FR: Remember vertical zoom in piano roll

[Hanz Meyzer]

Well, I think the devs are blind for these kind of problems, they are too much used to Bitwig like it is now or so and unconsciously workaround these problems already...

So I don't have any hope this will be fixed at all.

[Scoox]

Also please add "Remember horizontal scroll position in dsp lane"...! This one annoys me even more... Even Renoise has it. And Ableton of course, too.

and

Yes it 100% needs to remember this stuff.

And after you record midi into new clip it should be clever enough to display that new midi nicely when first entering the new clip - rather than showing a blank unused area then having to 'hunt' around for the note data.

I've added this great suggestions to my big file of Bitwig niggles that Bitwig have a link to (whether they'll look at it or not is anybody's guess):

2021-06-02 (Credit: Hanz Meyzer): Remember device panel scroll position when switching track focus. Automatically forget/reset device panel scroll positions (i.e. scroll all the way to the left) on project load.

2021-06-02 (Credit: askewd): After recording MIDI into new clip, auto-adjust vertical and horizontal zoom to display all recorded notes when first editing the new clip, rather than showing part or even none of the recorded notes (this is what happens ATM), then having to manually hunt around for the recorded material. On editing the clip a second time, remember zoom and scroll (see next suggestion).

2021-06-02: Remember zoom and scroll position in piano roll for each clip individually, like in Albeton Live. This saves a ton of time because you don't have to hunt around looking for the area you were working on every time you open the piano roll. Reset zoom and scroll level for all clips on project load i.e. act as if all clips were being edited for the first time, see previous point.

[Aikido123]

And for those who can't figure out how to vertical zoom in the midi editor, you press the middle mouse button and slide horizontally to zoom vertically. So intuitive.
Zoom to fit doesn't seem to zoom it vertically to fit.
Can't find any keyboard shortcuts to zoom vertically in midi editor either.
As other said, bitwig devs don't seem interested in these capabilities and behaviors. Just more gadgets.

[LarsDaniel]

But to me it seems that vertical zoom is remembered for each clip individually. They must have fixed that one.

[Zacchino]

Wow, Scoox’s Niggle List is amazing.

Of course some points are too abeltony… But a good majority of it is mandatory to make Bitwig a reliable tool.

With this list and Bitwish and all the support mail they received…

As a Business owner at least I’d be very, very thankful for all this work, and would publish a Timeline based on the most requested / votes requests. It’s simple yet mandatory user retention methodology, which is essential for cashflow. I donno, maybe am I missing something?

[Scoox]

Wow, Scoox’s Niggle List is amazing.

Of course some points are too abeltony… But a good majority of it is mandatory to make Bitwig a reliable tool.

With this list and Bitwish and all the support mail they received…

As a Business owner at least I’d be very, very thankful for all this work, and would publish a Timeline based on the most requested / votes requests. It’s simple yet mandatory user retention methodology, which is essential for cashflow. I donno, maybe am I missing something?

I have not revisited that list in months and I'm sure Bitwig devs have addressed some of those points, but many important points remain unaddressed. Interestingly, the vertical zoom thing that prompted me to start this thread seems to have been fixed. Interestingly because, when I search for "zoom" in the release notes, there is only one match and its something else.

I will at some point go through my list again and tidy it up a bit in a way that makes it easier to track what's been done and what remains to be done. It would be nice if BItwig had a bug tracker or a way to publicly discuss and vote on issues and FRs, just like Ableton and many other companies have. This, for me, is a major pet peeve. We are supposed to email our thoughts to support, they usually send an email back to acknowledge receipt and that's the last time we hear from them. I realise this is better than no feedback submission system at all, but it somehow leaves me with a feeling of hopelessness.

I ended up giving up on Bitwig altogether, just because they kept adding new super sophisticated complex features and modulators but never adding the one modulator everyone wants (the MSEG modulator) or fixing the niggles. I really don't see any point in implementing new fancy stuff that often can be done with third-party plugins if the existing core features still require attention. The introduction of paid extensions was the last straw for me, although I just read they backtracked on that so that at least lets me know Bitwig are committed to their users and the software. Overall this DAW lacks polish. Considering how unpopular Bitwig stacks up against Ableton, Logic or FL Studio, it would be in Bitwig's best interest to tie up all the loose ends to create a good first impression for anyone trying Bitwig for the first time. Anything that is inconsistent is an instant turn-off.

[pdxindy]

I ended up giving up on Bitwig altogether, just because they kept adding new super sophisticated complex features and modulators but never adding the one modulator everyone wants (the MSEG modulator) or fixing the niggles. I really don't see any point in implementing new fancy stuff that often can be done with third-party plugins if the existing core features still require attention.

Let's see about the claim that Bitwig is always adding modulators...

Between 4.0, 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3, Bitwig only added 2 new modulators. The Globals modulator which allows the user to do some project wide tasks (something frequently asked for) and the Channel-16 modulator which is super useful for working with midi channels. So 2 updates didn't even have 1 new modulator and the other 2 had 1 each.

During that time Bitwig also added Note Grid. Note Grid fulfills a lot of basic midi functionality that was missing from Bitwig. For example, if you want to convert CC#16 to say CC#1 it is now possible/easy. If you want to block CC#11 from going to a particular track... now possible/easy. To me this is important core functionality.

And what are the super sophisticated complex features you are talking about? In 4.2 and 4.3, Bitwig mainly focused on adding FX. Now Bitwig has added some excellent quality FX which addresses a common user complaint about fx quality. Maybe your issues have not been addressed yet, but that doesn't mean other users requests haven't.

In 4.3 Bitwig added sends to FX tracks... a useful core feature. 4.3 also added support for native FLAC files. That's useful and basic functionality. Likewise being able to add comments to tracks, layers, chains, etc., is basic useful stuff.

Bitwig has also revamped Mac trackpad gestures, added direct midi out per track (4.1), continued to add support for new controllers, language support, improved interactive help, new key commands, and dozens of various refinements to core stuff.

You make it sound like all Bitwig does is add esoteric features, and it's not true.

Anything that is inconsistent is an instant turn-off.

For you, yes... but not everyone. I like your list and will be pleased when some of the stuff on it is addressed. It's not the biggest priority for me though.

[docbot]

there are tons of little UI/UX hick ups like that makes using Bitwig a hassle for me. I wish they would care about UX more when it comes to how many clicks it takes to achieve something. I am back to Ableton and can't imagine coming back to Bitwig. It's the Software that's everything I want it to be on paper, but we just don't get along IRL.

[Kirkwood West]

Also deeper zoom %

[Yorrrrrr]

Is this implemented in Bitwig 6?

[tumface]

Nope. In fact, Bitwig 6 loses your zoom settings (and scroll/pan position) more than ever. Sometimes even when you're in the middle of interacting with the piano roll.

[chamania]

this costs so much time, terrible, almost as bad as the browser abomination