37 thoughts on “Bitwig Studio 2.0 Adds New Devices, 24 New Modulators, Improved Hardware Integration & More”

1. Yes! Looks like a great update. Personally, I love the GUI of Bitwig and find it very easy to work in and with these new devics and improvements I think It will become my primary DAW.

   1. Great update? A bunch of blinking lights and nice graphics on top of a version 1 that is still beta? Where is the modular system and the collaboration the promised for version 2?

      1. Those are big missing features but I was probabaly not going to use them much so it’s not a big deal to me personally. I’m surprised that the modular system isn’t open like they said it would be but I can see where it went in all the new modulators.

         The payed update model after 12 months is total BS though. My initial response would have been less enthusiastic if I was aware of that when I wrote it.

         1. I agree. It’s hard to understand such a nasty move unless they are facing bankrupcy, which I think they are. With this move the simply show they don’t give a damn about their users who with good will helped and bought version 1 thinking it was a finished product. Something you can’t really see in the demo.

2. NRPN? No?

   Visual style is so lovely!

   Better hardware support is great news. I’m stuck with Live and Push for time being, though. If the Push-script will be updated to work with Bitwig 2 – then I might give this a go.

3. Sounded really good until I got to this: https://www.bitwig.com/en/17/new-license-model.html

   “Starting with the release of Bitwig Studio 2, you’ll get 12 months of free upgrades and updates with your purchase. This plan also includes email support.

   After the 12 months, you can renew your upgrade plan at an attractive and affordable price.”

   Cost is 159 EUR / 169 USD a year. I’m just not sure if this is a good deal or not for a hobbyist. If it covers the upgrade from 2 to 3 then I guess it seems reasonable. On the other hand, it seems kind of steep to cover bug fixes and other minor version updates after 12 months. It’s still early in it’s development and will have plenty of bugs. I also get that it’s not required to pay this but I don’t like the idea of paying $400 for it and being stuck wherever it is after a year unless I pay another $170.

   Too bad as I was looking to hop on the Bitwig train once 2 was out.

4. If I remember correctly they promised a complete modular environment like max/msp with ability to modify and create own devices. That was before first released. Then closer to release date they postponed it to version 2. Now it looks like they dropped this idea.

   1. They are a beta company of beta people. That’s why.

5. Bitwig has failed to deliver what they promised in version 2. I got Bitwig because they said they will release the modular system and LAN collaboration, but no. I barely could use the software because version 1 is broken, I was a paid beta tester because they can’t make their software work. Now they change to a yearly subscription model: they want money in advance without telling you what you will get (?). I’m selling Bitwig and I’m not coming back. Bitwig, you are a FRAUD:

   1. They talk about their long-term plans here:

      https://www.bitwig.com/en/17/behind-the-scenes-modularity.html

      It already has a lot of features that no other DAW has, so I can’t criticize them too hard, when their ‘1.0’ version already did so many things that Live doesn’t. There was a lot, too, that Live did that they didn’t, but I think with 2.0 they are catching up.

6. Impressive update! New license model is a pain thou – call me whiner I don’t mind. It’s Friday! Smile!

7. The yearly license model is a serious downer. While users of Live can enjoy years of free updates, poor users of Bitwig would have to pay for bugfixes. This will turn off some people from the DAW. Now imagine that Ableton announces Live 10 around NAMM 2017 and Bitwig would have an exodus of users.

8. Version 1 is 288 Euro and was 248 some time ago. With the upgrade of 159 that total it much more than buying the version 2 . Thank you Bitwig for supporting your early investors who also gave you a lot of feedback on bugs and issues ! That upgrade price is a rip off and a punch in the stomach. That grace period should be for all V1 user. VST3 is nice but not a must have since most vendor still support VST2. VST3 can receive CC but won’t transmit it due to Steinberg’s weird policy. The changes don’t look worth Euro 159. and V1 users will probably be stuck now with an unsupported version ? Seriously thinking now to dump Bitwig, did not think they would walk this way.

   1. I’m also very pissed about this but fortunately this helped me to make a decision. Bye, Bitwig.

9. And no LV2 live support for Linux they hinted for some time ago in some presentation. So still no plugins for Linux users. New support (bugfix) pricing of $159/year is too much as well. Perhaps soon we will see a Bitwig Lite, Studio and Pro when the model does not work.

10. The poor Hardware integration and not beeing able to change time signature in the middle of a song were no-go’s for me. The first one seems improved, what about the second one?

