Bitwig Studio 3.3 announced + beta started

[machinesworking]

My only real complaint about the update plan instead of upgrade purchases is that for the most part that's not how it plays out. Bitwig tend to release upgrades anyway, 3.3 is a prime example. I think I was expecting a different release schedule with a subscription over typical 2 year upgrade plans, but what I do see so far is a slightly higher output, so one larger update and a smaller one etc.

I mean I thought one of the points of subscription was to slowly introduce new features in order to fight bugs quicker, not a slightly higher rate of upgrades and a few months of betas a year?

[antic604]

I mean I thought one of the points of subscription was to slowly introduce new features in order to fight bugs quicker, not a slightly higher rate of upgrades and a few months of betas a year?

I'm not sure I understand.

Were you expecting frequent, small updates but instead you got slower, but more substantial ones? Is that it?

I tend to agree. I'd rather have e.g. 3.3 split into say 3-4 smaller updates: (1) Grid module, (2) Polymer, (3) content resizing, (4) fades / x-fades / clip gain; instead of having to wait 6 months since 3.2 and not being sure if it's gonna fit within my Upgrade Plan or not.

[SLiC]

there's always this: https://www.bitwig.com/previous_releases/

This doesn't prevent the old version from being uninstalled.

You can obviously just reinstall you licences version at any point.

Better still, just pay the 125 bucks in a sale, support the developer, get beta and the actual release.

[h2ogun99]

Nevertheless all you Bitwig guys can be happy with the amount of updates and the quantity in them, can´t you??

I think, users of some other DAWs would kill for such big and useful updates of the last year (including this one)...

100% agree. However, all KVR threads must spiral into page after page discussion about price. And... it has begun.

[fairlyclose]

Nevertheless all you Bitwig guys can be happy with the amount of updates and the quantity in them, can´t you??

I think, users of some other DAWs would kill for such big and useful updates of the last year (including this one)...

100% agree. However, all KVR threads must spiral into page after page discussion about price. And... it has begun.

I'd like to move this discussion into one of how I wont buy anything with ilok - even the soft version - as that discussion has no relevance to this one

[machinesworking]

I mean I thought one of the points of subscription was to slowly introduce new features in order to fight bugs quicker, not a slightly higher rate of upgrades and a few months of betas a year?

I'm not sure I understand.

Were you expecting frequent, small updates but instead you got slower, but more substantial ones? Is that it?

I tend to agree. I'd rather have e.g. 3.3 split into say 3-4 smaller updates: (1) Grid module, (2) Polymer, (3) content resizing, (4) fades / x-fades / clip gain; instead of having to wait 6 months since 3.2 and not being sure if it's gonna fit within my Upgrade Plan or not.

Yeah you got it, I thought we would get more frequent updates with less time in beta. It's about twice as frequent as other DAWs I own, but we still get bundled updates with a long beta. I'm not super disappointed or anything, I just don't really get why you would do a subscription model if you're not constantly rolling out updates?

[h2ogun99]

Nevertheless all you Bitwig guys can be happy with the amount of updates and the quantity in them, can´t you??

I think, users of some other DAWs would kill for such big and useful updates of the last year (including this one)...

100% agree. However, all KVR threads must spiral into page after page discussion about price. And... it has begun.

I'd like to move this discussion into one of how I wont buy anything with ilok - even the soft version - as that discussion has no relevance to this one

I like the way you think. : )

[tooneba]

If we assume full upgrade price $170 at a 15 month upgrade cycle, that’s $11.33 per month. And for me and it seems many others, it’s actually comes down to less than that. If that is “expensive,” as in “not affordable,” then I think there need to be other priorities than using Bitwig. One way to easily afford the upgrade is to ditch an online video provider.

Is Bitwig base license free?

[SLiC]

Just to remind anyone who may be picking up misinformation

Bitwig isn’t a subscription model, you don’t need to keep paying monthly or yearly to use it. Once you buy the software you can use the version you own forever and you do get bug fix updates for your version (there were 8 for the last version that you would have got without an active update plan)

You can choose to buy an update if and when you want. When you update you then also get all other updates for a year free.

