn, thanks. Just by looking at the titles I can see that the whole lay out of concepts is user friendly and gets to the subject matter without guessing what you actually are looking into.

Thanks a bunch.


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## gtrguy (Jul 6, 2006)

Dorian2 said:


> @gtrguy , damn, thanks. Just by looking at the titles I can see that the whole lay out of concepts is user friendly and gets to the subject matter without guessing what you actually are looking into.
> 
> Thanks a bunch.


no problem man, you are very welcome!


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## Guest (Nov 23, 2017)

I have a friend that has been using Cakewalk from the start, I think even before it was Cakewalk. He gave me some lessons years ago when I first got it. He said he felt sorry for someone like me trying to learn it now, because he started when it was first out and somewhat simple and bare bones. Every year they added more


Dorian2 said:


> Started in on Studio One yesterday but didn't really get far enough into it to make a reasonable assessment obviously. But many of the comments here and elsewhere about it seem to ring true. It's very apparent that it's much more user friendly and intuitive than Sonar. And that's just after an initial use and setup. Way less clutter on the UI so far. I'm not an advanced enough user of DAW's in general (my previous run in was in 1994 with Cakewalk at Grant Mac College), so that's what I figure led me to try Sonar without really looking at the other options appropriately. My bad of course, not Gibsons. My intention isn't to pummel Gibson with yet more criticism BTW, even though there is way to much to criticize at this point with the way that company is being run......into the ground...basically. Makes me sad.
> 
> If anyone here has some good links to some fairly basic recording concepts (detailed is fine as well), and tips and tricks related to Studio One and the recording, mixing, and mastering concepts, it would be appreciated.


I have a subscription to Groove3 where they have all kinds of music education videos. They are a 1 year subscription sale going on for a short time now at $99 USD instead of $150.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Player99 said:


> I have a friend that has been using Cakewalk from the start, I think even before it was Cakewalk. He gave me some lessons years ago when I first got it. He said he felt sorry for someone like me trying to learn it now, because he started when it was first out and somewhat simple and bare bones. Every year they added more
> 
> 
> I have a subscription to Groove3 where they have all kinds of music education videos. They are a 1 year subscription sale going on for a short time now at $99 USD instead of $150.


I'll check into that. Thanks.


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## Guest (Nov 24, 2017)

Dorian2 said:


> I'll check into that. Thanks.


One thing I found is I might watch 1 -2 hours per year... Boring. I would much rather wank than watch.


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## Guest (Nov 24, 2017)

Dorian2 said:


> I'll check into that. Thanks.


They do have the best videos on S1 I have found though. Especially the updates. Studio One puts huge features and upgrades in their updates.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

I'm subscribed to this guy as he had some of the better tutorials for the software. Here's his take.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

On that front, I've been checking out 2 alternatives for myself. Presonus Studio One, and Reaper. Kinda like Studio 1 so far, but seems Reaper has a bit to offer as well. Hope to figure it out really quick.


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

Boy, Gibson is really taking a hit for discontinuing development of their Cakewalk products.


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## ronmac (Sep 22, 2006)

If anyone is looking for an incredible deal on a new DAW, I can't imagine you will ever do better than this:

Upgrade: MAGIX Samplitude Pro X Suite – Audio production


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

@ronmac ....probably isn't something for me (EDIT: I guess it's a bit under rated, so I'll check it out as well), but I'd think that more of these outfits should try to reel in CAkewalk users as quick as possible with these types of deals. Thing for me is I'm now edging more towards Reaper than Presonus at this point because reaper basically imports every VST and and many plugins that were purchased with Sonar. Presonus Prime isn't allowing me to do that, the Studio version of Presonus doesn't support it without rewire ($130 for Studio + $105 for rewire to support current VSTs), and hell if I'm paying $522 for the Pro version. For me, and probably a few out there, spending that much more for a more friendly UI ain't gonna cut it.

Keep in mind this is coming from someone with not a great deal of experience in using DAWS (compared to playing experience).


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## ronmac (Sep 22, 2006)

It's hard to go wrong with REAPER. With a large and helpful user community, as well as an incredible number of free tutorial videos, I always make it my first recommendation for budget conscious beginners. It could easily be the only DAW most people will ever need.


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## gtrguy (Jul 6, 2006)

Dorian2 said:


> @ronmachell if I'm paying $522 for the Pro version.


I believe they offer a $299 crossgrade to Professional option if you own Sonar. They also have special sales at different times through the year, last November they offered the crossgrade for $199, same thing this past February and they usually have deals around Christmas/Boxing Day and New Year.

*Edit* it was also 50% off for the full version for Black Friday


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

gtrguy said:


> I believe they offer a $299 crossgrade to Professional option if you own Sonar. They also have special sales at different times through the year, last November they offered the crossgrade for $199, same thing this past February and they usually have deals around Christmas/Boxing Day and New Year.
> 
> *Edit* it was also 50% off for the full version for Black Friday


Yeah, I saw the Black Friday deal. Couldn't jump on it as I was still checking out my other options (which I still am BTW).


