I’m 3 or 4 months into a complete switch from Ableton Live Suite to Bitwig Studio. At first, there were quite a few workflow bugbears, but they’ve all disappeared now - to such an extent that if I reopened Live now, I’d probably have the same thing but in reverse. All I miss is some of the dedicated devices such as the Poli synth, the EQ Eight (at least until I found out how to increase the resolution of Bitwig’s EQ+), and maybe the sheer simplicity of Redux verses Bit-8. Otherwise, I’m so happy with Bitwig and The Grid. Live is, conversely, starting to suffer from a case of bloatware imo, which is a consequence of always adding things over the years, rather than refining / stripping back.
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Totally. Well said.
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(Some kind of Push dedicated controller i imagine…)
I’ve never used a Push with Ableton, but the controller integration with the DrivenByMoss community script is really robust and has a ton of Push-like features. It supports Push and Push 2 as well as all Launchpad devices and a random smattering of other controllers like NI, Akai, etc. (complete list and docs here: GitHub - git-moss/DrivenByMoss-Documentation: The documenation for DrivenByMoss for Bitwig and Cockos Reaper)
Frankly I’m still kinda flabbergasted they haven’t worked out some sort of agreement with him to get his scripts sponsored as the actual official Bitwig controller scripts.
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+1 for DrivenByMoss
I use it with a Faderfox UC4 like this:
- The 8 encoders control a device’s performance page
- Two of the buttons scroll through the device’s performance pages
- The 8 vertical faders control track levels and/or FX sends
- The horizontal fader controls the A/B crossfader
- Other buttons are mapped to functions like activating automation recording or new clip recordings
I find it an extremely fluid workflow, especially after setting up keyboard shortcuts (cmd+arrow) for switching between the tracks panel and the device panel. Can navigate around the project and tweak just about everything with just my arrow keys and the UC4.
I never really got into the workflow of clips in either Ableton (since 2014) or Bitwig, so I’m not feeling the lack of a controller whose layout is better suited to that.
(I also love the UC4 because in just a press I can switch it to a preset group that directly controls track levels on my Rytm.)
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I think if I hadn’t used a OT and MnM, where the modulators are such a important part of the workflow, Bitwig wouldn’t make much sense (besides the price). And, not only can you use modulators on everything, the grid can also become this crazy modular sketch pad.
There is nothing I miss about Ableton…Oh, wait. Caps lock to use computer keyboard annoys me. I’m sure there is a way to make this easier, but I’ll be working on a synth part and go over to signal to talk with a friend and my txt is all caps or backwards, caps non-caps. Only thing that kinda bugs me, and I’m sure there is a solution.
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HAHAHA. THIS!
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Sames.
It’s been mentioned, but my hat is off to Bitwig for just making everything simply work without having to spend ages in settings, restarting, going back to settings, etc… Ableton recently started having troubles with my VST folder (suspect a problem with a 32bit program and jbridge). That took far too long to fix. Thought the same would be true with Bitwig, but nope. Opened it, scanned plug-ins, identified the problem and rectified it, all without me having to do anything. In fact, most things are relatively painless to setup. Plus the fact it remembers my macro settings (a chore in Live) even when I forget to save them is pretty cool.
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Self admitted DAW junkie here… just enjoy learning and using different software. Primarily use Studio One for a ‘traditional’ DAW workflow and Live 10 for creative exploration/fun. I got an unexpected bonus and took the plunge to get Bitwig on sale (plus extra discount at JRRShop). I briefly tried Bitwig several years back and didn’t last 20 minutes with it. At the time I just didn’t see the point over Live, but wow things have changed!
I think I’m hopping on at a really good time in the development cycle. Genuinely impressed and overwhelmed with it (in a very good way). Very stable for me, really no technical issues thus far and feels very polished overall. There’s a few things I think are still a little weak, but I’m far more positive on it than negative. Loving the TÂCHES TEACHES tutorials. It’s crazy what you can build and do with Bitwig! More importantly it just seems so much more immediate and inviting to experiment.
