[Fixed in 4.4] Weird bug: latest "Spectral Suite" update not included in upgrade plan

[don_looney]

I see this whole thread like this:

Internet people nowadays -> I feel betrayed, i payed them, they belong to me, free speech

Next Update gets announced:

[mgw38]

Strange times we live in, Putin calls his war a ‘special operation’ and now BWS is calling their update an ‘add-on’.

Totally the same thing.

But seriously, Bitwig always was an expensive DAW. A good one, but a pricey one. I understand the philosophical issue with Bitwig adding paid add ons outside the update plan. Definitely not a good look. But the outrage is a bit overblown imho.

[RichN]

Who said that those devices where actually made by Bitwig Devs?
Maybe they were made by someone else, we don't know, but the Witch-hunt is on.

Yeah, let's keep making up possible excuses for the stunt they pulled, based on the assumption that it was nothing but an error in communications.

Meanwhile the perpetrators stay silent, and seem to have been doing nothing but to double down on said stunt.

Such nice guys...

[jclosed]

The main thing what has happen is that people will not invest in Bitwig's future after such move they will only buy what they want to buy, what is already done in code. This will never be like it was before when people was paying for upgrade plans trying to help company and investing in its future this way.

Completely agree. I was paying that Renewal money to support the Bitwig team. I could not know what they would come up with after paying that money, but seeing the history I could be pretty confident that there was something I would like.

But now? When I pay that Renewal now I am not longer anticipating. I can only fear what they are going to cut out and what little has been left over for that Renewal money. I will now wait until I am sure I get at least something worth of €170. I certainly not take any risk to be left out with crumbs, only to be forced to pay extra for the real juicy stuff. In short - I won't pay for my upcoming Renewal. I will wait at least a year (and probably longer) to make sure I get worth my money...

[don_looney]

Who said that those devices where actually made by Bitwig Devs?
Maybe they were made by someone else, we don't know, but the Witch-hunt is on.

Yeah, let's keep making up possible excuses for the stunt they pulled, based on the assumption that it was nothing but an error in communications.

Meanwhile the perpetrators stay silent, and seem to have been doing nothing but to double down on said stunt.

Such nice guys...

But you make up assumptions. We actually don't know who made this and I personally don't care.
They already wrote an article on bitwig.com that core features will be implemented within the update plan and add-on's will be separate.
Would you rather pay more money for the upgrade plan to keep Bitwig financial stable?

[_leras]

The biggest concern for me at this very moment is...

What do I really get for the €170 yearly renewal?

What's New in Bitwig Studio 4.0 [released 13 July 2021]
Audio Comping, Anywhere
Audio comping is available, for traditional uses and more.

Recording to the Arranger or Launcher

To record on the Arranger timeline: new audio recordings are automatically added as comping take lanes when passing non-looping audio clips
For "cycle recording," just enable the Arranger loop
To record into the Clip Launcher: from the Play menu, enable Record as Comping Takes, and set an appropriate Take Length
Clips containing take lanes show the comping icon on their top right edge
Since comping lives within the clip, comping clips can be freely dragged between the Launcher and Arranger
Since comping lives within the clip, comping clips can be saved to your library, with take lanes intact and editable

Effortless Editing

When a clip containing takes is selected, the Detail Editor Panel displays the Comping expression view for editing
Each take lane is given its own color for visualizing the sources used, and each take can be renamed
Take lanes can be reordered by dragging their headers
Dragging over a portion of any take lane to create a comping region
Clicking on any take lane uses that take for the nearest comping region and selects the region
Pressing [UP] or [DOWN] moves the comp region to the take above or below
Pressing [LEFT] or [RIGHT] selects the previous or next comp region
Double-clicking a take lane selects it in its entirety as the current comp
From the composite lane, dragging the top of any comping region up and down adjusts its gain
From the composite lane, sliding the bottom of any comping region left and right adjusts its timing
Sliding a boundary where two comping regions meet moves their fade point
Sliding a take boundary in the take lanes area also moves the transition point between comp regions
Dragging near a boundary in the composite lane allows shortening a comp region to remove audio (including breaths, etc.)
Deleting a time selection within a comp similarly replaces the selection with silence
[ALT]-dragging a take lane slides the time of that entire lane (and any comp regions pointing to it)
[SHIFT]-[ALT]-dragging a take lane slides the time of that all take lanes (and all comp regions referencing them)
Comping expression editing keeps track of its own snapping setting, defaulting off
[SHIFT]-dragging temporarily inverts the snapping setting

Layered Comp Editing

With multiple comping clips selected, layered editing mode of the Detail Editor Panel allows comp editing of multiple clips at once
In the Comping expression view, the target layer shows all of its take lanes, and additional clips show only their composite lanes
All comp editing gestures work as they do in regular (single) comp editing mode
Using any of the comp editing gestures while holding [CTL] ([CMD] on Mac) applies that edit to only the single comp you are interacting with

Fold to Takes for Comping Any Source

Wrap any audio clip into takes by right-clicking on it and choosing Fold to Takes
Select either how many takes to create, or the length for each take
Drag any audio file from the Browser Panel to the take lane area to add a new take lane
Right-click on any take lane header for Fold to Takes of that individual lane (in case a file is longer than the current comp, etc.)

Operators for any Note or Audio Event

Operators change when and how events are triggered. Devices have modulators; now notes and audio events have Operators. One or more modes can be used on each event.
Mode: Chance

Sets the likelihood that any event will occur, adding probability to make any loop dynamic
Is visualized on events like the face of dice
A higher die value represents a higher probability
For notes, a Chance expression editor is available beside velocity

Mode: Repeats

Causes retriggers within the original event, turning a single event into a ratchet, or polyrhythm, or…
Repeat Value can be set two ways:
Values below 1 set the note rate for repeats (e.g., 1/2, 1/3, 1/12…)
Values above 1 set the number of slices the event is cut into
Right-clicking on this value provides a menu of common note rates
Repeat Curve bends the repeats to either start closer together, or to speed up at the end
For notes, Repeats End Velocity sets a relative target velocity for the end of the note repeat
This is also editable from the velocity expression lane
[ALT]-dragging on the end velocity point adjusts the velocity curve of the repeats
Is visualized on events as slices where the repeats happen, just like the event restarts at each of those points
Right-click on any event to Slice At Repeats, turning each repeat into an independent note or audio event

Mode: Occurrence

Sets conditions for each event
One Condition can be selected:
Always → Plays unconditionally
on First → Plays on first cycle
never First → Skips the first cycle
with Previous → Plays when last event did
without Previous → Plays when last event didn't
with Prev Key [note events only] → Plays when this key's last event did
without Prev Key [note events only] → Plays when this key's last event didn't
with Prev Chan. [note events only] - Plays when this channel's last note did
without Prev Chan. [note events only] - Plays when this channel's last note didn't
Fill on → Plays when Fill mode is on
Fill off → Plays when Fill mode is off
The Fill button is a global performance control
It is available from the Play menu, and can be pinned beside the menus
It can be mapped to MIDI controller, or automated from the Master track under Transport > Fill
Is visualized by displaying the condition icon on the event

Mode: Recurrence

Gives each event its own looping timeline
Recurrence Length sets the number of loops per cycle, from 2 to 8
Toggles are then available for each loop
So if the length is set to 4, four toggles are provided. And if only the first and last toggles are enabled, then this event will trigger on the first and fourth loops of this clip. (And then the fifth and eighth loops, etc. etc.)
Is visualized on the event by a series of shaded (on) and empty (off) rectangles

General Workflow

A new inspector section for Operators is available when note or audio events are selected
All Operator settings are neutral by default, creating events that always sound
When an Operator mode has active values, the mode is visualized on the note/audio event as described above
Each mode icon represents a toggle that can be turned off and back on at any time