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## ronmac (Sep 22, 2006)

I succumbed to the Samplitude deal and I'm now working my way through the features and workflow for my purposes. So far I am very impressed by the feature set and included extras.

Once I realized it handled RX Connect (a pipeline to Izotope's RX for seamless editing and restoration of clips) I jumped.

Possibly selling my Studio One Pro 3.5 license....


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Thanks to to our intrepid reporter, @Robert1950 for sharing a link in the Gibson in Hot water thread!

BandLab Technologies Announces Acquisition of Cakewalk Inc. Assets

Bandlab to the rescue!

I've dipped into the other DAWS a bit but guess what I'm doing now. I'm pretty stoked.

Here's a link to the cakewalk main page:

Cakewalk - The World's Best Software For Recording And Making Music On PC And Mac


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

Dorian2 said:


> Thanks to to out intrepid reporter, @Robert1950 for sharing a link in the Gibson in Hot water thread!
> 
> BandLab Technologies Announces Acquisition of Cakewalk Inc. Assets
> 
> ...


Good to hear. Although I've had no issues at all since Gibson abandoned us. IMO, Cakewalk Sonar is the best and I'm hopeful registered users like me will be able to use it for many years to come.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Guitar101 said:


> Good to hear. Although I've had no issues at all since Gibson abandoned us. IMO, Cakewalk Sonar is the best and I'm hopeful registered users like me will be able to use it for many years to come.


Yeah. I had no problemsd using Sonar neither. But I'm fairly new to the software so I thought I'd try a few other DAWs out and bail on Cakewalk once I found one that was a fit for me. Was liking what Reaper was offering but didn't pull the trigger. Wouldn't have been a big loss if I did, but now I can concentrate on using the one I've been using and getting used to for a bit. I'm still a real noob at it though.


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

Dorian2 said:


> Yeah. I had no problemsd using Sonar neither. But I'm fairly new to the software so I thought I'd try a few other DAWs out and bail on Cakewalk once I found one that was a fit for me. Was liking what Reaper was offering but didn't pull the trigger. Wouldn't have been a big loss if I did, but now I can concentrate on using the one I've been using and getting used to for a bit. I'm still a real noob at it though.


I may have my head stuck firmly in the sand as I must admit I've never tried any of the other DAW's out there. I've learned the basics of recording a song with Cakewalk (Sonar Home Studio) and that's all I really want to do. I keep it simple.


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## ezcomes (Jul 28, 2008)

I thought i saw on twitter yesterday that someone had purchased cakewalk from Gibson...maybe we'll see it again?


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## Guest (Feb 24, 2018)

ezcomes said:


> I thought i saw on twitter yesterday that someone had purchased cakewalk from Gibson...maybe we'll see it again?





Dorian2 said:


> Thanks to to our intrepid reporter, @Robert1950 for sharing a link in the Gibson in Hot water thread!
> 
> BandLab Technologies Announces Acquisition of Cakewalk Inc. Assets
> 
> ...


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## ezcomes (Jul 28, 2008)

Well...theres that too

Sorry


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

Great to hear! I have their CA2A compressor and it needs some bug fixes asap. I was in talk with tech support when they stopped answering, then I heard about the whole Gibson thing


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

amagras said:


> Great to hear! I have their CA2A compressor and it needs some bug fixes asap. I was in talk with tech support when they stopped answering, then I heard about the whole Gibson thing


I popped into Bandlab's website and had a quick look at the Q&A section. The question about if they were going to provide support for current Cakewalk's customers provided a link back Cakewalk's Q&A section they posted when they announced they were ceasing active development of their Cakewalk products. I didn't get a warm feeling about that.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Guitar101 said:


> I popped into Bandlab's website and had a quick look at the Q&A section. The question about if they were going to provide support for current Cakewalk's customers provided a link back Cakewalk's Q&A section they posted when they announced they were ceasing active development of their Cakewalk products. I didn't get a warm feeling about that.


Damn. I guess we'll see what happens


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Some earlier updates (6 days ago). This is a snippet from The Cakewalk Sonar user forum thread Hello from BandLab | Cakewalk Forums



> An important thing we strongly believe in is to be as open and transparent as we are able to be - once the product roadmap and more information on our plans are ready within the new establishment, you guys will be the first to know. We'll keep updating the Announcement FAQ as often as we have something to update, but I quickly wanted to address a key concern I saw in and amongst the threads so far and immediately reassure everyone that even though the suite of Cakewalk & SONAR products is now within a new company, our steadfast goal is that former SONAR owners (of all versions) will *not* need to spend any money to cross-over/cross-grade to the future flagship product.


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

Good to hear.


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## Guest (Mar 1, 2018)

The name Cakewalk has not been a cakewalk. First for the users. I struggled with it for years as a beginner DAW user. When I switched to Studio One Pro I was freed from the stiff, clunky and difficult Cakewalk and my recording abilities excelled. Then for the company. Staying alive has not been a cakewalk either.


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