Was Switching DAWs a Mistake?? Bitwig Vs. Cubase - 1 Year Later

[@HalfGodHalfBeast]

I believe we are at a bifurcation point with DAWs: half are focusing on creativity and experimentalism, while the other half are focusing on media composition. Both have a place. Cheers Dash :-)

[@connerogrady5035]

I use booooth haha

[@MrRichard1280]

Dude...I learned a new word today. "bifurcation". Are we supposed to be that educated as musicians?

[@younyounyoun.]

Learning from someone is always pleasing :) ​@@MrRichard1280 Education is a must ;) But don't forget to have fun learning!

[@GuyVignati]

I think exactly like that. In fact I would never leave Nuendo for Media Composition, but at the same time I’d love to make electronic music in Bitwig. It simply seems so great to tweak stuff

[@OdoSendaidokai]

I am the classic "switched from Ableton to Bitwig" User. In the beginning mostley because Bitwig is available for Linux, what I am using now for over 20 years. But in less than a week I really start loving Bitwig for their looking on things and how everything can be build up on everything. The pro side of it is you have a lot more control about detailed steps in your devices and at the same time this could be a contra because you have to know the steps. But even if you are a beginner here you can quicker learn how things are build and devices are working. In other daws there are some preconfigured fixed wirerings or black boxes, where you in Bitwig have to build it yourself. If ... there is no preset for that. And if your build it up yourself, you can save that preset even with external plugins. There are some drawbacks with UX and UI like you said, but I hope Bitwig will have that in the focus for the regular updates here and there. Because there are some things would ease up ones life massively reducing here and there some clicks and avoidable corrections or improve the usage. Thanks for your impression on that topic 🌻🌻

[@aevin_io]

I've switched to Bitwig about a week ago. When i discovered the Repeat Operator (among other things) i was blown away about how useful and easy it is. worth mentioning that the same is possible on midi notes too !

[@cosinussangoma4983]

so true Dash !! switched aswell from Cubase like 3years ago to Bitwig and never looked back since then

[@Emily_M81]

I used to do a trick with Synplant - Make all the notes different, play them all and record the audio, then chop it up and... yeah this is a lot easier of a workflow for that to throw it into a Sampler eventually. That Voice Stack thing was really nice and a reminder that people shouldn't always sleep on "stock plugins" because they can have a tighter integration with the DAW

[@AlexReidStudios]

For me other DAWs are DAWs were you use tools to make sound. Bitwig is more like the sound tool on itself. Dunno if that makes sense.

[@Byron101_]

yes. Bitwig is a nice tool for "random sounddesign" and "random EDM pattern based loop creations". I must say Bitwig is a tool for people who have too much time...

[@psyparadox]

Never just a straightforward answer with you guys is it 🤣

[@Petran892]

Second day on bitwig and I love it Cubase really is light years back in creative tools for electronic musicians. But I will keep Cubase for mastering, I feel cubase exceeds in pure mixing editing and mastering jobs.

[@DataBroth]

I used logic for over a decade I knew before I switched to bitwig that I would I had been aware of both BW and Live for some time, and many of the features in Live were ones I already knew I would benefit from the big one was audio sliding, which you do at 5:20 with alt, it's a feature I've always known I would use regularly bitwig took a lot of those things and stepped them up, but around 3.0 really seemed to break into new grounds it was never a question of "if" I would switch, but when I still use logic for certain types of editing, but never for mixing or songwriting anymore the decision to switch to BW instead of live was driven mostly by the modulation system and clip editing it's a really killer DAW for a particular style of music/editing

[@DashGlitch]

I totally agree, I was following BW since the beginning, but I feel like around v3-4 is when I really started to consider switching

[@PspiralifeTutorials]

my switch from logic for years to bitwig was a very similar story or justifictaion. I was using live in the middle, but bitwig3 and the grid changed everything.

[@lielfr]

Switched mostly to Bitwig as well, and your videos were one of the reasons I did so. Very happy with it, the only thing missing is ARA support, for which I'm still using Studio One

[@georobv]

I own neither of them but they both seem useful, and I actually considered going Cubase in the future to complement my other DAW. I'm using Fl and because you have such a freedom of using it I had a hard time trying other DAWs, since you are limited to basically one workflow. Even in the more popular DAW like Ableton (since I get serials with basically anything you buy these days), I can't stand even basic limitations like audio should go only to audio tracks and midi to midi tracks. Bitwig seems more similar to FL in terms of sound design, being able to go crazy with just the DAW itself and experiment indefinitely. I almost never leave comments but it's very inspiring what you show in your videos, using Bitwig. In FL I like that I can automate everything with anything, even math formulas, and that I can create my own sort of plugins in it from existing plugins. FL does have a send channel that you can insert it anywhere in a group, I just never thought something so simple can miss in other big DAW like Cubase. Anyway, the thing that made me curious about Cubase is the fact that Cubase (and Logic but it's Mac dependent) are way ahead of any other DAW in terms of working with synchronized videos, basically film scoring and such. I know it's a niche thing but whatever FL is missing, the same things seems to be missing in the other popular DAWs. It can be done but it's terrible, same as in Ableton, and from reading about, same as in Bitwig. Same as with ARA, although FL has it's own native melodyne and such. I guess every DAW is trying to fill a niche rather than doing everything.

[@ht3k]

You'll be happy to know the latest Bitwig integrates with Touch Designer now! For video synchronization

[@joman66]

I'm hardcore into Reaper but DAMN Bitwig does some super cool funky shit haha.

