Intro to Controller Scripting - Bitwig Studio 1.0.x

[ThomasHelzle]

For everyone who doesn't really understand how significant a difference per Note control and support for the new generation of Controllers makes, I recommend this video.
Roger Linn shows the LinnStrument and most of the other contenders:


This video with the Haken Continuum is worth looking at on it's own:

The sound played is based on one 100 millisecond sample...

Most of what I personally don't like about Synths has to do with missing playability and modulations...
I don't really think we need as much innovation in synths as we do need them in expressive playability...
And a lot of it has to be per note to finally get out of that static feel.

Bitwig Studio has the means, but doesn't connect the dots so far.

Tracktion 5.3 now has Poly AT and supports the per-Channel system for X/Y/Z/Width Controllers like the seaboard...

Cheers,

Tom

[pdxindy]

Most of what I personally don't like about Synths has to do with missing playability and modulations...
I don't really think we need as much innovation in synths as we do need them in expressive playability...
And a lot of it has to be per note to finally get out of that static feel.

Bitwig Studio has the means, but doesn't connect the dots so far.

Tracktion 5.3 now has Poly AT and supports the per-Channel system for X/Y/Z/Width Controllers like the seaboard...

Cheers,

Tom

I haven't used Tracktion in years, but since it now has PolyAT support, I upgraded to version 5. For $30 I am fine taking the chance I will find it useful.

[Protheon]

I could not find any script for my M-Audio Oxygen 49 (want to use the transport buttons etc.), so I downloaded the script for the Oxygen 25 from here for testing purposes:
https://github.com/Normalised/bitwig-co ... er/M-Audio

I put the .js file into the /resources/controllers/generic (Windows 8 64 bit) folder, but the Oxygen does not show up:



There are .html files for all default controllers in this folder, too, but I don't have one for my Oxygen 49, is that the reason for not showing up in the settings?

Or did I miss anything else?

[ThomasHelzle]

Did you restart Bitwig Studio? If you put the Scripts in the User Directory, it doesn't refresh automatically (known Bug/missing Feature).
Other things to check: Did you by accident put it in the folder of an old installation or did you update in the meantime? So far BWS installed in a new directory each time, so if you had the script in the installation directory, you needed to move the scripts each time.
If you have it in the user directory (...Documents\Bitwig Studio\Controller Scripts\...) it should work fine.

Otherwise: Try to download from here:
https://github.com/Normalised/bitwig-control-scripts
There is a button "Download ZIP" on the right.
Extract the contents of the Zip to your controller directory and try again. It should show up in an M-Audio Menu in BWS, not in the Generic Menu.

I can see it here (but I don't have the Controller).

Cheers,

Tom

[Protheon]

Hi Tom,
I first put the script in the folder underneath the installation directory like described in the initial post

After I moved it in my documents folder I can select it from the settings now, that's fine.
Unfortunately (and predictable somehow) this script does not work for my Oxygen 49... so any further help is appreciated.
Thanks so far.

[ThomasHelzle]

Basically you would have to find out what's different with your controller from the original and implement those changes...

I would actually love to help, but I would need some support from Bitwig to do so.

I think I write Volker a mail

Cheers,

Tom

[Protheon]

Whoever Volker is, thank you so far - looking forward to a solution...

[ThomasHelzle]

Volker is one of the Developers.

Cheers,

Tom

[Protheon]

Don't know if this has already been addressed anywhere, but life would be much easier when MIDI controllers could be assigned to the transport section buttons, too...

[krsn]

hi again,

just thought i'd repost that here, since the structure of this forum is a little bit weird... i mean since there's no stucture at all and i'm afraid people don't read everything everywhere. at least, that's what i did until i bumped into this sticky. so i humbly ask you all to forgive my almost spamming about that in advance...

(yes, i confess, i'm a little stupid when it comes to think about messing around with coding and scripting regarding softwares that i'm primarily using for my own pleasure or use. my bad, i've got no programing or computering experience, i'm a simple user. in fact i don't know a thing about that, but i'm always willing to try to learn some basics, if it's just to settle a minor adjustment. anyway... )

so, what i'm here for, again, is to ask if anyone is having trouble making the launchpad mini working with bws on linux (ubuntu, 12.04 or 14.04). instinctively i thought that maybe simply selecting the "novation/launchpad" in the controllers' pannel would make the go, but it didn't really. in fact it did for the first moments after the first install, but when i shut everything down and restarted, i got no reaction whatsoever.

i was thus wondering: would there be a way to modify the launchpad script to make it adaptable to the mini? after a little reading about compatibility issues in other music forums it seems that the "launchpad family" have a lot in common. maybe in the case of bws it just needs a tiiiiiiny liiiiiiiiittle scripting modification and everything would work just fine...

ok, after that i'll just keep quiet. but when you're getting prepared to spend 400 bucks to buy a long-time waited soft that is still in the development phase, you have these kinds of nervous moments...

thx

[Logictree]

Is there a way to jump to next/previous cue marker?
Rewind/Fast Forward jumps one measure only. It is too slow.

Never mind. I found the answer. The API is not available yet. Check the Script for nanoKNOTROL2:

mixerPage.prevMarkerButton = function()
{
// transport.previousMarker(); // activate when it exists in the API
};
mixerPage.nextMarkerButton = function()
{
// transport.nextMarker(); // activate when it exists in the API
};

[tsbrim]

I am trying to get MidiDesigner ( http://mididesigner.com/ ) to work for transport. Shouldn't I be able to add transport buttons and get them to work in BWS? I know MidiDesigner is working because all other sliders and knobs that I add to it are able to be picked up in BWS, but for some reason the transport controls do not.

Anyone using MidiDesigner?

[ThomasHelzle]

Yeah, the way Bitwig Studio handles everything except CCs and Notes is a bit more involved.

I'm currently thinking about creating a generic script that makes all those things mappable in a predefined way. That is, you would need to use certain values for your controls in - for instance - mididesigner (but it should work in Lemur and other similar tools too) that are pre-defined in that script.

Can't say if and when that will happen yet. I'll hopefully know more by the end of the week.

Until then, your only hope is to dig deeper into the API and check out some of the existing scripts to see how it's done.

Cheers,

Tom

[tsbrim]

I'm currently thinking about creating a generic script that makes all those things mappable in a predefined way...

Good idea..

Can't say if and when that will happen yet. I'll hopefully know more by the end of the week.

Until then, your only hope is to dig deeper into the API and check out some of the existing scripts to see how it's done.

Will do, see what I can figure out. I am a live keyboard player and I am using Bitwig as a live host for my piano's, pads, and whatnots along with a backup drums (loops triggering NI's Studio Drummer).

Another thing that would be nice for me is a way to send defined tempo changes via MidiDesigner. One way I could do tempo changes is via master clips with tempo automation, but I can't seem to find a way to get my Novation Launchpad Mini to trigger master clips.

On another note, Tom, I thank you for your dedication to Bitwig and the help you have been to many people.

[ThomasHelzle]

You are welcome

In theory you can simply midi-learn (rightclick...) tempo. You could create buttons in Midi Designer that send a certain value then. But it is very unprecise with standard Midi (0-127 mapped to 20-666. Otherwise you would again need to script something and set the precise values in reaction to some specific command.

I'll try to find out more.

Cheers,

Tom