Trying to make the switch from cubase. Need some help with simple stuff

[Milkman]

Good stuff

Have you tried the gain and output in the HW instrument to boost things?

Yeh. The hw instruments with their own volume are all at max, and the one with analog gain has been staged at like 40% on the device and 30% analog gain on my interface. Sounds good. Some of the trouble for me was also the new 5.0 firmware for Microfreak -- it has this ultra stupid feature where EACH PRESET has its own embedded "preset volume", which can be as low as -12 or +12. Each preset is all over the place. No idea why Arturia did this. This fixed a lot of volume issues for me, and then I tweaked the rest.

So I think Ive got a lot of this figured out now, but I do struggle with a couple things.

1. every time I save my proj and quit bitwig, when I come back at least 1 of my synths is silent and not passing MIDI. All I have to do to fix it is to toggle the MIDI mapping in bitwig. So, for a device on channel 1, I switch to any other channel and then back again. Then it all starts working.

2. Its weird to have to create "generic MIDI controllers" from my keyboard synths to get them to play themselves. In cubase you create a MIDI track, assign your HW synth as output, your MIDI controller as input, connect it to an audio track, and you are playing, recording, making music. With Bitwig, I have to build a template with "generic MIDI keyboards" for my microKORG & microfreak or I would have to be stuck playing them with external controllers only.

3. I couldnt get maschine2 + my MK3 working right. Came close, and was recording MIDI notes and hearing sound, but not playing back properly, not hearing notes from bitwig's piano roll, etc. Ill probably find a guide online for "using maschine2 with bitwig".

And Ill have more over time. I am taking this 100% seriously and already have a simple little track coming together, and I am very excited to be finally learning a new DAW!!! Thank you for any and all tips and suggestions!

[Jac459]

...
And Ill have more over time. I am taking this 100% seriously and already have a simple little track coming together, and I am very excited to be finally learning a new DAW!!! Thank you for any and all tips and suggestions!

When you get time, you HAVE to play with the modulation system... This is really the bread and butter of Bitwig.
Take also some time to explore the integrated devices, in particular Polymer. I don't think there is anything particular with these devices compare to other DAWs except their awesome MPE implementation AND modulation features. In particular, play with the "Voice Stacking" feature, it is unison on steroids and a lot of fun...

Finally, if you have any U-He plugins (in particular Diva and Hive 2), you can download their clap version and enjoy a vastly more powerful version of these devices. In particular, all the Bitwig modulations that are monophonic for VST/VST3 become polyphonic. That's an awesome rabbit-hole...

Finally, if you have a LOOOOT of time, you can try the Grid... You have your own environment to create your own synth or effect or midi player (somehow similar to M4L). You can look at polarity YouTube channel. He demonstrates how to reproduce some famous VST plugins directly in the Grid for free...

[BobDog]

Good stuff

Have you tried the gain and output in the HW instrument to boost things?

Yeh. The hw instruments with their own volume are all at max, and the one with analog gain has been staged at like 40% on the device and 30% analog gain on my interface. Sounds good. Some of the trouble for me was also the new 5.0 firmware for Microfreak -- it has this ultra stupid feature where EACH PRESET has its own embedded "preset volume", which can be as low as -12 or +12. Each preset is all over the place. No idea why Arturia did this. This fixed a lot of volume issues for me, and then I tweaked the rest.

So I think Ive got a lot of this figured out now, but I do struggle with a couple things.

1. every time I save my proj and quit bitwig, when I come back at least 1 of my synths is silent and not passing MIDI. All I have to do to fix it is to toggle the MIDI mapping in bitwig. So, for a device on channel 1, I switch to any other channel and then back again. Then it all starts working.

That doesn't sound right at all, what version of BW are you using?

2. Its weird to have to create "generic MIDI controllers" from my keyboard synths to get them to play themselves. In cubase you create a MIDI track, assign your HW synth as output, your MIDI controller as input, connect it to an audio track, and you are playing, recording, making music. With Bitwig, I have to build a template with "generic MIDI keyboards" for my microKORG & microfreak or I would have to be stuck playing them with external controllers only.

The absolute worse thing about Bitwig for me.

3. I couldnt get maschine2 + my MK3 working right. Came close, and was recording MIDI notes and hearing sound, but not playing back properly, not hearing notes from bitwig's piano roll, etc. Ill probably find a guide online for "using maschine2 with bitwig".

And Ill have more over time. I am taking this 100% seriously and already have a simple little track coming together, and I am very excited to be finally learning a new DAW!!! Thank you for any and all tips and suggestions!

For maschine2 and Bitwig use the Wonderfull stuff from Moss: https://www.mossgrabers.de/Software/Bitwig/Bitwig.html

[strovoknights]

When operating Maschine from Bitwig, it is easier to handle if you create settings in both Maschine MK3 and Bitwig.
I have made a simple template for Maschine MK3 and Bitwig that you can use as a base and customize for your own use.

