Bitwig

Jukka · 2019-05-12T01:23:05.465Z

So i notice there are some events scheduled at the new Elektron Studios Berlin.
June 19 is Elektron × Bitwig.

The schedule says:
We team up with our friends at Bitwig and dive deep into using their DAW with Overbridge and Elektron machines.

Extend your Bitwig and Overbridge knowledge.

So i know Elektron spends time to make sure OB works well with many different DAWS – they list: Live, Cubase, Logic, Studio One and Bitwig on their website.

Just wondering aloud if there is (or will be) something special about using Bitwig with OB?

Snipecatcher · 2019-05-12T02:14:54.696Z

I really would like to try Bitwig one day. Been on Logic for many, many years, but don’t really use it for composition

vaporlanes · 2019-05-12T02:15:36.938Z

In my case, Bitwig and Overbridge are a match made in heaven.

You can use any of the modulators to modulate any of the parameters within Overbridge as a VST. This effectively turns my Digitakt into a modular. It’s hard to explain how cool this is until you actually try it out, then (if you’re like me) you can’t imagine using the Digitakt any other way.

Curious to see how they work with Bitwig 3.0’s Grid… I haven’t sorted it out myself yet, but the potential is huge there.

DoS · 2019-05-12T06:54:01.939Z

Jukka:

Just wondering aloud if there is (or will be) something special about using Bitwig with OB?

Linux support for Overbridge would be a nice surprise, given Bitwig’s cross-platform nature, but unlikely.

Ryan · 2019-05-12T06:59:17.746Z

I’ve been toying around with the idea of using Overbridge in Max(I believe you can load plugins in them)

That will be something fascinating.

The notion of OB was my main draw for Bitwig. But I ended up planting my flag in Ableton

handed · 2019-05-12T13:18:22.257Z

I recently picked up Bitwig 8 Track. The grid and the modulators have me very interested in the full version, but I can’t afford the full price right now. Just checked, and having 8 Track saves US$40 - a bit, but not that much.

Now that I’m properly interested, I’m curious to know: how much is the most it’s been discounted so far? How often are sales?

sovietpop · 2019-05-12T14:26:36.400Z

I’ve bought my copy second hand for 200 but they do sale pretty often.

Sleezy_D · 2019-05-12T15:05:45.886Z

They do a Black Friday sale, that’s when I picked up my copy. I can’t remember how much it was? I think it was 20% off.

Sleezy_D · 2019-05-12T15:07:46.316Z

This.

You just made me regret selling my Digitakt:-) I could do the same with my OCta via midi, but won’t be as straight forward. Bigwig mods are awesome.

elektrohansen · 2019-05-12T16:14:04.721Z

I felt the same about 2 or 3 years ago. Had been a Reason user since 1998 and felt the need for new inspiration. Bought Bitwig. And while it is a really awesome piece of software (which I still use from time to time for sound design fiddling), it taught me a very valuable lesson: it’s not the tool that makes you creative. Inspiration comes from yourself and your environment. Your tools only help you to channel your inspiration into productivity, and the key to success here is to know your tools inside out. For me, this meant after all I ended up using Reason more than ever, because I don’t have to think about how to archieve certain sounds I have in my head. Compared to this, I felt learning the Bitwig workflow always stood in the way of letting creativity flow.

This has nothing to do with Reason being better than Bitwig or vice versa. Both are amazing, and Bitwig also opened up new ways of making music to me. But what DAW you use is just not the most important thing determing your creative output…

Snipecatcher · 2019-05-12T16:43:28.223Z

elektrohansen:

I felt the same about 2 or 3 years ago. Had been a Reason user since 1998 and felt the need for new inspiration. Bought Bitwig. And while it is a really awesome piece of software (which I still use from time to time for sound design fiddling), it taught me a very valuable lesson: it’s not the tool that makes you creative. Inspiration comes from yourself and your environment. Your tools only help you to channel your inspiration into productivity, and the key to success here is to know your tools inside out. For me, this meant after all I ended up using Reason more than ever, because I don’t have to think about how to archieve certain sounds I have in my head. Compared to this, I felt learning the Bitwig workflow always stood in the way of letting creativity flow.

This has nothing to do with Reason being better than Bitwig or vice versa. Both are amazing, and Bitwig also opened up new ways of making music to me. But what DAW you use is just not the most important thing determing your creative output…

Agreed! I won’t be abandoning Logic any time soon as I use it a lot for tracking and mixing ‘normal’ music (bands, solo artists, etc). I have a decent workflow going there. I’ve never really loved Logic for doing my electronic stuff, so mostly do hardware (OT, A4, effects) and just use Logic for editing/mixing. Just thinking it could be fun to try something like Bitwig to take a different look at stuff

elektrohansen · 2019-05-12T19:36:07.727Z

Snipecatcher:

Just thinking it could be fun to try something like Bitwig to take a different look at stuff

It is perfect for that indeed. The modulation system lets you create VERY unusual stuff in no time. Version 3 will surely be even more crazy with “the grid”. Give it a try with the demo!

