Bitwig

Live Transmission · Post by **Live Transmission** » Sat Sep 05, 2015 9:32 am

I thought maybe it's a good idea to index all pros and cons of the new browser under this topic. For the main beta thread gets too long to have a clear oversight of all the suggestions regarded to this topic IMO.

Redukt · Post by **Redukt** » Sat Sep 05, 2015 10:14 am

Popup Browser: Very good already, needs just a few more things imho:
- If want to insert two "Instrument" devices after another, like a Polysynth followed by a Reaktor ensemble (reverb, deleay, whatever): After inserting the Polysynth i then have to select "Any device type" in the browser before selecting Reaktor, because per default the selection changes to "Audio effect" after the first device.
Selection should always be "Any device type" i think.

- I have saved one "Default" preset for every Bitwig and 3d party device with my most commonly used settings. The old browser (up until BETA 7

) combined devices and presets so i could search for these presets, now i first have to go to the "presets" tab in the browser and then click in the search field to type, which is a waste of time.

- Customizable columns: I don't always want to see all the clutter on the screen. Let me choose to get rid of the things i don't need right now, like "Creator" or "File Type"

- Get rid of the blue outline.

- Make the browser dockable in the upper part of the screen, like the parameter edit page or the multisample window. I would fit much better in the overall Bitwig look than the currently floating window. We don't have floating windows anywhere else in the program, so the browser really sticks out like a sore thumb at the moment.

New browser (since BETA 7): Terrible. Please bring back the old one.

Now even the old browser has the same device/preset separation than the popup browser.

At least, please let the browser remember the last opened tab - everytime i now open a new project, i need to open the browser, mouseclick on "presets" and then search for the device i want. This was not necessary before.

Coockie1176ln · Post by **Coockie1176ln** » Sat Sep 05, 2015 10:35 am

Redukt wrote: New browser (since BETA 7): Terrible. Please bring back the old one. Now even the old browser has the same device/preset separation than the popup browser.

agree ^^

Bobby L'Avenir · Post by **Bobby L'Avenir** » Sat Sep 05, 2015 11:08 am

New browser is great but it would be better to have the old browser on a right click and this new one on a left double click.

aMUSEd · Post by **aMUSEd** » Sat Sep 05, 2015 11:11 am

Not keen on a whopping great modal window hogging the screen (and replacing the plugin) - would be better if part of the existing browsers.

Coockie1176ln · Post by **Coockie1176ln** » Sat Sep 05, 2015 11:22 am

Bobby L'Avenir wrote:New browser is great but it would be better to have the old browser on a right click and this new one on a left double click.

+1

3xp3ri3n2 · Post by **3xp3ri3n2** » Sat Sep 05, 2015 11:38 am

Please, for the samples and musics , add an option to show length, bitrate, frequency, dyn range, (and my cat also asks for miniature frequency/peaks charts

)

also please can we prehear the samples and add them as clips?

drakmaniso · Post by **drakmaniso** » Sat Sep 05, 2015 1:24 pm

- As others have said, I'd rather have the popup browser integrated in the main panel area (like the multisample editor); with the current modal window you barely can use the underneath panel anyway, and it adds a lot of clutter. I also end up always moving and resizing it, which is one of the thing a single window UI is supposed to solve.

- I also wish the popup browser wasn't only for in-place auditioning. It's much more functional than the side-browser, so it's frustrating to have to revert to the more cramped option when setting up device chains, or selecting samples.

- There doesn't seem to be a way to set the category of VSTs. I don't mind having fixed categories (since we have collections), but having most of my plugins set to "Unkown" make the categories useless. But maybe this is a standard VST metadata, and the category should be set by the plugin developer?

- Personally I like the separation between devices and presets, as I rarely use the latter. The previous side-browser was annoying to use, because half the space was taken by something useless for me.

askewd · Post by **askewd** » Sat Sep 05, 2015 4:12 pm

I find the new browser powerful - but not elegant. Personally would have preferred them to focus on making the 'perfect' sidebar browser. Then just a pop up 'quick browser' would have been cool (like it was before - but with the ability to customise what's on that list)

i'm not complaining though - obviously a lot of work has gone into the whole browser system and i'm sure it's perfect for a lot of people. I just hope it continues to be refined especially on the elegance front... the rest of bitwig is such a slick , good looking environment..

best

TeotiGraphix · Post by **TeotiGraphix** » Sat Sep 05, 2015 4:16 pm

askewd wrote:I find the new browser powerful - but not elegant. Personally would have preferred them to focus on making the 'perfect' sidebar browser. Then just a pop up 'quick browser' would have been cool (like it was before - but with the ability to customise what's on that list)

i'm not complaining though - obviously a lot of work has gone into the whole browser system and i'm sure it's perfect for a lot of people. I just hope it continues to be refined especially on the elegance front... the rest of bitwig is such a slick , good looking environment..

best

IMHO Bitwig laid a groundwork. As has been mentioned, there are so many use cases that there was no way Bitwig would please all on the first round.

I think configuration will win in the end and the old motto of software design, add as many features as you want but turn them off and let the user configure "more options" to suit their needs.

Mike

codec17 · Post by **codec17** » Sat Sep 05, 2015 4:41 pm

My opinion?

I cant live without it anymore after 3/4 days.

yoshi303 · Post by **yoshi303** » Sat Sep 05, 2015 5:46 pm

codec17 wrote:My opinion?
I cant live without it anymore after 3/4 days.

My opinion? ..
i can't switch it off anymore after 3/4 days.

(even it need to not show subfolders content... just root's.)

xbitz · Post by **xbitz** » Sat Sep 05, 2015 5:55 pm

don't get the whole problem, the old one is working quite same way as the new (both ones support shorkeys for showing/hiding) the old one is device independent for adding things, the new one has been created to support hot-swapping, category in them can be used for Bitwig devices, Creator for VSTs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agodc5EZlDA

why do u want to use the new for adding instead of changing things ?

Ogopogo · Post by **Ogopogo** » Sat Sep 05, 2015 6:01 pm

Can someone how exactly a collection works and how that's different from tagging stuff?

Ogopogo · Post by **Ogopogo** » Sat Sep 05, 2015 6:14 pm

xbitz wrote:why do u want to use the [pop up browser] for adding instead of changing things ?

It's already entangled in the workflow of adding things. When you double click in empty black spaces you can add stuff, and that's now the easiest way to add stuff. You can just leave the regular browser closed and call up the pop up browser whenever you need it. It works for adding new tracks with instruments, new effects in the chain, even new clips in the launcher. So it's counter intuitive that its your go to tool for adding stuff but then just in certain contexts it doesn't give you the features you need, like auditioning audio and clips. So you have this situation where the panel browser is playing second fiddle, it's like it only still exists to fill in these tiny gaps in the pop up browser, like the need to audition audio. In theory one is the "normal" one and one is the hot swap one, but in practice it's not working out like that.

Maybe there could be different swap and add modes, so that if you add something for the first time it knows that you might want to audition it. Or maybe all that's needed is little play buttons next to audio and clips like in the panel browser.

Bitwig

KVR Audio

What are your opinions on the new browser?