First try with this combo
Rack pro to BW
6 Likes
Absurd indeed. I rarely used daws last decade and if so, only for recording. Since I purchased version 5.0
And started to experiment with this i can understand why people would sell their gear and go full in the box. This is so endless creative and workflow wise:I love it. Even if you don’t wanna use a daw this is insane as just a Elektron overbridge hub. This is the first time the whole OB concept made sense and my mind blew with the possibilities. I was experimenting with Digitone and modulators. EVERY available CC in the Digitone can have infinite extra envelopes, randomizers and whatever by the click of a mouse. Next you can setup a DN midi track to control those BW modulators and another track to control project wide macro’s for fx and so. It’s easy to setuo a set and forget BW template, turn off your screen and experience bitwig as a DN expansion box. The ultimate “open source firmware” addition for OB devices
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Yeah I am finding it tough to keep my hardware anymore when I can free up a lot of $$ for other stuff. I simply use my laptop now so much more for music and with all the software like BW out there, or even Ableton, it just makes hardware feel like going backwards. Im personally all about speed and just getting awesome beats going quickly. With all the endless modulation of BW it makes it pretty easy to get there with some well crafted 4 bar clips.
That 2020 Beat Machine also is another piece of software that seems like a catalyst for hyper fast beat making with tons of fast access to complex modulations.
3 Likes
I’m conceptually so tempted by the idea of getting a dedicated laptop to install Linux on and have it just booting into Bitwig.
But I want to know that it’s genuinely a stable and enjoyable experience, not two hours tinkering with the command line every session. I wish there were say, a dedicated BW distro that was easy, reliable and optimised.
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…not much experience with linux yet…but given the fact there’s some solid ubuntu audio setup, bitwig will boot and run smooth for sure…
only downside will be, there are not too many third party plugins that also work on linux…
but as mentioned here already, once u start to know bitwig, there’s not much to miss out on and nothing left that u could not do with bw alone in some other way…
See System requirements:
Ubuntu 20.04 or later, or any modern distribution with Flatpak installed
Plus the other general requirements. You don’t even need an amazing laptop for Bitwig to work without a problem. The technical limit is probably your skill at building CPU-eating monsters with The Grid, but this is really niche and non-critical. (this is not a Linux limitation, if you are into Grid monsters get a better laptop regardless of what OS you use)
I have used Bitwig with Ubuntu and low-latency Kernel for years. It only takes a one-time Ubuntu install and the automatic updates. Then a one-time Bitwig install with your audio settings (which you need to do on any OS anyway). You need to pay attention to your audio interface compatibility with Linux, but nowadays any USB class-compliant will do fine.
That’s it. There is a slim chance to find bugs if you use the betas. I only remember one problem with Flatpack when they started using it, and another one with Pipewire now for 5.0. I reported both bugs to support@ (and I guess others too) and they were fixed before 5.0 final was released.
Another risk to find problems is if you get bored and start reading discussions about [advanced Linux users trying out things] and start tinkering with your system. Went there, did that, and almost every time I paid it with less hours of sleep trying to go back to the normal, “boring” plain Ubuntu with low-latency kernel. 
2 Likes
excellent, feedback from actual users, that’s what I want!
So you just use vanilla Ubuntu? and Pipewire - works better than JACK?
How does performance compare to a similarly spec’ed Windows machine - much the same, do you think? Any other advantages/disadvantages? As Reeloy says, I’m not too fussed about VSTs at this point, the Bitwig effects are a very full suite now.
Yes, but the low-latency kernel part is important. Default Ubuntu has the generic kernel but it is easy to switch.
Alternatively, you can go for Ubuntu Studio, an Ubuntu flavor that comes with low-latency kernel and more. The main difference is the desktop offered out of the box (GNOME for Ubuntu, KDE for Ubuntu Studio) but even that can be changed after the fact. If you are interested in Bitwig, only in Bitwig, and want to be on the safest side with the underlying tech, I still suggest plain Ubuntu with low-latency kernel.
To me, this belongs to the [advanced Linux users trying out things] I mentioned before. For me, it also belongs to less hours of sleep trying to go back to the normal. 
On this and similar conversations it is useful to remember why you are using a Linux system. In your case it would be because you want to use Bitwig and that’s it, correct? Most JACK - Pipewire discussions (or GNOME - KDE, or this and that…) are driven by people who enjoy tinkering with their Linux systems. The means are the goals. If your goal is to make music, I suggest you use the defaults and only change them if something is bothering you.