[@pnutbuttajellee1394]

I have only been using Bitwig for over a year now(came from Reason, old Cubase, Reaper), but never really went into the grid. I started learning Reaktor and there are still a lot of great ensembles and racks people are building, but I hope The Grid can become what Reaktor is with the large community behind it. Anyway my main point is you kind of just blew my mind with what seemed like basic tools in the grid can be turned into something very powerful and efficient

[@Byron101_]

I don´t like the sound of The Grid. It sounds like plastic.

[@CuriousPassenger]

If you place an Instrument Selector instance on an audio track and bounce audio clip (or even just time selection) in place, the Instrument Selector will be bypassed during playback. So it works kind of like offline processing. Automate the index + bouce in place = Bitwig's response to offline processing.

[@DashGlitch]

Indeed

[@larsomat2]

I never used Cubase, but when I see videos about the "offline processing" feature I tend to get a bit jealous. Sure, you can hack something in Bitwig, but in Cubase it seems to be so much simpler... I'd love to see that feature in Bitwig.

[@stackoverflow1985]

To me Bitwig is the BEST sequencer ever for electronic music, it is so modular and inspiring ! I love it!

[@richardjameswinter7642]

I first used cubase in 1991 on an Atari. I got Bitwig about 8 months ago just to give me inspiration and go in new directions. Cubase was always samey in a way, it wasn't an adventure anymore like Bitwig is.

[@cryptout]

I decided to switch a few weeks after you during my summer holidays. Now almost a year later I’m also convinced I made the right choice.

[@zakaroonetwork777]

You’re the Best, Keep’m Coming. Bigwig should put you on there Payroll.

[@OlafFinkbeiner]

Bitwig is not made for band life recording. You can but... Bitwig is more of an electronic instrument than any other saw I made the switch as I wanted an electronic music production environment. And no looking back

[@michaelsnowviolin]

Well, I've been using it for live recording my band. It took some trial and error to get it all set up to function the way I imagined, but now that I that template set up, it's been a joy to use. What don't you like about recording live with it?

[@scottbmiles]

I'll never be able to leave a traditional DAW because I do podcast producing, editing, and scoring too (Studio One!). I found you because of your Kilohearts tutorials--the tools I found to get access to modern music production features. But the more I watched your videos on Bitwig (and others), which lead to buying Bitwig, the more a two DAW workflow makes sense--sound design/music in Bitwig and S1 if it's for podcasting (and S1's mastering tools are outstanding, so maybe then too). My biggest question now is how much I'll use Kilohearts stuff! I had been focusing my learning on Kilohearts mainly to not have to commit between S1 and Bitwig (use KHS presets in both DAWs). But seems like I won't be doing much sound design and music production in S1 anymore...Regardless, thank you so much for the help; it's been invaluable.

[@MaximusWhyman]

If you mix or produce bands Bitwig isn’t optimal, Cubase, Studio, One, Reaper or Protools are much better options.

[@jeffreyhanc1711]

Longtime Studio One user here as well who has recently converted to Bitwig (last fall). The learning curve has been steep occasionally, but for production, arrangement and sound-design Bitwig is in another league entirely. Loving it! That said, I do miss the trad daw linearity of a S1 for mixing. Perhaps I just need some more time to acclimatize fully for, as Dash was saying, BW seems to offer all sorts of creative ways of solving problems once you really get good at it. .

[@NutButterOfficial]

I started with FL Studio back in 2017. Was really struggling hard with work flow right until I was met with Bitwig 2019 and it was worth an upgrade! 2023 and still use the DAW :)

[@muzy8768]

I guess everyone is different but Bitwig doesnt stand a chance against FL in my book.

[@shaboogen]

One of your best videos. EDIT: Also worth noting that Voice Stacks have been written into the CLAP spec so should be supported by third party synths that have implemented it correctly.

[@DashGlitch]

Wow, thanks! I did put extra effort into the bit of scripting and edits, so I really appreciate that!

[@BappinProductions]

Correct, I believe the new version u-he Filterscape, which is due out v.soon will be one of first third-party plugins to work with Voice Stacks in BWS.

[@shaboogen]

@@BappinProductions Surge XT should already supports it. Wouldn't be shocked if nakst's stuff does as well. Also somewhat sure that some of the U-He CLAP betas (Diva, Hive, Bazille) support it as well.

[@greggsonic]

A really fantastic episode with lots of new features and lots more to come. :)

[@jeffreyhanc1711]

Cool vid - thanks! And please make some vids demonstrating creative usages of the Note Grid. There’s really not much content here as most seem focused purely on the audio grid.

[@DashGlitch]

Check out my Turing machine, primitive sequencer and Rnadom memory video, those are my favs that apply to note grid, I've also got something exciting on the horizon!

[@jeffreyhanc1711]

@@DashGlitch great, will do!

[@aheendwhz1]

I think what Bitwig lacks the most is a bit refinement on some features. Like comping, as you said: Editing a clip and then selecting a different take will make you lose all your edits without any way to recover (other than "undo"). How do I get random sound clips into the comping view and align them? Also, comping is not possible for Midi recordings. Also, the layered editing is super nice, but limited by the fact that Midi and Audio are strictly separated - I can't use it to create a Midi layer over an audio recording aligning it to the audio transients in the background, nor can I use it to time-stretch a recording to match my midi. If I could see audio tracks in the background when editing Midi and vise versa, even if the background track was read-only, that would be a huge improvement.

[@Spithonio]

Surprising the Comping con.Cubase user for years,after a long break started fresh with Ableton and within a year switched to Bitwig, Comping and managing the takes this way changed completely the way I edit clips,in a positive way,actually this workflow made it so much better for me and I have thought so many times "I'm so sure Dash is LOVING this" 😅

[@DashGlitch]

are you in my discord? I'd love to understand your methods, maybe it will change my mind

[@zmmmzmmmz]

Thanks for sharing your experience

[@DashGlitch]

Thanks for watching!

