Bitwig 8-Track "free" with CM Magazine.

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

You can't base your opinion about price on your limited usage requirements

I'm talking about myself and people like me, so we need sketchpad and 8/16 track without vst limitation could do us, we already got full blown DAW's which Bitwig can't replace at this point in time (lousy retina OS X performer, no video support and etc), so we are part of the market share, maybe small, but maybe worth hearing out and considering.

The sentence of mine that you quoted referred to your comparison of a $220 'sketchpad' to a daw that cost less and has given five years of free updates. You wanting a sketchpad is altogether different.
Considering that up till now you've seemed to expect that the free version should already offer unlimited (within the scope of the already limited tracks, of course) VST use, how much is this sketchpad going to be worth to you? What would you pay for an 8-track version with unlimited VST?

[Zexila]

What would you pay for an 8-track version with unlimited VST?

16 track 99 bucks, 8 track 49.

[SLiC]

I guess if people think the full commercial version of Bitwig Studio (plus probably 3 free major updates in the next year if the last year was anything to go by) isn't worth 220 bucks Bitwig will have a hard future.

They mostly focus on people that really want Bitwig at any cost and that will probably just get 8 track as upgrade path, but there's enough of us that would buy it just to use it as the sketchpad, 220 bucks sketchpad, my full blown DAW cost even less and had 4-5 years of free updates, you do the math again.

You can't base your opinion about price on your limited usage requirements i.e You can't talk about Bitwig being a $220 sketchpad, when it happens to be a full-blown daw. And if the what you are using as a primary is Logic, then that is not a fair comparison. Apple is able to price and maintain their daw's at such value as they are making their money on the hardware you need to buy to use it.

Yup- I may as well moan about not being able to try Logic or Alchemy at all, let alone a free or demo version....software that isn't cross-platform, now that's a missed business opportunity but I guess Apple are so rich they just don't care about the majority of music makers

At least small companies like Bitwig have tried to be inclusive, they even support Linux and to some degree tablets

[Zexila]

I like Bitwig, but they are running business too, having best Linux DAW and great touch DAW is good business move, Apple runs their business successfully too, having exclusive DAW that sells their hardware is far from bad business move, how many people would buy Apple hardware after using cracked Logic X on PC?

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

What would you pay for an 8-track version with unlimited VST?

16 track 99 bucks, 8 track 49.

Right! So, for a long time now you've been moaning that the free version of Bitwig didn't give you something for free that you actually value at $49. Now we are getting somewhere.

With regard to your suggestions, I don't see any reason why they need to complicate things by offering all these extra tiers (What about someone who wants 23 tracks for $129?), but I think that the higher-priced one might work, if all other limitations stay the same. It is priced well enough to keep a certain aspect of the market happy, while offering a not-too-huge jump to the full product for others who want to later jump all-in

[SLiC]

I agree, but how would you (or perhaps MAC users that love Bitwig) feel if MS bought Bitwig and made it exclusively for PC.

Its hardly egalitarian what Apple are doing, the opposite in fact of 'better free version' or 'cheaper versions to give people more choice' (which I support if the business model works for BW....but I am not sure how that then ties in with the update plan?)

...if we move to a world of 'only our hardware users' can use certain software then everyone suffers a lack of choice

Also, I miss Camel Audio

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

software that isn't cross-platform, now that's a missed business opportunity but I guess Apple are so rich they just don't care about the majority of music makers

It's not a missed opportunity for a company not to open to a sector of the market that wouldn't then need it's hardware to run it

[Zexila]

Yeah, guess they would rather sell you a Mac and give Logic with years of updates for bargain, than dongle/eLicencer multi platform DAW, plenty of folks use Macbooks even with Windows on it, it's music industry standard laptop, they aren't really loosing that much there, especially because the hype is strong and lot of big names are Mac/Logic users.

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

I agree, but how would you (or perhaps MAC users that love Bitwig) feel if MS bought Bitwig and made it exclusively for PC.

Its hardly egalitarian what Apple are doing

Why should Apple need to be egalitarian?

As for companies buying product lines for exclusivity: It happens. Software and software companies are going to keep disappearing or getting bought out.

Don't let yourself get attached

[Zexila]

What would you pay for an 8-track version with unlimited VST?

16 track 99 bucks, 8 track 49.

Right! So, for a long time now you've been moaning that the free version of Bitwig didn't give you something for free that you actually value at $49. Now we are getting somewhere.

With regard to your suggestions, I don't see any reason why they need to complicate things by offering all these extra tiers (What about someone who wants 23 tracks for $129?), but I think that the higher-priced one might work, if all other limitations stay the same. It is priced well enough to keep a certain aspect of the market happy, while offering a not-too-huge jump to the full product for others who want to later jump all-in

I wouldn't mind 199 bucks retail one either, could get it on sale or from 8 track and whatever, all good, just something between 8 track like it is now and full one which retails at 399.

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

Yeah, guess they would rather sell you a Mac and give Logic with years of updates for bargain,

Indeed! It's a loss-leader.

[Zexila]

Yeah, guess they would rather sell you a Mac and give Logic with years of updates for bargain,

Indeed! It's a loss-leader.

Exactly.

[Kypresso]

I wouldn't mind 199 bucks retail one either, could get it on sale or from 8 track and whatever, all good, just something between 8 track like it is now and full one which retails at 399.

https://www.jrrshop.com/bitwig-studio-v ... ig-8-track is now $230.51 if you use the "forum" coupon code.

Welcome to Bitwig.

[Zexila]

I wouldn't mind 199 bucks retail one either, could get it on sale or from 8 track and whatever, all good, just something between 8 track like it is now and full one which retails at 399.

https://www.jrrshop.com/bitwig-studio-v ... ig-8-track is now $230.51 if you use the "forum" coupon code.

Welcome to Bitwig.

I meant 199 retail which would go than on sale tho.

[SLiC]

I agree, but how would you (or perhaps MAC users that love Bitwig) feel if MS bought Bitwig and made it exclusively for PC.

Its hardly egalitarian what Apple are doing

Why should Apple need to be egalitarian?

As for companies buying product lines for exclusivity: It happens. Software and software companies are going to keep disappearing or getting bought out.

Don't let yourself get attached

Why should Apple need to be egalitarian?
They don't need to be if it works for them, its their business.

Why should Bitwig need to give away a better/more useful free version?
They shouldn't if it doesn't work for them, its their business.

I am 'pro choice' I like additional cheaper versions of software so more people can access it and pro - 'cross platform' so more people can access it....A bigger user group is good, more feedback, helpful videos and devices being made.

I am against 'free versions' as it only seems to create problems and people then make disparaging remarks about the software based on the limitations and partial features/sounds of the free software they have experienced. The demo is the full version, just let people save for 30 days then expire, if you don't want it after a month it probably isn't for you.