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Not to force your hand, but the Winter Sale ends tomorrow 
Up to €100 off
Oh, I already bought it, but thanks! Picked it up for $266 @ JRRShop.com since they incl. an extra $32 discount. I’m not super excited about the yearly upgrade (basically a subscription), but I realize that I don’t have to renew (software still functions as is) and can additionally get those renewals on sale as well.
Overall, I think what I paid was very reasonable and high value. Very pleased so far!
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Ahhh, my bad. I totally misread the hopping on part of it!
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I renew two years after my initial investement. Too much things are released in the second year so i really wanted to get the new additions, still i’m glad i jump to renew only 2 years after for 80 bucks with the JRR coupon code. But if we consider you buy 1-3 VST by year depending on the needs the renew price is fair. I was totally sharing your thoughts. But Bitwig prove by the new additions their price tag is fair considering what you get as updates in one year.
I was not aware of that two years ago - i change my mind on it. but still i would not upgrade every year except if at some point i go apple M1 and i’m force to do so for compatibility reasons end2021.
The good thing is to renew in the black friday period as price are the most discounted. on Bitwig i save the amount of tax and get the update under 100€ which is fine
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@craig for people who read this and me (as well) can you explain to us what do you mean by that.
Hats of you, i search but didn’t find anything on this there’s not settings on device except on the left bar of the track (how to increase the resolution of Bitwig’s EQ+) and can’t find resolution or something
EDIT: @craig only resolution found is for the spectrum analyser (i guess it’s for the analyser and not the EQ quality - maybe that’s what you referring too)
The only reason I haven’t renewed my yearly subscription this time is that I’m worried that Bitwig will stop supporting MacOS High Sierra soon, which is as far as I can realistically upgrade my studio Mac Mini. Getting a new mac for the studio would now also require buying a new audio interface thanks to the mothballing of Firewire. Something I’m keen to avoid.
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Yeah, I think the renewal price is fair, especially on sale, so that’s not really the issue. And I’m happy to support the development… everyone deserves to get paid for their work (don’t expect continual updates for free). I just get somewhat turned off when something feels like a subscription, because it seems like practically everything is going to a subscription model.
I also know that you can buy the renewal on sale and don’t have to immediately redeem it. You can hold onto it and apply whenever you’re ready. That’s probably what I’ll do… buy a renewal during Black Friday sales this year, but hold onto it until after my current plan has expired and something new rolls out that I want to upgrade to.
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Sure thing. So, with Ableton’s EQ Eight, I found it super easy to see the fundamental of any signal for some reason. But I found picking out a fundamental from a kick really difficult in Bitwig’s EQ+, because there was no or hardly any ‘bump’ at the fundamental. But if you click on the device and head over to the Inspector Panel on the left, then there are options to change the Resolution (and the Speed) of the EQ+ Analyser, which really helps! I change Resolution to Huge every time now 
Edit: Just saw your edit. Yes, it’s about the Analyser not the EQ quality
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alright thanks you refer to the spectrum of the EQ, not the EQ quality on its own 
thanks for clarifying …
And oh by the way… i wish to all elektronauts a better year with 2021 cheers, for you @craig and all the others men, women and anything in between
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Without having tried Bitwig yet but reading a lot of really interesting things about it’s sound design capabilities, would existing users be able to highlight any limitations or shortcomings it has or may not have, compared with more established DAW’s? 
Off the top of my head …
Bitwig lacks the comping features that Logic and Live 11 have, doesn’t offer much of a workflow for looping and sampling (as in, recording audio directly into its sampler device, which is otherwise amazingly powerful), and you might miss some of the plugins that come with Live that Ableton has licensed (e.g., the AAS physical modeling stuff, Granulator, etc.).
In all other regards, I personally find that Bitwig kicks the shit out of everything else.
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