[@hansvos5897]

Bitwig is a playground, it's a spaceship.

[@markquavertune2003]

Thankyou for this very helpful video .I think a different type of project for a different DAW .I am up to date with Cubase but definitely warming to updating Bitwig .

[@bernhardgass]

I switched from Ableton to Bitwig in a heartbeat. Stability is clearly #1 Not sure how much time I spend chasing misbehaving plugins in Ableton. Not a problem with fine grained sandboxing model of Bitwig. If something still blows up, it does not drown the DAW #2 The overall workflow with scenes and arrangement side by side, much better browser panels, etc.. The fact that ex Ableton employees started from scratch obviously gave them a chance to avoid known mistakes. Overall much cleaner. #3 All the differentiators from other DAW's like The Grid, awesome modulation model, Mixed Audio/Midi tracks, flexible and simple enough routing etc.

[@OrangeNash]

. I've used Ableton every day for years, and I can't remember the last time it crashed due to a misbehaving VST! This used to be the case, but I'm not sure what VST's people are using if they are causing so many problems these days. As a selling point to relearn a new DAW...? Just not worth it.

[@79halfnhalf]

Really interesting video, thanks.

[@jurakerleha]

Great video Dash and can help others with their decision from other DAW Personally I'm use to Reason and tried as well Cubase and never liked,Fruity Loops tried too but didn't liked too,Ableton was for me best for while then switched to Bitwig as you,previously I had Hackintosh only for Logic Pro What I like on Bitwig is fast VST scanning,Ableton is pain in arse Great video as always Dash and best of luck my friend in future

[@witoldskiba4668]

your channel is my main source for ableton/bitwig transition . ableton its lacking in synchronization and performance and im totally disapointed when comes to external sync and i dont even want to talk about performance . so far so good on the 30 days trial so thank you mate for your knowledge sharing!

[@denizatalay]

Thank you for the video!

[@ravivpinhas9740]

After 23 years with Cubase I moved to Bitwig... its a great DAW, super stable, and highly creative :) Here is some things i miss in bitwig: 1. The zoom in Bitwig is really lame (compare to Cubase) + Bitwig zoom to a random location (Cubase zoom to curser like u expect). 2. There is no Snap to Zero Crossing (Cubase had is 23 years ago) 3. I miss shortcut - CTRL+L (move to curser) - its really handy workflow. 5. In bitwig, When u hit stop, the curser vanish.. i prefer it wont. 6. I don't like the midi editing in Bitwig (track/clip - so confusing) , Logical editor will be really awesome , but this is a huge feature. 7. No Macros shortcuts in bitwig 8. When u duplicate in bitwig CTRL+D - u need to press 1 by 1 instead of just holding the buttons down (why?!) 9. The comping is confusing.. (Audio and midi). 10. Retrospective recording is highly missing! * There are more workflow that are handy in Cubase that im missing in bitwig (like when deleting an event , Cubase will select the next event automatically incase u want to edit it as well etc) Overall Bitwig is GREAT! Awesome video as ALWAYS! Dash :)

[@DashGlitch]

Great concise list of points, thanks for the insight

[@adamregan4921]

Yeah I think it comes down to the price. Bitwig is 1/3rd the price of cubase.

[@ravivpinhas9740]

@@adamregan4921 Cubase full price - 645$ on Steinberg shop (590$ on Thomann). Bitwig full price - 399$ Most people will buy their DAWs on sale... Steinberg making 40-50% , Bitwig 25%.. Cubase is still more expensive but the gap isn't that big.

[@CesareMarionetti]

I absolutely agree with everything you said in this video in my experience I can say having started from cubase on atari 1040st, reason / rebirth and ableton Live today I have been using Birtwig for 4 years and I uninstalled all other software .... keep it up .

[@delhibill]

Picked up some good tips.

[@PspiralifeTutorials]

Ive been dedicated to Bitwig for the past 3-4 years. Im a huge advocate. But as a music production educator myself, I've had a couple of patrons and private students mention that they are missing seeing ableton live content included in my content, so this week I began looking at Ableton live 11's new features and decided to upgrade from 10 to begin adding ableton alternative methods to my primarily bitwig videos. And while revisting ableton's devices recently, I noticed that their devices seem to be what I might call "sweet spot" focussed instruments. They tend to be well built to sound good and get usable results fast with small parameter tweaks. In contrast, Bitwig feels much more open ended and its devices are designed with a wider, practically unlimited pallet or range of possibilities. Bitwig being the more adventurous & explorative, and Ableton being more condusive to quick gratification with each device being well tuned with sweet spots being easy to find. I do agree Dash, Bitwig feels like the future. I'm really happy to see you pumping out the deeper note grid and polygrif stuff! Thank you

[@DashGlitch]

Awesome insight, highly appreciated!

[@BappinProductions]

Ableton devices are really good, now if only they could bring basic DAW features up to that same standard :)

[@AntiPattern123]

@@BappinProductions Yeah... still have to use the Max LFO to get what should be bare minimum standard is a bummer. And the stability of Live is a nightmare. 5 crashes a week is borderline acceptable. At least the restoration of the set is good, but it nags. I tend to open Live from my project folder, by clicking the project.als recently. I don't have the patience to wait booting blank Live application and then wait another 30secs for the project I want to work with. The stability was the one big reason I chose Live over Bitwig half year ago. I should have done my research. So... the next updates may be stability fixes only in Live. The fate of all aged software.

