woooooooow! indeed.
one of the best additions ever.
i suggested this feature, or at least feature like this, on Bitwish.
so, now we can store all our notes right inside the projects. bye-bye, inconvenient external files.
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I’ve been using ableton for the last 12 years or so but I’m kind of feeling I want to try switching to Bitwig… What do you guys think?
I do use max so maxforlive is one thing I’ll be missing the most but I guess I could just use standalone max patches and route it in and out of bitwig with loopback or something like that…
other than that, I am so ready to pull the trigger mostly because its Grid thing looks sick, Bitwig seems to be more fast/responsive to newer audio technology, and how way more flexible/versatile Bitwig looks compared to Ableton’s slow updates and stagnancy in bringing any fun/innovation in performance/composition nowadays…
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I started using Bitwig 6 years ago but also kept live as I have so many great packs and instruments and a PUSH 2 (it works with Bitwig but its better with Live)…you can pick up Bitwig licences quite cheap (no suite version) so just have the best of both worlds. If you have to pick one, all I can say is I mainly use Bitwig now…
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Give it a go!
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It’s on sale right now so it’s a great time to give it a try.
My background is in Sonar and Reaper, but when looking for an electronic music focussed DAW I tried Ableton, FL and Bitwig and found Bitwig to be the most immediate and fun.
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Hi @lyhraam. I’ve been using Bitwig since it was in Alpha and I’ve dabbled with Ableton on and off for years as well. I’ve also spent years listening to everyone moaning about DAWs on KVR so perhaps I have something of value to offer.
The general consensus is that if you want very “traditional” DAW features for multi-track recording and very deep audio editing or emulation of a hardware workflow (like a mixing desk with EQ and whatever on each channel etc) then you may be better with something like Cubase or Studio One.
However, if what you’d like is lots of more leftfield/alternative features, sound design, modular features (add as many LFOs, envelopes and other modulators as you like to any parameter) and unusual sequencing workflows (devices that echo MIDI notes, euclidean sequencing, chord devices, all plugged together however you like) then Bitwig is probably the most advanced DAW on the market.
One of the classic Bitwig-ey things to do is to add a single long note to a clip (maybe 4 or 8 bars) and then set it to loop. Drop in a built-in synth and then start dropping in arpeggiators and other note-altering devices from Bitwig (there are many) and just see what comes out. You can then start to shape the sound with lots of modulators like LFOs that change each other’s rates or shapes, drop FX into the devices and modulate things like delay times or feedback, reverb length etc and really get weird with the sound design. You can certainly do some of these things in other DAWs but Bitwig makes it very easy and the drag-and-drop workflow is quick. If you’re like me and you’re happy to experiment and see what comes out (as opposed to having an idea already in your head) then it’s an absolute goldmine of creativity and experimentation.
I’m also happy to go out on a limb and say it has one of the best modular synth environments out there. It definitely IS NOT is another eurorack emulation, and thank god for that. It’s very easy to get started and you can build your own synths and FX quite quickly but it has a lot of depth if you want to go down the rabbit hole.
Please be aware of the licensing model because when they made the switch it upset a lot of people and I still see many folks online all the time who don’t understand it. It’s not a subscription, but it does have a subscription-like model. You buy the software and you get one year of updates. After that, you have to pay for another year of updates but you can still use the latest version right up to the point that your “subscription” ran out. So, for example, I was on 4.0.x since about a year ago because I didn’t want to upgrade yet. So I didn’t get the new features released in the last year, I just used the 4.0.x version that I had. But then recently I decided to upgrade (during the sale) so now I have the latest version and whatever they release in the next year. So it’s really a choice but, yes, you have to pay every year if you want to stay right up-to-date.
I’ve given this lengthy explanation because it’s mildly frustrating that so many people either don’t get it and/or rant online about the model. It’s very clear and nobody is getting tricked, but you just need to be aware of it. They generally do about 2-3 major release in a year and lots of “small” updates that often still have new devices or, in my opinion, good updates, fixes and workflow tweaks. It hasn’t stood still for 10 years. They also do sales at least once a year so if you get the timing right you can generally pay $129/€129 per year instead of the full price.