Edit:wrong bitwig template replaced
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gxq3jnkr5hvm ... eS93a?dl=0
（Use the Routings button in the Maschine Browser with it turned off）

--Play Maschine from the Bitwig piano roll.
--Manage 16 Maschine MIDI channels in one Bitwig track.
--Manage Maschine with 16 Maschine MIDI channels/16 Bitwig MIDI Tracks

[Milkman]

...
And Ill have more over time. I am taking this 100% seriously and already have a simple little track coming together, and I am very excited to be finally learning a new DAW!!! Thank you for any and all tips and suggestions!

When you get time, you HAVE to play with the modulation system... This is really the bread and butter of Bitwig.
Take also some time to explore the integrated devices, in particular Polymer. I don't think there is anything particular with these devices compare to other DAWs except their awesome MPE implementation AND modulation features. In particular, play with the "Voice Stacking" feature, it is unison on steroids and a lot of fun...

Finally, if you have any U-He plugins (in particular Diva and Hive 2), you can download their clap version and enjoy a vastly more powerful version of these devices. In particular, all the Bitwig modulations that are monophonic for VST/VST3 become polyphonic. That's an awesome rabbit-hole...

Finally, if you have a LOOOOT of time, you can try the Grid... You have your own environment to create your own synth or effect or midi player (somehow similar to M4L). You can look at polarity YouTube channel. He demonstrates how to reproduce some famous VST plugins directly in the Grid for free...

Thank you for that! Ive been reading about (and viewing components inside Bitwig) the modulation system and I cant wait to use this in a track!! I have Diva but not Hive2, and I do have a couple instruments and plugins that support CLAP!! As a long time Cubase user........ I cant wait to get more into CLAP lolol.

Not touching grid just yet, but I see what you mean. Its very powerful and offers SO much. I have to solve a few growing pains issues, and then I certainly will.

[Milkman]

When operating Maschine from Bitwig, it is easier to handle if you create settings in both Maschine MK3 and Bitwig.
I have made a simple template for Maschine MK3 and Bitwig that you can use as a base and customize for your own use.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gxq3jnkr5hvm ... eS93a?dl=0
（Use the Routings button in the Maschine Browser with it turned off）

--Play Maschine from the Bitwig piano roll.
--Manage 16 Maschine Tracks in one Bitwig track.
--Manage Maschine with 16 Maschine MIDI channels/16 Bitwig MIDI Tracks

That's great, thank you! I will take a look at the MK3 template. This is for the MK3 in MIDI mode, correct? Do you find its also easy to use maschine2 as a plugin in Bitwig, or do you prefer to use it in MIDI mode only?

By now, I have more complicated stuff going on inside my first Bitwig track, but I am still striking out with getting Maschine to record notes coming from my MK3 into Bitwig, arranger or clip. It just wont write notes, but I can use the pen to create notes in the project and play them back this way. I've made a post on the NI forums about this as well, and may just email Bitwig at some point. I have no trouble with maschine in Cubase and the routing seems that it would be similar.

Right now I cant even get any sounds playing from maschine2 / MK3 unless maschine is set for "drumkit mode", but its usually in "manual mode" for the other DAW. Im stuck right now without my maschine/MK3 inside Bitwig.

I've spent a LOT of time looking for guides on Bitwig 4 + Maschine2, but much of the content online is from 2015, 2018, etc, and not 2022-23 content. I feel like Im missing something.

[strovoknights]

In my thoughts, it is difficult to use Maschine as a plug-in from a DAW.
When I play with a Maschine controller, I record my performance into MaschineDAW and drag and drop it as a MIDI clip into Bitwig.

I have tried and tried to work with Maschine and Bitwig, but I use Maschine like a stand-alone machine and edit the details in Bitwig when necessary.

[Milkman]

Someone on the NI forums linked me this. I have just watched this entire video, and duplicated the configuration precisely.


So this works, but still doesnt let me record live.... and this method is very maximal. I continue to seek something more minimal, similar to how you can route maschine GROUPS to midi tracks in cubase. The guy who did this video is VERY thorough and explains everything, but its a long video.

The project above is very large and requires a lot of manual configuration, and the result is 16 MIDI tracks connected to each maschine SOUND, instead of GROUP, and it also builds a pitch shifter into the chain. This is very powerful and useful, but in cubase I am able to easily switch between these 2 methods and it requires FAR less manual work. I cant seem to get GROUP midi output directly into the Bitwig arranger, but I can now capture sounds on individual midi channels and Ive saved this as a template, so thats good.

Hopefully someone with lots of experience with Bitwig <--> Maschine sees this and understands what I mean about the more minimal routing method.