[@MaximusWhyman]

There’s things in Ableton that I can’t live without, like retroactive recording and audio to midi. To me, the workflow is a tad faster for certain things. I wish you could bounce audio faster in Ableton tho. Hopefully they update that in Ableton 12

[@sub-jec-tiv]

It’s a shame Live 11 runs like utter garbage on my PC. I shouldn’t have upgraded from 10. It’s a seriously good PC, and should be fine. But Live drops out like crazy. It’s like, worse performance than Live 5. So I switched to Bitwig and it works just great. I miss track freeze and the groove pool, but that’s all i really miss about Ableton.

[@jerefreeman2488]

Very informative and interesting techniques. Thank you 🔥

[@markquavertune2003]

I have up dated to Bitwig .Love what the instruments can do .A bit of a learning curve . Just an idea for DAWs .What if there was a second or more loop button .For the reason that if you wanted for example to edit between measure seven and eleven you could set up a second loop zone in the project and switch to it without changing the main loop settings .

[@DashGlitch]

I have a workflow like this with the clip launcher, because it's available in the timeline aswell. Basically I set up a bunch of mini loops in the clip launcher, and then arrange those into a full track, I hope that helps

[@joyemojiiboy]

✨ ENDLESS CREATIVITY W/ BITWIG STUDIO. 🔮 THE FUTURE OF MODERN MUSIC. FASTER THAN FART 💨 🤣

[@solarion33]

Cubase added support for ambisonics audio and Dolby Atmos . as I'm sure you are aware it also depends on the type of music you make , its all very linear and it suits recording of live instruments , composing scores and other more musical related approaches to music rather than experimental.(in the classical sense of music and its structure) its a very advanced mixing desk. for more experimental stuff sure bitwig seems cool , personally I'd go for VCV rack hosted in Cubase where I'm completely free of any midi restraints.

[@DashGlitch]

Have you actually tried to use VCV in Cubase under critical conditions? I tried for a few years and Cubase's MIDI sync is totally broken and throws off any intercommunication. I'm pretty sure ambisonics and dolby were both fully supported when I left Cubase 1 year ago, in fact i've talked about them both in previous videos.

[@solarion33]

@@DashGlitch you are correct the midi sync is not great , I use expert sleepers silent way to send clock via sidechain to an instrument loaded with vcv and it works well enough.

[@solarion33]

@@DashGlitch its also a matter of habit as its not fun switching daw , unless you really have to.

[@DashGlitch]

@@solarion33 I also found using a very small DC sample and send it as audio into VCV then convert to clock inside the rack, but the issue was getting clock back solidly. All these workarounds eventually became PITA and when I found the DAW that had it all natively, it was a no-brainer for me

[@TheBelse]

Importing the midi from a traditional daw is my new working method for things like Reason and Fruity ..and Ableton.

[@dorsia6938]

I like Cubase to do stems mixing on as the UI for mixing is unparalleled. I also love Cubase for scoring because the organisation with templates and project structure is fantastic, albeit perhaps a little convoluted. I love the plugin/instrument profile system in Cubase. I know Bitwig has collections which are nice but the system is clunkier than Cubase and having to set the browser up for various contexts is annoying. I much prefer Steinberg's options of letting the user design their plugin folder categories and heirachy however they want. In regards to recording, setting routing up is a confusing pain in the ass, but once you're ready to go, complex recording into Cubase is nicer. For any simple, on the fly recording, Bitwig is much nicer. Similar story with routing hardware synths or guitars for midi playback, once you have it all set up in Cubase it's okay but Bitwig is just so easy and pain free, basically just plug and play. Overall, if im doing anything electronic music related, loop or sound design heavy, Bitwig is far and away the better option.

[@msp420]

I feel the same way and that is my biggest draw back with Bitwig is the way it sets up the plugins...I have 1000s of plugins and I hate the way it lists/organizes them

[@msp420]

but love that when a plugin crashes it doesn't crash your session at all

[@callmesleeper]

As a Cubase user. Most artists get "turned off" from collaborations when they realize I'm not using their precious Ableton or FL Studio. (I guess wanting a peek under the hood of my process was the bigger goal via sharing projects, rather than the creative expression of the song collaboration) I'm even more adamant on not switching DAWs now when realizing 80% of modern electronic music producers just "borrow" from each other rather than figuring out techniques of their own. Some "limitations" forces you to think of different ways to create. 'Rant over' 😆

[@DashGlitch]

You're totally right, and I feel like that resonates with a point I spoke on in the video. Regarding limiting myself to use the DAW, forced me to discover the things I needed to know about it :)

[@callmesleeper]

@@DashGlitch yeah totally. It also feels way better when you discovered alternative ways to achieve things by NOT following the unofficial rules. 😁

[@pavelmolchanov7156]

Most ableton, fl producers suck. I see cubase producers are better

[@Jason75913]

Duly noted and annotated for posterity and personal data. 😎👍

[@JedidiahProductions]

18:45 you can put a send channel inside a group in Logic. I switched from Logic to Bitwig from watching your channel along with the other sound designers on youtube who use it. Keep up the good work!

[@DashGlitch]

I stand corrected, thanks!

[@adamregan4921]

@@DashGlitch You can in Cubase too.

[@JaeH0202]

Hey Dash, thanks for a great content. I switched from cubase to bitwig a year ago, majorly influenced by you, baphy and tache. I would never look back to cubase since then. So thank you for leading me to this path. But One thing I missed from cubase is how intuitive and more functions to work on note editing. Bitwig only provides basic note editing functions whereas cubase has line cutting for strum, logical editor, scale filter (although you can achieve by note editor in bitwig, I prefer cubase way). But still, I agree that bitwig is the future. Hopefully bitwig team boosts their popularity and they definitely deserve!