If you want a “mad professor” toolbox for making sound or experimenting with modular ideas, generate weird sequences or just modulate the absolute hell out of everything, it really can’t be beaten! I think it’s brilliant and the biggest leap forward in DAW development since Ableton Live, but that’s obviously just my personal opinion. Some people are endlessly frustrated by whatever single feature they apparently desperately need, but I’m not that guy so I just enjoy it for what it is.
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Thanks for such detailed explanation/response!
The sound design capabilities+creativee workflow are exactly why I wanted to try it out and I just decided to give it a go thanks to you and others’ responses!
I did not know about the licensing model quirks so thanks for shedding light on that too but that doesn’t bother me too much. As long as it’s not a strict subscription model that takes away my access to using it when I don’t renew, I am absolutely fine with it.
I am in school so I was able to get the edu license price for 199 which I think is an absolute steal, so I’m just waiting for them to verify my status.
Can’t wait to get started on this new environment with all my external gears 
I wonder how well they pair with elektron boxes and modulars, though I assume it’d be great since they have tons of fun midi modulators and cv modules as far as I know
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You can demo the whole thing for 30 days 
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Real audio quantization and a basic tuner wouldn’t hurt too 
Would love a lighter GUI skin
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I’m one of those weirdos who never demo anything for no reason lol
I never end up trying things out even when I get the trial version i just don’t know why
I have to actually “have it” to start using it
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Thanks for this, super informative!
So about the sales 
Do they push those out in the newsletter or do you need to find out elsewhere?
…what do u mean by “real” audio quantization…?
and that whole damned thing is a tuner…every filter stage all over the place tells u where it’s at. precisely in the whole frequency spectrum…
it’s all pure math…but math of fun…for newbies as for pro’s at once…
…yup…just sign to the newsletter…
but usually every point zero and every point 3 brings the next big steps foward…
and that happens frequently within every year…
and so do their price specials…one summer sale…one winter sale…
no 48 hours only catch me if u can actions…always in timeframes of some weeks…
and i also wanna repeat the fact, that their “subscription” model is no real subscription model…there’s no fairer deal to find…and for what u get, u could also argue, it’s too cheap…
while no software developer can make a living without some concept of frequent cash flow these days…
and man, they really work smart and hard…
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I mean warp based quantizing, similar to how Ableton, and other DAWs quantize audio clips (as oppose to slicing in place and quantizing the slices in Bitwig)
As for a tuner - I run 48 audio ins from a eurorack rig, having a tuner on each of the tracks coming from VCOs is really helpful to make sure they’re all in tune with each other. The one in Abelton is perfect.
I use both Ableton and Bzitwig, more so bitwig, but really miss those two things.
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…since ableton were the first ones that made audio liquid in realtime, they got some serious patents on some of the essential details when it comes to all this…
and since bitwig is founded by some former ableton developers, due to the fact that once ableton reached that point where some things could be solved by now way more clever, but avoided a rewrite and started to add on their further updates instead of truly integrate them, like all other daws that crossed their decade border of existence, bitwig took the chance to start from scratch…but they could not copy some basic functions the exact same way without paying for licensesing to ableton again…so warp markers became onsets for example…but end of the day, it’s all the same…dive deeper in bitwigs audio editing process and u’ll see…err, hear…
I should also add there is a very good rent to own deal on splice which gets you 18 months of updates rather than 12
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Tuning all my eurorack oscillators and audio sources, and fine-tuning any 1v/oct sequencers is pretty much the only time I fire up Ableton now. It’s all Bitwig the rest of the time.
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Unfortunately it’s not the same. To quantize audio in Bitwig, you have to slice in place, then quantize the slices, but it doesn’t interpolate the gaps like Ableton and other DAWs like Cubase do, and hence can sound quite rough.
Also know that you can purchase your update/renewal at any time, but you don’t have to actually use it until you’re ready. You can simply purchase it, but not redeem it. The advantage of this is that Bitwig will run a holiday or other sale and you can pick up your renewal at a discount but wait however long you want until you’re ready to redeem and apply it.
You can either apply it when your current year runs out or you can hold off longer until there’s some newer feature you want if you’re satisfied with the current version you have.
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