Take a chance on predictability with Expand

Right-click on any Launcher clip and choose Expand to print any number of loops into a new clip
Unlike Bounce options, Expand generates the type of clip you started with (so an audio clip will create audio clips, and a note clip will create note clips)
Expand removes any Operator that can be calculated ahead of time (particularly good for "cycle-aware" options, like Recurrence, or the First conditions of Occurrence)
Options are available to:
Preserve Chance values, instead of printing their result
Preserve expression Spread values, instead of printing their result
This provides clips with predictable notes, and a visualization of how Operators are actually creating larger patterns within patterns
When Chance settings are used, Expand a clip several times to glimpse into different possible timelines

Spread for any Expression Point

Expression automation points each have a Spread value now, defining a range for the point that will be randomly selected each time the clip loops
Notes have these per-note expressions that can use Spread:
Velocity (only defined at the beginning of each note)
Pitch
Timbre
Pressure
Gain
Pan
Audio events have these expressions that can use Spread:
Gain
Pan
Pitch
Formant (used by some stretch modes)
Random values will glide to and from their neighboring points, just as regular automation would
[ALT]-drag on any expression point to define its Spread
When the clip is not playing, the Spread range will be visualized with a color gradient showing the bipolar range
When the clip is playing, the randomly selected values will be shown at the beginning of each loop cycle
Spread values are also accessible in the Inspector by:
Selecting individual expression point(s), and using the Spread field in the automation Point section
Selecting a clip (or multiple note/audio events) and using the parameter's histogram, which now has a value for Spread of that parameter
To grab a reproducible random sequence, each clip now has a Seed parameter
By default, the value is Random, producing different results each time the clip is triggered
By clicking this field, a particular Seed value is produced and saved (displayed as a shiny bit field)
To produce a new Seed value, just click the field again. Or click the die icon to return to total Random.
When recording a performance from the Clip Launcher to the Arranger, the Seed value used during recording will be preserved in the new Arranger clips, preserving the exact sequence playback as what you heard during performance.
This Seed functionality applies to all expression Spread values within a clip, as well as any Chance Operators used

New modulator: Globals (Interface)

Provides modulator signals for three project-wide controls:
Fill - A modulator signal reflecting the current Fill mode state
A◆B - A bipolar modulator signal reflecting the current global crossfade value
Play - A modulator signal reflecting whether the transport is currently playing (1) or not (0)
The Fill and A◆B sources can be used as global control sources, routing hardware controllers or automation (from Master > Transport) to any and all tracks

macOS: Native Apple Silicon Support

Bitwig Studio now runs natively on Apple Silicon
Thru Bitwig's unique plug-in hosting, Intel VSTs can still be used alongside ARM VSTs

Localization of Bitwig Studio

The Bitwig Studio application is now localized in Chinese, Japanese, and German
The language is set from the Dashboard under Settings > User Interface > Language, at the top of that page
Device and parameter names are the same, but most functions, labels, and in-app documentation (for the 300+ devices and modules) are translated

Improved Export Options

Export Audio function and dialog has been revamped
You can now choose from various audio formats to export:
WAV
FLAC
Opus (information here)
OGG Vorbis
MP3
Appropriate profiles are available for each format
Multiple formats can be exported at once (in case you want a lossless version for your listening, and a lossy version to email, etc.)
The Sample Rate for exports can also be set now
If a time selection is made is the Arranger, that is used as the export Time Range

New Features

Import of some data from FL Studio project files (FLP)
Import of some data from Ableton Live project files (ALS)
Auxy can now export a Bitwig Studio project file
A top-level snap toggle is available in all timeline editors, to the right of the snap settings menu
Waveforms are now shown in a Perceptual scale by default, for easier reading (setting is in the Dashboard under Settings > User Interface > View > Waveform display)
Various container devices can now be converted, such as switching Layer devices to Selector devices, etc.
Added track "lane heights" zoom functions for the Arranger and Detail Editor Panel (assignable via Dashboard > Settings > Shortcuts)
Controller scripts added for Native Instruments A and M series
Controller script added for iCON VCast
Anonymized, optional usage data collection is now possible (details here), to help us improve Bitwig Studio

Improvements

Track Monitoring: Sources from other tracks can now be monitored (as long as this would not create a feedback loop)
Track Monitoring: Mode is now a tri-state switch (click to cycle from Auto to On to Off)
Or right-click the monitoring button for a menu with all modes and their descriptions
The gain handle is now available at the top of any Arranger audio clip, and in the Detail Editor Panel (at the top of the waveform in the Audio Event and Comping expression editors)
The slide gesture is now available at the bottom in the Detail Editor Panel (at the bottom of the the waveform in Audio Event or Comping modes)
Time sliding handles are now available at the bottom of each audio event in the Detail Editor Panel
Preview player (in Browser Panel and Pop-up Browser) provides temporary auditioning when you click on the note/audio visualization, now stopping audition on mouse release
HW CV Instrument device: Now has a latency measurement option[24535]
HW FX device: Better latency measurement algorithm [24032]
Polymer/ Grid modules (Filters): Many filters now handle extreme resonance and modulation cases more smoothly
Find All when looking for missing files is now faster when searching for multiple files
Controller API: Added NoteStep.isMuted() and NoteStep.setIsMuted()

Fixes

Sustain pedal problems with certain MIDI CC64 automation [26157]
Meter of device chain was painted grey after unmuting [26149]
Reordering automation lanes stops the updating of the knob onscreen
In the Edit View, tool and snap settings are now shared between the Detail and Automation Editor Panels [25727, 26197]
Smaller (read: better) sensitive area for boundary interactions with clips
Showing piano roll micro-pitch expressions on a hybrid track could crash [25936]
Clip selection in Detail Editor Panel did not always update correctly when selecting a clip on another track in the Arranger [21812]
Note Editor: The "Draw Note Pattern" modifier would sometimes draw a double note with certain beat grid settings [25374]
Automation editor was showing preview region over full editor width when drawing with pencil tool in some cases [25924]
Snapping did not work for zero offsets via snap-to-relative-grid [26155]
Various note and note name painting issues in Detail Editor Panel [26123]
Crash when clip end was adjusted on mixed clip/meta-clip selection [26037]
Clicking on an audio lane header in layered editing mode (for tracks) was changing the layers shown
Drum Machine device: Weird CPU spikes could appear when playing one drum slot that is set to be choking another slot [25645]
Drum Machine device: Internal return chains are no longer accessible to nested FX Layer devices (which could cause feedback loops) [25929]
Delay 1, Delay 2 & Delay 4 devices: Might go to sleep before feedback is played, when delay times were long [25442]
HW Instrument device: Did not preserve MIDI CC's channel [26102]
Note FX Layer & Note FX Selector devices: Were causing note delay when first inserting them [23192]
Note FX Selector device: Now correctly works with sustain pedal [25997]
Mod Delay Grid module: Was sometime glitching at start/stop of transport when project had PDC latency [26363]
Channel Map device: Was always lightning the channel 1 indicator
Channel Map device: Did not work on MIDI CCs with HW Instrument device [26102]
Crashes sometimes when undoing deletion of devices that were using samples [26166], [26065]
Crash when triple-clicking inspector number field followed by drag at the right edge [25683]
Possible to crash the application by calling some methods via controller API in some cases [26165]
Zooming out in Grid editor could make knob graphics disappear [26039]
macOS: Incorrect names were sometimes shown for certain files loaded from the OS (e.g Korean file names composed of Hangul Jamo characters) [25890]
Linux: Rare crashes when using Wavetable module, in Polymer or The Grid [25958]
Controller API: Tracks created via HW API were white [26126]
Controller API: Added monitorMode() and isMonitoring() on Track object [deprecated monitor() and autoMonitor()]