And... sadly, even after all the work I did above, copying the author's project, I *still* cannot record live midi notes into Bitwig from maschine/MK3. I can create patterns inside maschine and play them back, I can drag and drop them into Bitwig and play them, but I cannot record live, which is my primary focus here. This is very annoying. I'll give this until the end of my trial license (3 more weeks), and if I cant figure out how to record live from maschine, Ill be forced... back to effing cubase.

[strovoknights]

If you want to use the Maschine controller's MIDI mode for live recording, please install DrivenByMoss.
In DrivenByMoss's Pad mode is possible for MIDI recording with Bitwig.

viewtopic.php?t=502948

[Milkman]

If you want to use the Maschine controller's MIDI mode for live recording, please install DrivenByMoss.
In DrivenByMoss's Pad mode is possible for MIDI recording with Bitwig.

viewtopic.php?t=502948

Thank you. You are the second person to recommend Driven By Moss scripts, and I have just downloaded and installed his 19.2.2 scripts for Bitwig 4. (I dont have the beta 5 yet). Im reading through the docs right now, and will be loading that script into Bitwig and testing it in a few minutes.

Still, this seems bizarrely heavy and maximal for just getting midi notes into Bitwig from maschine during live jams. I feel like there is something I am missing. The Moss scripts are using the MK3 hardware in "dumb" MIDI mode, which removes the integration between Maschine and the MK3. I also understand this method of using the MK3 and have tested this inside cubase, but I was really hoping to take advantage of maschine's purpose-built integration.

If the bottom line is that Maschine CANNOT work inside Bitwig in plugin mode unless you switch your MK3 into MIDI mode and run 3rd party scripts, I am trying to determine that clearly so I can decide to buy a license or not. NI arent addressing my questions on their forum, so I am reaching out on every music production social media and contact I have to try to nail this down. Thank you for your replies!

[strovoknights]

DrivenByMoss is so useful in Bitwig that many people recommend its use.
However, if DrivenByMoss is too much work for you, you can use Bitwig's standard Maschine MK3 template for MIDI recording.
Settings--Add Controller--Native Instruments--Maschine MK3.

Both Bitwig and Cubase recognize the need to switch to MIDI mode when using Maschine as a controller.

[Milkman]

DrivenByMoss is so useful in Bitwig that many people recommend its use.
However, if DrivenByMoss is too much work for you, you can use Bitwig's standard Maschine MK3 template for MIDI recording.
Settings--Add Controller--Native Instruments--Maschine MK3.

Both Bitwig and Cubase recognize the need to switch to MIDI mode when using Maschine as a controller.

It isnt that its too much work to use these scripts and use my MK3 in MIDI mode, its that it shouldnt be this much trouble to simply record notes into Bitwig from Maschine as a standard VST plugin. I am a net/sysadmin/network engineer/live production support by trade, so complex software and hardware environments are my forte.

When I first ran Bitwig, I found Bitwig's own internal MK3 script, but this doesnt seem to work as a basic instrument track with normal routing. Not only that, but the documentation for this on Bitwig's site is very thin and skips right past specific routing.

I already tested this, including creating 2 instrument tracks where 1 track outputs MIDI notes to the other track, but this also doesnt work. If you have any info that shows how to use Bitwig's internal MK3 script to do this, that would be my most ideal way of handling this. I am willing to do whatever it takes to make this work, but in terms of spending $400 on Bitwig when I already have a functioning DAW with Cubase, I need to make sure this doesnt screw with my workflow or creative process.

[Milkman]

So Ive read the entire Driven By Moss documentation for his Maschine MK3 script, I have loaded that script via controller editor, and I am running Bitwig with this now.

I can see that Moss's scripts are designed for MIDI mode only, and that if you load maschine into the track it kicks the controller back into plugin mode. I am attempting to load libraries via maschine, then switch the MK3 back into MIDI mode for use with Moss's scripts, but I am struggling here. The commands to move the root octave up/down for drum pads isnt working and so all my drum sounds are super low lol.

Solved. I tend to solve things my own way, and Ive solved this. I deleted everything, unloaded the Driven By Moss scripts, went back to the basic MK3 script included with Bitwig. I created 2 instrument tracks: 1 track with maschine loaded into it, and a second track with its input connected to the output of track 1. I routed maschine similar to how I route it in cubase (manual key mode, octave shifted to C3, MIDI to notes, all sounds routed on the same MIDI channel, host set for in/out)

I have no idea why I need 2 "instrument" (MIDI) tracks to make this work, but this is working. Track 2 captures the MIDI data track 1 seems unable to, and track 1 plays back that MIDI after I move the part up to it. This isnt perfect, but it works.

Thank you for your comments all! In the end, the simple solution was found and it works.