You can treat this like any other regular DAW update, just buy an update (125 USD) every 1.5 years and you will pretty much be always up to date with all betas....or don’t and just update when the update has accumulated enough new stuff that there is sufficient value for you.

Don’t overthink it!

[tooneba]

Once you buy the software you can use the version you own forever and you do get bug fix updates for your version (there were 8 for the last version that you would have got without an active update plan)

How is that physically possible? For example, there are people their license expired at the version X.2, X.3, X.4, X.5, X.6, X.7, X.8, X.9 and are they going to release fix updates for 8 versions? Or are they going to do the task that they never release next point release until they patch all issues? That's remotely impossible.

[machinesworking]

Once you buy the software you can use the version you own forever and you do get bug fix updates for your version (there were 8 for the last version that you would have got without an active update plan)

How is that physically possible? For example, there are people their license expired at the version X.2, X.3, X.4, X.5, X.6, X.7, X.8, X.9 and are they going to release fix updates for 8 versions? Or are they going to do the task that they never release next point release until they patch all issues? That's remotely impossible.

Easy, they fix bugs in 3.2.8 that pop up all through the cycle of fixing those same bugs in 3.3. Of course they're not going back to v2 and fixing some obscure bug if there is one, but I would guess that the last version of 2 was stable enough. I think they will fix bugs in version 3's until they can't.
That's what SLiC was talking about, not fixing bugs in 1 and 2 etc.

[SLiC]

Yes, each point release (version) is improved/updated until it is considered 'finished' in that cycle and you never miss out on that if you have that version.

3.2 was released and then had 8 bug fixes/improvements over the last 6 months- everyone with 3.8 will have had those updates irrespective of if they have an active update plan.

That said, No DAW is ever 'finished' or bug free...ever...but all DAWS can be tested/demoed so you don't have to buy it until you are happy it works 'for you' and does what 'you' need it to do. If you do that, you will never be disappointed and never need to update!

[antic604]

How is that physically possible?

Bugfix releases are x.x.[X], so if your license expired at say 3.2.2 was released, you'd be still covered up to 3.2.8 (which was the lest 3.2.x), but you would NOT get 3.3 - or even get access to beta - without active plan.

BTW, what @SLIC forgot to mention is that you get 12 months Upgrade Plan also when you buy the newlicense. For example if you get one now, you'll get 3.3 and likely 2-3 next releases, even if Bitwig were to jump to v4.

BTW2, Bitwig's release in terms of number of features is something like x.5 release for Studio One or Logic Pro:

https://www.bitwig.com/previous_releases/

[tooneba]

It's confusing. machinesworking and SLiC are implying they don't release next major update until they iron out issues but reading antic604's explain it is basically same thing what I wrote. They are going to maintain X.2.a, X.3.b, X.4.c, X.5.d...... and they have to retroact the patches to X.2.a even after X.6.e has arrived.

That said, No DAW is ever 'finished' or bug free...ever...but all DAWS can be tested/demoed so you don't have to buy it until you are happy it works 'for you' and does what 'you' need it to do. If you do that, you will never be disappointed and never need to update!

I know. But in the traditional upgrade model developers just have to officially maintain X and (X+1). At some point they can just move on to X+1. It's totally different approach from having to maintain 10 version numbers. On top of that devs have to release alpha, beta, RC.

[antic604]

It's confusing. machinesworking and SLiC are implying they don't release next major update until they iron out issues but reading antic604's explain it is basically same thing what I wrote. They are going to maintain X.2.a, X.3.b, X.4.c, X.5.d...... and they have to retroact the patches to X.2.a even after X.6.e has arrived.

No, I never said that. I don't think they ever released a patch to non-current version, e.g. a patch to 3.1 when 3.2 was already released. All I'm saying is that you're gonna receive patches to 3.3 for free until the very end of its cycle (say to 3.3.9), even if your Upgrade Plan runs out at 3.3.0. When 3.4 is out, there won't be any more 3.3.x patches.