[_leras]

What's New in Bitwig Studio 4.1 [released 24 November 2021]
New Note FX device: Bend

Bends to each note's pitch from a relative Starting Pitch
Bend Shape sets the curve for the pitch glide
Duration of the bend can set it either real time or tempo-relative 16ᵗʰ notes
A Pre-delay setting is also available, for postponing the pitch bend (the same as on most of the envelope modulators, etc.)
Useful for:
Adding glissando to any device
New sound design possibilities by adding a quick pitch envelope on any instrument
Many responsive possibilities, such as modulating bend amount or time with velocity, etc. etc.
Setting a pitch curve once before "stacked" instruments, such as with the Instrument Layer or Instrument Selector containers (or their Note FX brethren)
An alternate concept of "glide," starting relative to the new note (instead of from the pitch played previously)

New Note FX device: Dribble

Bounces each note until gravity wins
First Bounce time (set in real time or tempo-relative 16ᵗʰ notes) is the time that the initial bounce will last if maximum velocity is played
Damping controls the speed/height loss for each successive bounce
With Damping set to 0 %, bounce height remains the same
Shortest Bounce time is a threshold for settings when bounces become too close together and should be discontinued
Hold Last Note optionally keeps the final bounce note held out (as long as the triggering note is still held)
Useful for:
Adding some trailing character to single-note lines
Giving per-note "delays" to chords, especially when each note has a slightly different velocity
Creating a decaying, "organic" note repeat effect
Modulating Damping to keep notes at fix repeat lengths, whenever anything happens (like the global Fill button is engaged)

New Note FX device: Humanize

Randomizes chance, timing, or velocity of notes
Chance sets the likelihood that each arriving note will be sent on
Timing defines the maximum lateness that can be randomly selected for each note
If Allow Early Notes is on (±), then delay compensation is used to make the Timing range either late or early
Velocity sets a bipolar amount of randomization applied at each note on
Useful for:
Giving some life to the timing of any input
Lightly mutating any sequenced passage, making it is different with each repeat
Randomizing any triggered note clip, where the Allow Early Notes option can feel right
Loosening any predictable output, so that rigid rhythms or probability can be modulated or automated
Randomly spreading note timing for FX that care about note order (like Strum, or Arpeggiator using the Flow pattern, etc.)

New Note FX device: Note Repeats

Retriggers each note, with Pattern options
Timebase for the repeat rate can be set in real time (seconds), tempo-relative units (bars, triplet eighths, etc.), or at the frequency of the played note
A Rate factor scales the Timebase unit, good for slight manipulations or multiples
Gate Length is set as a percentage of the repeat rate, or to Hold until Next Trigger (𝄐)
Velocity Decay sets the change amount of each successive repeat's velocity, either down or up
Chance sets the probability that each individual repeat occurs
Disable Repeats is a mappable "kill switch" that sustains each note after its next repeat starts (and passes new notes directly thru), allowing the repeat function itself to be disabled or modulated

Note Pattern Options

Two additional modes are available for organizing note repeats into larger forms:
Burst lines up all note retriggers in a row
Euclid tries to evenly space the note repeats, which can be rhythmically satisfying
Length sets a pattern to be between 2 and 32 steps
Density is the percentage that the pattern gets filled
Rotate pushes the start of the pattern either forward or backward

Accent Options within Patterns

"Accents" can be created by keeping a number of the repeats at their original velocity, and attenuating velocity of the "non-accented" repeats
Count / Strong Notes sets the number of current repeats that will be accented
Accents are distributed according to the mode used
Low Velocity (Non-accents) sets the attenuation applied to the non-accented notes
Opposite / Flip Accent Pattern inverts the placement of accented and non-accented notes
Keep Accents / Always Play Accents guarantees that each accented note will play every time, regarding of the Chance setting

Useful for:

Repeating each incoming note at a set rate
A performance-ready note effect, particularly with mappings to Disable Repeats (for switching the entire effect on and back off) and Velocity Decay (so that retriggers can be ramped quieter and then louder)
Creating probabilistic repeats with the Chance parameter
Giving life to long chords with a low Chance setting but the Hold until Next Trigger (𝄐) option on, keeping each note sustained until the eventual retrigger arrives
All manner of note pattern fun, for drum parts or anything else

New Note FX device: Quantize

Pushes notes toward the next beat, with optional Forgiveness
Timing Interval selects the beat grid-interval that notes will be moved toward, with an option to follow the global Groove or not
Amount sets how far each note is moved toward the next grid line
Forgiveness is a threshold for how late notes can be before they are held until the next beat
Useful for:
A real-time performance quantizer, placing all incoming notes exactly on the next grid line
With an Amount of 100 % and Forgiveness at 0.00 %, a complete 'robot-izer'
Aligning incoming notes across a beat range (perhaps followed by Strum, etc.)
Creating new rhythmic patterns, particularly by feeding it a fast Arpeggiator or Note Repeats, etc. with a middle Forgiveness value

New Note FX device: Randomize

Randomizes note pitch, velocity, and any automation expressions at note on
Each note in Bitwig Studio contains its own expressions
For each note that passes thru, this device can add a random amount of defined range to any expression, including:
Pitch, with additional parameters options for whether pitch is Quantized to semitones and whether its randomization is Bipolar
Velocity, randomized around the current value (taken from the note source and used wherever velocity is mapped, including from the Expressions modulator)
Timbre, randomized around the current value (used wherever mapped from the Expressions modulator)
Pressure, randomized around the current value (taken from the note source especially for MPE controllers, and used wherever mapped from the Expressions modulator)
Pan, randomized around the current value (mapped to the panning of each individual note, and available from the Pan In Grid module)
Gain, randomized around the current value (mapped to the gain of each individual note, and available from the Gain In Grid module)
Useful for:
Turning any note clip into an "anti-loop," with different parameters for each note that plays
Giving individual Pan positions to each note of a chord or arpeggio
Creating tiny pitch instability to the original notes, or on a second Instrument Layer for "analog" drift
Adding additional Timbre and Pressure variety to any MPE-friendly sound
Shifting drum notes to sometimes trigger different drum elements

New Note FX device: Ricochet

Treats notes as bouncing balls in a room
When balls collide with each other (or with the room's walls), a new note is triggered at that velocity
Ball Speed scales the speed of each ball (relative to its velocity)
Ball Radius sets the size of the balls
Ball Damping is the amount of slowdown applied after each collision
Ball Launch Mode determines the direction in which new balls are fired:
Random picks a random direction each time
Bar Sync uses relative bar position, with bar start and end facing straight up (at 12 o'clock)
Manual gives control to the Ball Launch Angle parameter for manual setting or modulation, etc.
Room Sides can be set anywhere between 3.0 and 8.0, including decimal values for some asymmetry
Room Orientation turns the room position or spins it (modulators!)
Room Spatialization uses each ball's position to effect that note's panning (↔︎) and timbre (↕︎) expressions
Sound on Initial Notes sets whether the initial note being received triggers a note, or not (which can be nice on a second layer, etc.)
Useful for:
Creating an algorithmic variation of your note clip, which is either reproducible (Bar Sync) or new each time (Random)
Generating one-shot timbre/pan envelopes by using a big Room Spatialization and maximum Damping
Going "the full Eno" by setting a slow Speed, triggering a non-sustaining sound, and holding down the sustain pedal
Creating a 90s-style delay, but with… Note FX…

