MusicTech Gear Of The Year: Best DAW of 2021- Live 11
- KVRist
- 312 posts since 19 May, 2017 from Ukraine, Odesa
I watched this video yesterday. Pretty good comparison. I agree with most of the arguments.
If bitwig has had at least midi capture it would be an easy decision.
If bitwig has had at least midi capture it would be an easy decision.
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- KVRAF
- 5144 posts since 3 Oct, 2013
^^^ to the missing MSEG part, 4stages can be triggered from the Grids

3.6 ... not great not terrible but yepp MSEG is a missing part of BWS for sure
but at least I don't start endless tweaking sessions with it (4Stage already a huge temptation), to the color part: frequencies are color-coded in Bitwig so

not worth comparing their numbers (although BWS 4.1 contains new sets)
and yepp Bitwig hasn't got freezing, luckily 'Bounce in Place' works on group tracks too(on meta clips) which is not the same but at least a usable workaround

3.6 ... not great not terrible but yepp MSEG is a missing part of BWS for sure

not worth comparing their numbers (although BWS 4.1 contains new sets)
and yepp Bitwig hasn't got freezing, luckily 'Bounce in Place' works on group tracks too(on meta clips) which is not the same but at least a usable workaround
Last edited by xbitz on Sat Dec 25, 2021 10:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
"Where we're workarounding, we don't NEED features." - powermat
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- KVRer
- 23 posts since 26 Nov, 2017
Cubase, because version 12 is coming in 2022. You can buy it when it's released and somewhat satiate your FOMO!Serhii Kot wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 8:58 am My NY resolution is to use only one DAW the whole year. After long and painful decisions, I brought the list from Logic, S1, Cubase, Live, Bitwig to Live, and Bitwig. This is a really hard choice. I have only 5 days to make a decision. I will delete all others on December 31 and try to deal with my FOMO the whole year![]()
- KVRist
- 312 posts since 19 May, 2017 from Ukraine, Odesa
Cubase is great, I know it pretty well. But many great features implemented not so well. It reminds me FL Studio sometimes, with it’s endless menu diving.boark wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 10:37 amCubase, because version 12 is coming in 2022. You can buy it when it's released and somewhat satiate your FOMO!Serhii Kot wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 8:58 am My NY resolution is to use only one DAW the whole year. After long and painful decisions, I brought the list from Logic, S1, Cubase, Live, Bitwig to Live, and Bitwig. This is a really hard choice. I have only 5 days to make a decision. I will delete all others on December 31 and try to deal with my FOMO the whole year![]()
Also cubase has outdated routing, no fx or instrument racks or splitter like in S1.
No folder groups. (folder + bus)
No macro controls. No proper modulation system etc.
No fullscreen on mac.
No proper support for the apple trackpad.
Last edited by Serhii Kot on Sat Dec 25, 2021 2:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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- KVRAF
- 5144 posts since 3 Oct, 2013
^^^ "Also cubase has outdated routing, no fx or instrument racks or splitter like in S1" it can be survived with plugin wrappers Patchwork, Unify etc. the bigger problem yepp "No macro controls. No proper modulation system etc." together with
plugin controls from 7:30 this is where Cubase is bleeding (Bitwig also works similarly with F8)
versus
that's not really the same thing, S1 is a better it has at least macros, but still there is no modulation (ofc for ex. MIDI orchestration supporting missing from both AL/BWS so there is no one DAW to rule them all, this is why the weighting system is handy on https://www.admiralbumblebee.com/DAW-Chart.html )
plugin controls from 7:30 this is where Cubase is bleeding (Bitwig also works similarly with F8)
versus
that's not really the same thing, S1 is a better it has at least macros, but still there is no modulation (ofc for ex. MIDI orchestration supporting missing from both AL/BWS so there is no one DAW to rule them all, this is why the weighting system is handy on https://www.admiralbumblebee.com/DAW-Chart.html )
"Where we're workarounding, we don't NEED features." - powermat
- KVRAF
- 26972 posts since 3 Feb, 2005 from in the wilds
The thing to remember in making such a choice is that every single one of those DAW's is plenty capable of serving most peoples musical needs. It is easy to get caught up in feature comparisons but if any one of those DAW's was the only one you had available, it would work just fine. So pick a DAW and have a great year making music!Serhii Kot wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 8:58 am My NY resolution is to use only one DAW the whole year. After long and painful decisions, I brought the list from Logic, S1, Cubase, Live, Bitwig to Live, and Bitwig. This is a really hard choice. I have only 5 days to make a decision. I will delete all others on December 31 and try to deal with my FOMO the whole year![]()
