Why you left Bitwig?

[brain__tan]

I left Bitwig because it was time for bed. The next morning I went back to Bitwig.

[anttimaatteri]

I left Bitwig because it was time for bed. The next morning I went back to Bitwig.

wtf? you sleep?

[liquidsound]

I left Bitwig because it was time for bed. The next morning I went back to Bitwig.

wtf? you sleep?

The need to dream of other DAWs

[docbot]

I'd prefer if the pop up Browser was the main browser. I prefer the Apple style column approach to browsing, but I wish the Bitwig version had a few things going for it. It doesn't "remember" the typing you do if you have to change the search focus for instance, this means I'm retyping all the time because I'll start typing as soon as I instantiate it without checking if it's in a previous focus. Plus pop ups allow you to drag a smaller distance in the case of audio files etc.

One thing that I never realized, because I never used it, is how many Design Cues Bitwig took from Cubase. The static Browser, basic panel Layout, Piano Roll Tools and Note behaviour are very much inspired by it. Makes sense since Claes mentioned in the podcast he did recently, that he has been a long time Cubase user.

[M-Prod]

I left Bitwig in 2019 (V2.x?) and went back to Live because of:

1 Better piano roll (and a long lasting bug in bitwig where the notes sound incorrect in the folded view)
2 Midi note chasing
3 Sound/Clip/Kit preview
4 Adjust selected parameters with arrow keys
5 Effortless controller support, Push2
6 Simplistic focus, refined Interaction
7 Excellent factory content

I came back to Bitwig since mid 2020 because of
- the bug in # 1 was fixed
- # 2 was implemented
And after that these advantages started to outweigh #3-7
- Drag and drop between projects
- Disable devices and tracks
- Hide tracks
- Key commands and Browser (every time I work in Ableton I'm disappointed how much I need to do with the mouse)
- Modulator flexibility
- Hybrid tracks
- Bouncing (better than freezing)
- Devices shown mixer/clips view
- Clip/arranger combination
- Better for hardware intergration (CV, clock, external FX/instruments)
- Better sampler (for my work - mostly creating round robin multi samples)
- Type in values

[Spring Goose]

(every time I work in Ableton I'm disappointed how much I need to do with the mouse)

despite Push2?

[syntonica]

I have not yet even come to Bitwig. I'm still kicking tires.

One of my things is freezing tracks. Probably less important these days due to better CPUs, but still an important tool in my box. However, reading the manual, I found this tidbit:

Since Bounce in place deletes your source clip, it is a good practice to copy the clip (perhaps to the Clip Launcher) before using this function.

Why?!?!? Why delete the clip? It should just save it in the clip bin and replace it in the track, allowing you to fish it out later. Or, even better, revert with a couple of clicks. Using just Bounce may be better, but now I've got TWO tracks cluttering up the works!

Am I missing something? (Please tell me I am. ) Is this automatic "deleting" thing a common paradigm in Bitwig? If so, then it's probably coming off the table.

[Echoes in the Attic]

I have not yet even come to Bitwig. I'm still kicking tires.

One of my things is freezing tracks. Probably less important these days due to better CPUs, but still an important tool in my box. However, reading the manual, I found this tidbit:

Since Bounce in place deletes your source clip, it is a good practice to copy the clip (perhaps to the Clip Launcher) before using this function.

Why?!?!? Why delete the clip? It should just save it in the clip bin and replace it in the track, allowing you to fish it out later. Or, even better, revert with a couple of clicks. Using just Bounce may be better, but now I've got TWO tracks cluttering up the works!

Am I missing something? (Please tell me I am. ) Is this automatic "deleting" thing a common paradigm in Bitwig? If so, then it's probably coming off the table.

You can bounce midi clips to the same track because the tracks can hold both midi and audio.

[syntonica]

I have not yet even come to Bitwig. I'm still kicking tires.

One of my things is freezing tracks. Probably less important these days due to better CPUs, but still an important tool in my box. However, reading the manual, I found this tidbit:

Since Bounce in place deletes your source clip, it is a good practice to copy the clip (perhaps to the Clip Launcher) before using this function.

Why?!?!? Why delete the clip? It should just save it in the clip bin and replace it in the track, allowing you to fish it out later. Or, even better, revert with a couple of clicks. Using just Bounce may be better, but now I've got TWO tracks cluttering up the works!

Am I missing something? (Please tell me I am. ) Is this automatic "deleting" thing a common paradigm in Bitwig? If so, then it's probably coming off the table.

You can bounce midi clips to the same track because the tracks can hold both midi and audio.