New Note FX device: Strum

Fragments your chords, playing them one (or more) note at a time
Timebase for the strum speed can be set in real time (seconds) or tempo-relative units (bars, triplet eighths, etc.)
A Rate factor scales the Timebase unit, good for slight manipulations or multiples
Strum direction can be set to Strum Up (playing lowest note first, then upward) or down
Number of Steps allows sequencing a pattern of up to four steps, so that the next chord played can change strum direction
Stride sets the number of notes that are output at a time
Grace Period is the time window for each chord to be collected before strumming begins
Useful for:
Animating played chords at a steady rate
Slight speed-ups or slow-downs, by slowly modulating the strum rate
Alternating up–down strum patterns, to borrow some plucked/bowed patterns
A one-shot arpeggiator, running up or down the played notes once
"Smart" moving quantize, taking your playing and spreading each note to this beat or the next

Updated Note FX device: Multi-note

As before: each note in triggers up to eight notes out
There is now a Chance parameter for each output note, setting the probability of that note at each note on
There is now a velocity Spread parameter for each output note, setting a randomize range for the velocity of that note at each note on
When Live Note Updating is enabled, the Pitch Offset and Enable parameters for each note are now updated throughout the life of a note
Gliding pitches can now be created, and notes can be (re)activated via each output note's Enable parameter

Updated Instrument: Sampler

Now has a Release chain, which receives note triggers for each note off the Sampler gets
Includes parameters for:
Note Length used in the Release chain
Whether to Use Velocity from the initial note On message (can make for a more consistent sound), or from the note Off message (if your controller supports this well)
Improved SFZ file import:
Dragging a file containing both trigger and release samples onto a blank track or space will load a Sampler with the trigger regions, which has a Sampler nested in the Release chain with the release regions
Dragging a file containing both trigger and release samples onto an existing sampler provides various modifier keys for which sample set to either replace with or merge in
Any region using seq_position imports as Round-robin
As with all nested chains in Bitwig, the Release chain:
Can contain any Bitwig devices and VST plug-ins
Is available for modulation from any modulators (LFOs, sidechains, step sequencers, etc. etc.) that are used by the Sampler
Will save any inserted devices as part of your Sampler presets
Is also output to the audio FX chain that follows, and then the final Out level control

Updated Note FX device: Note Length

As before: triggers fixed-length notes on initial press or release
There is now an option for notes triggered on Release to use either the original note On velocity, or the received note Off velocity
This is the same option available in the Release chain of Sampler, but can be coupled via Instrument Layer with any instrument/synth (read: not just for samples)

Updated Note FX device: Note Filter

As before: filters notes by set Key and Velocity ranges
There are now two Mode options:
Keep only passes notes that are within the defined Key and Velocity ranges (this is the device's previous behavior)
Remove passes all the notes outside of the defined Key and Velocity ranges
Once a range is defined, just duplicate the device and flip the mode to get all the other notes
Place these on two layers within a Note FX Layer (when you want to process the notes separately, but send them to the same instrument)
Place these on two layers within an Instrument Layer (when you want different instruments to be triggered by the note streams)

New Color Palettes

Different color palettes are now available for tracks, clips, layers, and Arranger cue markers, making more colors available for these elements
From the color selection area of the Inspector Panel or context menu, click the right-facing triangle (▶︎) to switch between the available palettes
To add a new color palette to your user library, simply drag a JPG or PNG file onto the Dashboard icon at the top of the Bitwig window

New Features

Direct MIDI output is now available from all track choosers
All detected ports are shown in the Note Outputs section
The HW Instrument device is still available when you need delay compensation
Controller script added for Mackie Control (with support for up to three Extenders)

Improvements

MIDI-style note names (for example, C-1 or D#4) can now be typed in for integer parameters
Steps modulator: Now has a bipolar toggle option
Better priorities and hit areas for Arranger clips mouse interactions [26816]
Arpeggiator device: Now has an Update Rate at Next Step option, to prevent going "out of grid" when changing the rate [26939]
Default presets for all Bitwig instruments have been updated:
All instruments that include some "velocity sensitivity" setting are now set somewhere in the middle
All polyphonic instruments now have a Vibrato modulator prewired to device pitch (and controlled by Modwheel), as well as an unwired Expressions modulator
Some Note FX devices have been renamed:
Echo (was previously Note Echo)
Harmonize (was previously Note Harmonizer)
Key Filter (was previously Diatonic Transposer)
Latch (was previously Note Latch)
Multi-note (was previously Multi-Note)
Note Transpose (was previously Note Pitch Shifter)
Transpose Map (was previously Transposition Map)
Velocity Curve (was previously Note Velocity)
If a plug-in host process hangs, the user now gets an option to kill the process
VST3: Added IMidiLearn support
Controller API improvements:
Provides access to Arranger loop range [26341]
Ability to add and remove cue markers [26340]
Option to expand/collapse group tracks [26342]
Added canUndo and canRedo [26343]
Linux: Now bundles ffmpeg

Fixes

Consolidating a clip could lose various clip settings [26679]
Time selection did not snap to onsets when the Arranger clip start marker was not at zero position [26827]
Waveform of raw audio events could display with incorrect timing when tempo automation was present [26778]
Muted Tracks didn't grey out their meters when loading a project [27143]
Audio effects were inaudible on certain project with hybrid tracks [26867]
Comping did not work correctly in clips that contained audio starting before 1.1.1 [26865]
Regions could disappear when editing comping takes in stretch mode [26826]
Fixed crash when folding audio to comping takes [26879]
Drum Machine device: Choking settings would persist after loading a new preset [26612]
Note Transpose device: Didn't initialize correctly [27070]
Grid modules: Various modules with audio choosers (such as HW Out, CV Out, etc.) were sometimes not working after the audio engine reconnects to the project [26888]
Modulation indicator was the wrong color when modulation exceeded negative value range
Modulation source context menu did not show the name of the modulator
Fixed some memory leaks, which could slow application performance when using certain controllers
Crash when performing undo/redo in same cases [21926]
Wavetable resources were missing icons in the Project Panel Files page
VST 3 plug-ins: Sidechaining would become inactive after Export [27069]
On loop jumps, wrong sample and timing information could be sent to plug-ins, causing first notes to be skipped [22690]
A plug-in that hung or crashed while loading could lock up the audio engine [26934]
Fixed various random crashes when performing undo or redo
Automatically repair broken projects created with v4.0 beta versions [26830]
Message was not clear when activation dialog gets shown because of no free activations in account [27060]
Windows: Pop-up Browser was not showing correct filter when browsing presets for loaded device [26982]
macOS: Bitwig Studio jumps to foreground when connecting or disconnecting screen [25636]
Controller API: A clip's note step observer could sometimes report the wrong step index

[_leras]

Changes in Bitwig Studio 4.2.1 [released 22 March 2022]
Improvements

Pitch Quantize Grid module: Now has three distribution modes:
Uniform [previously Uniform] - Equally spaces notes (more evenly distributed)
Nearest (by pitch) [new] - Keeps notes in their location within the full range (less even, but smooth)
Nearest (by octave) [previously Nearest] - Approximates the octave, then finds the closest pitch (a bit ornamental)

Fixes

Pitch Quantize Grid module: Was not correctly tracking the upper half of the octave [28132]
Fixed occasional, unfortunate preset browsing crashes
Recording audio clips from Launcher to Arranger was off by one 16th note [28160]
EQ+ device: Graphical issues with notch bands [28130]
Some plug-in GUI's were not showing correctly [28157]
VST3: Now sending note expressions immediately after the note on
VST3: "Brightness" (Timbre in Bitwig) was transmitted with an incorrect range to the plug-in
Windows: Fixed assorted audio engine crashes [27704]
APC40mkII controller script: Was not indicating the target scenes/tracks

