Bitwig Studio 3 gets 10 out of 10 from MusicTech Review

[RobertH2]

Bitwig is still on sale until 13 JUL.

$299 for the full version and

$129 for a 12 month upgrade plan...

[jonljacobi]

10 out of 10? I might have bought that if the review wasn't in the DAW category and was simply rating a feature. It completely ignores everything but the Grid. I'm hoping that even the fans realize that's not a real review.

[nostalgic]

The Bitwig team must be doing something right, if all these Ableton and Fruityloops fanbois feel so threatened by it.

[Passing Bye]

[BONES]

If you’ve got the slightest interest in generating your own sounds or manipulating existing ones, Bitwig Studio 3 offers you a sonic playground that’s hard to beat.

Blech! The last thing I want in my DAW is SynthEdit. Makes me feel good about selling my Bitwig license last year, especially if the sound quality of the bundled instruments in v2.x are anything to go by.

[tooneba]

Even USA is threatened by plagiarizing done by China. So why not

[SLiC]

All the bundled instruments sound great to me, especially the new sampler and with this release they are all multicore, obviously if you have no interest in modular synths like Reaktor, VCV rack or BYOME then the Grid probably won’t be for you (I think I will use it mainly for making cv and midi sequencers, fx and utilities) but BWS already replaced Live Suite for me before the Grid just based on the in clip editing, intelligent browser and unified modulation system...nothing is faster or more intuitive for me for experimental, EDM and loop based music.

There are better linear DAWs, but if you want MPE, CV, clips and the best modulation system Available, Bitwig is still the best choice even without the Grid. I also have BWS on a MS tablet running in ‘tablet mode’ for me that is the ultimate mobile solution.

[JunSev]

^^^^^
+1

Yes, function, features and work flow over popularity with children any day.

In addition, there is not "best daw", I know of others that can do things bitwig simply can't compete and the same I could say about bitwig being unique too with some features others daws don't have or can't do. So all of that is subjective.

Could it be because Bitwig is only on version 3 and some DAWs are on version 20 and still can't get it right?

Who cares. All anyone needs to know is Image Line is on KVR posting a graph like this bickering with trolls meanwhile Bitwig is pumping out kick @ss updates

So true. The Bitwig staff has way too much class to stoop to that level. They need to keep their energy and focus on improving the product while listening to their customers' feedback constructively.

This is only speculation. But I believe there was too much Image-Line mentality over at Ableton before they departed, which makes a lot of sense. Who wants to stick around a company with so much internal drama that spills over to their customer base.

The Bitwig team must be doing something right, if all these Ableton and Fruityloops fanbois feel so threatened by it.

You're such a hater don't you?... do I have seen you somewhere? your account is very recent and you hate (personally?) FL studio... I don't know...

[THE INTRANCER]

It gets a 6.6 from me, that's way below the mark I'd consider buying a DAW for.

[jclosed]

Well - What can I say? I just like Bitwig, and I think it deserves some praises.

For years I owned Ableton Live Standard, and have upgraded until version 9. The latest upgrade for Standard users offered very little for the price asked (Suite owners got the VIP treatment here). If I want to do the same stuff in Ableton Standard as I do now in Bitwig, I have to buy a separate "Max For Live" licence or upgrade to the Suite version. Both are too expensive for my taste.

So - I sold my Live Standard version and used the money to upgrade from Bitwig 8-tracks to the full version of Bitwig. And to be honest - I already feel more comforable with Bitwig than I did with Ableton Live for all these years. Mind you - I do not bash Ableton Live at all. It's a great DAW. I just personally feel more comfortable and productive with Bitwig than I did with Ableton Live.

To be clear - I use Bitwig alongside Cubase Pro. Bitwig is my "creative" DAW, while Cubase is my "workhorse". It's a perfect combination (for me that is). I tried other DAW's (I also own FL Studio and Reason), but none of them fit my workflow as good as the Bitwig/Cubase combo. Again - Not bashing other DAW's. It's just a personal opinon/preference.

As for the costs. Well - I have to agree that if you really want to stay up-to-date every year, the costs of Bitwig are high compared to other DAW's. Yes - I know you can wait a few years to be more cost effective, but honestly, with all new stuff that is pumped out on a yearly base (Bitwig has a very high development cycle) it is very tempting to stay up-to-date. And, as somebody else here pointed out, if you look at the cost on a monthly base it's not that expensive. But still...

Anyway - I'm glad to see that version 3 is out now.