So, it becomes a hybrid track? Does the audio clip take precedence over the MIDI clip? And does it just hide it behind?

If so, then that works for me.

[pdxindy]

So, it becomes a hybrid track? Does the audio clip take precedence over the MIDI clip? And does it just hide it behind?

If so, then that works for me.

It becomes a hybrid track, but the midi clip is not auto-saved when you bounce in place.

If I want to keep a copy of the midi clip and I am in Arrange, I now drag the midi clip to the launcher on the same track which makes a copy, then bounce in place.

[xbitz]

group tracks can contain standard clips too so bouncing on them also an option

and the inner source track(s) can be deactivated

[syntonica]

So, it becomes a hybrid track? Does the audio clip take precedence over the MIDI clip? And does it just hide it behind?

If so, then that works for me.

It becomes a hybrid track, but the midi clip is not auto-saved when you bounce in place.

If I want to keep a copy of the midi clip and I am in Arrange, I now drag the midi clip to the launcher on the same track which makes a copy, then bounce in place.

Boo!!! Deleting anything without express user permission is a big no-no. Even ProTools keeps everything. And I mean everything.

[mholloway]

Boo!!! Deleting anything without express user permission is a big no-no. Even ProTools keeps everything. And I mean everything.

Try relaxing, maybe?

If you choose to convert -- that is, bounce -- a MIDI clip to an audio clip, then yeah, you are changing it from one to the other. You're thinking in terms of 'deletion' when everyone else is thinking in terms of "I want this to be audio now." That is, after all, the entire point of Bounce functionality: to take something that is not audio, and make it audio. Bitwig makes this process even more fluid and flexible because it doesn't (like most daws) create a whole new track in your mix and stick the bounce on that track -- thanks to hybrid tracks, the converted audio clip just sits where it always was, running through the same FX chain, same mix settings, etc. That's a WIN, not a loss. Less clutter of new tracks, less messing with multiple / duplicate FX chains, etc etc. Hybrid tracks are a beautiful thing!

Now, since you are so desperate to not 'lose / delete' your original MIDI clip, just hit CMD+D and duplicate the thing before you bounce it. Now you have both. Is that really worth crying over like this?

[syntonica]

Try relaxing, maybe?

I'm perfectly calm!

If you choose to convert -- that is, bounce -- a MIDI clip to an audio clip, then yeah, you are changing it from one to the other. You're thinking in terms of 'deletion' when everyone else is thinking in terms of "I want this to be audio now." That is, after all, the entire point of Bounce functionality: to take something that is not audio, and make it audio. Bitwig makes this process even more fluid and flexible because it doesn't (like most daws) create a whole new track in your mix and stick the bounce on that track -- thanks to hybrid tracks, the converted audio clip just sits where it always was, running through the same FX chain, same mix settings, etc. That's a WIN, not a loss. Less clutter of new tracks, less messing with multiple / duplicate FX chains, etc etc. Hybrid tracks are a beautiful thing!

Now, since you are so desperate to not 'lose / delete' your original MIDI clip, just hit CMD+D and duplicate the thing before you bounce it. Now you have both. Is that really worth crying over like this?

When I started out in Logic, back when PPC dinosaurs roamed the earth, to freeze, I would:
Solo the track.
Disable any effects.
Bounce the clip to audio.
Tuck the MIDI clip away on another unused track.
Put the bounce in its place.
Re-enable the effects.
Un-solo the track.
Needless to say, it was a lot of work, but I'd get half my CPU back, and I was still able to restore the MIDI clip if I had to make changes.

Then they added the magic freeze button. But it froze the whole track, including the effects. So, back to square one.

When I have all the effects and automation in place, then I bounce just the VIs to audio, replacing all the MIDI. Then I can get down to some serious mixing. Even then, I still want those MIDI clips. I have piles of them in my old projects. As you can see, I have a very specific way of working.

I like the idea of being able to freeze, pre-fx, in place, but I also want to be able to restore the original MIDI with ease.

Why do I need to freeze? Well, there are some Omnisphere patches that currently murder my CPU with one note. My CPU, with both cores, is about as fast as a single M1 core, so freezing may still be necessary in the future.

I can live with how it is, but still, deleting anything automatically is just bad. Period. Even a little check box there to Save MIDI Clip would be most welcome.

Is it worth crying over? No, but it is well worth raging about it anonymously on a web forum!

[antic604]

Hopefully when MIDI comping gets added, Bitwig will simply send the MIDI clip to comp lane below and put audio on the top lane.