Bitwig Studio 3 gets 10 out of 10 from MusicTech Review

[pc999]

One thing that is great on the Grid is how good it is to create patchs with a touch screen. I have a smaller hybrid laptop with a touch screen and even on a smaller screen it is wonderful to create and edit patches on the Grid

Really, if you can make a touch screen one of your main inputs for the Grid it is a lot fast and much nicer than using the mouse

[SLiC]

Yup- I use BWS on my MS Surface and my main DAW, the way it reconfigures the interface for touch screen input is very clever, still far from perfect, but a really good first step and a 2 for 1 deal! (Do any other DAW recognise touch screens and reconfigure the entry methods and screen layout?)

FYI if anyone missed it, the new 3.02 beta has introduced something q few were asking for...


The Launcher clips now offer two Play Mode settings:

from Start (the original behavior), triggering the clip from the top each time

Continue (a new option), taking over from the previously playing clip at the same relative position

A few other Improvements
When setting Launch Quantization for Launcher Clips to Off it is now completely off and when slicing to multisample, the loop region now defaults to the slice region instead of to the whole sample duration

[pc999]

You can even use both touch and the touchpad at the same time (at least with Linux). It is really nice

[SLiC]

Fast and some good stuff here.

Changes in Bitwig Studio 3.0.2 Beta 2 [released 16 Aug 2019]

New Features

Launcher clips now offer a third Play Mode setting:
from Start, triggering the clip from the top each time
Continue, taking over from the previously playing clip at the same relative position
Continue Quantized (the new option), taking over from the previously playing clip at the clip quantize interval

Improvements

When multiple Launcher clips are selected, pressing [ENTER] now launches all selected clips
Improved the appearance of the Mappings Browser Panel
When adding samples to a drum machine, key tracking is now off
Windows and Linux: Improved file dialogs
Windows: New ASIO audio setting to Override Driver Timing, for rare cases where MIDI and synchronization isn't acting correctly (or at all)

Fixes

The MIDI channel information was not shown in the Mappings Browser Panel for MIDI mappings
Notification that files were missing could be shown when bouncing and recording audio in some cases
Relative clip automation (additive [+] or multiplicative [×]) didn't work in some cases
MIDI CC device: Could send the wrong values when automated
Deleting a Grid module could create an illegal connection in some cases
Deselecting a Grid module with the [ESCAPE] key didn't redraw that patch
Linux: Harrison Plug-ins no longer crash after opening the window

[EnGee]

I love the experience with Bitwig in Ubuntu so far
What I really miss is my Machine which there is no way to make it work in Linux. I also have instability with my nvidia driver. Both problems are not Bitwig's fault of course.

I haven't tried Wine or any Windows Vst bridge. I only installed the native Linux ones. This gives me the opportunity to explore Bitwig instruments, Diva and RePro more. To be honest, I don't find a limitation. It's the opposite really! It makes me more creative and more concentrated on making/editing sounds and music.

I'm spending about 80% of my time in Linux. I use the Alsa driver which gives me the same latency and stability as with Asio in Windows. Linux is more silent and more manageable than Windows as nothing is running behind your back and no practical need for antivirus or other anti-malware services.

Bitwig is identical in Linux. My nektar and Korg controllers are working great and really it's so easy to install and run (just like in Windows). I haven't encountered any problem or bug yet

I might try Manjaro Linux as I read that Bitwig is running fine there also. Let's see if it is more stable than Ubuntu regarding Nvidia driver and how the general feel of it.

[WatchTheGuitar]

I love the experience with Bitwig in Ubuntu so far

Some of the Grid patches are really taxing on CPU - have you got a handle yet on whether that's the same, better or worse in Linux over Windows?
Kind of interested in a dual boot situation with a really pared down Linux just for Music and whether that would have any performance benefits (apart from just hiding my Windows Steam Games library from me so I actually make some music).

[EnGee]

I haven't done any comparison with Windows regarding the performance, but this is also due to that I haven't any noticeable problem. One thing is I'm not very picky and I also don't use heavy cpu presets. I'm mostly old school, so I don't use tons of tracks. So, what I test is working great including my Casio PX-5S midi/audio.