What's New in Bitwig Studio 4.2 [released 10 March 2022]
New Audio FX device: Chorus+

Four different Character modes, each with its own DSP architecture and different X + Y controls:
CE - A synth-style friend, with different inspirations in the tone (Tone + Width)
DD - Subtle, 80s, and coming from all sides (Time + Balance)
8v - Eight voices swirling thru caverns of feedback (FB + Width)
x2 - Classic voice doubling circuit (Time + Width)
Parameter controls for the LFOs' relative Speed and the modulation Depth, as well as a dry/wet Mix control
New Grid module: Chorus+ (Delay/FX), a module version of the audio effect device
All the same parameters as the device
Like all Grid modules, it will work polyphonically (a separate instance for each voice) when in a polyphonic patch
Available in all Grid devices (Poly Grid, FX Grid, and Note Grid)

New Audio FX device: Flanger+

Four different Character modes, each with its own DSP architecture:
DP - That digital, scrapy cousin who chews up sound
MX - A firm, pedal-style classic
TFX - Smooth and sparkly, with some edge
WA - Stronger, but subtly delicate
Alternate Character (ø) toggle, for a slight variation of the currently selected Character
Added Dirt option, to insert a little noise for additional coloring
With a Color control for the starting tone, and FB for how pronounced the feedback is
Parameter controls for the LFOs' relative Speed and the modulation Depth, as well as a dry/wet Mix control
Stereo-ize toggle to invert the LFOs' value on the right channel
Option to replace the internal LFOs with Manual Override
This replaces the Speed control with one called Mod, which is used as the device's "modulation" signal
Any one (or combination) of Bitwig's 38 modulators can be mapped to this parameter, in addition to automation or direct control
Even in Manual Override mode, the modulation Depth and Stereo-ize controls are still operative, allowing simple creation of a rich control signal
New Grid module: Flanger+ (Delay/FX), a module version of the audio effect device
All the same parameters as the device
Instead of Manual Override and Mod controls, a stereo input port is available for direct, oversampled control
Like all Grid modules, it will work polyphonically (a separate instance for each voice) when in a polyphonic patch
Available in all Grid devices (Poly Grid, FX Grid, and Note Grid)

New Audio FX device: Phaser+

Four different Character modes, each with its own DSP architecture:
GS - Our spikey #1 friend
EHx - Classy and smooth, with silky motion
MX - A raspy devil, but solid
MF - Pleasantly greasy and deep
Alternate Character (ø) toggle, for a slight variation of the currently selected Character
With a Color control for the starting tone, and FB for how pronounced the feedback is
Parameter controls for the LFOs' relative Speed and the modulation Depth, as well as a dry/wet Mix control
Modulation Curve options are available:
Phaser - A more "traditional" modulation curve (the default)
Speaking - A shape that can produce "vowel" sounds
Barber ↑ - Barber pole-esque effect, spinning upward
Barber ↓ - Barber pole-esque effect, spinning downward
Stereo-ize toggle to invert the LFOs' value on the right channel
Option to replace the internal LFOs with Manual Override
This replaces the Speed control with one called Mod, which is used as the device's "modulation" signal
Any one (or combination) of Bitwig's 38 modulators can be mapped to this parameter, in addition to automation or direct control
Even in Manual Override mode, the modulation Depth, Modulation Curve, and Stereo-ize controls are still operative, allowing simple creation of a rich control signal
New Grid module: Phaser+ (Delay/FX), a module version of the audio effect device
All the same parameters as the device
Instead of Manual Override and Mod controls, a stereo input port is available for direct, oversampled control
Like all Grid modules, it will work polyphonically (a separate instance for each voice) when in a polyphonic patch
Available in all Grid devices (Poly Grid, FX Grid, and Note Grid)

New Realm of The Grid: Note Grid

New Note FX device: Note Grid, for using The Grid to create note processors or note generators, etc.
New Grid module: Note Out (I/O), for creating note output
Gate In port triggers a note to be created
Pitch In, Velocity In, and Channel In can either be set with fixed values, or provided with signals
When Enable All Expressions (… toggle) is on, Timbre In, Pressure In, Gain In, and Pan In ports are available for signal control of all note expressions
When Enable All Expressions (… toggle) is off, connections to these additional expression ports are remembered but inactive
As with any module, multiple Note Out modules can be loaded, helpful for sequencer or "groovebox" style patches, or whenever you want to group notes onto different MIDI channels, etc. etc.
New Grid module: Note In (I/O), with incoming (read: output) versions of all Note Out module ports
New Grid module: CC In (I/O), receives a specified control change message from any/all MIDI channels
New Grid module: CC Out (I/O), outputs a signal as a specified control change message on any MIDI channel
As with all 184 Grid modules, these modules are available in all Grid devices (Poly Grid, FX Grid, and Note Grid)
Note Grid is the one note FX device with optional polyphony and Voice Stacking (just as FX Grid is the one audio FX device with these options)
Note Grid presets are shown when browsing for Note FX — just as Poly Grid presets show in instrument searches, and FX Grid presets show when looking for audio effects
All Grid devices now have Note Thru and Control Thru toggles, in case you want to disable notes or MIDI messages (including control change messages) from being forwarded directly from device input to output
Note Grid also has an Audio Thru option, which is on by default, forwarding audio (from bounce in place or other sources) to following devices — and disabling Audio Out from the patch
Right-click the header of any Grid device to Convert to the other devices

New Features

The Bitwig Studio application is now localized in French
The language is set from the Dashboard under Settings > User Interface > Language, at the top of that page
Device and parameter names are the same, but most functions, labels, and in-app documentation (for the 300+ devices and modules) are translated
New Modulator: Channel-16 (Note-driven), providing 16 individual modulator signals that fire when notes are received on that particular MIDI channel. Good for turning MIDI channel information into different sounds from Note Grid or wherever else.
Release with Note Offs option in Inspector, to return to zero when in poly mode
New Grid module: Poly→Mono (Level), flattens any polyphonic signal, making it the same for all voices. With five different modes.
New Grid module: Hard Clip (Shaper), for hard clipping with optional Anti-aliasing mode
Grid module updates: Distortion, Quantize, Rectifier, and Wavefolder (Shaper) all have an Anti-aliasing (AA) mode option, for smoother shaping