[SLiC]

It gets a 6.6 from me, that's way below the mark I'd consider buying a DAW for.

Wow, how long did you spend demoing V3...it only came out last night?!

[perfumer]

It gets a 6.6 from me, that's way below the mark I'd consider buying a DAW for.

Wow, how long did you spend demoing V3...it only came out last night?!

Am I getting this right - there's still no freeze function, but there is now a built-in modular synthesizer?

[SLiC]

It gets a 6.6 from me, that's way below the mark I'd consider buying a DAW for.

Wow, how long did you spend demoing V3...it only came out last night?!

Am I getting this right - there's still no freeze function, but there is now a built-in modular synthesizer?

There is 'bounce in place' which works just fine. Freeze just bounces tracks down.

It isn't a modular synthesiser, its a modular 'DAW', build unique modular FX like BYOME, build sequencers (CV, MIDI etc) with probability, latching, Boolean etc and of course synths if you want to.

It was always the purpose of Bitwig to be a creative, experimental DAW not just another Logic, Studio One, Cubase, Reaper etc - its another choice and it's own thing... saying 'but it doesn't do this or it doesn't do that' is sort of missing the point (like going to the Cubase forum and posting but it doesn't have a clip launcher or the Live forum saying it doesn't have in clip edit)

Look at what it 'does' do (they are trying to do something new, unique, not just follow the pack...although I am sure more 'normal' features will be added now they have the grid out) and see if that works for you or compliments your current DAW as a second 'creative' sound design and loop tool.

Personally I have never found one single DAW that works for me completely as you can see from my signature!

I completely get that BWS won't be for everyone, in fact I will go as far as to say it is probably a 'niche' DAW...but if you are in to MPE, clip based workflow, sequencing CV, building your own fx, sequencers and instruments, the best modulation system or even just want a DAW designed to run on a tablet, BWS will jump out at you.

'If' BWS eventually adds comping, ARA2, more midi and audio tools etc it could be a DAW that will attract more mainstream producers, but until then it is a hell of a lot of creative fun and I would not be witout it (But I also still use Studio One )

Lastly (phew) you can get Bitwig 3 for under 270 bucks (from the usual discount stores), that isn't a lot more than some VST instruments or FX...you also get whatever they add in the next year free. To me that represents good value for new users looking for something a bit different.

[perfumer]

It gets a 6.6 from me, that's way below the mark I'd consider buying a DAW for.

Wow, how long did you spend demoing V3...it only came out last night?!

Am I getting this right - there's still no freeze function, but there is now a built-in modular synthesizer?

There is 'bounce in place' which works just fine. Freeze just bounces tracks down.

It's not the same, especially in view of CPU management and track management. In Reaper: put several tracks in a folder, freeze folder. All instruments and effects on those tracks are offloaded, while remaining available - exactly as they are - for further editing. You can now add more tracks without maxing out your CPU - all the while keeping tracks organized.

In Bitwig - do what and manage how? Does it have track folders in the first place? Does bounce offload your plugins to save CPU? How do you go back and forth between the midi and the bounced files? How do you manage that, so it doesn't become a mess of rendered files?

I'm not saying the experimental side is 'bad', just some basic things are still missing.

[SLiC]

It gets a 6.6 from me, that's way below the mark I'd consider buying a DAW for.

Wow, how long did you spend demoing V3...it only came out last night?!

Am I getting this right - there's still no freeze function, but there is now a built-in modular synthesizer?

There is 'bounce in place' which works just fine. Freeze just bounces tracks down.

It's not the same, especially in view of CPU management and track management. In Reaper: put several tracks in a folder, freeze folder. All instruments and effects on those tracks are offloaded, while remaining available - exactly as they are - for further editing. You can now add more tracks without maxing out your CPU - all the while keeping tracks organized.

In Bitwig - do what and manage how? Does it have track folders in the first place? Does bounce offload your plugins to save CPU? How do you go back and forth between the midi and the bounced files? How do you manage that, so it doesn't become a mess of rendered files?

I'm not saying the experimental side is 'bad', just some basic things are still missing.

You bounce a VST in place with FX then turn off the 'rack' (we have hybrid tracks) and you then have zero CPU use and all midi, VST, fx data still in place just turned off (this is a big benefit of using racks and unified modulation systems). Granted it's one extra click, I can live with it.

Bitwig has had track folders (called groups) since V1, they are actually very good and work with normal audio and fx tracks and clips. Obviusly Reaper doesn't have a clip based arranger view which is a basic thing still missing for me