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- KVRAF
- 5144 posts since 3 Oct, 2013
^^^ if it helps I've chosen FL Studio as scratchpad (using only one pattern in the Channel Rack) has midi capture (don't have to play with record button) and importing to the project to Bitwig ( https://www.bitwig.com/support/technica ... ts-flp-41/ ) and done
"Where we're workarounding, we don't NEED features." - powermat
- KVRist
- 312 posts since 19 May, 2017 from Ukraine, Odesa
I will do just that! Thanks!pdxindy wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 2:03 pmThe thing to remember in making such a choice is that every single one of those DAW's is plenty capable of serving most peoples musical needs. It is easy to get caught up in feature comparisons but if any one of those DAW's was the only one you had available, it would work just fine. So pick a DAW and have a great year making music!Serhii Kot wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 8:58 am My NY resolution is to use only one DAW the whole year. After long and painful decisions, I brought the list from Logic, S1, Cubase, Live, Bitwig to Live, and Bitwig. This is a really hard choice. I have only 5 days to make a decision. I will delete all others on December 31 and try to deal with my FOMO the whole year![]()
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All of them are pretty good, the last 2 years I create every new track in a different DAW. It was an interesting experience, but the time has come, and I need to be more productive again.
- Banned
- 11467 posts since 4 Jan, 2017 from Warsaw, Poland
This is not about Bitwig vs. Live vs. Cubase and whatever else, but about releases in given year. Clearly - for me at least - Live 11 was much bigger and more comprehensive than Bitwig 4, whereas Cubase... well, there was no release this year.
- KVRAF
- 26972 posts since 3 Feb, 2005 from in the wilds
I would hope that Live 11 was bigger than Bitwig 4... in the time between Live 10.1 and Live 11 and through to now, Bitwig released Bitwig 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.0 and 4.1antic604 wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 3:47 pm This is not about Bitwig vs. Live vs. Cubase and whatever else, but about releases in given year. Clearly - for me at least - Live 11 was much bigger and more comprehensive than Bitwig 4, whereas Cubase... well, there was no release this year.
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 12104 posts since 2 Dec, 2004 from North Wales
Live has had a couple of free releases for everyone since release as well. No active plan needed, I think you would have had to pay for one or even 2 upgrades to get from 3 to 4.1 so the numbering system is a bit misleading.pdxindy wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 6:56 pmI would hope that Live 11 was bigger than Bitwig 4... in the time between Live 10.1 and Live 11 and through to now, Bitwig released Bitwig 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.0 and 4.1antic604 wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 3:47 pm This is not about Bitwig vs. Live vs. Cubase and whatever else, but about releases in given year. Clearly - for me at least - Live 11 was much bigger and more comprehensive than Bitwig 4, whereas Cubase... well, there was no release this year.
X32 and 24C mixers, S88MK3, Live + PUSH 3, Osmose, RedShift 6, Pro3, S4, Tempera, Syntakt, Digitone, OP1-F, OPXY, TR-1000, Eurorack, TD27 Drums, Guitars, Basses, Amps and of course lots of pedals!
- Banned
- 11467 posts since 4 Jan, 2017 from Warsaw, Poland
I'm not sure online magazines go in such a detail when compiling their "best of 2021" lists and technically they're comparing releases of 2021, so v4+4.1 vs. v11 and there's no contest there.pdxindy wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 6:56 pmI would hope that Live 11 was bigger than Bitwig 4... in the time between Live 10.1 and Live 11 and through to now, Bitwig released Bitwig 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.0 and 4.1antic604 wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 3:47 pm This is not about Bitwig vs. Live vs. Cubase and whatever else, but about releases in given year. Clearly - for me at least - Live 11 was much bigger and more comprehensive than Bitwig 4, whereas Cubase... well, there was no release this year.
IMO Ableton has been killing it with v10, v10.1 and v11 and - I think I've said it already - if v10 came out few months earlier I wouldn't switch because it addressed most of my issues with v9.7 where I started. v11.1 has been "meh" for me, but that's only because I'm not a Mac person (yet) although it has to be said Biteig went smarter about it and packaged Apple Silicon version with long-awaited (audio only...) comping.
All this is to say that the "award" is fully deserved IMO as Live v11 was the most impressive DAW release in 2021. Fingers crossed it's someone else in 2022.
- KVRAF
- 26972 posts since 3 Feb, 2005 from in the wilds
It has still been 2 1/2 years from 10.1 until now... with 11.1 arriving soon. I would rather have all the stuff Bitwig added over that time. And yes, Ableton has for sure been doing a good work.