Other than that, everything seems very smooth with Bitwig in Ubuntu with my average (but good) Ryzen 1600x Oh, by the way, Steam is running fine in Ubuntu and I found about 200 games of my total 500 (in steam) works in Linux However, I'm playing just one game (Pillars of Eternity). I'm also learning Go/Python programming with some refreshments in Java as well. There are also some good photography programs (for RAW files) and in general it makes me feel like in the period 2000-2006 when I had the same interests using Linux. I don't know! It just affects me to feel different with my hobbies and time wasting

Anyway, what problems I have are very few and mostly regarding my nVidia driver. It freezed a lot till I installed the nVidia driver and revert to 390 other than 430 one. It works fine now but sometimes I have a problem when I switch the audio to nVidia (to watch Netflix or YouTube as Alsa driver kept my Presonus iTwo only for Bitwig, doesn't share with other programs). But this is very minor as I can just close Bitwig and keep using my iTwo sound card as the default

Edit:
This is a screenshot from Ubuntu:

[pc999]

I love the experience with Bitwig in Ubuntu so far

Some of the Grid patches are really taxing on CPU - have you got a handle yet on whether that's the same, better or worse in Linux over Windows?

I am using Linux (Ubuntu based) exclussively for 1-2 years, or more, but IIRC having much lower latencies than on W10, and IIRC, being able to run more instances of devices.

On my "aging" i5 3x00 I can run quite a few instances of grind devices, at 256 samples on a realtek audio card. But some patches just kill the CPU (like physical piano preset, i can barely have 1 instance).

I still don't know what make some patches so more heavy than others?

Anyway, Linux felt like an upgrade on my system, but I am using a AMD rx470 card with open source drivers, and can run almost any game from steam (even those that are Windows only, beside games I am not using wine).

I really suggest people to try Linux.

[EnGee]

Good to hear about the AMD card, because I might purchase AMD graphics for my next PC build (which I don't know what year this will be!).

Although the Linux partition lies in the hybrid hard disk, the performance is equal to the Windows in the SSD! So, mostly I'll clone the Linux one to a new SSD.

The crashes were because of Chrome! I have switched to Firefox and no more crashes! It is really stable now Anyway, Firefox is much better than Chrome in Linux in both performance and design.

I have tried Manjaro as a live usb and I liked a lot the performance and design. It runs faster than Ubuntu with its xfce desktop based. Anyway, I have a fully functional Ubuntu with all my needed and configured software, so I didn't feel the need to go further in testing Manjaro, but I have a very positive feelings about it.

I'm discovering the nektar acoustic kits and it might be a good substitute for the Addictive drums or Kontakt libraries. This was only what I miss from Windows, but I think I can deal with that.

Bitwig is a king in my Linux and with the analogue Diva/RePro synths, it is a complete studio. In the past I wasn't convinced with its synths but man! Phase 4 and the Grid are top quality. The more I spend with them, the more I love them.

I'll spend more time before I sell my Maschine and the upgraded Komplete. I really feel the GAS is at lowest point as I really don't need anything else however I try hard to have doubts about my Ubuntu setup! It just works great for me

[foosnark]

I'm strongly considering jumping from Maschine (which I've used exclusively since 2015) over to Bitwig 3.

Changing DAWs is hard especially when it's a different paradigm. I've gone through Brian Bollman’s “Migrating to Bitwig Studio” series and a couple of other beginner videos and I think I have a very basic handle on things, but can anyone recommend more in-depth tutorials? I've heard good things about Thavius Beck's course at ask.video.

(Or, y'know, a book? Because I find those more efficient than watching videos for some things.

When I got Maschine back around version 2.0, I learned the whole thing in under 3 hours because it came with an excellent help file walkthrough of all the features... of course it's expanded a bit since then, and Maschine is still a lot more shallow/streamlined/basic than Bitwig.)

[SLiC]

https://www.bitwig.com/en/community/learning plenty to go at!

Bitwig's Grid has great interactive real time help (probably the best anyone has done yet), Bitwig also has a nice help/hint system at the bottom of the screen that is context sensitive depending what you are doing or where you are pointing (it can also be turned off once you have mastered and memorised everything- I just leave it on!)

I also have Maschine - its a great MPC and quite simple to learn/master, but a long way from a DAW- you will benefit greatly from using Maschine as a plugin in Bitwig!