11. Too expensive IMHO.

12. They truly deserve to go bankrupt, they don’t even care about the users who supported them by buying their shit unusable software which is still beta. Now they have to to pay $ 160 a year to get a small feature like clip fades.

13. way too little way too late, imo – and that seems to be a consensus as well

    its too bad, Live needs more competition .. just the whole psuedo-pattern based live DAW market needs more options, for real

14. This might be the end for Bitwig, it’s quite obvious they are in financial trouble. They are only 3 developers to keep 3 platforms, there’s no way they can do that. 8 years to deliver a version 2, when their version 1 is still beta. Pretty bad for the guys with good will and the fanboys who supported them and kept them alive to find out they don’t care about them, at all.

15. The new subscription based update model really chaps my hide. After seeing the 2.0 announcement last night I purchased a new copy of Bitwig 1.0 for $99 which is a great deal as it’s in the 2.0 grace period. Now today I learn about this scandalous fee they are going to charge people for upgrades after a year. It’s more than some other companys charge for a completely subscription based model. How is anyone going to know if that 12 months will include a vital update or even 3.0. What if it expires a week before a huge update and woops, wheres the 169 freaking dollars.

    It’s a dick move and makes me wonder if they are struggling financially or just following Avid’s greed model.

    1. People at the official Bitwig forum on KVR are PISSED. The thread complaining about the new subscription updates is longer than the general 2.0 thread and even that is mostly people complaining about the update costs. Even KVR itself trolled Bitwig on their twitter page. https://mobile.twitter.com/kvraudio/status/819982842071515138

       Dom from Bitwig says the whole reason is so they can release features more quickly instead of waiting for a major revision. Well no one besides their wallets are forcing them to wait until major revisions for new features. And even if that were so the upgrade price is simply too high.

    2. They are having financial problems, no doubt about it.

       1. It’s definitely the most obvious answer. I was curious about this so I poked around Sweetwater to see what DAWs were selling the most. It’s not super accurate because it’s US only and doesn’t count direct download sales but Bitwig was close to last out of almost every DAW. It’s definately not selling on Sweetwater. Probably also how I was able to order a new in box retail copy for $99 from eBay.

          That I now have to wait to activate until 2.0 is relased so I can get the longest updates possible. I still like using Bitwig what can I say. Although Ableton’s got a big opportunity whenever they announce v10.

16. 2 years is better than 1

    Say it loud!

17. If lots of people put their license on ebay for $99 (Just paid 249 euro a few months ago !) , then the E 159 upgrade to 2.0 will become really attractive for new users to play with BW for another 12 months and to see if they deliver what they promised. . 🙂 so guess many users , like me, will just keep in it the closet or not upgrade and wait and see, This pricing look more like BW is panicking and need money, so the next 12 months could mean live or die for BW. For now, the forums are full with disgust. Many suggest $99 per 1 or 2 years . That may make sense, but it may depend BW’s financial situation if they can get over these growth pains. Hope they find some investors which will take the “investment burden” away from current users and thus lower the upgrade price. In the future, when BW really become a market leader, it might become the most expensive DAW if the management decide so to go over the early adopters dead bodies. But hopefully the will change their mind and not become greedy.

18. Bitwig has suddenly become one of the most expensive DAW s to maintain with this new license model. So, no bugfixes for me because i am not willing to pay 169 $ just 3 months after i bought version 1.
    Way to thank your early adopters. This will prove to be a very unpopular decision and i think they will regret this. Even if it leads in the short term to a sudden cash inflow, i think many people will abandon ship out of disgust. You can already hear very negative reactions all over the web. But maybe i’m wrong.
    I will vote with my wallet against this new license model and i hope you will vote against it too. There are lot’s of cheaper, capable and more stable sequencers out there. Reaper, FL studio for example. Even Cubase, Sonar or Studio One are cheaper to follow on updates.

19. if I was an investor, I would really consider put down the money to give BW a 3 years chance to develop and become the market leader. There is so much opportunity in this company, software, service and hardware wise, but milking the current user base to reach that goal goes too far. Please not let become BW become BS (Bitwig Studio)

    1. Admin: Personal attack deleted. Keep comments on topic and constructive.

    2. I don’t think they have a chance. 8 years of coding for a version 1 which is still beta.

20. I think you are all very harsh on this decision. I personally like it a lot.. firstly it’s not a subscription! You buy into the program at a certain point (doesn’t matter when) and get a year long of support and updates.. And in that respect the price is quite fair! If the program is in a state that you like it, just don’t pay for updates anymore and nothing happens.. It’s just keeps working.. again: I think that’s more than fair..

