switch from bitwig to another daw

[FapFilter]

yes, some might not be included in the edition you had initially purchased, but as far as i know, you can/could upgrade to one of the higher/pricier versions for a one time fee and have everything included. especially in the Platinum version (or whatever it was called)
but still, even the basic version got constant updates, one even so big that some people in the Reaper forum have been vocal for years now, that Reaper should be getting something like FL's Patcher (which is included even in the basic edition)

[FapFilter]

Just FYI: All these agreements are subject to change. They have to be, if one day they find out that it doesn't apply to existing or future laws. Or they simply find out that it's not something which works for them to make a living.

of course. and it would even be understandably, if they were communicating this in advance, but no:
until now, they were promising that people who pay their annual (imo already extremely high fee), will get every upgrade for their DAW within the next 12 months.
and now, in all of a sudden, when some of the most loyal customers have been paying that fee in the believe they will be getting every upgrade to their DAW, they suddenly come up with: "hey, this does not fall into the DAW upgrade category anymore"

so: what can people expect from now on, when they pay for additional DAW upgrades?
Paid upgrades that make you eligible to use separately sold new paid add ons?

[dellboy]

As a non Bitwig user the solution to this problem seems very simple and obvious. All current contracts should be honored by giving each current license owner the spectral thingy for free, and any new gadgets that come out during there current contract period. And Bitwig should send an email to all current contract license holders informing them of the change to there new terms and conditions. People can then decide if they want to renew the contract or not. It will then all blow over and peace will be restored.

[xbitz]

^^^ it's not so simple

Spectral Suite
Unlock your audio and process the musical elements of any sound.
...
Requires a Bitwig Studio 4.3 license or above.

https://www.bitwig.com/buy/

addons depend on BWS frameworks the next one will depend on 4.4 or 4.5 etc., this is the hidden catch or the root of the evil, which has built top of "Gear Acquisition Syndrome, also known as GAS, is commonly understood as the musicians' unrelenting urge to buy and own instruments and equipment as an anticipated catalyst of creative energy and bringer of happiness."

Bitwig guys try to put the users into an endless paying loop... similarly to Reason and RE devices*, users will be chained to BWS ecosystem at the end (I think won't be add-ons second market, but it should be confirmed by somebody)

*Propellerheads has solved it(the portability) with ReasonRack... so don't want to blame them I love their product(and AFAIK RE devices can be used in any Reason version from dunno)

[atya]

Just use Bitwig. It's very nice to use.

For me, and what I do, there is nothing else like Bitwig

Same here. Highly intuitive and inspiring sort of sound lab (DAW, instrument, whatever) - couldn't be happier (after many years with Ableton and reaper (still great but Bitwig resonates more with my vibes)).
BTW, I paid $99 for my last yearly upgrade at Best Service last November, not the 169€ Bitwig are asking.

[atya]

Bitwig guys try to put the users into an endless paying loop... similarly to Reason and RE devices*, users will be chained to BWS ecosystem at the end (I think won't be add-ons second market, but it should be confirmed by somebody)

I'm OK with Bitwig's sort of upgrade plan. It's up to any user to upgrade if and or when s/he feels the need to do so. Before I'll activate my unused upgrade license for any new features I make sure that I know the freakin' manual from the inside out and have mastered the tons of features that are already there. On top of that I found the folks at Bitwig pretty helpful whenever I had a technical question; I wish I could say the same about some other companies.

[musikarldererste]

Bitwig guys try to put the users into an endless paying loop... similarly to Reason and RE devices*, users will be chained to BWS ecosystem at the end (I think won't be add-ons second market, but it should be confirmed by somebody)

I'm OK with Bitwig's sort of upgrade plan. It's up to any user to upgrade if and or when s/he feels the need to do so. Before I'll activate my unused upgrade license for any new features I make sure that I know the freakin' manual from the inside out and have mastered the tons of features that are already there. On top of that I found the folks at Bitwig pretty helpful whenever I had a technical question; I wish I could say the same about some other companies.

please dont call it bitwig
call it paywig

[atya]

Bitwig guys try to put the users into an endless paying loop... similarly to Reason and RE devices*, users will be chained to BWS ecosystem at the end (I think won't be add-ons second market, but it should be confirmed by somebody)

I'm OK with Bitwig's sort of upgrade plan. It's up to any user to upgrade if and or when s/he feels the need to do so. Before I'll activate my unused upgrade license for any new features I make sure that I know the freakin' manual from the inside out and have mastered the tons of features that are already there. On top of that I found the folks at Bitwig pretty helpful whenever I had a technical question; I wish I could say the same about some other companies.

please dont call it bitwig
call it paywig

Like in paybleton?

