Ableton Live vs Bitwig

[sQeetz]

damn

[apoclypse]

I prefer Bitwig. It just fits my brain better due to how close to other DAWs it is in basic design. The arranger is where I live most of the time and its so much better in Bitwig than Ableton imo. Overall I feel like devices in Ableton are better but the modulations in Bitwig are just so damn impressive. The browser imo is the best browser of any DAW I own. Fuzzy search, tagging, collections, smart collections etc. It's all there and very easy to use and navigate even if a little messy looking.

It is annoying however that they focus solely on gadgets and sound design toys than things like the Piano Roll, audio editing, or only seem to half implement features. That being said their philosophy in-terms if how devices should be designed, or should work is pretty interesting.

Ableton is great. Very no frill in-terms of design. Dead simple to use once you "get it".

What I hate the most about Live is that you have to klick on a tiny knob to open a plugin. Why?

Same for Bitwig but at least its a little window icon that has a nicer hit target. But yeah this is super annoying in both. Due to how they design those interfaces I'm not sure how they would address that though. In general I hate floating windows but its pretty inescapable when you are using plugins in a DAW.

[pdxindy]

What I hate the most about Live is that you have to klick on a tiny knob to open a plugin. Why?

You mean to open the plugin GUI? Isn't there a key command for that?

[liquidsound]

What I hate the most about Live is that you have to klick on a tiny knob to open a plugin. Why?

You mean to open the plugin GUI? Isn't there a key command for that?

No but you can Edit the Key Map for each plugin, and it works without the need to have the focus on the plugin itself.
You can be working on an audio track, and you can press the desired Plugin key, and it will open regardless on with track is located. Neat but a PITA for quick music ideas.

It's good for Templates though...

[machinesworking]

I prefer Bitwig. It just fits my brain better due to how close to other DAWs it is in basic design. The arranger is where I live most of the time and its so much better in Bitwig than Ableton imo. Overall I feel like devices in Ableton are better but the modulations in Bitwig are just so damn impressive. The browser imo is the best browser of any DAW I own. Fuzzy search, tagging, collections, smart collections etc. It's all there and very easy to use and navigate even if a little messy looking.

It is annoying however that they focus solely on gadgets and sound design toys than things like the Piano Roll, audio editing, or only seem to half implement features. That being said their philosophy in-terms if how devices should be designed, or should work is pretty interesting.

Ableton is great. Very no frill in-terms of design. Dead simple to use once you "get it".

What I hate the most about Live is that you have to klick on a tiny knob to open a plugin. Why?

Same for Bitwig but at least its a little window icon that has a nicer hit target. But yeah this is super annoying in both. Due to how they design those interfaces I'm not sure how they would address that though. In general I hate floating windows but its pretty inescapable when you are using plugins in a DAW.

The key command v will open the current selected plug in window in Bitwig. From my own experience it seems to be the same as Live in that you have to initially do it in a project, in Live I’m pretty sure it’s plug in specific though, as in every plug in you want to use Lives open instrument command for, you have to first select and open the instrument plug in at least once. With Bitwig it seems to be per project.

[pdxindy]

The key command v will open the current selected plug in window in Bitwig.

Is v default? I don't remember. I have Shift-T for toggling device window, but I likely set it myself.

[pdxindy]

No but you can Edit the Key Map for each plugin, and it works without the need to have the focus on the plugin itself.
You can be working on an audio track, and you can press the desired Plugin key, and it will open regardless on with track is located. Neat but a PITA for quick music ideas.

It's good for Templates though...

You can map it like that in Bitwig too. But there is a key command that opens selected device.

[liquidsound]

No but you can Edit the Key Map for each plugin, and it works without the need to have the focus on the plugin itself.
You can be working on an audio track, and you can press the desired Plugin key, and it will open regardless on with track is located. Neat but a PITA for quick music ideas.

It's good for Templates though...

You can map it like that in Bitwig too. But there is a key command that opens selected device.

I know, Live has a limitation in that respect
I have pretty comprehensive templates, but I usually just fire up and go with the mood.

[pdxindy]

I know, Live has a limitation in that respect
I have pretty comprehensive templates, but I usually just fire up and go with the mood.

I try to avoid opening plugin GUI's where I can.

For simpler plugins, I map the parameters to macros. For example, Valhalla Plate and Supermassive. I don't need to open the GUI. When you save plugin state as default in Bitwig, it includes stuff like whether the macros are open or not.

What it does not include is whether the plugin GUI is open. I wish it did. I would save Valhalla Plate with the GUI closed because I never need it.

[liquidsound]

I need to start using Bitwig more often...
My needs are simple for instruments: Omni-Serum-Hive-Vital for my usual initial canvas.
I need to start setting up shortcuts in BWS and defaults.

Maybe getting more serious and involved in BW 'music making' and not just experimenting...

Life's short!

[machinesworking]

The key command v will open the current selected plug in window in Bitwig.

Is v default? I don't remember. I have Shift-T for toggling device window, but I likely set it myself.

v is default, one area where Bitwig absolutely kills the rest is the initial key commands to learn are super natural, it used to bother me that you need to double click on them sometimes to focus the window then fire the command, but it's trivial at best. One odd thing though is all the double assigning of the same key commands, without basics like tracks sends assigned..

[Trancit]

The key command v will open the current selected plug in window in Bitwig.

Is v default? I don't remember. I have Shift-T for toggling device window, but I likely set it myself.

v is default, one area where Bitwig absolutely kills the rest is the initial key commands to learn are super natural, it used to bother me that you need to double click on them sometimes to focus the window then fire the command, but it's trivial at best. One odd thing though is all the double assigning of the same key commands, without basics like tracks sends assigned..

This isn´t true... by default the command isn´t mapped!
I just looked in a fresh installation with having had no Bitwig information in the settings folder at all!

[machinesworking]

The key command v will open the current selected plug in window in Bitwig.

Is v default? I don't remember. I have Shift-T for toggling device window, but I likely set it myself.

v is default, one area where Bitwig absolutely kills the rest is the initial key commands to learn are super natural, it used to bother me that you need to double click on them sometimes to focus the window then fire the command, but it's trivial at best. One odd thing though is all the double assigning of the same key commands, without basics like tracks sends assigned..

This isn´t true... by default the command isn´t mapped!
I just looked in a fresh installation with having had no Bitwig information in the settings folder at all!

Here I do not recall setting the command, it's "Toggle Primary Device Window", not "Toggle Device Window". I might have set it myself but it works great. v for VST since before CLAP Bitwig could only host VST.

[FakeNatty]

Sold bitwig to fund ableton suite.

Ableton is what I need to use, Bitwig is what I want to have. But I can't afford both, so I sacrificed one to get the other.

Both are a very capable DAWs, can't go wrong with either. I like both, no preference. Ableton has uglier and slower, less fun but much more powerful Max for Live to use. Also can't afford sample libraries so Ableton helps with that. Bitwig has a simpler (though slightly less powerful), more streamline workflow but doesn't have the things I need that Ableton offers. Despite being ultimately ever-so-slightly less powerful, I still want Bitwig.

If have money, I prefer BOTH. I still want Bitwig, but when that add-on thing was going on, I had to sell it early to fund Ableton in case Bitwig's market value dips even more. Had bitwig kept that paid add-on, I would have wanted to get Bitwig later nonetheless.

So, right now, Ableton more helpful to me. But long term, I need Bitwig too.

[pdxindy]

Here I do not recall setting the command, it's "Toggle Primary Device Window", not "Toggle Device Window". I might have set it myself but it works great. v for VST since before CLAP Bitwig could only host VST.

Toggle Primary Device Window is unassigned by default.