[@narukera8965]

I make traditional 1970s sounding music and don't like modern sounds but I'm a long time bitwig user because i don't like routing. Folders and containers are more nicer and ability to save everything and make third party vst's better and so on. I'm learning a lot from you like the sends can throw in folders. I didn't know that so thanks a lot.

[@pedrinhofellix]

@DashGlitch About recording audio endless in the same clip like in Ableton, there is a way to do that in Bitwig, you can record as long as you want, after recording go to the list of taken compings, select the first take at the very bottom (double click), then on the arranger clip you can drag the clip end to get the full recording (compings) in just one long clip. REMEMBER to disable Record as Comping Takes from the Play menu. It saved my life!!

[@DashGlitch]

thanks!

[@ratana_music]

It's fun switching but definitely miss my old daw. From studio one, right away I'm missing ara2 support, event fx isolated for single events and not the whole track, and also being able to pin vsts for it to always stay on top. I'm running off my old laptop and bitwig has lower cpu consumption which is the main reason I made the switch. ✌️

[@DashGlitch]

agreed, I've spoken about some kind of "event fx" and how I wish we had it. My workaround is using FX selector containers and modulating them to switch between fx

[@benjoe999]

Swapped from nuendo to bitwig. Best choice! I use Bitwig for music making now,and nuendo is for sound design and mixing only.

[@ILLUMINATI_CARTEL]

I've made the transition from cubase to bitwig as you allmost a year ago (after 8 years in cubase), I can say now LOUD AND CLEAR - Cubase feels like a lab. (Stiff, one way for everything) Bitwig feels like a playground. (FUN, 3/4/5 ways to do everything) I think bitwig is going to be the leader in the DAW worlds. BEST DECISION I've ever made. I mean, can you imagine the things bitwig will do in version 10 ??????

[@dorsia6938]

I agree, most of the things I like from Cubase are the organisation tools which at the moment makes it better for scoring or mixing.

[@yoxiyoxi]

I've been using FL for more than 20 years, now I've made my first track in Bitwig :D

[@Nik_Rubin]

Massive love to everything Bitwig❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥

[@macronencer]

I was a Cubase user for a long time (I still have it installed on my old machine). I was making orchestral music with Kontakt etc. so I didn't have much use for modulators and was mostly using sample libs with keyswitched articulations and modwheel expression. I've veered off towards electronic (which is kind of going back to my teenage roots really - we're talking early 1980s though!) and Bitwig grabbed my attention as soon as I began to look at it properly. It's like a recording studio and a modular synth rolled into one. I like your method for making a control room track, by the way. That was something I was missing as well. I've made a note of it! As a pianist, my only serious gripe with BW was the handling of piano pedals and MIDI export. I tried to record a piano performance to send to a friend for a project, and the pedals just got erased from the MIDI (because they're "controllers"), which makes that workflow entirely useless. Apparently this is on the road map to be improved. I hope it's soon.

[@Byron101_]

Bitwig is a joke for midi composing. It lags in so many ways. I miss so many features. Bitwig is a tool for people who have too much time...

[@macronencer]

@@Byron101_ Fair comment, but I think it depends on your goals. I certainly wouldn't attempt to use BW for the orchestral work I was doing previously, but now that I'm more into experimental projects I'm definitely OK with it, as long as they keep improving the shortfalls. I've just renewed for another year... we'll see what happens.

[@NakulKrishna]

@@Byron101_”bitwig is a tool for people who have too much time” you mean like the time you have commenting about a daw you don’t use? Bitwig is one of the most innovative daws on the market, are they lagging behind in loads of standard features on other well established daws? Sure. But those features can and will be added eventually, what they do have though, no other daw has in the same way.

[@psynautic]

i think note stacking will also work on CLAP plugins that are properly setup for polyphony

[@trigasurge]

Bitwig’s tools breathe so much life into audio clips & 3rd party plug-ins. Can’t imagine what else can be added. Scripting engine? Wavetable editor? Ability for GRID to be open to allow others to build custom modules?

[@DashGlitch]

No idea lol but I got word that the new features in v5.1 will be more epic than v5 :D

[@adamarmstrong9408]

Learning so much from you vids 🙏

[@buckycore]

I use both. I can't live with our both. I treat DAWs more like instruments rather than this place where I put instruments in..Bitwig makes me think different than Cubase. I think linearly in Cubase...I make traditional "songs" there. With Bitwig, I explore. I let the weridnes of it all make do things I wouldn't come up with normally.

[@keendnb]

I switched from cubase to studio one a while back because I felt that it was pushing things forward. I have also used Ableton mostly for live stuff because I could never really get on with the work flow as DAW arranger. I saw Bitwig at version 1.3 I really liked what their vision was but again never really gelled with it..... I have come back to it again at version 4, now there is more help out there as people switch. I really like it and can see this becoming my go to DAW.... I still think studio one handles files in a very similar way with the bounces and hybrid file system, note FX and the scratch pad. I love the native plugins though in Bitwig and the speed and stability. Bitwig will be in the top 5 DAW's for a long time to come and I believe more professionals will move to it.

[@danm3570]

so many awesome tricks here thanks dash. I just started using NI battery with bitwig which both work so intuitively together it blows my mind. I was thinking exactly the same thing about the colour scheme, how hard would it be for them to make different skins for bitwig, the same way you have all these skins for serum etc

[@lX-NDR]

I use cubase many years but i want a second daw for electronic type beats like bitwig or ableton. Its good for your inspiration to use 2 daws in my opinion. Note fx is amazing.

[@jon6807]

One of the things I miss from Cubase in Bitwig is Track versions. Not sure if Bitwig has some kind of workaround.