[apoclypse]

As a non Bitwig user the solution to this problem seems very simple and obvious. All current contracts should be honored by giving each current license owner the spectral thingy for free, and any new gadgets that come out during there current contract period. And Bitwig should send an email to all current contract license holders informing them of the change to there new terms and conditions. People can then decide if they want to renew the contract or not. It will then all blow over and peace will be restored.

What would be even better is if Bitwig doesn't nag users to update to the latest version of Bitwig every time you open the darn thing or better yet give users the option to turn that crap off. If I want to update I can do it on my own. Ableton doesn't do that crap, it silently updates in the background and all licensed content are separate downloads from the main package that you have to actively install. I don't know of any other DAW that does that. Studio One only has a small green banner in the start page when an update is available and any licensed content can be installed by the user manually if they want. Why they thought rolling that into the package was a good idea is beyond me. It's apparently fixed now (they released 4.3.10) but it was a stupid move and daresay outright predatory.

I don't care I they sell add-ons but to nag users to update to only nag them that their version Bitwig doesn't have the right license to install all the content is not great.

[simmo75]

Super fans still defending dirty business ethics…

So weird.

[D-Fusion]

Super fans still defending dirty business ethics…

So weird.

Let them have their WEF Moment and ignore them

[flori89]

Image Line does exactly what Bitwig is doing now. Charge existing customers for new instruments and FX which is fine. The issue is that Bitwig is changing the agreement retroactively which is not okay.

Sorry to interject here on behalf of FL Studio, but no they absolutely don't do the same thing. Because FL Studio doesn't require an update fee, you get all updates to FL Studio for free. And they have been keeping that promise for 24 years, so it's kind of unlikely they'll start breaking that promise now.

FL Studio doesn't include new effects or instruments in its updates. So the current Bitwig add-on/update would not have been offered for free in FL Studio.

That is correct, FL Studio creates plugins and sells them as add-ons. They are still far from doing the same thing though because they aren't charging a subscription fee for the core product.

So if Bitwig would have changed the model to "there is no more upgrade fee, you will get updates to the core, but less than before and add-ons will cost money now" they would be doing exactly the same as IL. But they aren't, they intend to keep the fee and charge extra based on non-disclosed criteria.

That still would have caused a stir, but probably a very different one than right now. I just want to point out that as long as they charge money for updates to the core product, they aren't doing the same thing as IL.

The distinction is important, because in the case of FL Studio you can argue that you bought it at face value and everything you get afterwards is a bonus, so there is really not much ground for complaints.

That argument falls flat for Bitwig because you paid them a significant amount of money as a "subscription fee" (making it a very expensive DAW) and therefore have every right to expect them to fulfil their (former) promise of delivering "every software update".

[Bieks]

Tbh, y'all are so incredibly mad over having to pay money for like the actual sickest mixing/sound design plugins I have seen in a hot minute. 80 for the four of them is an actual steal, and value for money that you won't even get anywhere else.

It is a bit of a disappointing move though, they definitely should've planned it better. Hope they learn from this, but in like 3 weeks nobody will still care.

[chk071]

Super fans still defending dirty business ethics…

So weird.

I think it's weirder that some project their own viewpoints onto others, and think that everyone has to think their way.

I also think that it's weird to talk about "dirty business ethics" in a business which is mainly driven by passion. Trust me, if you want to make the big bucks, the audio software business is one of the least attractive ones.

Especially true for Bitwig. They're not really big.

[simmo75]

Super fans still defending dirty business ethics…

So weird.

I think it's weirder that some project their own viewpoints onto others, and think that everyone has to think their way.

I also think that it's weird to talk about "dirty business ethics" in a business which is mainly driven by passion. Trust me, if you want to make the big bucks, the audio software business is one of the least attractive ones.

Especially true for Bitwig. They're not really big.

No, they’re not big at all, and have lost a lot of love from people for their ‘passionate’ business decision.