Improvements

Device updates: Oscilloscope and Spectrum (Analysis) both have a Mini view option, which is the new default
Added conversion option between Stereo Split and Mid/Side Split devices (just right-click in either device's header)
Grid module updates: All Data sequencers (Gates, Pitches, Probabilities, Steps and Triggers) now have an option to Mute when stopped, so that steps/notes end when the global transport is stopped
Grid module update: Probabilities (Data) now has a Confidence output, useful for velocities, etc. when randomly creating note patterns
Grid module update: Dice (Random) now has a Bipolar option, for any random use including generating a full panning or timbre signal with each note trigger
Gates Grid module: Now has three modes for how transitions are handled:
Gate (previously G[ate]) - Stays high/low for each step, allowing ties when successive steps are on
Pulse (previously T[rigger]) - Sends the state for the first half of each step, then low for the second half
Trigger (new) - Good for random/trigger-based access, briefly dropping to zero whenever changing steps
Most modulators now show user-provided names within the modulator panel, useful when using multiple envelopes, LFOs, etc. etc.
New mappable action to Insert Cue Marker Here, which creates an Arranger cue marker at playback position [24002]
New option to Always send MIDI clock even if the transport is stopped (under Dashboard > Settings > Syncronization)
In Layered Editing mode with the drum-style editor, you can now move notes to different keys of another clip
Arrow keys can now move notes to different keys in drum editing mode
New context menu action for clearing the displayed expression (Timbre, Pressure, Gain, or Pan) of selected notes
macOS: Improved Touchpad support for Mac-specific gestures:
Use "Smart Zoom" gesture to:
In timeline editors, toggle between zoom-to-fit and zoom-to-selection
In the Grid editor, put zoom level back to 100%
Use "Force Click" to:
Create a clip on the Arranger or in a Launcher slot
Add/remove notes, automation, or expression events
Insert devices in device chain
Play project/clips in ruler area
Open device chain (on track header)
Open clip in Detail Editor Panel
On device headers, opens the Pop-up Browser for presets
Commit browser choice (except for Samples tab)
Preview samples in browsers (and stop preview on release)
In empty track area of Arranger, opens up the Pop-up Browser
Touchpad pan & zoom always works now (regardless of the middle-button navigation setting)
Touchpad pan works in both axes simultaneously
Improved touchpad zoom (hold [ALT] to toggle the zoom axis)
macOS Trackpad: Added option for Trackpad "scrolling" always pans (under Dashboard > Settings > User Interface > Mouse), so it can be disabled
Updated window header to feel more at home in Windows 11 and macOS 12
macOS: Now has its own set of cursors
macOS ARM: account for performance cores instead (of efficiency cores) if applicable for parallel processing
New control surface API to launch clips with specific options. In the APC40mkII and Launchpad Pro scripts, you can:
Hold shift to immediately launch a clip or a scene
Release the clip or scene button while holding shift, to return immediately to last playing clip(s)
VST API Version is now shown (under Dashboard > Help > About)

Fixes

Expression points that are "hidden" beyond note margins no longer affect next note on same key [27967]
Session recording a Launcher audio clip to the Arranger would end early on stop [20320]
Session recording into Arranger while the Arranger Loop is enabled would break recording [27983]
Setting clip default launcher quantization to Off no longer quantizes to 16ᵗʰ notes [14483]
Dragging modules in The Grid close to their edge sometimes didn't work
Note playback would sometimes produce note events one sample too late [27443]
Un-arm tracks when loading project if they use an audio source which cannot be found
Voice Stacking in True Mono did not work properly with modulators (until receiving note input) [27768]
Instrument Layer device: Solo was not working when copy/pasting instrumenting [26968]
Classic LFO modulator: No longer breaks synchronization after some time [23381]
4-Stage modulator: Small curve previews were sometimes oriented wrong [23422]
Modulators on plug-ins are correctly time-aligned [27329]
The Grid: Oscillator pitch inputs no longer clip above +0.5
Pitch Quantize Grid module: Wasn't rounding before quantizing
Bouncing hybrid tracks in a project with significant latency would have silence at the boundaries between note and audio clips [23720]
Bouncing PreFX (such as Bounce In Place) would not properly compensate delays [27405]
Consolidating an empty audio clip left the clip in a weird state [28044]
Track's note output routing to a plug-in did not wake up the plugin [27951]
When editing multiple MIDI channels in drum editor mode, notes couldn't be moved between note lanes [27577]
When session recording, triggering a clip with automation would not allow automation takeover if Write automation on record was turned off [25418]
Imported audio into comping clips didn't properly Fold to Takes, but was spreading out [27887]
Fixed a waveform painting bug when using reversed raw audio events with note repeat [27933]
Fixed graphic glitch when mousing over far zoomed-in raw waveform in onset editor [28071]
Elastique stretching was not transposing beyond +11 tones when 96kHz is used in a 44.1 kHz project [27635]
Onset position shown in inspector had wrong value and unit [28020]
ALS import: Wrong output was assigned for nested groups [27427]
Feedback cycle now prevented when loading certain project [26792]
The "Show Plug-in Window" button was sometimes hidden behind a scrollbar in the Mix Panel [27054]
Waveform generation would fail with large file sizes [25749]
Scrollbar in device chain was not working correctly when using Studio/Touch display profile [26317]
Fixed font rendering bug that would sometimes load the wrong font
macOS ARM: Plug-ins that were hosted separately from the audio engine may perform better now [27261]
macOS: GUI was becoming unresponsive when program was started on a secondary display and then dragged over to primary display, on some systems [26772]
macOS: Mouse cursor offset is now correct when scaling the window to 300%, on some systems [27087]
macOS: Window content was rendered too small when moving window from non-Retina to Retina screen, on some systems [26785]
VST3: plug-in window resizing has been reworked

[_leras]

What's New in Bitwig Studio 4.3 [released 28 June 2022]
New Device: Convolution

A straightforward device with quick adjustment controls for reverb, coloring, or anything else convolution can do
Supports loading 1-channel (mono), 2-channel (stereo), and 4-channel ("true stereo") impulses
An impulse browser visualizes all impulses in your library, along with their length, category, and channel count
Tune resamples the impulse, changing its pitch and length by the set amount
The Start and End Time positions within the impulse can be adjusted visually, similar to Sampler
A Volume Envelope sets a start, mid-point (time-adjustable), and end gain levels, that can be quieter or louder than the original impulse for effects or reshaping it altogether
Brightness offers a tilt EQ, which favors the high end when turned to the right, or the low end on the left
Pre-delay time, Wet Gain amount, and dry/wet Mix parameters are also available
The Wet FX chain allows any Bitwig devices and VST plug-ins to be added for processing only the wet output portion
Convolution supports any audio file:
Dropping a file from one of Bitwig's browsers or the OS's file manager onto the Convolution will load the first 45 seconds of it
If a file conversion is necessary, the impulse will be saved into the current project's Impulses folder as a BWIMPULSE file
Dragging any audio or note clip onto Convolution will bounce the clip, and then load it as an impulse
A folder Import… option is available via the impulse browser for bulk import
270 impulses are available in the factory library, including real spaces, environmental captures, and generated impulses

New Device: Delay+

A souped-up delay, with hardwired modulations and a pre-stocked feedback loop that eats the latency of other devices/plug-ins
Standard delay options for delay time (either in seconds, or beats plus offset for triplet, dotted, or things in between), Feedback amount, low- and high-pass filters for controlling feedback, and a dry/wet Mix control
For delay time changes/modulations, a Time Update Rate parameter is available, as well as two Time Update Model settings:
Repitch - Maintains audio output during delay time changes, making pitch effects audible
Fade - Hides pitch artifacts during delay time changes
Like oscillator detuning, a Detune parameter is available in milliseconds, along with a Stereo Detune toggle to invert the right channel's detuning
Four Pattern options for the channel configuration:
Mono - Flattens the incoming signal for processing, and offers a Pan control for direction within the effect
Stereo - With a Width control and optional Cross Feedback (for left → right channel feedback, and vice versa)
Ping L - Ping-pong, starting on the left side, and with Width control
Ping R - Ping-pong, starting on the right side, and with Width control
Around the feedback stage are several controls and effects:
Level Control keeps signal in the feedback loop from exploding, offer both a Threshold for when level control starts, and three Modes (Soft Clip, Hard Clip, and a Comp.[ressor] model)
The feedback (or cross feedback) icon illuminates red to show the amount of level control being applied
Width affects Feedback factors in the Width parameter (when available) before the feedback chain
Blur sets the amount of the selected Blur Character, whose choices are:
No Blur - Bypass option
Soft - Short diffusion network
Wide - Short diffusion network, with broader modulation and spread
Still - Long diffusion network
Space - Long diffusion network, with broader modulation and spread
Reverse - Time-offset diffusion system
The Forever toggle maintains the current feedback buffer, keeping it at unity gain and not passing in any new signal
Any other Bitwig devices or VST plug-ins can be inserted into the FB FX chain, becoming part of the churn
The FB FX chain uniquely provides delay compensation (for inserting devices that require it) by offsetting the delay time
Ducking automatically pulls down wet signal gain as well as the Feedback level when strong sounds arrive to help them be heard, even with high Feedback values or even the Forever option enabled
The arrow icon (→) leading from Ducking to Mix illuminates orange to show the amount of ducking being applied