[@DashGlitch]

Totally! I mentioned that in my original version, I've started using clips in the clip launcher as a workaround, because you can open it on the arrangement view and drag as you need - I actually find this workflow a bit quicker for what I do mostly

[@hazmatproduction4562]

I switched around the same time as you, largely due to modulation in cubase being clunky & decades behind Bitwig’s workflow. Cubase - better mixing environment, better file management (mediabay allows file metadata editing - Bitwig browser does not), ARA2 enabled, mixer snapshots & flexible undo history. Bitwig = better for sound design, working with synths, less native FX but more forward thinking, groundbreaking devices. Better at squeezing more out of a robust 3rd party plugin library than cubase. Very flexible routing for FM. These are my main reasons for keeping both, but I won’t be updating cubase beyond 12. The leak of 13’s upcoming features was lack lustre at best (kind of the norm these days with cubase major version upgrades)

[@wewe-by8ox]

Dude，What mic are you using and it makes your voice cleaner!

[@DashGlitch]

Lewitt LCT-440 Pure, thanks!

[@markgriffiths5122]

I've used Cubase/ Cubeat from the 90s but I'm no expert. I've had Bitwig for several years but for some reason I struggle using Bitwig for mixing, probably I'm just missing something.

[@DashGlitch]

What things are you struggling with in particular? maybe I can help in a future video

[@markgriffiths5122]

@@DashGlitch I suspect it's just a presentation issue, I find the mixer too small to get the fader adjustments at a fine enough detail. I haven't used Bitwig for a while, I tend to do sound design and then export it or I use it for experimental stuff that needs the minimum of mixing.

[@intolucidity7220]

I have just switched from waveform 12 pro to Ableton live suite 😁👍

[@suffist]

I bought bitwig studio the other day since they're giving £100 bucks off at the moment.

[@Marko-nx9eq]

I agree with everything you said. I use Cubase from v5 and I love it every day just for the music I make, Bitwig suits me better. I still have Cubase but I'm not sure if I'll go back. I take my hat off to the Bitwig team, but I think that UI will reject many potential users and that is such a stupid reason. Or maybe good who knows :D

[@YuccaEvergreen]

Great things you pointed out! Been wondering on changing Logic to Bitwig for a while now, since Apple seems to not care fixing some issues Logic has. Workflow can be pain in the ass in Logic, but have to admit they did step up with their game as well after some updates ago making it more smooth and giving us more tools to work with. For example new samplers that I’ve really learned to like more and more and looping arrangement possibilities just as it is in Ableton for example. Of course other nice features that I might not even use myself, but still… as you said they also are not really focusing in the future, the idea is there, but I find bugs that are annoying and which kills the workflow. Thanks for your informative videos ❤

[@diablefernal]

I did switch ! Long time Logic Pro user for over a decade ! I went for studio one I just love it!

[@XnazxulX]

So i know this post is 4 months old but i have been lookin at bitwig.. is going from abelton to bitwig a steep learning curve? Also love to tutorials as the concepts a lot of time fit.

[@DashGlitch]

Ableton to Bitwig is the least steep curve imho, because the programs are plaid out in a very similar fashion

[@msp420]

I own both and it's taken me a bit longer to finish things in Bitwig but I do enjoy it way more for production and tends to work best with my computer. I had so many issues when Cubase updated to 12 and honestly it disheartened me because I have a powerful PC and there is no reason it was so poorly optimized after spending more money on a "major" upgrade. As much as I can attribute to Cubase for giving me a canvas in the earlier part of my career, I personally think Bitwig is a little more in touch with it's user base and tends to give us game changing things that other DAWs miss out on. For tracking and mixing I still prefer Cubase just because of the way my brain is used to mixing but I'm sure over the years I will probably be able to transfer all my previous mixing techniques into Bitwig once the visual matches up in my mind. I mostly mix by ear anyways so regardless I still support both but I haven't upgraded since Cubase 12 and probably won't because Bitwig has not let me down yet. They almost did but then they listened to the customer base and gave us the new operators/modules without nickel and diming us.

[@jonasharp3]

You might not have to with the new .dawproject standard. If all goes according to plan you’ll be able to open your bitwig session in Cubase. Currently it works with Studio One, and I believe it works with ableton and fl as well, but I have only tested it with Studio One.

[@emim_thinks]

I love bitwig. I have been using FL since Fruity Loops 3. I just love the modular workflow.

[@discopas2826]

Learning every day from you, Dash, so thanx again alot! One thing: routing efx in a group is also very simple in Ableton Live (using normal send track, routing its output back to an audio track, move this audio track into the prefered track group, done.) I am using Ableton Live because of being accustomed to use it since 20 years and still not reaching limits to the possibilities, but I am also interested in Bitwig. Cubase and Logic "lost" me after Atari ST had dissapeared... 🤣

[@SpeccyMan]

For me the big thing with Bitwig is you don't need a monster download of files before you can use it, unlike with Cubase. Just the Bitwig installer and the Essentials package and away you go. How big is the download for Halion Sonic SE and Groove Agent SE before you can even begin. I'm on a metered internet connection so every downloaded byte counts. I've only used Cubase Essentials and stopped updating it after 9.5. Bitwig is a far more pleasant experience and so much more flexible. I do also own FL Studio and both are preferable to Cubase in my opinion. Also, as an aside, I would like to be able to use my purchases of Retrologue 2 and Padshop Pro on more than just my desktop PC but I'm unable to as they are only licenced for the one machine due to my only using the soft elicenser. I've tried to move Retrologue to their new system but it won't let me authorize it fully and Padshop Pro isn't even being offered on the new licensing system. Not the way to treat customers, Steinberg! They are attempting to change their outdated and unfriendly licensing system but it is too little too late. Free updates forever with FL Studio and Bitwig's model (with their helpful special deals like the recent free upgrade I had from the 16 track version to the new Producer version which caused me to then decide to go for the full upgrade - also at a discounted price) are far better.