    1. Totally agree! I understand why it FEELS bad to everyone, but it’s not as evil as it’s being made out to be; it’s strategy, not extortion.

       Let’s compare: Ableton upgrades are $160/$300 (Standard/Suite). It was on a 1-2 year upgrade cycle for most versions, though the last couple have been 4+ years. Live is also more expensive (by $50/$150 for BW1 and BW2 — more for Suite). Perhaps that works out fairly decently if you focus on the recent versions with the longer cycle, but it’s still pricey overall.

       But consider how this incentivizes their product schedule: Ableton’s best case scenario is “release a version, let it sell for as long as possible to build capital, release incremental improvements and bug fixes while saving the good stuff for the next release, then repeat”. Over time, users are less and less likely to buy the latest version because they may be concerned an upgrade is around the corner, so improvements become increasingly conservative.

       Bitwig’s strategy seems to be to try to keep the cash flow more steady so that there’s less need to worry about timing of features. There is no reason to wait to release major features because everyone’s upgrade cycle is different, depending on when they bought in. At worst, they wait just over a year in between major improvements because that it probably a higher number of guaranteed upgrades.

       I’d like to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they want to release early and often, but time will tell. I wish they had a strategy for free bug fixes/stability improvements and paid feature improvements. Overall, like Dan said, it’s not that different — it’s either worth upgrading or it’s not, either way you’re not losing what you already got.

21. i have logic and live because until one or the other has what either offers they are purposed differently for me.

    i have reaper because at sixty bucks, being cross-platform, being constantly updated, being passionatly talked about and supported, being that there are a ton of USEFUL tutorials (yo K. Gioia shout out), being that it is a small operation whose core are apparently humble and dedicated to the product’s potential.

    i have tried bitwig many times because i thought it’s attempt at fusing both linear and pattern daw paradigms is where sequencers should be at this point in time and see the need for logic and live working styles in one complete package with the ability to seemlessly work across both hui/layout and operating styles.

    if bitwig were humble enough, acknowledge they are small dogs with big ambitions (very noble undertaking i emphasize), acknowledge the half-bakedness of the software, have a money model like that of reaper then i would throw my money at them. the components are there, the coherent total product just isn’t seemless yet.

    another reaper comparison: look at the reaper website, look at the forums, look at the youtube…tutorials, hyper active discussions with meaning, real praise along with real constructive critism, reactive/thought-out fine tuning of kinks & feature request implementation. hell, the website isn’t overhyped or loud and sleek…now compare that to the past & current state of bitwig at any of those afore mentioned points…bitwig seems to be just a piece of half written on paper with a lot of cool doodles with some self-important plugs by celebs and name-throwing of manufacturers for legitimacy’s sake. barely a trickle of independant or unofficial forum activity, very little tutorials and those seem to be both older in the timeline of things and more about hip production values than honest information fountains (that one dude from the British Isles with the paisley shirts and killer cottage studio set in his garden did the best product overview…real meaty with zero hipster fat…total not vegatarian, yet still sustainable and organic)

    1. this guy did 266 video’s on production tips and tricks with Bitwig.. You give me a shout when you’ve seen them all..
       https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLppiTGoCM2hK-iqNRJzdCdOaRHYWDncW8

22. They are pricing Bitwig as if it were an elite product, but it’s still too new and niche to pull that off. I said it at launch and still believe… Bitwig should have started at something like $199 to get it into lots of people’s hands as a “second daw”. Get the market share first, and that gets you the cash flow to grow the product into the more elite thing you want it to be.

23. I’m personally not at all bothered by the licensing model. As an avid Linux user, being able to use a sophisticated sequencer with excellent sounding modules and effects in Ubuntu is worth the price of admission.

    There was a little learning curve moving from Ableton to Bitwig, but I’ve found it to be a really creative and fun tool to use.

    I use a touch screen to control it (something I’m still stunned the rest of the audio dev scene hasn’t put more effort into), and I’m very productive.

    It may not have the features that everyone relies on, but I love where they’re heading and appreciate what they’ve delivered.

    Ableton kept focusing on features I never use, and for the parts I do use, I never found the upgrade costs compelling. But everyone’s different.

    Given where they are going and the fact that I can make a powerful Linux, touch-controllable workstation now, I think it’s a great value.

24. BS = Bitwig Studio