How to recreate my NI Battery setup with Bitwig

[Munin]

Just bought Bitwig and I like it. However struggling to recreate the NI Battery setup I have under Ableton. In Ableton, I have Battery setup the following way: I have cell groups for certain sounds (snare/hats/kick etc) and I route each group to a different stereo out.

Then in Ableton, I create a track for each cell group and put an "External Instrument" plugin on it. With that I can route the corresponding output from Battery, while I can route the MIDI from the same track back to Battery.

This way I can have my whole drums in 1 instance of Battery while still being able to process drum sounds on different tracks and with their own MIDI. Pretty simple to setup in Ableton.

In Bitwig, I guess I somehow have to use the "Note Receiver" and "Audio Receiver" plugins but I feel a bit lost. It seems the major problem is that Bitwig doesn't automatically have the stereo outs configured in Battery available to select in e.g. the Audio Receiver.

Can someone help me guide through this?

Thanks!

[PresetNoob]

if i understand correct.. you want multi out? it possible since 1.1+

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK8LgnE8ju4

[Munin]

Thanks for the hint...I've managed to get Battery's individual outputs to show up on the VST insert itself. According to the manual I should be able to select them from a "Audio Receiver" device, however they don't appear there. I CAN select them as the regular audio source for a track and I can add Note Receivers on the track containing Battery to make it play MIDI from other tracks. But the actual Battery output still only goes through the Battery track, not the individual instrument tracks.

Again in Ableton this is really easy, stick a External Instrument plugin on a track, audio from a Battery stereo out, MIDI to track with Battery on it, done. Too bad it seems a lot more complicated in Bitwig...In theory, the "Hardware Instrument" plugin should be the equivalent. But you cannot send MIDI internally to another track there, nor can you select the multi-outs from a VST in there.

[Kung VU]

Put an empty default drumrack in an empty track THEN put Battery 4 behind that. Now you have the only kind of grouped track that is possible in 1.1. click on the arrow button to get all the midi outs from Battery to the single tracks of your Drumrack. Thats it. Saul goodman

[Kung VU]

Now you can unfold the chains of the Drum Track. The empty unused Drumrack you can simply minimise by clicking twice in the header…

[Munin]

Hi ulisses, thanks for the help. I got as far as this already (without the Drum Rack though - not sure what difference that makes in your version?)

So in theory, from the mixer I could already process effects for Battery's stereo outs separately...however I want them routed to individual tracks, with each track's MIDI fed to Battery.

So as I stated before what I don't get is why Battery's outputs don't show up in the "Audio Receiver" device even though the manual states they should....

[ToneCre8]

...

In Bitwig, I guess I somehow have to use the "Note Receiver" and "Audio Receiver" plugins but I feel a bit lost. It seems the major problem is that Bitwig doesn't automatically have the stereo outs configured in Battery available to select in e.g. the Audio Receiver.

Can someone help me guide through this?

Thanks!

Did you "Add Missing Chains" as instructed earlier in this thread? This would allow them to be visible in the Audio receiver device. Note though, you can only route audio OR midi from another track to a chosen track. Not audio AND midi, which is what I think you're after. Once you place and Audio receiver on a track, you will be unable to route midi out to the track which you are receiving audio from. Frustrating, I know.

[Munin]

If it's like that then yes, it seems Bitwig is unable to support this setup.

I guess I could still route MIDI from separate tracks while processing effects on the stereo out tracks I get by clicking "Add missing chains". Kind of a messy solution though. The Ableton setup I have is perfect.

Really hope that 1.2 or 1.5 brings some improvement in this regard especially since Bitwig prides itself on its extensive routing and modulation capabilities. As I wrote all that's really necessary is to make "Hardware Instrument" work like "External Instrument" in Ableton and enable it to send MIDI and receive audio internally.

[ToneCre8]

.. As I wrote all that's really necessary is to make "Hardware Instrument" work like "External Instrument" in Ableton and enable it to send MIDI and receive audio internally.

Yes, I've wanted this too. Well that and a single-cell Battery version !

[Ogopogo]

Yes, I've wanted this too. Well that and a single-cell Battery version !

Single cell battery version? You mean something like sampler but with more features?

[Tearing Riots]

Ableton allows feedback routing, Bitwig doesn´t.
I don´t think the devs plan on allowing audio feedback, midi out and audio back should be possible though.

[ToneCre8]

Yes, I've wanted this too. Well that and a single-cell Battery version !

Single cell battery version? You mean something like sampler but with more features?

Native Instruments Battery with just 1 pad. Battery has an amazing sample playback engine and features.

[Munin]

As a compromise in the meantime does anyone know if the note names in the drum piano roll that you get when using Drum Machine can also be changed by yourself / if no Drum Machine is used? At least that way I could easily tell them apart.

[Lejurai]

Ummm.. If I understand this correctly..

Just do what Ulisses just told you (add missing chains). Then create as many instrument tracks as you need (for 5 groups 5 tracks etc).
Then click "view -> show track I/O". Then click track send (propably named master atm) and select "notes to tracks" and either tracks or plugins.

Does this bring you anything you need?

Though I don't quite get it why you need separate midi tracks since you can write all you needed midi notes to battery track itself?

[Kung VU]

- not sure what difference that makes in your version?

You are right the drum rack is actually not needed for creating the grouped track because the tracks will be created as soon as you add the missing chains. But I put the drum rack there to have the default midi to note settings for my midi controller.