Polymer/Grid module updates

New Polymer/Grid oscillator: Union
A DC-drifting, analog-inspired oscillator that blends pulse, saw, and triangle waves
Level controls for each of the three waveforms
Clickable toggle to quickly switch to only one waveform
Pulse Width control for the pulse wave's shape and timbre
Anti-aliased waveshapes slide around as any of these controls are adjusted, making them ideal for modulation or automation
Union is now the default oscillator in Polymer for its immediate controls and warm sound
New Polymer/Grid filter: Low-pass MG
A Moog-inspired classic low-pass filter
Drive stage has similarly inspired mix buss character (try turning it up; we'll wait.)
Standard Cutoff Frequency and Resonance controls
Low-pass MG is now the default filter in Polymer because it sounds good and familiar
Updated Polymer/Grid envelopes: ADSR, AR, and AD
Each have three modes now:
🅰 Analog - Again, imitating Moog hardware's fixed curves nonlinearities
🆁 Relative - (previously the only mode) With adjustable rate-differential curves
🅳 Digital - Clean math with adjustable curves, for precise time segments
A simple one letter button in each envelope's top left indicates the mode; click the box to see all available modes
For its classic response and ease of use, the default Polymer envelopes (for AEG and FEG) are set to Analog
Updated Polymer/Grid filter: Sallen-Key (previously "Low-pass SK", with only three low-pass modes) now has 16 Filter Mode options, using various filter types
Updated Polymer/Grid filter revision: Comb now has a Dampening Frequency parameter (set relative to the primary Cutoff Frequency) for reining in the feedback segment
Updated Polymer/Grid filters: Low-pass LD, Low-pass MG, Sallen-Key, SVF, XP, and Comb
All filters now including a Resonance Limit (or Q Limit) control, setting the point where clipping begins within the filter's resonance
The Drive parameter sets the amount of gain (and clipping), and Resonance Limit sets the threshold when clipping/saturation begins
Together, these parameters can greatly adjust the color of any filter
Resonance Limit is available in Polymer by right-clicking on a empty area of any filter module
Updated Polymer/Grid oscillators: Pulse, Sawtooth, Sine, Triangle, Union, Wavetable, Phase-1, and Swarm
Each oscillator's Phase Modulation Amount knob now goes up to 800 % (with 100 % at the center)
These extended modulation index values provide for a broader range of digital frequency/phase modulation sounds
Updated Polymer/Grid module: Sub (Oscillator) now includes a sawtooth option as an additional Waveform choice

Comments Are Welcome

Comments can now be added to any track, layer (within one of our Layer devices) or chain (within Drum Machine devices), Launcher scene, or Arranger cue marker
Comments can be added/seen in the Inspector Panel for any item, and:
Track and layer comments can all be seen/edited together in either Mixer Panel
Launcher scene and Arranger cue markers can be seen/edited together in the Sections page of the Project Panel
Comments are good for whatever you what — recording settings, performance notes, lyrics, etc. — and can be written in any language that Bitwig can display

FX Tracks Sends

FX tracks now have sends of their own, allowing FX tracks to be sent to any other effect track
An FX track sent to an FX track on its right (further down on the mixer) is sent immediately
An FX track sent to an FX track on its left (backward on the mixer) is sent with a delay of one audio buffer
This includes direct feedback routing, shown with the square feedback arrow icon
This also applies to the FX tracks of group tracks and FX layers within Drum Machine devices

New Features

CLAP plug-ins are supported for all platforms (including polyphonic modulation, voice stacking, and on and on)
FLAC files can now be directly played back across Bitwig (in clips, with stretching, by Sampler, etc. etc.)
Converting FLAC files to WAV is no longer necessary, saving space and time AND staying lossless
Sends can now be toggled on/off individually:
Click the name of any track/channel's send to toggle that send off/on
SHIFT-click any track/channel's send to toggle all sends
A new function, Disable All Unused Sends, disables any unused sends in the project, which minimizes CPU-usage/latency
Sends in new projects are now disabled until used (by an initial knob turn or creating automation, etc.)
Controller scripts added for iCON QCon Pro G2 and Pro X models (both with support for up to three Extenders)
Updated FX device: Bit-8 now has an Anti-alias toggle, switching to different methods — and a different sound
Updated Grid module: Audio Out (I/O) now has higher-quality clipping algorithms, and the module icon glows to indicate how much clipping is being applied
Updated Grid module: ADSR (Envelope) now has a Bias Out port, sending a proportionate signal that outputs zero in the sustain segment (good for sliding pitches and much more)
CC In Grid module: Now has MIDI learn functionality for setting the CC message and channel to use
Pitch (Pitch) Grid module: Now has a MIDI learn option for setting its constant value
Updated analysis device: Spectrum now has a toggle for the Frequency Range displayed:
Human Hearing - Displays the extended human hearing range
Sample Rate - Matches Bitwig's current sample rate
Updated Grid module: Oscilloscope (Display) now has display parameters to adjust the Y Maximum shown on screen and a Y Bipolar toggle
Updated tool device: Test Tone now has a Bipolar toggle for optional unipolar output, as well as Waveshape options:
Sine (previously the only waveform available)
Triangle
Square
Saw Up
Saw Down
Dirac - A series of one-sample impulses
White Noise
Pink Noise
When a group track is expanded and focus is within it, all Add Track functions now create tracks within the group
Operators: Note editor GUI updates (to show which events are playing on this loop pass) are now latency compensated [28277]
Controllers that target the Clip Launcher now use a rectangle to highlight the current targets from each active controller, and can optionally scroll Bitwig's GUI when the controller scrolls its targets
Modules now have a revision system, for managing updates and maintaining compatibility with previous use work
When an UPDATE button appears on the top right of a module, mouse over it for a tooltip of the changes that clicking UPDATE would bring
The top of the Inspector Panel for devices has been simplified and given a fuller range of icons
Nested device chains now show an icon for each device in the chain
The User Guide PDF has been updated for Bitwig Studio v4.3
Linux: Builds are now released as FLATPAK files (more information here)
DEB files will continue to be available for now
The Download button in application update notifications will now point to the FlatPak installer (when running a FlatPak installation)
Linux: now supports the PipeWire audio driver