[SLiC]

Changes in Bitwig Studio 3.0.2 [released 27 Aug 2019]

New Features

Launcher clips now offer a third Play Mode setting:
from Start, triggering the clip from the top each time
Continue, taking over from the previously playing clip at the same relative position
Continue Quantized, taking over from the previously playing clip at the clip quantize interval

Improvements

When multiple Launcher clips are selected, pressing [ENTER] now launches all selected clips
When adding samples to a drum machine, key tracking is now off
When slicing to multisample, the loop region now defaults to the slice region instead of to the whole sample duration
When setting Launch Quantization for Launcher Clips to Off it is now completely off
Improved the appearance of the Mappings Browser Panel
Windows and Linux: Improved file dialogs
Windows: New ASIO audio setting to Override Driver Timing, for rare cases where MIDI and synchronization isn't acting correctly (or at all)
Nektar controllers: improved scripts and documentation for the SE25 and SE49, as well as the GX and LX+ product lines

Fixes

Audio stretched with Elastique modes could randomly become silent in rare situations
Crash when assigning a channel to multiple selected notes that have different channels but are equal in time/key
Sample stop time marker disappears when resizing new raw audio clip
MIDI import: notes might get truncated when there is another note at the same time/key but on a different channel
Time selection was sometimes not preserved after duplicating a time selection including group tracks
Some graphical elements & transitions didn't get affected by the Contrast controls
Dragging mouse outside of a text entry popup and releasing would cancel the text input and all other popups
Was only possible to type in a value for a parameter (like Shuffle in the Play menu) if the mouse remained inside the text entry area
Pressing ESC while entering a value for a parameter (like Shuffle in the Play menu) would cancel the play menu popup too. Now it just cancels the entering of the value and second press of Esc will then cancel the play menu popup
A control script that performed some error on startup would notify the user twice
If a control script file is not properly encoded in UTF-8, give a useful error message
Any errors found scanning control scripts are shown in the Global tab of the control script console
Crash when dropping a note clip into the empty area below the tracks while the note editor is open (in clip content / drum mode), and then hitting undo
MIDI channel information was not shown in the Mappings Browser Panel for MIDI mappings
Notification that files were missing could be shown when bouncing and recording audio in some cases
Relative clip automation (additive [+] or multiplicative [×]) didn't work in some cases
Fixed potential errors that could happen while recording or bouncing audio
Deleting a Grid module could create an illegal connection in some cases
Deselecting a Grid module with the [ESCAPE] key didn't redraw that patch
When playhead follow is on and stop is pressed (to set the playhead to top of arrangement), include a small visual margin to the left of the playhead
MIDI CC device: Could send the wrong values when automated
Note LEDs in Device Panel could get stuck when playing the same note on multiple channels
Linux: Harrison Plug-ins no longer crash after opening the window
LinnStrument help file couldn't be opened from Bitwig Studio preferences

[foosnark]

https://www.bitwig.com/en/community/learning plenty to go at!

Kind of too much for an absolute beginner at it though. I think they really needed some official, "start here" videos for beginners or people thinking about switching, rather than a whole scattering of both free and paid tutorials.

I also have Maschine - its a great MPC and quite simple to learn/master, but a long way from a DAW- you will benefit greatly from using Maschine as a plugin in Bitwig!

Funny thing is, I've been using Maschine standalone since 2015, but I have switched over to making dark ambient / drone music, and I use hardware sequencing and manual playing a lot more than MIDI. So the whole MPC style is a really strange fit. I've kept using it because I know it really well, and because when I tried Ableton (twice) and Reaper I didn't really get along with them.

But I've got a new computer on the way, and I'm between albums and making some other hardware changes, so I figured this would be a good time to finally switch.

[SLiC]

This is the absolute beginners guide, but it’s 20 bucks...
https://www.bitwig.com/en/community/lea ... guide.html
There are also guides on the launch screen of Bitwig and a ton of realty good beginners guide on YouTube (including the Bitwig channel, but plenty of others)

Bitwig is still one of the simpler DAWS to use if you stay away from the grid and modulators at first, just get the Demo and learn whilst playing!

[foosnark]

Yeah, the grid seems to be something to worry about later. I'm pretty impressed by Bitwig's flexibility even without it (e.g. sliding effects in and out of chains, multiband splitters etc. and delay effects with their own effects chains in the feedback loop...!) It's kind of what I was hoping BYOME would be.