When JACK was Ubuntu’s default, JACK for Bitwig was fine. Now that Pipewire is default on Ubuntu, Pipewire for Bitwig is fine. It is that simple. Is JACK still fine for Bitwig? Of course it is. But you said you didn’t want to tinker, so don’t.
I don’t use Bitwig on Windows, so I have no idea. But Linux tends to outperform Windows when running the same apps on the same hardware, so I would say that surely not worse than Windows, and probably better.
That’s healthy regardless of your OS. However, many Windows plugins do work without problems thanks to Yabridge. In my experience, the plugins that don’t work or are a big pain to get to work mainly fall in two categories: those with an ethos and business model that anyway I don’t like (iLOK, Native Access, etc; standard commercial / paid plugins are fine), and those that are so complex and deep that make Bitwig mostly a container, defeating the purpose of having a dedicated Bitwig laptop in the first place.
If you are using or are interested in some plugins, it is worth checking online or asking around. Chances are that they work on Linux + Yabridge. EDIT: (place here an enthusiastic sentence about CLAP plugins in the near future)
PS: shout out to the #linux channel on Bitwig’s Discord, where excellent Bitwiggers idle, chat, and help anyone with questions and problems, with extreme levels of patience. Almost everything I have learned comes from there. 
3 Likes
hi guys, bitwig question here
I am running bitwig clocked with ableton link. so I use push 3 to control the clock while I’m jamming and recording. the only issue is that when i record and there are tempo changes, the changes arent recorded. so the session stays at whatever tempo I last had it at and the files sound timestretched. is there any way to get around this where it will record the tempo change as automation? ableton does this without having to set anything up. I have automation write turned on of course
2 Likes
As far as I know, Bitwig doesn’t record external tempo changes as automation and it’s frustrating.
One very clunky way to do this is to record a CC from the source that you change according to the tempo changes, so that Bitwig records it, and then modulate internally the tempo in Bitwig with it. So you have to calculate how much you modify the CC according to the tempo changes so that it translates well with the Bitwig modulation. Time consuming, boring, but when I use the OT’s Arranger in midi with some VSTs, that’s what I do.
Wow, Bitwig Studio visibly featured here:
Bitwig + Serum sequenced from the Octatrack
Hi all,
I’m looking for some workflow advice as I’m definitely doing something wrong… I am relatively new to Bitwig and have only really started getting stuck in the last few months, and definitely got my head fully round how Bitwig handles this stuff against Live’s handling.
I monitor live all of my instruments via audio channels (rather than direct monitoring via my interface).
This works perfectly, and the audio lands on the grid. However, and crucially, while recording the live instruments and recorded audio (say a few tracks are already recorded in) are audibly out of sync/late as I’m seemingly hearing the monitored audio latent but only when recording.
Once recording is over, the audio plays in time with other recorded audio - so it seems to just be when recording.
This makes sense (although I’m not sure why this delay wouldn’t be present when monitoring and not recording) - but what is the best practise here?
Should I be using one track for monitoring the audio and one track for recording? I did this for years in Live for similar reason as worked well.
This should in theory work - as the problem is only present while recording, so as I’ll be monitoring the audio as I always do, and recording on to a seperate audio track I’m hoping this will work.
But would love to hear how others deal with this. I’m using audio tracks for monitoring rather than Bitwig’s HW instrument - as not sending MIDI from BW to sequence the machines.
Thanks
@captain8 asked (in another thread)
It’s a very long video for what I understand to be a very short question (that is, “Is the random seed saved/reloaded with projects?”). Maybe I’m missing some subtleties to it? But I have no problem in 5. I just:
- Set up a project with a grid with a Dice module that I can trigger and read the output of.
- Saved the project
- Loaded it and triggered the element three times getting
0.644,0.435, and0.386. - Quit Bitwig
- Loaded the same project and triggered the element three times, this time getting
0.959,0.073, and0.090
Maybe it was fixed in 5? Or maybe there’s some other complication arising from the shenanigans used to switch between the dice and quantize their values to notes? But Dice, itself, seems to currently work as expected:
1 Like
Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Would be interested in peoples experience.
Simply put/tl;dr:
-I live monitor (non-OB) hardware synths that are all sequenced by devices clocked to Bitwig. All on audio channels with monitoring on.
-Live monitored sound from my synths/drum machines are in time with my project exactly while writing
-Recorded audio lands perfectly on the grid, and is also in time with my project exactly.