[@DashGlitch]

100% agree!

[@qiujan8734]

One thing is clearly missing here for me: Clarity in terms of overview of the arranger. I happily switched from Cubase to Bitwig and i find it a good decision. Just one point reaaaaaallly has to be mantioned: Bitwig is like 100 years behind in terms of Clarity. 1. If you minimize the tracks, you dont see any audio/midi information in the events anymore, which for me is a big Minus. 2. When you minimze the tracks you cant expand a single track, so to work precicely on this one whilst all the others are at the absoult minimum size. In large project a big annoyance. 3. The arranger "Grid" (the grey lines that show the time signature) is way more unprecise in bitwig. In cubase you can always see where you stand (e.g. where the snare should go - in a regular trance track e.g. -, where the next "1" is after 16 or 32 steps or however. In bitwig i still get lost after 3 years, i have to zoom in and out to understand visually where i am. All this would be very easy to correct and i dont think it is a matter of opinion, its simply sth that is worse in bitwig. Otherwise i can really recommend bitwig, i have more pleasure working with it.

[@DashGlitch]

This is true but since switching i've found myself using about 100x less channels, for example in Cubase for simple sidechain or parallel tasks you need seperate channels, resulting in projects with hundreds of channels, thus this is a requirement. But yes I do agree they could add some UX to the timeline

[@stefanreinike6724]

Would love to see a psy trance tutorial using bitwig by you

[@DashGlitch]

Brother, that is literally my entire channel XD

[@stefanreinike6724]

@@DashGlitch bought your masterclass 🤣❤️

[@apoclypse]

Studio One is the only other DAW I know that let's you nest FX tracks into groups.

[@TerranoiseMedia]

Cool video, Been using Cubase for about 13-14 years and not looking back on it for 3 years of using Bitwig.. I guess they tried to satisfy some users with this comping crap, and it seems like they broke it. It wasn't like this when i started using Bitwig. You used to be able to record for as long as you wanted, and all the information was there - you could simply drag the clip.

[@DashGlitch]

true! I wish we could disable it

[@michaelsnowviolin]

For me, the audio comping is brilliant, and so much better than Pro Tools. I hope MIDI comping is in the pipeline.

[@pedrinhofellix]

@@DashGlitch There is a way to do that in Bitwig, you can record as long as you want, after recording go to the list of taken compings, select the first take at the very botton (double click), then on the arranger clip you can drag the clip end to get the full recording in just one clip.

[@delphisignal]

I use both daws and have been mostly using Bitwig for the last year or two. Bitwig has been doing great stuff for sure. I really wish they'd add retro midi record though. I wonder what's stopping them. Also, Cubase hasn't had anything beyond a maintenance update in a year and a half. I'm hoping they're gearing up to a major overhaul but if past updates are any indicator, probably just going to add a couple more lackluster trinket/sparkly type things and call it good while ignoring bugs that have been living in the system for years such as the way the fader is accessed in the left panel.

[@DashGlitch]

Maybe it's got something to do with the timing, because most applications that have it have pretty broken timing/sync. Cubase's MIDI sync is broken, Ableton's PDC doesn't work with VSTs, etc.

[@buildyourdreams7338]

What would you rather recommend when I come from Reason?

[@DashGlitch]

Bitwig for sure

[@axonassault]

Just curious, what aspects of the UX would you like to customize? I only really need to be able to differentiate the tracks from each other. Past that Bitwig looks good and operates well so I would much rather the devs focus on the audio usability. But maybe I'm missing something? Also, I think the flexible audio routing of Bitwig gets slept on. Being able to create a control room track, moving sends into groups (essential if you use the CTZ method), grabbing any audio/midi into a track and/or sending any audio/midi out. There were all huge sighs of relief. My Ableton projects were always so convoluted just trying to work around Live's routing limitations. Another feature that may get missed is that you can turn plugins off and they are actually removed from memory and don't use any CPU or add to latency. Brilliant. These two features were why I switched from Live to Bitwig. It made that much of a difference to my workflow.

[@DashGlitch]

I got you WRT to the audio functions, but it's already far superior than a lot of other options in almost all aspects of that, and most of the complaints I see from users of "traditional" DAWs is UI/UX stuff, Stuff like sizes of object like the fader in mixer panel, how information is displayed, colour schemes, whether record automatically enables play, small but helpful settings like that.

[@axonassault]

@@DashGlitch Gotcha

[@bestdisco1979]

I’m only into my second day with Bitwig coming from Logic,, things are looking good, I do however have one question which I can’t seem to find a solution to. Is it possible to loop a bounced clip ? Sorry if it’s a no brainer or a stupid question but I’m riding the bicycle with the stabilizers on at the moment. Cheers folks.

[@DashGlitch]

Drop it into the clip launcher? make sure the loop button is on in the inspector panel

[@trollingisasport]

For the comp loops issue, can't you just get the take you want, copy and paste it into a new audio track?

[@DashGlitch]

yea but it's nice having the non-destructive edits

[@jenstornell]

Cool intro and nice sounds. I don't use Serum tho. Vital, Halo 2 and Phase Plant is also nice synths tho.