Improvements

Controller Scripts: BWEXTENSION files can now be installed by simply dragging them onto the Bitwig application window
Invoking the Rename function on audio events will now open a dialog to rename the audio file itself
Adding an instrument to an audio track no longer forces conversion to a hybrid track
[CTL]/[CMD]-dragging to move an automation segment now limits movement to only be up and down (and not move in time)
Layered editing of audio tracks no longer allows resizing the lanes when the auto-size mode is on (it was too easy to do this accidentally)
General modulator mapping improvements:
When setting a modulation range of a linear parameter, the unit will be shown while mapping
When setting a modulation range of a logarithmic parameter (such as the Rate scaler for the LFO modulator or Grid module), positive modulations will be shown with × and negative modulations with ÷, since the modulations are multiplicative of the current setting
When setting a modulation range of a cubic parameter (such as any envelope time setting, or module attenuator, etc. etc.), the modulation shows the maximum modulation value based on the parameter's current set value, along with an asterisk (*) since changing the set value will change the effective modulation range
When mousing over a modulator source that is assigned to only one destination, the window footer now tells you the one destination it is assigned to
Updated Grid module revision: Comb (Filter) now sets negative feedback to the same cutoff frequency/delay time as positive feedback
Delay-1, Delay-2, and Delay-4 devices:
Latency compensation is now done within the feedback loop [28736]
Now does a precise computation of delay times (for less drift)
Increased the delay buffer when sample rates are high
Note: These improvements may lead to slightly different (read: more accurate) sounds
Actions that controlled transport playback state (such as pressing SPACEBAR) can now be invoked while adjusting a parameter via mouse or touch [28638]
Exiting a text-editing action with the [ESC] key is now decided on a case-by-case basis
Re-organized Bitwig device categories:
New Distortion category (replacing Destruction, with all devices moving there)
New Modulation category (with Chorus+, Chorus, Flanger+, Flanger, Phaser+, Phaser, Rotary, and Tremolo moving there)
Comb is now in the Filter category
Plug-in categories work similarly for display
Support for 64-bit floating point WAV files
Added support for compressed WAV files (such as those not in PCM or float formats) [8604][21352]
Added button to stop an active trial phase [28446]

Fixes

Substantial memory optimizations for projects with a large number of tracks and/or scenes [28390]
Launcher Clip Loop button would perform inconsistently when switched during playback [28676]
First kick in looping clip launcher clip louder than other clips if there's a note following behind the loop [28066]
Clip Launcher clips could drift out of time with arrangement loop active [28607]
Sliding clip content no longer affects track automation [28425]
Reversing a clip no longer affects track automation [28428]
Audio events could get inserted into the same clip when moving a multiselection in layered audio editor [28339]
Dropping an audio time selection while holding ALT (to copy) could shorten existing events [28791]
Onsets weren't being analyzed for a sample dragged out of a multisample [28824]
Recording of polyphonic pressure was not accurate [28346]
Wrong loop region length could happen after consolidating a clip with an odd time signature [28347]
Edit View was not always showing existing automation when switching lanes [28750]
Inconsistent "meta clip" (on group tracks) selection behavior [28296]
FX Tracks: Option to Group is no longer in the context menu [28672]
When loading a sample file that results in an error, the loading task could appear hung, spinning indefinitely
8-bit WAV files had an incorrect DC offset
8-bit WAV files (that did not contain an even number of samples) could click
32-bit float WAV files could be clipped on import [28338]
192 kHz audio playback had sync issues [28486]
192 kHz sample rate: Stretch modes lead to timing issues [28637]
Some corrupt WAV files weren't loading [26961]
Fixed a crash when reading FLAC metadata from invalid files [28840]
Inappropriately compressed multisample files (e.g. created by Moss conversion tool) weren't being loaded anymore [28818]
Imported tempo automation from MIDI file could be inaccurate [28520]
MIDI files that contained only CC automation could not be imported [28572]
Importing an invalid MIDI file could break the Bitwig project [28513]
ALS Import: Pitch Bend and other MIDI CCs weren't getting imported [26673]
Humanize (Note FX) device: Was sometimes causing performance issues, visual slowdowns [27061]
Tool device, etc.: Had a tiny gain boost (+0.0014 dB), now removed
FX Layer device:
Solo state was not remembered when reloading a project [28553]
Dragging a layer out onto an audio track was converting it to an instrument track and Instrument Layer [28410]
Poly Grid device: Spikes were happening when clicking on a note in the note editor [28551]
Drum machine device: Was crashing when inserting the device, selecting a pad in the mixer view, and then undoing [25578]
Note FX Layer device: Notes were not playing correctly after transposing them in different layers [28479]
Note FX Selector device: Fixed a rare crash [28517]
AD, AR, ADSR Grid/Polymer modules & Note Out Grid module: Wouldn't always trigger on sub-sample gate signals
Note Out (I/O) Grid module, friend of Note Grid, etc.:
Sending a note on with velocity of 0 % now creates a note (the same as with Bitwig's note events); now only negative velocity values will fail to produce a note with Note Grid, etc. [27984]
Routing an envelope signal to the Gain In port expression was creating a pop [28618]
Properly clips note expressions
Plug-in Suspend mode: post FX chain was going silent too early [28808]
Plug-ins: The plug-in window sometimes wasn't closing after deleting the plug-in device
Shortcut added for Toggle Metronome was not working when a VST window was in focus [28257]
VST: MPE pitch bend input was broken [28546]
VST plug-ins: Notes with velocities below 0.39% were not being sent to plug-ins anymore [28610]
VST plug-ins: MPE expressions are now properly clipped [28477]
VST3: Was only showing the sidechain routing if the plug-in's only input bus is an auxiliary input
VST3: Note expressions output from plug-ins are now forwarded to the device chain
Fixed engine crash when manipulation strings contains less common unicode character such as:
Crash when changing cursor device from some controllers when there was no track selected [28525]
Rare crash when invoking shortcut that was assigned to a controller button [27751]
Controller API: Fixed an invalid error and controller 'freeze' when adding a binding from a button to track mute button [28960]
Controller API: Crash when zooming with no project open [28753]
macOS: Avoid excessive logging when the os_workgroup fails
Strange situations could lead to an erroneous error ("At least two warp markers needed for warping") when previewing a file in the Browser Panel [28819]
Infinite recursion in module graph led to an app hang for one (1) project [28927]

[_leras]

That's what they've put out in the past 12 months. It's quite a lot.

You can see for yourself here at any time:
https://www.bitwig.com/previous_releases/

[musikarldererste]

That's what they've put out in the past 12 months. It's quite a lot.

You can see for yourself here at any time:
https://www.bitwig.com/previous_releases/

blah blah ; make it not better
its over for them , siiting this out is not a solution

there are so many daws, im done with bitwig
good luck ihr zahlschweine

[kultschar]

Whats that got to do with them breaking current terms / agreement?

[BazJacuzzi]

On the plus side, at least we're mostly arguing with each other now and leaving Bitwig alone.

[RichN]

But you make up assumptions. We actually don't know who made this and I personally don't care.
They already wrote an article on bitwig.com that core features will be implemented within the update plan and add-on's will be separate.
Would you rather pay more money for the upgrade plan to keep Bitwig financial stable?

I do care who developed those devices, and I'm not going to explain why. Because several people in this thread already made perfectly clear why this is relevant for all Bitwig users.

That article in the FAQ? The only thing that's telling me, is that they are not going to back down. And so far they haven't done anything to explain why they are doing this, even while the backlash has been overwhelming. Oh, and that text in the FAQ is so vague (probably lawyer approved... yeah, that's an assumption) that they have a total carte blanche in deciding which future tools they are going to charge extra for.

I'm totally not opposed to a price increase in the update plan, if that's what's needed to keep the company alive (well, was... because at the moment I don't care one way or another). You know that this isn't, and has never been, about money, don't you?

[steff3]

4.3.9 changelog says new features are (excluding addons what they called not an part of Bitwig):

-There is now a Japanese translation of the Bitwig Studio v4.3.0 manual
-Device context menus have be reorganized so that device-specific entries come near the top of the list (for example, the Spectrum Displays setting for three of the Spectral devices)

So only two changes and one of them is actually updating also these Addons that are not part of Bitwig. So it is definitely part of it, not an "Addon".

Well, it is version 4.3.9 - it is obviously an update to bitwig studio .... When Reason Studios releases a player or fx / instrument RE they do not need to update reason, if Steinberg releases a new VST or update to an VST, update to SpectraLayers, Dorico, etc. they do not need to update Cubendo ....
It it obvious what it is - version 4.3.9 - an update to BWS ...

It is a mess - in terms of product strategy, in terms of argumentation, wording, communication ...