Bitwig 4 - what's gonna be in it?

[jarnold]

+1 on a roadmap with some user input

[lokanchung]

yeah I'm not renewing my sub till I get to know what I'm paying for.

[Dionysos]

-1

I sort of wish Bitwig would do what they have done over on the FL Studio Forums and post a list of all the things they are definitely going to do in future releases, many linked to actual forum suggestions.

That's really just a list of feature requests that the devs deem reasonable, though. It's not attached to any timelines or promises. Plus, if you know their forums you know it hasn't helped one bit at minimising the feature whining. On the contrary, a lot of users now seem entitled to regular teasers or comments by the staff about when their pet feature will be worked on.

I honestly think that keeping the roadmap mostly private is actually to the benefit of everyone. Keeps expectations in check.

[hrotorvator]

maybe i'm wrong, but i'm not expecting big things anymore for the next version. I'm not renewing either. i'll keep using it for some sound design stuff and that's it. bw is still lacking too much basic daw features and it will be playing catch with others for a long long time. but yeah, maybe i'm wrong. just a thought.

[pdxindy]

I wish there was a portal for (well) written audio tutorials and docs. Videos are an improper way to teach anything. It is just entertainment or self presentation. See those teaser images, how annoying is that. They grab then a very basic single topic, just like for alzheimer sick people, because this format fits well to their production and youtube, not because this was demanded.

So you have a ton of almost-zero-useful-information videos flooded youtube. Really, I appreciate your work, but your are NOT adding a lot of substantial help to the audio community with this format.

Videos are my favorite format and I find them the most useful.

There are lots of excellent Grid/Bitwig videos these days. I've learned to do stuff I never would have from a help manual or written tutorial.

I'm grateful for the work various people put into creating video content.

[pdxindy]

I don't think it would be detrimental to Bitwig to make a statement like - 'we will be adding the following (list features) in near future or at some point but lower priority....

Having a list would give forum participants something to talk about, but it would not get a single feature into our hands any faster than is happening already.

I'm fine with them not saying anything cause in either case the software is what it is today.

[Hanz Meyzer]

maybe i'm wrong, but i'm not expecting big things anymore for the next version. I'm not renewing either. i'll keep using it for some sound design stuff and that's it. bw is still lacking too much basic daw features and it will be playing catch with others for a long long time. but yeah, maybe i'm wrong. just a thought.

Well I use Bitwig for making music, too. But it lacks so much of lot of basics, agreed. Currently I am testing a dual monitor setup on my macos system, one screen 4k, one is fullhd. The performance of the Bitwig GUI is horrible, once I opened the master analyzer as a popup on the second screen. If I now open an oscilloscope, too, the GUI starts to be very laggy, on both screens. And I have a fast CPU and a new GPU. Also I can't open different dsp lanes on each screen. I barely use the mixer screen either (does not show too much information at all), so I wonder how my Bitwig will benefit from dual screen at all now. For example, I wish I could:

- Click a dsp lane on the main monitor and see an analyzer ans oscilloscope on the other track, so some kind of sync mode.
- Opening multiple dsp lanes for quickly copying dsp.
- Having a GUI which speed isn't affected by any display element, so an anayzer won't slow down the peak meters or scrolling and so on.
- Having painroll on the additional screen, keeping dsp lane and sequencer on the other.
- Putting the oscilloscope and analyzer next to the pianoroll(s)
- Remembering the position and GUI state of a plugin, so my template could workaround with a VST analyzer instead (which will open automatically on the second screen at the same place). So per plugin option to open the plugin all the time, saving the position and open-state, not only if I click on the master track.

Such details are missing, usually.

[SLiC]

This is true, but they did commit early on to certain features (admittedly networking we are still waiting for after 7 years of updates!) and I do think that sometimes the 'users' have great ideas and saying 'hey, we like that, we will implement it' can be great feedback.

[Spring Goose]

Videos are my favorite format and I find them the most useful.

Really? I find videos difficult. Videos remind me of the videos we used to have to watch at school. I prefer some reading but that's just me. Although i have enjoyed some of Andrew Huang's videos, maybe the idea is growing on me..

[pdxindy]

This is true, but they did commit early on to certain features (admittedly networking we are still waiting for after 7 years of updates!) and I do think that sometimes the 'users' have great ideas and saying 'hey, we like that, we will implement it' can be great feedback.

Yeah, there is a common expectation these days... that people want developers to be like friends and to receive validation and/or emotional/intellectual nourishment from them. I've been on the other side of it and the expectations of users is a weighty burden and when people don't get what they want, especially if they have convinced themselves that the you said it (even when you didn't) you will get punished.

Like the talk about a workflow focused update (Bitwig never said they were doing that) and now this thread about version 4. If the next update is a 'regular' 3.4, now there will be extra complaints about it cause the expectations can easily grow out of proportion.

[SLiC]

I also have a hand in developing software so can appreciate both sides...but it was useful when the 'rainbow' colours were introduced (for example) that the Dev's took notice of peoples thoughts, I think there are some smart users that have good ideas, I am sure Bitwig Dev's have a filter and sometimes more active communication can manage expectations and stop the runaway train!

Personally I don't think anyone cares if its called 3.4 or 4, they care what the content is (Bigwig users are smart and not easily fooled with a version number )

[Hanz Meyzer]

I think a roadmap actually would increase the early subscriptions. I guess currently people learned to wait until there are interesting features for them (except me). Having a roadmap, they also could subscribe just to support their developer.

[sbmongoose]

Bitwig Studio 3.3.8 (Pre-Release) is now out. Changelog here....
https://downloads-eu.bitwig.com/stable/ ... 3.3.8.html

[antic604]

I think a roadmap actually would increase the early subscriptions. I guess currently people learned to wait until there are interesting features for them (except me). Having a roadmap, they also could subscribe just to support their developer.

What good is a roadmap when Apple can flip it upside down by introducing new chip architecture or disabling a widely adopted standard (remember the talk few years back about GPU acceleration for the GUI, supposedly based on OpenGL)? On-line collab has been on the 'roadmap' for 6+ years, too.

[pdxindy]

Videos are my favorite format and I find them the most useful.

Really? I find videos difficult. Videos remind me of the videos we used to have to watch at school. I prefer some reading but that's just me. Although i have enjoyed some of Andrew Huang's videos, maybe the idea is growing on me..

Different people learn different ways... so it is good to have different tutorial methods for different users. It also depends on what info one wants.

I find the Bitwig interactive help system to be freakin awesome. I wouldn't want to have to look at a video to learn what a specific control on a module does. The interactive help or a manual is where I would go for that. But for learning how to use the Grid and setting up different workflows, or creative ideas for using specific devices videos are great (for me).

I would say that websites are less used these days. For a variety of topics, the internet of websites is less useful today than a decade ago. For example, reliable plant identification is significantly worse today. I think the rise of social media, which caused everyone to congregate in a few places, took a lot of the energy out of website use/creation. Lots of useful informational sites have languished or disappeared. And if that info is somewhere on a facebook page, it is near impossible to find it.

If I want to see reviews of a piece of music gear, I go first to youtube these days. It is faster to get what I want.