But the problem is:
While a track is being recorded, say doing a pass of a drum machine sound, it sounds just slightly out of time, only when recording is on?
Any ideas?
I may sound odd here, but this is the same thing like with Apple ecosystem or any other “ok, I will switch when X will happen” and when X is implemented there will be Y to excuse again… sure Push 3 is one of a kind, but Bitwig team will simply not grow up to competition with Ableton if you keep excusing and keep paying to Ableton instead of supporting Bitwig. Late reply.
I think support for Launchpad and Push 2 is very good in Bitwig.
Obvs Push 3 is another level, but it’s still pretty good support.
tl;dr: I just wish the “playing your studio like an instrument” trajectory is one more DAWs invest in, moving forward. Live is the only one providing a workflow that I like in that philosophy for now. Bitwig has fun features and I would like to try using it, but it’s an investment I don’t hate Live enough to deal with.
Actually, I think this is a great comparison: I buy Apple products because the stuff they do to make my work smoother is essential to me, and the freedom I lose is not. I tinker with projects on hardware I don’t need to get work done. Similarly, I think Bitwig looks like a lot of fun, but personally, I don’t have pressing issues, making me run away from Live.
In fact, since I got a used Push 2 a few months back, I have been both more productive, and happier with my music making process. It has made me stop using standalone hardware altogether, and I’m not even mad.
It is not the Push hardware that I like to use. I enjoy the workflow I have right now because its integration with Live fits my needs exactly. Maybe Bitwig’s integration is good enough. Or better, or worse (for me). Who knows? At any rate, trying to switch would cost time and effort to get an experience that - at the end of the day - will be different (why switch if it’s not?). In other words, it’s a bit of a gamble, considering how little time I have to fit music into my life.
I have to say I’m a bit tired of running around, trying to find the next big workflow enabler that will make my music not suck. Nevermind how cool Bitwig looks, I personally do not want to invest that kind of energy in it right now.
My original point was that, when Bitwig (or another company) comes up with a hardware based workflow that excites me, then I will probably try it! Until that day dawns, I will stick to watching videos of people explaining why they love Bitwig, and thinking to myself that it is, indeed, very cool.
So, I don’t mean to sound agressive, but I don’t think “being happy with what I have” makes me a shill. And I also don’t think antagonizing companies and their customers for their choices brings our community the exciting developments we all deserve.
Unless a company loses focus, which is unacceptable (#joke).
2 Likes
…a pretty common “mistake” i see all around in the producer community, is doing all by mouse and clicking…
but any daw will only fly, once u get firm with shortcuts…
and since i’ve seen and worked with pretty much all sorts of daws along the way of three decades of producing pretty much all kinds of sonic missions to be fulfilled within various deadlines, i can clearly state, bitwig is the smartest, smoothest, fastest of them all…
if ur into actual bedroom productions nr. 1, ableton, running on some actual cpu and ur happy…there’s no real reason to switch…but if ur on anything else, or not so happy with ableton, u’ll find a happy ending and most comforting home by starting to try all the wigs on all the bits…
keep in mind, this is an underdog company, owned by nobody but the company itself…
in total awareness, at this point in time and for quite some time to come, they’re ahead of their game…they’re small, highly competent and totally independant…
they grow slow…that’s as healthy as safe 'n sure…
so , no…they won’t start to take any risk of producing their own hw controlers…and why should they in first place, since there is pretty much no controler out there that does not simply, once attached and connected, get’s detected by name to snap into the bw ecosystem right away…and u can add various controlers all at once, setup ur dream hw work surface of any kind…
while even push 3 already saw it’s first version of implementation already, thanx to such smart people to be found all over the bw community like moss…
so, start touch touch and klak klak zak zak to shortcut ur sonic workflow and work smart, not hard…the days of mouse driving and clicking are coming to an end anyways…how humans interface with code is about to change…take a look around and see for urself…
and again, the only mainframe daw to conquer it all is bitwig, already totally ready for that change to happen anytime…
1 Like
I’ve tried Bitwig 3 or 4 times now and it always leaves me so cold. The UI is so bad IMO, loads of tiny UI icons and a fussy layout. I wanted to like it way more than I actually do, I don’t even think the native FX are all that good, nor the synths. Even if the point is to “build” your own stuff, if the ingredients are mediocre then the results will be too. I couldn’t even sell my licence to anybody and I was outside of the return window, so I just asked them to delete my licence and account and wrote it off, swearing never to return.