[@DashGlitch]

Not sure if I even mentioned Serum here, Phase Plant is definitely my favourite, you might see all the videos I made about it :)

[@jenstornell]

@@DashGlitch I clicked some links that went to Serum packs. So I assumed Serum was your thing. 🙈

[@ueson1000]

I'm still using both these two DAWs. Bitwig for synth designs and EDM arrangements while Cubase for rock, orchestral, jazz which needs to use a lot of virtual instruments and massive midi editing. Bitwig is very powerful for its inspiring and a clean workflow to make a project from start to finish. Cubase has a better midi, audio editing and mixing ability so I still love it.

[@DashGlitch]

Better how? You can do all the same stuff in terms of midi/mixing etc. but In cubase the MIDI is not sample accurate, so on paper it's technically "worse" but not in a subjective way :) It doesn't mean it's not capable for music, but I don't see how one DAW is better for a particular genre etc? when it's all about the technical functions

[@AGZT94]

@@DashGlitchit’s all subjective

[@TheAlburp]

The future is now DAW-man 😎

[@mykemuyska8683]

you have a staple sound the is just native to you man the DASH GLITCH sound

[@ercangurcan7558]

NICE

[@zakaroonetwork777]

Is there a way to be able to Visually See Midi Notes in A Clip in the Arrange view? They are So Dim and Plane… the Clips are too Blank compared to other Daws. Please Help.

[@ancient_observer]

Wneh i've switched to Bitwig i felt like my hand are finally untied! And my limitations are now realated with richness of my imagination!

[@skrabio]

Loved Bitwig in the beginning - but eventually ran into too many technical limitations and bugs to trust it anymore. Worst being that my renders would sometimes not match my playback. Now looking for refuge elsewhere 😢

[@DashGlitch]

Weird, never heard of those issues, the team is usually very responsive with bug fixes, which is something majorly different from my experience with Cubase. WRT speed matching playback, I have a feeling that's a sample-rate setting when you export, and it's not matching your project settings.

[@matrixmodulator]

Is there a way to record with punch in feature and make it record while it pre-counts so that the audio is not cut straight at the punch in point? That would be useful to recover audio before the punch in point in case i need it, sometimes to create better fade in or blend with the previous audio regions... Also if you know a way to make biwig not delete audio or midi regions when you accidentally move a region over another region, it's really annoting...

[@nomad1517]

I feel people are so worried about which DAW to use primarily because they think the most popular DAW is the industry standard, and the big guys use it, etc. However, as an artist, you need to be able to adapt and improvise. Technology changes. For me, the biggest selling point with Bitwig is its stability. The fact that Ableton crashes and takes forever to load, is truly embarrassing. They haven't really fixed anything to prevent this, and instead focused on push 3 witch makes no sense to me tbh. But the point is, principles matter, you can learn any day, if you understand your basics down cold, and of course if it meets your needs.

[@DashGlitch]

100%, cubase also still crashes like it's nobodies business too

[@damkafabrik2147]

also I switched the same path. For me projects in Bitwig are more like compact. in Cubase projects were kind of messy, even when mixing in Bitwig all is more organized and the final result is better, also, I say, for me.

[@DashGlitch]

100% agree, it's because in Cubase you need several tracks to do single concepts, while the same can be achieved in a single bitwig container

[@sebastianecke8674]

Hey nice video!. I also wanne try bitwig but there is a huge problem. I try to make it short... Topic: midi input only for the track you are currently using? When I assign the same midi controller knob to the cutoff (as an example) for two or more synths, then it reacts for all synths. It doesn't matter which synth track I chose. So it changes the parameters of a track even though I have selected a synth on another track. I've tried a lot and no solution. This totally destroys the sounds i already got. Came from cubase and there only the channels react on input for the track i choose.

[@DashGlitch]

in the settings, you can choose whether the controller is remote control or channel specific. You can also edit how each control reacts in the top right (next to notifications, there is icon of keyboard)

[@sebastianecke8674]

@@DashGlitch yes i try the controls edit with device or track & device but i really can´t find where i switch between remote control and channel specific. can´t find really ion forums. i also try scripts but don´t work. i can´t read a knob twice. thanks for your answear maybe you can point me where i can switch to channel specific

[@DashGlitch]

@@sebastianecke8674 I think there is a bit of misundertstanding how the MIDI is handled in Bitwig, it's understandable because other programs call these macros, regardless. if you want only individual control of the highlighted device, you want REMOTE settings. In the settings you want to assign values to the remote controls under your controllers assignment section, then use the "remove mode" on each device, it's below the modulator. Remote are assigned to these "macros" whch you can edit

[@sebastianecke8674]

@@DashGlitch yes that helps me A LOT :) thanks. i set the controler as generic witout any mapping from bitwig and now it works. nice

[@DashGlitch]

@@sebastianecke8674 great news!

[@Beatsbasteln]

bitwig should just add offline processing of individual audio events. the fx selector is not a replacement for this feature, because offline processing is not only nice for the cpu but also non-destructive because you don't need tobounce the chain

[@DashGlitch]

I agree, but how do you mean non-destructive because it writes to the RAW audio file when you process, meaning the file has changed and to make an adjustment, you need to use undo - that's destructive, while the selector can be fine-tuned until the point of render, leaving you the choice to destruct or not

[@Beatsbasteln]

@@DashGlitch i mean in cubase you have that offline-processing menu in which you can set up which sequence of effects should be offline-processed, right? but you never have to bounce the results manually. it is all done in the background for you whenever you make a change to any plugin parameter. so you could go back to the unprocessed signal at all times but still have the benefit of almost no cpu hit

[@henrikseip]

#"it has different stuff!" .... @bitwig killing it

[@dianagales5453]

I wish un Bitwig to hace the sampler directo Playing the auto warped slices as I done on Ableton. I uses a Lot of maxforlive old sequencing emulations and acid sequencers