Jukka · 2019-05-15T19:22:36.891Z

There’s a nice snippet in the latest Sonic Talk #576 where Gaz is explaining his revelation about Grid in Bitwig and the Help that lets you interact with the Grid element while still in help, and especially using it all with a large touch screen monitor.

It goes on for a minute and a half or so. The link goes right to the right spot.

Sleezy_D · 2019-05-15T20:44:09.582Z

Seeing how your patches affect the signal is pretty cool, seeing and hearing it at the same time. Yah the help screen while the block is still active is wow.

Loving bigwig, I’m running it on a 4K 24” monitor. Looks great! Easy to tell they have put some thought and time into this.

Kultschar · 2020-10-15T15:42:19.925Z

3.3 beta out.

JPM · 2021-11-26T20:07:00.940Z

Omri Cohen doing a live stream with “The Grid” for anyone interested in Bitwig’s modular capabilities!

Cosmic · 2021-12-08T09:38:03.158Z

Current license holders can grab this instrument free, just tried it out and it can produce some pretty unique sounds. UJAM Virtual Guitarist AMBER

takeawayking · 2021-12-12T19:03:38.827Z

Hi all,
I am posting this here as the only equipment forums I read are KVR for updates and Elektronauts - I don’t actually have any Elektron kit right now but I started back with the Machinedrum when it first came out and have had a few things since.
If anyone can be bothered to read this I am thinking of getting a Lenovo Yoga slim 16 inch that has a touchscreen - it is not a 2 in 1 laptop just has a big touchscreen. Any thoughts on whether this would be useful? I am thinking for selecting tracks, inserting, turning things on and off rather than turning knobs (I have no idea how easy / fun that would be).
I have used Bitwig for years and tried most controllers but I always just prefer having the laptop right in front of me so never use the controllers as much as anticipated and also I have RSI that sometimes flares up after long sessions switching between the trackpad and a trackball so I am thinking maybe a touchscreen would take some of that away.

I am asking because I was set on buying this laptop then was speaking to someone who based on his own experiences thought I would probably hardly use it in practise as it would be still easier using a trackpad than leaning my arm across to press the screen all the time.
Any Bitwig users could tell me how they get on please with their setups?

reeloy · 2021-12-12T19:27:15.291Z

…i assume ur friend is right…

never used bitwig in a touch enviroment…while i know, it’s capable of getting operated also via touch…but i can’t think of any functions where it would be truly useful, though…

while yes, it can’t be operated 100% via touch only up to now…
it’s an “only” add on thing within the microsofts double but half way feature set of actual windows versions…which is always causing trouble outside of it’s standard uses like marking dates/contacts n stuff…
and i don’t really see it coming, aslong they don’t discover google/apple appstores as a next official distribution way…
which i don’t see going to happen…

i feel a little pity for all those yoga slim / intel / microsoft users, since all this concept looks only good on paper, while always starts to fail on u within short terms of daily use…

and fact remains…sure u can touch a few things in bitwig directly…but many of it’s functions need secondary clicks and shortcuts…it’s still a mouse/trackpad/keys based overall concept…

so all touch touch advantages end up nothing but more time consuming since u still really gonna move a lot back and forward on ur machine…not to mention, that a truu touch application must offer a little different and specialsed gui to handle the workload properly, which is simply not the case yet…

hausland · 2022-08-29T12:07:06.536Z

Since this is the Bitwig thread, I thought I’d post this in here:

Bought Kilohearts Phase Plant (2) today and started messing around with it in Bitwig.

I own most “super soft synths” on the market (Pigments, Equator 2, Massive X, Reaktor 6, Vital, etc) and appreciate the ability to mix different synthesis approaches in a single patch.

Phase Plant sounds great and going through some of the presets, I could really hear the layering of the different engines creating something lovely and unique.

Its sound and architecture inspired me to turn to Bitwig and use some of my favourite VSTs and FX to make a multi-layered patch of some sort…which I did…

And in doing so I have to say…whoa, Bitwig is the best, most versatile “super synth” out there and that’s even before getting into The Grid at all…

I used the Instrument Layer device (Ableton equivalent: Instrument Rack) to stack an instance of Pianoteq going through a lowpass filter with automated cutoff and resonance, a bit reducer and Zynaptiq’s Adaptiverb over an instance of Sampler set to granularise a simple vocal drone I recorded into it, through Soundtoys Panman into Eventide’s Blackhole…the result is a super nice and textured patch that hits the spot for something cinematic or a deep low end blanket (with the filter closed far enough)…so nice.

Instrument Rack in Ableton can do all of that, but what makes Bitwig so awesome for sound design along this “super synth” metaphor are the modulators and the ridiculous flexibility that comes with them. In this patch I modulate the filter cutoff on the Pianoteq layer with an LFO that also modulates a second LFO that modulates the resonance, which in turn affects the amount of saturation and bit crushing on the next effect…no need for M4L devices squeezed into the chain to have eg LFO modulators in the chain etc. Bitwig’s implementation is fun, powerful, easy to use and consistent across its device chains.

The less I think of Bitwig as a DAW (I prefer Studio One for linear recording & mixing) and the more I think of it as a sound design environment or super synth, the more fun and joy I get out of it.